No. 1 Gonzaga bracing for Wichita State defense

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Forty-six years have passed since Wichita State had a crack at the No. 1 team in the country.

The Shockers woke up Friday sensing a real opportunity after seeing top-ranked and top-seeded Gonzaga survive a scare Thursday against Southern.

Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said his group believes it can beat anyone and won’t be intimidated.

Gonzaga may be 32-2, but it has vulnerable stamped on its resume, with Friday headlines and tweets screaming that Southern exposed the Zags as a top-seed fraud.

How will the Zags respond Saturday against a physical team not afraid to deliver the first blow? And can the ninth-seeded Shockers pull off the ultimate shocker?

History favors the little school from Spokane, Wash., over the fellow mid-major from Wichita.