Editor’s note: This column is written as part of a point-counterpoint. The other column, arguing that Wichita State deserves the No. 1 seed, can be read here. 

It’s March. Although Joe Lunardi has been making mock March Madness brackets since November, we’re only now reaching the point where we can finally start to make out a fuzzy outline of what the tournament field will look like.

While there is still much to be decided over the next two and a half weeks to Selection Sunday, one thing is clear: Wichita State doesn’t deserve to be the No. 1 overall seed.

The Shockers finished this week with a perfect 31-0 in the regular season, the best start to a season since UNLV in 1991. They’ll get a No. 1 seed — assuming they win the Missouri Valley conference tournament — but they are by no means the best team in the country.

I respect the fact that they’ve done the best they can with the schedule they have. It’s hard to get up for every single game, and the Shockers have answered the bell every time.

I don’t respect the teams they’ve played. The Missouri Valley is 11th in conference RPI, according to CBSSports, comfortably positioned between the Mountain West and Mid-American conferences. According to ESPN, Wichita State’s strength of schedule is 111th in the country, which is a side effect from playing conference foes like Loyola and Evansville twice a year. The conference boasts only three teams inside the top-100 of RPI, as compared to nine in the Big Ten or the ACC.

The Shockers simply don’t have any quality wins that differentiate themselves on a tournament resume. Of the team’s 31 victories, 22 came against foes outside the RPI top-100. Of Wichita State’s three top-50 victories, two came against mid-majors in BYU and Saint Louis — both of which feed off the same cupcake conference schedule that inflates rankings. All top-50 wins came in 2013, which is now a distant memory.  

Compare Wichita State’s three top-50 victories against other potential No. 1 seeds. Arizona has 10. Kansas has 12. Florida has six.  

The selection committee is supposed to rank the top teams in the country in the bracket. You can’t tell me an untested Wichita State team is a safer bet than a hardened Kansas or Arizona team — Nos. 1 and 7 in strength of schedule, respectively.

Wichita State isn’t sneaking up on anyone this year. The Shockers lived up to their billing in 2013 by making a run to the Final Four as the No. 9 seed. This year, everyone gave Wichita State its best shot, and it held firm 31 straight times.

They’ll get a No. 1 seed, but I don’t see a deep tournament run again this season. With the right matchup, Wichita State could be this year’s Gonzaga: a No. 1 seed riding high on the coattails of an easy schedule only to be bounced in the Round of 32.

The team that beat Gonzaga in 2013? Wichita State.

Don’t fall in love with last year’s Cinderella. I’ll ride with the teams that earned their records by beating competitive teams instead of cupcakes.  

Stephen is a junior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @steve_bourbon.