Wichita State, on March Madness bracket bubble, goes wild when selected for NCAA Tournament

Before the season started, an internal investigation into then-Wichita State Shockers men's basketball head coach Gregg Marshall for alleged misconduct toward players dealt the team an emotional blow.

Selection Sunday brought them jubilation. 

The pure joy was evident in a video posted by the team's Twitter account as the Shockers watched together in what appeared to be a hotel conference room. 

Players, coaches and staffers leaped out of their chairs when the Shockers logo flashed on the projector screen that covered a wall. 

The Shockers, an 11 seed, were one of the last four teams in and will play Drake in one of the "first four" games on Thursday. It won't be an unfamiliar matchup for either side, as the two schools were Missouri Valley Conference foes until the Shockers split for the American Athletic Conference in 2017. 

You love to see it.#MarchMadnesspic.twitter.com/jeyex7ASff

According to the NCAA selection committee's full rankings, the Shockers are 45th overall — the final seed that did not earn an automatic bid. The Drake-Wichita State winner will face Southern Californiain the first round. 

Marshall resigned in November and the school was widely criticized for paying him $7.75 million (over six years). Isaac Brown served as the interim head coach for the 2020-21 season, but the school removed that tag last month. 

Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca. 

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