On October 2, 1970, an airplane carrying members of the Wichita State football team flew into the side of a mountain in Colorado. Thirty passengers and crew members died, including some who likely were trapped alive as the plane burned. The horror was compounded by the discovery that none of it had to happen [pdf]. A careless pilot, showing off for the passengers, flew a ground-hugging route into the steeply rising Colorado Rockies. It was 1 p.m. on a crystal clear day, but by the time he realized his mistake, he was out of room to climb or turn around.
So sad. So wasteful.
So what are the chances? When it comes to March Madness these days, every team is an underdog. Nearly 40 years have passed since a team entered the tournament with a perfect record and went on to win the title. (Indiana did it in 1976.) Wichita State will have to beat some teams that are better than any the Shockers have faced this year.
But they have something rare in today’s college basketball ranks: a real team. In an age where the best players often skip to the pros after a single college season—think Andrew Wiggins of this year’s Kansas Jayhawks, the glamor team from two hours up the road—the Wichita State’s squad includes a half-dozen key players back from last year’s Final Four team.
Those guys knocked off a No. 1 seed (Gonzaga) and a No. 2 (Ohio State) before falling to Louisville. And they haven’t lost since. Surely that’s worthy of a little respect.
Article Appeared @http://time.com/19766/wichita-state-march-madness/