Vibe check

Good morning! End your work week on a positive note and read about the newest addition to UConn. It’s a 12-year-old with a rare condition who celebrate the end of chemo next week.

The rest of the news? Not quite as uplifting.

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1. Vibes high at Wichita State — who else could use that lift?

it wasn’t that long ago when Wichita State was one of the sport’s premier mid-major programs.

The Shockers won 25+ games in nine consecutive seasons from 2009 to 2018, made a Final Four in 2013 and entered the 2014 tournament without a loss. However, the post-Gregg Marshall era hasn’t been kind to the Shockers. They’ve been mired in the middle of the American the last four years and haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since a First Four appearance in 2021.

Could it change? Second-year coach Paul Mills is feeling optimistic entering the 2025-26 campaign, thanks in part to a cultural shift led by his new players.

“That’s my kind of squad,” Mills told the Wichita Eagle. “I wasn’t born into basketball royalty. I had to work and be obsessed with it. So I was pretty happy to hear how they spent a Friday night being in a gym rather than let’s go navigate the city and see what we can get ourselves into. That’s encouraging.”

Those solid vibes belie an urgency for the program to get back into national relevance. If it’s any consolation, the Shockers are hardly the only struggling with that challenge.

Butler

The Bulldogs thrived upon first joining the Big East, with four straight Big Dance berths. However, the last five years have been challenging, with no NCAA tourney appearances and never topping 19 wins. With Thad Matta in charge, one would think his previous success — including a season at Butler back in 2001 — would foster some wins. But recruiting has been a challenge and the Bulldogs may be another year from finishing in the top half of the Big East.

Fresno State

The Bulldogs were a consistent Mountain West performer with four straight 20+ win seasons. The last three seasons? They’ve been rough with three consecutive years of at least 20 losses. When Fresno State moves to the new Pac-12, could they face a life of perennial punching bag? 

Notre Dame

When the Irish joined the ACC in 2014, they won 32 games and reached the Elite Eight. Since 2018, they’ve made on NCAA Tournament and have finished below .500 five times. With the return of 20 ppg scoring guard Markus Burton, this is a big prove-it year for Notre Dame and third-year coach Micah Shrewsberry.

St. Joe’s

Remember this? That was more than two decades ago. The Hawks have just three NCAA Tournament appearances since then, and have won 20+ games seven times, but twice in each of the last two seasons. Coach Billy Lange has had several all-conference players and even an NBA Draft pick (Rasheer Fleming). With both Dayton and VCU replenishing their talent, could the Atlantic 10 be open for St. Joe’s?

Utah

A decade ago, Utah had a clear advantage over rival BYU. It regularly won 20+ games, reached a Sweet 16 and was a Pac-12 contender. Now? Both teams are in the Big 12 but it’s the Cougars coming off a strong campaign and the Utes trying to avoid the basement. New coach Alex Jensen is known as a talent developer. We’ll see how long it takes him.

2. Must-game games on Horizon League schedule

With Northern Illinois set to join the Horizon League in 2026-27, a year from now, this season will be the last to feature a perfect 20-game round-robin schedule. So let’s dive into some of the game you shouldn’t miss.

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