The Wichita State men’s basketball team overcame a three point halftime deficit and were behind by five with about 17 minutes left in the second half. They went on to defeat the Indiana Hoosiers 81-76 Friday and will face off against the University of Kansas this Sunday.

“A lot of houses are going to be divided,” Ron Baker said. “Obviously, these types of games don’t happen a whole lot.”

It’s been 23 years since the last time the Shockers faced the Jayhawks, but it was Friday’s matchup with the Hoosiers that would make Sunday’s matchup possible.

Wichita State struggled in the first half against Indiana shooting less than 40 percent from the field and only 12.5 percent from the three-point line.

With the team struggling to score, junior All-American Fred VanVleet took the game into his own hands. With just 13 seconds left and down by four points, VanVleet drove to the basket, drew contact from his defender and finished the play by getting fouled on a layup.

His free throw pulled WSU within one point.

“I just wanted to be aggressive,” VanVleet said. “I was getting in [the lane] to pass and I noticed I could have shot it so I started to be more aggressive … trying to get to the free throw line. I think a key tonight was the free throw line and how many times we were able to get there.”

Indiana’s Yogi Ferrell made a basket with less than a second left giving the Hoosiers a three point lead going into the half.

Rebounds were even. Wichita State was only plus four in the paint, and they had given up 12 second chance points to the Hoosiers by halftime. Some of that was due to early foul trouble from big men Darius Carter and Shaq Morris.

Indiana’s Hanner Mosquera-Perea scored with 11:46 left in the game to give the Hoosiers a four point lead. VanVleet took over again making a basket and driving into the lane and getting fouled — converting on his two free throws and tying the game.

Head coach Gregg Marshall said some of the plays were all VanVleet’s doing.

“There was one call he called his own number,” Marshall said, “which was fun. He told me what they were going to run as he was coming down the court. They were shooting a free throw on the other end and I just nodded and said, ‘I like that.’”

On one of the plays VanVleet called for himself, he didn’t even take the shot.

“I didn’t even shoot it,” VanVleet laughed, “that’s the funny part about it. I called my own play. I passed it to Darius and he got a wide-open look at the free throw line.”

Wichita State took the lead after a free throw by Darius Carter at the 10:24 mark in the game and the Shockers grasped to the lead throughout the rest of the game. But, every time WSU tried to pull away, Indiana answered.

The Shockers were up seven with 3:56 to play and Hoosier forward Collin Hartman drilled a three-pointer from the corner to keep within striking distance.

“No matter how large the deficit is, we always stay together,” Hoosier forward Troy Williams said. “We always say anything can happen. We could easily come back and get two more threes or two more possessions. We get a bucket and we’re right there in the game.”

Only up three with less than six minutes left in the game, two Shocker veterans wouldn’t allow the Hoosiers to come any closer, and it was two veterans that had struggled in the game — Baker and senior Tekele Cotton.

Cotton had two points and Baker had eight. In those final six minutes, they iced it.

The pair scored the team’s last 14 points of the game using mostly free throws to propel the Shockers into the Round of 32 and Sunday’s matchup with the Jayhawks.

Marshall said it’s an honor to be able to play so many quality teams the past few years.

“Kentucky last year, Indiana this year, Kansas next,” Marshall said. “I mean those are blue-blood programs. Those are programs with some of the winningest college basketball in the country. That’s what we’re after, no matter who the next opponent is, our goal is to get to Cleveland and the Sweet 16.”

Tipoff time for Sunday’s game is yet to be determined.

KEY NOTES:

-Fred VanVleet tied a career-high scoring 27 points in the game.

-With about eight minutes left in the first half, VanVleet made a two-pointer making him the third Shocker player this season to hit 1,000-career points. It’s the first time in Shocker history that three players made the 1,000-point club in the same season.

-Wichita State ended the game with 44 points scored in the paint compared to Indiana’s 24 points. Off turnovers, the Shockers outscored the Hoosiers 16-7. Wichita State’s bench scored 21 points — nine more than Indiana’s bench.

-WSU’s Individual Scorers: Fred VanVleet (27), Ron Baker (15), Zach Brown (11), Tekele Cotton (9), Darius Carter (9), Shaq Morris (8), Rashard Kelly (2)

-WSU’s Individual Rebounders: Zach Brown (8), Darius Carter (7), Evan Wessel (5), Ron Baker (5), Tekele Cotton (5), Fred VanVleet (2), Rashard Kelly (1), Shaq Morris (1)