When Ron Baker first committed to playing basketball at Wichita State University, he didn’t know what number he wanted to wear. When he came in his freshman year, there was a jersey waiting for him with the number 31 on it.

Baker could have no idea the significance that number would have two years down the road.

“My teammates told me a couple of weeks ago that my number was something special, because that was the number of games we could potentially win,” Baker said.

And that’s what the Shockers did Saturday afternoon after defeating Missouri State 68-45, making them the first team in NCAA history to win 31 regular season games with no losses.

It was only fitting for Baker to stand by senior teammate Chadrack Lufile as the two flashed their jerseys after the historic win.

“31 and 0, Baker and Lufile,” Coach Gregg Marshall said.

Wichita State started the game with an 8-1 run to get off to an early lead with just under 5 minutes played. They continued to dominate Missouri State to lead 39-21 at the half.

Wichita State put up fewer points in the second half, but they never gave up enough space for the Bears to recover. A 6-2 run put them quickly within 16 points of the Shockers, but they couldn’t tighten the lead any more than that.

A layup by Lufile with 2:54 left gave the Shockers a 29-point lead, their largest of the game.

Senior Cleanthony Early led in scoring with 19 points. Baker put up 13 to be the second highest scorer for the Shockers.

The team doesn’t have the opportunity to relish in their achievement yet, sophomore Fred VanVleet said.

The team is instead looking at their next challenge and another opportunity to add to the record books in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament next weekend.

Wichita State has never won the tournament. 

“Monday when they go to class all they’ll be thinking about is what we’ve got now in front of us in St. Louis,” Marshall said. “Another challenge, another obstacle, another potential burst.”

WSU will be the No. 1 seed in the tournament this season, in front of Indiana State and the University of Northern Iowa as the two and three seeds.

Marshall said the team will prepare just as they have any other game.

“This is the approach that these guys have embraced, as well as it has enabled them to do something pretty awesome, pretty outstanding,” he said.

Marshall said that although the team had a perfect regular season, they did not play any perfect games. But you don’t have to play perfect to win.

He said, “If you strive for perfection, often times you can achieve excellence.”