SALT LAKE CITY—Wichita State’s stay in the NCAA Tournament was short last season—Virginia Commonwealth made sure of that when it upset the higher-seeded Shockers in the second round.

It’s not a feeling the Shockers are looking to experience again this year.

“Yeah, it lingers with our group of seniors,” senior forward Carl Hall said. “We don’t want to go out this year. We remember last year going out the first game and we want to focus on Pittsburgh, take it one game at a time.”

What’s the deal with Carl’s Hair? 

The Shockers tournament journey begins Thursday against the Pittsburgh Panthers at 12:40 p.m. CST. The game takes place at Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City.

Pittsburgh, an 8-seed, is 24-8 on the season and is coming off a 62-59 loss to No. 16 Syracuse in the Big East Tournament.

The Shockers, a 9-seed, are 26-8, having lost to Creighton 68-65 in the Missouri Valley Tournament Championship game a week ago.

To the naked eye, the Shockers and Panthers are very similar teams. But there is one thing that does concern WSU coach Gregg Marshall.

“They’re maybe a little bigger. I haven’t seen them in person,” he said. “They appear to be an inch or two bigger per man across the front line. Jamie (Dixon) does a great job. He’s in the Big East and he’s got a lot to sell. Maybe our guys have grown an inch or two, but if it’s a mirror image I hope we stack up physically with them.”

Key to the Panthers’ success is senior guard Tray Woodall, who leads the team in scoring with 11.8 points per game. Team defense is also important, as Pittsburgh’s 55.4 points per game allowed is sixth-best in the country.

To counter, the Shockers know what they have to do.

“We have to come ready to rebound,” Hall said. “The winner on the boards is going to win the game.”

The winner will play the winner of Gonzaga and Southern on Saturday in the third round. Thursday’s second round game between WSU and Pitt can be seen on TBS.

Notes

—Pittsburgh has been a No.1-seed twice, and as recently as 2011. 

—Pittsburgh has seven Sweet 16 appearances, five coming since 2002. 

—WSU has four Sweet 16 appearances, the most recent coming in 2006 under former coach Mark Turgeon, who is now the coach at Maryland. 

—The last time Pittsburgh and Wichita State played was in Kansas City at the CBI Classic on Nov. 23, 2009. Pittsburgh won 68-55. 

Creighton to leave the MVC—Creighton has officially accepted an invitation to join the new look Big East next season, meaning its time as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference is over.

What this means for the future of the MVC is uncertain, but one thing that is known is that WSU coach Gregg Marshall wants the Bluejays in the Shockers’ future plans.

“I just want to keep playing Creighton,” Marshall said. “We have had a great series with them even though they’re moving on.”

Marshall continued: “I want it to be a long-term deal. I think I say a great rivalry, I think it’s fairly close when you talk about the Midwest. I wish them well. I’m not going to get into the politics of what’s going on in our league. I want to keep playing them.”

Teams that have been rumored to be possible replacements for Creighton in the Valley include Oral Roberts, Belmont, Dayton and St. Louis.