Shock the World: Wichita Aspires to Avoid Repeat of What It Did to Zags

A weekly ritual began on January 18, 1949, when the Associated Press announced the results of the first weekly basketball poll. Cliff Clavin might be the only individual knowing St. Louis was ranked atop the initial poll. The Billikens, who have never been a member of a power league, placed third in the final rankings. They returned to the Top 10 recently for the first time in nearly 50 years (early in 1964-65 when Wichita State was briefly atop the national poll).

We've traversed from one mid-level school all the way to a couple more - (Gonzaga) last year and possibly Wichita State this season. After the Zags won the 2013 WCC Tournament, they became the ninth mid-major school entering the NCAA playoffs ranked #1 before being shocked by the Shockers in the second round of the tourney. This year, WSU could be bound to become No. 10 in this category if it remains unbeaten through the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

The term "mid-major" annoys some loyalists. But following is a chronological list assessing what happened to nationally top-ranked teams that haven't been members of one of the generally-accepted power conferences since AP national rankings were introduced in the late 1940s: