60 years ago on this night (1964), Wichita hosted an Elite 8 game in the NCAA men's basketball tournament, featuring 5th-ranked Wichita University taking on Kansas State, with the winner advancing to the Final 4 out of the Midwest Regional.
More than 10,800 fans packed into the WU Fieldhouse for the second straight day, as a Top 5 Wichita team eyed a win on home court and a trip to the National Semifinals.
However, the Wildcats pulled off the upset under head coach Tex Winter, defeating the Shockers 94-86 in the Roundhouse; it was the final game as head coach at Wichita for Ralph Miller, who would leave shortly after the season to become the head coach at Iowa.
Another problem for the Shockers was that star point guard Ernie Moore was deemed not eligible to play in the NCAA Tournament. Moore was ineligible during the second semester of his sophomore year; he played two more full seasons, then was allowed to play during the second semester of the 1963-64 season by the Missouri Valley Conference. The Shockers thought that meant Moore could play in the NCAA Tournament too, but the NCAA's three-man eligibility board told the Shockers that Moore couldn't play in the NCAA Tournament. Wichita star forward Dave Stallworth later lamented, "That was a national championship right there."
With the win, Kansas State advanced to the Final 4 for the fourth time in school history; this is the last time the Wildcats made it to the National Semifinals. Willie Murrell led K-State with 28 points and 10 rebounds.
Stallworth led the Shockers with 37 points and 16 rebounds, as WU shot 54% from the field. However, Wichita could not stop the Wildcats, and trailed 46-33 at halftime. K-State got 15 more free-throw opportunities than Wichita. The Wildcats were 24-for-37 from the free-throw line, while the Shockers were 18-of-22. Nate Bowman, Dave Leach, and John Criss all fouled out for Wichita.
To date, this is Wichita's only home loss in NCAA Tournament play.
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