Oklahoma State and Wichita State Should Battle Annually in Hoops

Oklahoma State’s 78-66 loss to Wichita State in Stillwater on Saturday concluded a home-and-home series that started in 2016 with an OSU victory.

It’s a series that only lasted two games over two seasons, but if we’re lucky, it will continue in some form or fashion moving forward.

Shockers head coach Gregg Marshall said on his radio show this week that he would like to make it happen.

“We’re trying to work out where we would start,” Marshall said. “They would like us to come back there next year, which would mean two in a row at their place. We’re kind of hesitant on that. But we’ll hopefully work that out.”

Marshall mentioned the same thing on Saturday after the game.

Marshall said he would love to continue playing #OKState and re-up the series. (I agree – great series, easy travel)

— Mark Cooper (@mark_cooperjr) December 9, 2017

I couldn’t agree more with Marshall.

This is a perfect series for Oklahoma State to make a regular thing. The Shockers are a consistent winner with Gregg Marshall at the helm. It means a legitimate non-conference home game every other year against a team that it has proven it can beat, and one that doesn’t hurt the resume if you lose.

Plus, it’s a two hour drive from the two campuses.

The only games OSU plays regularly with a shorter drive are OU in Norman and TU in Tulsa.

Quick proposal: If this becomes a regular thing, can we call it the Battle of the Plains?

Anyway, OSU needs to improve the schedule. Adding Wichita State as a regular opponent in place of a Mississippi Valley State or a Houston Baptist would not only improve the resume at the end of the year, but add another game on the schedule for OSU fans to look forward to.

It’s a series that’s been played 39 times with OSU coming away winners in 30 of the games, and 15 of 18 in Stillwater.

I’m all for it. Even if it requires heading back up to Wichita, Kansas next season to do so, I say let’s pull the trigger and make the Battle of the Plains a mainstay in OSU’s schedule.