The Wichita State Shockers may not be entering the NCAA Tournament with an undefeated record and history hanging in the balance like they did last year, but that lack of pressure might be a blessing in disguise for the No. 12-ranked team, who will no longer have a huge target on their back heading into March and hopefully early April. The Shockers are in the middle of a spectacular run that has seen the team make three straight tournament appearances (not including 2015), notching a Final Four appearance and perfect regular season in the process.

Coach Gregg Marshall hopes to have permanently placed his squad on the college basketball map by making Wichita State a prime destination for the sport's top recruits. The Shockers are looking at their fourth tournament appearance in as many years and hope to erase the memory of last year's disappointing loss to Kentucky in the second round. Let's take a closer look at Wichita State's national title odds with predictions and analysis.

2015 Wichita State Shockers National Title Storylines

Wichita State suffered a disappointing and surprising loss to Illinois State during the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, which dropped the team from No. 8 to 12 in the AP poll and more than likely cost it a shot at a No. 2 or 3 seed in its bracket. The Shockers went six full minutes without scoring a basket late in their matchup against Illinois State, and that highlights the fact that the squad has struggled to produce consistent offensive during games all season.

Wichita State plays three double-digit scorers in Ron Baker, Fred VanVleet and Darius Carter, who all average more than 11 points per matchup, yet the team's inconsistent free-throw shooting and average rebounding skills can make putting up points difficult at times. All three players can score, and that skill makes Wichita State a scary team in single-elimination games, but the early conference tournament loss will probably drop the group into the middle of the pack in the NCAA Tournament seeding, according to most experts.

2015 Wichita State Shockers National Title Odds and ATS Trends

Wichita State is currently receiving the 16^th-best national title odds at +6500, according to Sportsbook.ag. The team ended the season with a 16-13-1 overall ATS record and 7-5-1 and 7-5 home-and-road splits, respectively. It also produced a 15-13 totals record, while going "over" in eight of 12 matchups on the road. Wichita State, however, did cover six of its last eight matchups and may be ready to give bettors value during the early rounds of the tournament.

2015 Wichita State Shockers National Title Odds and Predictions

This season's Wichita State team is not nearly as good as its two predecessors-one of which made a Final Four appearance while the other produced an undefeated regular season-and if neither of those teams could win a national title, there might be little hope that this year's squad can accomplish the feat. The Shockers can score in quick bunches and may be able to put a scare into one of the higher seeds during the second or third round of the tournament. However, don't expect much more than that from the team.

This Missouri Valley Conference standout has established itself as school to look out for, but 2015 is simply not the year to expect the team to make a deep run. If you are a fan of the Shockers then there could be some value wagering on the squad and rooting for a deep run, but if you are looking for betting value there are much better situations to place your money on. Skip Wichita State this season for the tournament championship, but this might be an undervalued team to bet on in the early rounds.

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Read more articles by George Monroy