Wichita State students will get to eat pizza for free for one day if the school’s basketball team wins the NCAA tournament.

Don’t count on it.

Wichita State is at least a 10-point underdog against Louisville in the semifinals – the second-largest spread for a Final Four matchup in the modern era of the tournament.

Wichita State is the birthplace of Pizza Hut (which is sponsoring the promotion and getting a lot of free publicity out of it), along with NFL great Barry Sanders and actress Kirstie Alley.

A few other Wichita State items:

  • The magic of Tebow? Wichita State is undefeated since the team got a pep talk from Tim Tebow before the Sweet Sixteen. It wasn't planned. Wichita State and Tebow were at the same airport, and the quarterback asked to speak to the team for a minute.
  • This isn't Wichita State's first appearance in the Final Four. They made it in 1965.
  • Wichita State's Final Four appearance has been an economic boom to the Kansas basketball program. Wichita State will get around $450,000 for its tournament success, along with $367,500 for travel expenses, according to Kansas.com. The team's basketball program has an annual budget of $3.1 million.

Keep Reading

Jim Leyritz and the 2021 Braves advance.

Credit: Cayce Dunn/AJC

Featured

People join a rally in support for U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees on Tuesday afternoon, April 1, 2025, at the Atlanta headquarters after federal cuts triggered significant layoffs. (Photo: Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Jenni Girtman