Grit vs glam as Shockers try to prove themselves against Kentucky team touting NBA-type talent

Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall speaks during a news conference at the NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 22, 2014, in St. Louis. Wichita State plays Kentucky in third-round game on Sunday. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) (The Associated Press)

Kentucky forwards Julius Randle (left) and Willie Cauley-Stein defend against Kansas State forward Thomas Gipson in second half action during a Second Round NCAA Tournament game between Kansas State and Kentucky on Friday, March 21, 2014, at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. (AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Chris Lee) (The Associated Press)

ST. LOUIS – Kentucky offered the promise of perfection. Wichita State is in pursuit of it.

The teams will meet Sunday for a spot in the Midwest Regional semifinals.

The eighth-seeded Wildcats are the team stocked with so much NBA talent that some of their brazen fans printed up T-shirts that read, "40-0." Before the season, mind you. And it's also the team that went exactly five days before losing its first game.

Meanwhile, the top-seeded Shockers are a bunch of small-town kids and overlooked prospects desperately trying not to wake up from a dream season. They're the team that can actually attain 40-0, only if they can finish off what they nearly accomplished last season.

Kentucky is the next obstacle standing Wichita State's way.