On Saturday at Staples Center, the Shockers faced another team favored to end their season. There was Ohio State, the second seed in the West Region, the Big Ten bully, its roster stocked with prized recruits, its athletics budget among the country’s largest.

And there was Wichita State, a smaller university, sure, from a less prominent conference, but not a midmajor, not by a long shot. The Shockers, with their rabid following and fancy basketball facility, play with resources in the same ballpark as the big boys. Ohio State found that out the hard way, as Wichita State stormed to a 70-66 victory, its fourth straight, despite a furious second-half comeback by the Buckeyes.

“They came out firing,” Ohio State’s Aaron Craft said. “We never really regained our balance until it was too late.”

Of course the West Region of the N.C.A.A. tournament ended this way, with the No. 9 seed left standing. As play unfolded in the region, there was a surplus of upsets, with only Ohio State (the No. 2 seed) and Arizona (No. 6) surviving into the second week.

Three of the top eight seeds fell to Wichita State: first Pittsburgh (No. 8), then Gonzaga (No. 1), then the Buckeyes. What a couple of weeks. Quarterback Tim Tebow spoke to the Shockers on their team plane. Coach Gregg Marshall popularized yellow eyeglass frames. Forward Carl Hall shaved off his dreadlocks and sent them home to his mother in the mail.

Marshall knew his team could rebound, knew it could play defense. Beyond that, he told the Shockers to play angry, which became their mantra, which meant tough and physical, football without pads. Then his team began to shoot well, connecting a bevy of 3-pointers, which made the Shockers dangerous.

They did not, it should be noted, luck their way into Atlanta. They battered four opponents, beat each soundly, beat two by double digits.

Ohio State took the improbable route here, behind back-to-back buzzer beaters, a pair of shots hoisted in the final seconds to snatch consecutive victories over Iowa State and Arizona. Craft made the first and assisted on the second, and the Internet nearly exploded. Someone even said Chuck Norris planned to shave his head to look more like Craft, after Craft battered him in a fistfight.

So there was that.

Wichita State entered this game with a heavy underdog status and a more impressive tournament résumé. The Shockers won their first three tournament games by a combined 38 points.

Fans filed into Staples Center early, the majority clad in red, their emphasis on the “the” before Ohio State. Supporters of the Shockers filled the section behind the team bench, a spot of yellow in a sea of red, and refused to sit until the halftime buzzer sounded.

Neither team jumped too far ahead early, until Wichita State made its run, which took place over basically the final 11 minutes of the half. The score was 19-15, advantage Shockers, when guard Tekele Cotton made a 3-pointer. Guard Demetric Williams followed with another 3 from almost the exact same spot. As Ohio State called a timeout, Williams danced back to the sideline, full of swagger, as the team’s mascot, WuShock, implored the crowd to stand.

They were already standing.

Here was the same Wichita State team that lost at home against Evansville in late February, that lost twice to Creighton in early March. The difference between that team and this one: the 3-point shot. To dismiss Gonzaga, the Shockers made half of their 28 attempts from long range. They extended their lead against the Buckeyes in a similar fashion.

While the Shockers shot their way ahead, the Buckeyes shot as if unfamiliar with the basketball. Deshaun Thomas, Craft and LaQuinton Ross — three stars in the Arizona win — finished the first half 6 of 24.

“We were just looking for somebody to put the ball in the basket,” Buckeyes Coach Thad Matta said. “It was not just trying to find some way to make a shot.”

The Buckeyes trailed, 35-22, at the break. This prompted a rush of Google searches to find Wichita State’s history in the N.C.A.A. tournament. The Shockers went from 1981 to 2006 without an N.C.A.A. victory. They had won eight tournament games total before this season.

Ohio State seemed stunned, but the run came as expected. It started with Thomas, who demanded the ball, who fought into double teams, who scored and rebounded as if possessed. At the end of a 28-11 run, Ohio State trailed by only 62-59.

The Shockers seemed primed for an implosion, but just like against Gonzaga, they responded to the run that was supposed to overwhelm them. Cotton knocked down a 3-pointer. Fred VanVleet spun into the lane, and the ball bounced around the rim before it dropped through.

When the final horn sounded, the Shockers’ supporters danced and clapped and waved their signs, one of which read “100 percent Cotton.” Coaches hugged players. WuShock ran on court.

Next stop: Atlanta.