ST. LOUIS — The Wichita State mascot stands around 7 feet tall with a prominent highlighter-yellow head sticking out of a black sweatshirt. The head is streaked with black, the face sports a pronounced nose and angry eyebrows, and atop it all sits what looks like a mop of blond hair in a bowl cut gone awry.

The creature has been mistaken for a French fry, a pencil, a celery stalk, a Native American talisman and a sunflower, to name just a few of the guesses over the years. The truth is no less perplexing for outsiders. The mascot, named WuShock, is an anthropomorphic shock of wheat.

“Believe me, he’s quite a sight to see,” Bob Dylan once said on his “Theme Time Radio Hour” show.

The 34-0 Shockers’ quest for an undefeated season will be one of the highlights of the N.C.A.A. tournament, and it will give one of the oddest and most beloved members of the mascot kingdom plenty of face time on national television. An introduction seems appropriate.

“Outside of Wichita, people might think he’s funny looking, but he’s a part of our family,” said Debbie Kennedy, the director of the Wichita State Alumni Association. “There’s only one Wu.”