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Cougar BLOG |
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March 2008
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Cougar fans...don't take offense to the title. I love Beasley Coliseum and I love the rowdy crowds that have shown up all year (and (hopefully) will the rest of the way). The fact of the matter is...Pac-10 teams are having a tough time at home. Washington State returns for a pair in Pullman this week as the Arizona schools come to town. Of the Cougars five losses, three have come at Friel Court. Don't worry...everyone is losing in their own barn. Home teams (in conference play) are 31-32 so far this season. Does that mean Wazzu will struggle this weekend? I don't think so. Since the Cougs lost three straight, they've won three in a row. They've looked good doing it (except the Oregon State game when they looked like they were just "going through the motions"). I'll give credit where credit is due...my roommate (who knows more about sports than I do) said that Wazzu would turn things around against USC (he was right). The Cougars are rolling and I don't see the locomotive slowing down any time soon. With that said...Arizona State is next on the slate Thursday. In their first meeting on January 26th, WSU escaped with a 56-55 win over the Sun Devils. It was the second straight meeting between the two decided by a single tally (the Cougs beat ASU 48-47 on February 3, 2007). The Devils are 6-6 in the conference (they've gone 2-3 since the loss to WSU, but one of those wins was a 72-68 overtime win over Stanford last Thursday). They're led by freshman James Harden, averaging 18 points per game (he scored 25 in the first bout against Wazzu). After that, there's forward Jeff Pendergraph (13 points per game) and rookie Ty Abbott (10 tallies a game). What do the Cougars need to do to win? They need to keep doing exactly what they've been doing (Bennett Ball). On average, they've allowed 53 points over their last three games and scored nearly 69 points over the same period (shooting 46% from the field). What do the fans need to do? Show up. The weather isn't bad anymore, so get to the game. I don't care what the stats show (remember the 31-32 Pac-10 combined home record)...home court advantage still exists. If you question my commitment to Washington State basketball...check out the time of my post. It's one o'clock in the morning...GO COUGS! P.S. Check out www.kenpom.com. I can't explain how this guy does it, but he uses a complicated formula to predict games (and he's usually pretty close). He believes the Cougars will win 62-53 with an 87% chance of a winning. Hopefully he's right...we'll revisit this in my next blog (don't let me down Ken Pomeroy!). 7 CommentsLeave a comment |
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ken pomeroy is a genius, and so is your roommate. seriously though tim, do you think the cougs will be able to slow down the tandem of Jared Bayless and Chase Budinger....who do you put Weaver on..they put him on Budinger before, but Bayless has been on fire.
just because you posted at 1 in the morning doesn't prove anything. I was a starting QB at Ohio State (all conference, #9) and I'm more committed to my school by far, because I have a buckeye alarm clock next to my bed. Anyway, quit rankin' on the beavers, that was a tough road test for the cougs, the beavers just gave 'em a game, they were like a hood ornament on a freight train or something, plain and simple. I believe the cougs will sweep this weekend, no question. Via con dios!!
This is the time of year that the fickle people who make up the NCAA selection committee start really paying attention. The cougs seem to have started paying attention as well. They have a legit chance to snag a 3 seed in the tourney if they can finish the Pac-10 season strong and advance to the championship game of the Pac-10 tournament. Tickets are still available to this weekends games. Starting at $15 you bet I will be there. Spokanites should make the trip to Pullman to see some big time college hoops! Let the Bennett train roll!
A special thank you to my faithful readers who have finally started to post comments. I'm sorry I didn't respond sooner, I was out of town (sadly, I had no internet access where I was...who doesn't have internet these days?).
I'll start from the top:
First off, Christopher Boykin (nice choice of names), Ken Pomeroy is a genius...my roommate is NOT.
What happened to taking it "one game at a time?"
The key will have to be shutting down Jerryd Bayless. The freshman has put up 39, 33, and 31 in his last three outings. Chase Budinger is nasty (he scored 22 against the Cougs in the January 24th outing), so there's no easy answer. What's your thought?
To Johnny Utah (another nice choice in names): You're just angry that you blew out your knee against USC in the Rose Bowl...missed your window. I'm not backing off the Beavers. Now they have two guys who might get suspended for talking trash to the Huskies after a practice, then leaving them harassing messages on their cell phones. Classy!
Finally, to Ryan Camp: I'm glad you're going to the game (you obviously love Wazzu). I'm also happy that you're jumping on the "Bennett Train" bandwagon...I think we should trademark that.
The game starts in a couple of hours...GO COUGS!
Choo Choo!
your roommate IS(all caps, ala...Tim Lewis)a genius....I think the cougs should change things up and put Weaver on Bayless, at least for a little bit to change it up. His length may be able to take him out of the game. The problem is that Arizona boasts a taller backcourt than ours with Bayless at 6'3", McClellan at 6'4", and Budinger at 6'7". No matter what, Low and Rochestie will be shorter than who they are guarding. In the past Budinger has been able to shoot over Weaver, because of his size...so he will be able to shoot over the other two as well....but Arizona's Bayless(their best weapon) will not be able to shoot over Weaver. Who knows...Arizona is a tough matchup either way, but changing it up, at least at the start may throw them off a bit.
Baynes on a breakaway was one of the most exciting moments of my life! sad maybe, but you all know you feel the same.