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April 2008
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March 2008 ArchivesI'm glad I still have a reason to blog (I was bummed when the season ended), but I don't like the topic. Rumors are getting hot and heavy about Tony Bennett leaving for other jobs. One article (FoxSports.com) said Bennett was offered the Indiana job (replacing former Cougar coach Kelvin Sampson, who resigned after breaking NCAA rules). Another article (published after the first by ESPN.com's Andy Katz) said that Benne... No one wanted to see the Cougars go out like this, but as Kyle Weaver told me, "All good things must come to an end." As far as I'm concerned, it wasn't good...it was great. This was arguably the biggest game in school history (expect for the national title game in 1941 which no one really remembered until they dug through the archives last year). I know it's a team and experience I'll never forget (especially hearing Dick Bennett yell at the ... I usually try to be as unbiased as I can (as I always say...I call it as I see it), but today I say forget it. We're approaching tip-off and I'm so nervous I can't even eat (I'm trying as hard as I can because they served pulled pork sandwiches today...a staple here in Charlotte). Everyone is telling me, "Just be happy that they're in the Sweet 16." Don't get me wrong...I am happy! I just don't want to see this run come to an end. I th... I think I jumped the gun on North Carolina fans (maybe I was unlucky to run into the one loser of the bunch on the plane). When the Cougars were introduced at today's practice in Charlotte everyone, including Tar Heels fans gave them a round of applause...I didn't hear one boo. They did the same thing as WSU left the court. I don't take back that fact that these people take basketball VERY seriously. The entire lower bowl was full of C... We boarded a plane this morning...six hours later we're in Charlotte for the Sweet 16. My first observation: They take basketball VERY seriously here! Before I even stepped off the plane, I had people talking smack to me (I was wearing a Cougars sweatshirt). I asked this guy to grab a bag out of the overhead compartment for the people sitting next to me. He grabbed the bag, saw my shirt and asked, "Are you here for the game?" I told hi... Just to write that title feels weird...North Carolina. The Tar Heels. Dean Smith. Michael Jordan. Five men's basketball national championships. Carolina blue and white. To put it simply...tradition. Washington State is trying to get to that point (it's going to take a long time) and they're finally off to a good start (100+ years into the program's history). The Cougars are in the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history (WSU play... That was easily the coolest thing I've ever been a part of in my life. Washington State methodically, slowly worked their way past Notre Dame to thunder into the Sweet 16. As far as I'm concerned, this is the best basketball the Cougars have played all year. They drubbed Winthrop 71-40 in the opening round and then smacked around Notre Dame, 61-41. It's a lot of fun to watch (the guy sitting next to me last night, a sports guy from Detroit, to... It's less than an hour until tip, so I have to make this really quick. My cell phone won't stop ringing. All of my friends are looking for the inside scoop on the Cougars. The only thing I can tell them is that the team seems loose and ready for the challenge. They were in the same spot last year and lost in double overtime to Vanderbilt (sorry for the reminder). Tony Bennett told his players to think about that a lot...the fee... It's one of those strange things about the NCAA Tournament...there's no time to enjoy a big win. Just hours removed from their victory over Winthrop, Wazzu was on the practice floor preparing for Notre Dame (not to mention answering question after question about the Irish). It really should be a great match up of different styles. The Fighting Irish score 80 points a game; Washington State allows less than 57 points a contest. Both squ... Talk about a wild range of emotions. I'm sure every Cougar fan went through a similar experience. In the first half I was nervous...my heart was pounding and my palms were sweaty (the guy sitting next to me from The Daily Evergreen started talking about possibly changing his flight to today...that didn't help my cause). It was a whole different story in the second half. The nerves were quickly soothed. I've never seen anything... It's a beautiful day in Denver (highs expected near 60), but it doesn't matter we'll be inside watching basketball all day long. In the first game here Michigan State is pounding Temple with a little bit of time left in the second half. As for the Cougars, they get started against Winthrop at 4:20pm (PT). That game can only be seen on KREM 2. I don't have a whole lot of time, but I'll give you the latest. We're heading to a Cougar get ... I'm sorry it's so late, but this is the first free time I've had all day. This is easily the busiest day during the tournament. Every team is available to the media and every team practices for 40 minutes (they actually practiced privately at a different location before they worked out in front of the crowds at the Pepsi Center, so it's more like a shoot around). I was with the Cougars last year in Sacramento (their first trip to the t... Let the March Madness begin! We flew into Denver at 5:30pm (Mountain Time) and immediately we were surrounded by signs of the NCAA Tournament. Dan Jackson (KREM 2 Photographer) and I met some Cougar fans (Brent and his dad...didn't catch his name) who traveled here from Pullman. When we checked into our hotel (right in the middle of downtown) there were banners welcoming tourney visitors. And, when we were strolling through the city w... It was a good time had by one and all at the selection show viewing party on Sunday at Bohler Gym in Pullman. Why wouldn't it be a blast? For the first time in Washington State history, the Cougars are going to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons. Plus, they were given an early Christmas present (or it was the luck of the Irish) by the selection committee. Wazzu was pegged as a four-seed in the East (North Carolina is the No. 1... I have to make this quick because I'm getting ready to head to Pullman for WSU's selection show viewing party. Fans are invited to Bohler Gym today at two o'clock (free admission). Player introductions and "an appearance" (that's what the press release says...not sure what that means) by Tony Bennett happen at 2:30. CBS Sports' exclusive coverage of Selection Sunday starts at 3pm. Here are some ideas of what could happen to the... It was a near flawless first half and a near disaster in the end, but Washington State held on to beat Oregon (for the third time this year) to advance to the Pac-10 Tournament semis. That's where they'll meet Stanford. The Cardinal used a strong second half to get past Arizona last night, 75-64. Stanford is one of three teams that swept the Cougars during their two regular season meetings. The Cardinal won an overtime thriller in Pull... The Pac-10 Tournament starts today in Los Angeles, but the Cougars don't get going until tomorrow. Washington and California get things started at 6pm (winner plays UCLA), followed by Arizona and Oregon State at 8:30pm (winner faces Stanford). Washington State already knows who they'll battle...Oregon. Obviously, it's the third match up between the Cougars and Ducks this season. Wazzu swept the season series with a 69-60 victory in Pul... After watching the end of the UCLA/Cal game (Josh Shipp made a bucket over the backboard to win it for the Bruins with 0.7 seconds to play) I didn't think there could be a more thrilling game in the Pac-10 yesterday...until I watched the Cougs and Huskies. I question if there's ever been a game in Cougar history that carried as much weight as last night's battle (I understand there's a lot on the line in any tournament game, but as Rob... Sorry I haven't blogged in a while, but it's taken some time to get over that Stanford loss. Finally back on my feet, I'm ready to take on the regular season finale against the Huskies. ... |
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