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 seed in the region) and play No. 13 Winthrop. Many "experts" predicted that the Cougs would be a five, six, or seven-seed (playing anywhere from Washington, D.C. to Little Rock, Arkansas, to Omaha, Nebraska).

First off, the seeding is great. If WSU wins on Thursday (4:20pm tip-off), they'll play the winner of the No. 5 Notre Dame/No. 12 George Mason game.

Second, the location is perfect (the only place that would have been better was Anaheim, but that wasn't going to happen). Denver is close enough that Cougar fans (if they are dedicated...or can get the time off work) can make the trip to the opening rounds. The East Region is tough (the Cougars will play in Charlotte, North Carolina if they make it to the Sweet 16), but we'll worry about that when the time comes.

Some information on Winthrop:

The Eagles are from Rock Hill, South Carolina. They shared the Big South Conference regular season title (with UNC-Asheville...both were 10-4 in the BSC) and won the conference tourney to earn the automatic bid (66-48 win over, you guessed it, UNC-Asheville).

Winthrop definitely has tournament experience. They've made it to the NCAA's four straight years and eight times in the last ten seasons. The Eagles played in Spokane last year and beat Notre Dame in the opening round, 74-64 (a No. 6 v. No. 11 upset). They then lost to Oregon the following round, 75-61.

The Eagles have only two players that average double figures in scoring. They are led by guard Michael Jenkins who averages 14 points and four rebounds a game. The other scoring threat is forward Taj McCullough, he puts up 11 points and nearly six rebounds per contest.

Washington State practices today and then hits the road on Tuesday.

I'm following along for the tourney and will update my blog everyday (maybe multiple times per day depending on what's going on) from Denver (and hopefully Charlotte and San Antonio). Check back here often for updates on what the Cougars are saying, what's going on at the tourney, etc.

P.S. WSU is an early 8 1/2 point favorite over Winthrop.

P.S.S. The Cougar baseball team had a successful series against 25th ranked Oklahoma. Wazzu took the first three games before losing the finale yesterday, 14-2. WSU is now 13-5, starting Pac-10 play on Thursday in Pullman against California.

P.S.S.S. Washington State starts spring football practice today. I ran into Paul Wulff in Bohler Gym yesterday and we talked about the team. He says he's excited to get things going (and is hoping to find answers to some of the teams lingering questions). Practices wrap up on April 12th with the annual spring game.

1 Comments

Megan said:

WOOO!!! Go Cougs!!!

March 17, 2008 7:33 AM

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