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 Robbie Cowgill said afterwards...there were so many "subplots").

Subplot #1: The Cougars were playing for the three seed to the Pac-10 Tournament. USC won earlier in the day against Stanford which made the Trojans 11-7 in the conference. That made the Cougar game a "must win." Lose and you finish fourth; win and you finish third. To all the people who told me that the Cougs better "turn things around" throughout the year...you're crazy. I said at the begging of the Pac-10 season (in my blog No More Cheapies): "If the Cougars get out of conference play with five losses...we should be VERY happy." Seven losses and a third place finish...we should still be VERY happy.

Subplot #2: Wazzu was playing for its seventh straight win over arch-rival Washington. In the previous 263 games, WSU had never won seven in a row over the Dawgs...ever. The fact that it went to double-overtime (a last second miss by Kyle Weaver at the end of regulation to win it (after trailing by four with less than a minute to play), Robbie Cowgill finding a present under the basket in the final ticks of the first OT, and Ryan Appleby going back rim as time expired) made the game unbelievable (awesome, spectacular...pick whatever word you want.)

Subplot #3: It was Senior Night. Derrick Low, Kyle Weaver, and Robbie Cowgill headlined a five-man class (Chris Henry and Jeremy Cross were the others) playing at Beasley for the last time. In my last blog, Cougars v. Huskies, I called the three "legends" and I used the term again in a story I put together Friday. A co-worker of mine (a GU fan) scoffed at me calling them legends. Maybe it takes being a WSU fan, but as far as I'm concerned the trio has done more for the Cougar basketball program than any other class.

In his post game interview Tony Bennett explained what he told his players at center court after the game:

"I wanted them to take a minute and soak it in. When they came here, we got excited for 4,000 people and this is what has happened. And it's been done the right way. I told them I was proud of them, and I wanted them to thank the crowd and just be at center court and take it in because it's quite a story."

If you missed the "story," last night's game (Cowgill called it one "he'll never forget"), or the celebration (they need to send video of this to recruits because it epitomized a basketball family)...I'm sorry, because it was all amazing.

I know it's a game I'll never forget (talking to people who were at Beasley Coliseum...they'll never forget it either). I had to shoot the Spokane Chiefs game, so I listened to both overtimes on the radio. When I got back to the station I watched a feed (how we get most of our national highlights) with all the OT highlights. I was clapping my hands and getting pumped up like it was happening right then...the game ended an hour and a half earlier.

To Robbie Cowgill, Kyle Weaver and Derrick Low (who will never read this): Thanks for the memories, especially last night's.

P.S. The Cougars play Oregon to open the Pac-10 Tournament of Thursday...I'll get to that later in the week.

P.S.S. Rumor has it the Huskies flew home on the Washington State University painted Horizon plane (you should check out the YouTube video of the plane being painted...just search for "WSU plane" and you'll find it). That's hilarious!

P.S.S.S. In other Cougar sports news...the baseball team keeps cruising along. They beat Kent State yesterday 21-4 yesterday to move to 9-2 on the year. One more thing, football spring practice starts March 17th.

1 Comments

Meg said:

OMG. That play by UCLA was so crap. lol Cal should've won. And then when it went out on UCLA, but gave them the ball[stupid] The Cougar/huskie game was to intense! I though I was going to have a heart attack lol. I'm glad they beat them, they deserve it. Go Cougs!

March 17, 2008 3:56 PM

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