Team: Washington State Cougars
Region: East
Last Weekend: Defeated #13 Winthrop 71-40, defeated #5 Notre Dame 61-41.
Next Game: Vs. #1 North Carolina, 7:27 EST Thursday
How Wazzu Got Here: Defense. It's what they do. They went from a halftime tie against Winthrop to a 31 point romp and there wasn't anything the Eagles could do about it. They held Notre Dame to an abysmal 25% shooting from the floor and half of their season average in 41 points. It was a clinic and it's the kind of game Wazzu has to play to win. In neither game the usually three-point reliable squad has shot the ball well from distance and it didn't matter. A scary thought for their upcoming opponents.
What the Sweet 16 Means to the Cougars: They are what we thought they were. As a member of the early season top five the Cougars struggled in the middle of conference season, racking up three consecutive home losses and leading many to think they didn't belong. This Sweet 16 birth proves they do. Especially with how they've got here. It also makes clear that talent isn't everything and that Tony Bennett can coach. A reason he's likely headed elsewhere next season after a quick turnaround of a program once destined for mediocrity.
Chances to Reach San Antonio: Decent, but not great. They're facing the tournament's overall #1 seed on Thursday and if they win that they'll face another higher seed in either Tennessee or Louisville. It is probably the toughest group remaining and any of the four could win. So why not the Cougs? They're certainly capable of slowing down the Heels, but they can't beat them without heavy doses of Derrick Low and co. from the outside. If I had to guess I'd say the Cougars won't reach San Antonio, but they've got just as good a chance as anyone in the east.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
The Sweet Profile: Washington State Cougars
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6 comments:
I am interested to see just how good Carolina's offense is when they have to score all of their points out of half court sets.
They won't get very many easy transition buckets against Wazzu.
I'm actually very interested in this game. It's a classic unstoppable force vs. immovable object kind of game. We'll see who doesn't deserve their adjective after this game.
I think Wazzu slows the Heels down, but they won't have enough offense in the end to win
If you're a woman in your mid-forties interested in WSU players, are you a cougar cougar?
Also, out of all the games, this one is the most intriguing - a close second is Stanford-Texas.
Well, thanks guys for at least saying their chances are "decent".
It's been a great ride here in Pullman, WA and I'm just glad that most of the country is finally waking up and realizing just how good these guys are (although I have to give STF the nod for realizing this long ago).
Eric
GO GOUGS!
Yeah the question is whether or not they have to O to pull it out. It'll be close and I definitely think they can win.
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