SportsLink

Senior Day at WSU

Posted by Vince Grippi

Feb. 28, 2009 8:23 a.m. • 7 comments

COUGARS

As Taylor Rochestie and Aron Baynes and Caleb Forrest and Daven Harmeling prepare to play their final game on Friel Court in an attempt to win the 79th game in the past four years, we prepare to put up our 347th post of the basketball season. Nowhere near a record for either, but both quite an accomplishment. Read on.

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• Though this WSU senior class is the most successful at the school since the Korean War (you know, the one in M*A*S*H, the old TV show your parents used to watch during dinner) they feel like they have some unfinished business. And they’re trying to finish it today. A win over the 14th-ranked Sun Devils would cement a postseason berth for the Cougars, more than likely in the NIT – though the NCAA tourney is not out of the question if WSU can win four consecutive times in LA (your assignment: How likely is that to happen? Please show your work). There is one group the seniors hope will help them today: their fellow students. Coach Tony Bennett and the players have mentioned this week how much they hope the students will turn out today. We’ll see.

• On to today’s links. Our advance is here, along with more on each senior here. … Freelancer Howie Stalwick had this advance in the P-I and other papers. … The Arizona Republic’s Doug Haller has this piece. … And, finally, switching gears – and sports – the P-I’s Molly Yanity takes a look at UW’s football recruiting. The big tent quote is what caught my eye. The next nine months should be interesting around the state’s high schools.

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• That’s it for this morning. We’ll be back with our usual pregame post. Until then …

Seven comments on this post so far. Add yours!

Tim_in_the_Gorge on February 28 at 11:13 a.m.
I saw that big tent comment as well. But when you read a little deeper, Sark seems to be focusing on not letting any 5-star athletes get away. Typical UW entitlement mentality. What concerns me more is getting Coach Wulff to hold his own and rebuild his own reputation with hard work after the recent revelations.

On to basketball. It looks likely that WSU will be in one of the two play-in round games, either a 7 or 8 seed. I believe the Cougs can handle either of those games. That means the next game will be against either the #1 or #2 seed. Of the 4 teams in position for 1 and 2, we have beaten UCLA and Arizona State and probably should have won at least one of the Cal games. So, there are at least even odds that we could win against any of those teams.We didn’t play well against UW and their talent and skills are scary right now. Until we play them a second time, I’m not sure if we’ve got a good match up game against them. Plus they would be playing against us two games in a row, they wouldn’t have to prepare for an in between game and I think we would be at a definite disadvantage. Bottom line given the four likely opponents, we would not have a great chance of getting to the semifinals.

Assuming we did get there, Then the tournament gets into that twilight zone of fatigue versus motivation. I like to think that we have just enough experience and coaching savvy to get through it, but for all of our freshman, this would be their first post season games and it looks like it would be asking a lot for them to stay poised and focused for an additional two games. To answer your question Vince, four wins not likely in my humble opinion.
Tim_in_the_Gorge on February 28 at 11:17 a.m.
And by the way Vince, my parents watched the Korean War. I watched the “old” MASH TV series during dinner. Thanks a lot.
elvis on February 28 at 11:21 a.m.
I think the low expectations will work to the Coug’s advantage. If the Cougs finish the regular season strong that may be just the thing for making a Pac 10 Tourney run.

Strangely, I think the Cougs will do well. I like the play of the Seniors and the freshman seem to have more confidence.

I don’t think anyone in the Pac 10 wants to play the Cougs right now.

We”ll see.
elvis on February 28 at 11:29 a.m.
Remember the episode where Hawkeye thought the crying baby was a chicken, but it wasn’t, it was a baby that was being smothered by its mother? Then Alan Alda cried, like only he can cry, where it sounds like a braying donking, but its not, it the way Alan Alda cries.

A very touching episode.

The Korean war lasted three years, but M*A*S*H lasted eight plus seasons.

I like Trapper better than BJ. And nobody worked the game show circuit like Jamie Farr.