Looking back at selection Sunday
COUGARS
As Monday mornings go, this one is pretty packed with news. After all, it was selection Sunday yesterday (and no, the "s" in selection doesn't need to or deserve to be capitalized), a good day for some teams (read, USC) and a bad day for others. But everything that happened for Washington State was pretty much expected. And sorry this is so late. Daylight savings time has tweaked my internal clock. Read on.
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• Washington State: For the second time in three years the Cougars will play in the NIT. But this will be at home, whether the student section has 100 or 1,000 or 5,000. That didn't happen the last time. Heck, two years ago it was obvious WSU took St. Mary's lightly, then got their heads handed to them in Moraga. Don't think that will happen this time. ... We posted our story last night and it ran in the paper this morning. ... Here is what the Long Beach Press Telegram had a short story this morning. ... A statistics-based look at Long Beach State from CougCenter.
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• Around the Pac-10: The conference received four NCAA tournament bids (though USC's one of the provisional ones), two NIT selections and one in the CBI. That leaves just Oregon State, Stanford and Arizona State on the outside, looking in. ... Washington drew Georgia, a school many thought would be passed over after losing to Alabama in the SEC tourney. Though the Huskies are the higher seed, they'll play in North Carolina, with the Tar Heels looming in the second round. We know, by first-hand experience, how tough UNC is in Charlotte. ... Arizona will meet another unexpected NCAA participant, Memphis, but the Tigers earned their berth, winning the Conference USA bid on the road in El Paso. They are also coached by former UA assistant Josh Pastner. ... UCLA will try to regain its mojo against Michigan State, a school that would be in the NIT if it weren't for its name. ... And USC has to play Wednesday night in Dayton, Ohio, against VCU, one more surprising NCAA pick. But so were the Trojans. ... Cal is the other NIT participant, with the Bears hosting Mississippi on Wednesday (my bad, thanks Tommy). California is in the same bracket as St. Mary's, which would make for an interesting matchup if both get to the quarterfinals. ... Oregon didn't want its season to end, so the Ducks must have outbid Weber State for a CBI home game, because the Wildcats believed they were staying home. ... An interesting development in the college broadcast rights front, as explained by San Jose's Jon Wilner.
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• That's it for this morning. We'll be back at some point tonight with more on the Cougars feelings concerning the NIT. Until then ...
