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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

No. 4 Cougars play midmajor success story Winthrop


WSU fans, players and coaches react to the announcement of unexpectedly high No. 4 seed at a rally in Pullman on Sunday. Associated Press
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

PULLMAN – Last year everything was shiny and new. This year the luster is still there, but the novelty is not.

That seemed to be the consensus around Bohler Gym on Sunday after the 21st-ranked Washington State Cougars earned a second consecutive NCAA tournament men’s basketball berth, the first time that’s happened in school history.

Their opponent: the Winthrop Eagles, architects of one of last year’s bigger first-round surprises, a 74-64 upset of Notre Dame in the Spokane Arena.

“It’s still exciting, it’s still special to have the turnout we did for this,” WSU coach Tony Bennett said of all the hoopla surrounding the selection, including a pep-rally-like selection get-together in Bohler attended by approximately 800 fans.

“But you’ve done it one time and you have experienced guys, so hopefully that will help you.

“(WSU’s name appearing) just happened so fast, it almost caught you off guard,” Bennett continued. “Last year we went into two or three brackets and so it kind of built up, revved up then all of a sudden bang, there (the name) was.”

The Cougars found out less than 10 minutes into CBS’s official selection show they are seeded fourth in the East Regional and will play the first round in Denver on Thursday. The Eagles, Big South tournament champions from Rock Hill, S.C., are seeded 13th. The game is scheduled to start at 4:20 PDT.

Looming on the horizon is the winner of the Notre Dame vs. George Mason matchup, which holds some intrigue of its own. The fifth-seeded Irish (24-7) probably will be rooting for a chance to avenge their defeat to Winthrop last year and George Mason (22-10 and seeded 12th) set the gold standard for midmajors in 2006 when the Patriots made the Final Four.

North Carolina is the East’s No. 1 seed and the top seed overall. Two wins in Denver would probably earn WSU a matchup with the Tar Heels (29-2) in Charlotte, N.C.

But all the Cougars were concerned about Sunday were the Eagles (22-11), a team they know little or nothing about.

“I’ve (watched) bits and pieces of them last year and even a little this year,” senior guard Kyle Weaver said. “They look athletic. We’ll get some tape on them and get ready.”

The situation is similar to last season, when the Cougars earned a third seed and a first-round matchup with Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles were on Derrick Low’s mind Sunday.

“If you take a look at last year, Oral Roberts was in the same situation we are this year,” the senior said. “It was their second time they had made the NCAA tournament so they were saying they had a lot of experience, which they did.

“But we know the result of that.”

The Cougars won that first-round matchup, 70-54.

Winthrop has even more experience, having participated in the last four NCAA tournaments and seven overall. Though last year’s win was the Eagles’ first, they’ve come close before, including taking Gonzaga to the wire in 2005. It’s that experience which stands out in Bennett’s mind.

“All I know is they played in the tournament last year, so they’ll have experience,” he said. “They’ve been an excellent midmajor program over the last number of years. They are a very high-quality midmajor program.”

When WSU’s name popped up on the two screens, the crowd exploded with cheers, sparked by the high seed.

“People are all real interested in that,” Bennett said, “saying you’re anywhere from a five to a seven … so I had no idea. I’m just so thankful to be in.

“I think when you get into the seeding unless you’re a one seed or a two seed, anything else on up you’re going to play quality teams to start – and even the ones and twos, it’s getting closer and closer every year.”

Then he reflected on the long road this WSU team took to get back into the tournament.

“This team’s been together now for quite a while, we took an Australian tour in the summer, for a lot of reasons, but in preparation … for this season,” he said. “Then the league, the Pac-10 tournament, all of those things, it is about trying to play your best basketball right now.”

But reaching the tournament wasn’t all Low had on his mind. The senior knows that if the Cougars lose, his college career will be over.

“It really shouldn’t affect how you prepare, because you really should be giving it your all every single time,” he said. “But I guess there is just something about being a senior and just knowing that this could be your last game or last few games that makes you just give a little extra.”

A father-son moment

A highlight video was shown after the Cougar players were seated in front of the crowd. The biggest reaction from the players seemed to come when a picture of former coach Dick Bennett gesturing from the stands was shown. Most of the veterans played a couple years for the elder Bennett. Tony related a story about watching the Georgetown game with his father Saturday. When the camera showed John Thompson, the Hoyas former coach, sitting behind his son and current coach, John Thompson III, at first the elder Thompson was calm and relaxed. But Tony said, after he left the room, he was immediately called back by his dad. The reason: The elder Thompson had reacted to a call on one of the Georgetown players by standing up and yelling at the player for picking up his fourth foul. “He said ‘See that,’ and I started laughing,” Tony said. “I said, ‘OK, OK.’ Now he feels he’s justified, he can do it now.”