Cougs look to duck Eagles
DENVER – When preparing for a game with an unknown foe, it helps to draw on past opponents.
What is the NCAA tournament other than a series of games between 65 strangers?
So when No. 4 Washington State takes the floor this afternoon at the Pepsi Center, the Cougars will draw on a past experience.
On the other hand, their opponent in the East Regional first-round game, the No. 13 Winthrop Eagles, will be forced to only look inward.
“If I had to compare them to a team, from what I’ve seen on tape and what we know about them, they play a smaller lineup, they like to get up and down in transition and their guards can fill it up,” WSU’s Kyle Weaver said Wednesday. … “I’d have to say Oregon.”
That must be of some comfort to the Cougars’ faithful. After all, in this 24-8 season, WSU defeated the Ducks three times, including just last week in the Pac-10 tournament – a game that Winthrop leading scorer Michael Jenkins probably saw.
“Being such a big basketball fan that I am,” Jenkins said, “I’ve watched some of their games, late on the East Coast. It’s 7 (in the West) but it’s 10 … (at home). But I’m still up watching.
“They’re almost like us,” he added, noting he saw three WSU games on cable. “Similar to us, actually. They play great defense. I think they’re ranked third in the country in scoring defense. We’re ranked eighth or ninth.
“I know they like to stop penetration, playing the gaps like we do. They took good shots, have good possessions … just like we do. … If none of us are going to score (today) it’s going to be a pretty ugly NCAA tournament game.”
Winthrop coach Randy Peele wouldn’t be averse to seeing that. But it’s not a style he’s used to watching in the Southeast.
“In the East, the Southeast, the tempo is fast,” he said. “Everyone pushes the ball to a degree. (And) the game is played off the dribble. It’s space, dribble-drive, create up-tempo.
“(For WSU and us) we convert off a miss, but not on a make. … A blowout for us is 65-48. We’re going to guard and try to win games like that.”
Peele, in his first season as Winthrop’s head coach, is confident WSU’s style is one his team will like, even if they don’t see it much – except maybe in intrasquad scrimmages.
“I believe this group is confident, loose,” he said. “And, quite honestly, that’s really how I want them to be. The bottom line is, I want them to have fun.”
However, that isn’t the only bottom line that interests Peele.
After taking over from Gregg Marshall following last season’s 29-5 season, which including the school’s first NCAA tournament victory, he and his new team had to deal with the death of backup point guard De’Andre Adams – the Eagles wear No. 24 on the their uniforms – and the expectations of a spoiled fan base.
After struggling at times in their 22-11 season, the Eagles put it together in the Big South tournament, winning the three games by 31, eight and 18 points. The reward: a fourth consecutive trip to the NCAAs.
“The bottom line is, in my business, you got to get it done,” Peele said. “No excuses. You know, we got it done.”
WSU coach Tony Bennett noticed, and he’s trying to ensure his team notices as well.
“I hope every kid in this tournament understands … there is parity in college basketball,” Bennett said. “That’s been proven. If we would make that mistake (of underestimating Winthrop), that would be a shame at this stage of the season.”
Notes
Washington State athletic director Jim Sterk recently sent out an e-mail missive to Cougars boosters, asking for monetary support for the fund for basketball excellence. The fund was established last year with the express purpose of raising funds for both basketball programs, but with the unstated goal of increasing Tony Bennett’s salary. The fund not only helped accomplish the latter, but also contributed to cosmetic improvements for both programs, including new offices for the men’s staff. In his most recent request, Sterk outlined other areas he would like to improve if the fund-raising meets the need, including being able to “ease the travel burden on our staffs by chartering planes for recruiting trips or the more grueling team trips that can occur during the course of a season. Additionally, in order to reduce travel during the non-conference season, we are committed to bringing opposing teams to Pullman, and we can do this by utilizing funds to guarantee home games.” … Remember last year’s T.A.Y. (Turn-around Year) T-shirts? Some of the Cougars were sporting T-shirts with the initials I.S.A.W. on Wednesday. It stands for In Such a Way and refers to I Corinthians 9, which states: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.” The team picked out the saying. … Though the conference didn’t make a big deal out of it, WSU’s Kyle Weaver was on the All-Pac-10 tournament six-man team. … Jenkins expects Weaver to guard him today. “He’s long, athletic, a defensive stopper, whatever,” he said. … Derrick Low was asked to look back at his time in Pullman and how different it is from his native Hawaii. After going through the usual litany of weather, locale and food, Low mentioned one other thing. “I really miss the diversity we have back in Hawaii,” he said. “I’m used to being around a lot of Polynesians and a lot of Asians, just a lot of other different kinds of people. It’s just a lot different than it is back in Pullman.” Weaver interrupted to say, “It’s diverse in Pullman, right?” Low laughed and said, “Very diverse in Pullman.”