WSU gets ready to face Bears
COUGARS
I've been sitting in front of the computer for more than a few minutes trying to decide what to write about on this darn lead-in. Can't think of anything, let alone anything clever. I'm giving up. Read on for more Washington State notes and links.
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• Washington State: Search as I might, I couldn't find anything on the Cougars' opponent this afternoon, the California Golden Bears. Maybe that's because the campus was in turmoil yesterday when the university announced only two of the five sports it had said would be dropped were still going to be axed, baseball and men's gymnastics. Everything I had read in the time since the cuts were announced seemed to indicate enough money had to be raised to save all the sports, that the school was not going to pick and choose. Then it did. ... So that news overpowered any news on the middle-of-the-Pac-10 men's basketball team and its showdown with the middle-of-the-Pac-10 Cougars. We had this short story on Allen Crabbe's concussion and how WSU deals with the uncertainty. ... Jim Moore, the ultimate up-and-down WSU fan, writes about the Huskies and the Cougars, which mirror his rollercoaster emotions. ... Cougfan assesses WSU's NCAA chances. ... Missed this yesterday, but the Lewiston Tribune's Ryan Collingwood had some thoughts after the Stanford loss.
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• Around the Pac-10: Did John Wooden ruin UCLA for every other basketball coach until Pauley Pavilion crumbles to dust? Maybe. The Beavers invade Pauley today with its rotation still in flux. ... Across town, USC hosts Oregon trying to break a bad recent trend. The Ducks just want to get their momentum back against the larger Bruins. ... Stanford defeated UW in Nor Cal last month but the Huskies swear they aren't out for revenge. Washington freshman Terrence Ross has been elevating his game recently and playing more. ... Derrick Williams' number say he's a good as a legendary Wildcat of the past. Though most of you probably have never heard of him. ... Some football news, with the conference making changes to its officiating system, including the top guy leaving, and an interview with ASU linebacker Vontaze Burfict.
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• That's all for this windy morning. Today's early (3 p.m. start) game means an early night tonight, which I dearly love. Will be back from Beasley as the crowd starts to wander in. Until then ...
