Eastern has plenty to prove Thursday night
It goes without saying that there's a lot on the line Thursday night at Reese Court, but I'll say it anyway.
Eastern Washington (18-5 overall and 9-1 in the Big Sky Conference) is off to its best start in modern history, but don't tell that to bracketologist Joe Lunardi of ESPN, who has Sacramento State getting the league's automatic bid to the NCAAs.
He also has Sac State seeded into a 16 vs. 16 first-round game against North Florida, with the winner getting Kentucky in the next round. Which begs the question: how does he rate Eastern Washington, which hosts none other than Sac State on Thursday, with first place on the line?
Eastern gets a little more respect from the collegeinsider.com Mid-Major poll, ranking 12th, and from RPI, which has the Eagles at No. 62.
Of course, none of that will matter when the Eagles and Hornets tip it off. Game on!