John Blanchette: Cougs real deal in unreal week

There was no making much sense of anything this week.

Television. Ticket scalping. Tent cities. Everything was pretty much over the top or beyond making sense in advance of Washington State and Gonzaga meeting in the game that was going to rock Spokane, if not the country.

(Which reminds us of the best fan sign of the night: “I had to come because no one has ESPNU.”)

Perhaps what made the least sense of all was the fact that the Cougars somehow managed to drop from sixth to eighth in the Associated Press poll despite digging out an impressive win over up-to-then undefeated Baylor.

No wonder that WSU forward Robbie Cowgill was moved to note that, “We’re going to have to legitimize where we’re at every day.”

And so the Cougars legitimized themselves in a major way Wednesday night.

In a wrenchingly hard-fought 51-47 victory over 17th-ranked Gonzaga, the Cougars legitimized their approach, their style and their mission in a manner that even the most Zagcentric basketball fan had to admire.

Simply put, they imposed their will on the Bulldogs, as veteran, tough-minded teams are wont to do.

That it took virtually every last drop of the game clock to do so – Taylor Rochestie’s 3-pointer with 28.6 seconds left was the dagger – was the only tribute the Zags could salvage.

But against a team as, well, legitimate as Wazzu, that is not inconsiderable.

The hallmark of the current Cougar renaissance – from Dick Bennett to son Tony, who flew off the court at McCarthey Athletic Center after the win with a loud high-five for his wife, Laurel, cheering behind the bench – has been notching achievements that have been decades in the making.

A couple more occurred Wednesday night.

For the first time in school history, the Cougars beat a ranked non-conference opponent on the road. That’s a nice bauble, but rankings are just opinions and circumstance.

Here’s something else: Gonzaga’s point total was the lowest for the Bulldogs since their 1996-97 season opener against Southern Utah – well before all this Zagmania business took hold.

“Defense,” said Gonzaga coach Mark Few. “You forget that’s what they do. It’s what their program is built on.”

It was rock-solid this night. The Bulldogs may have missed an open shot or two, but that doesn’t account for the fact that they made just 25.9 percent on the game. Virtually every layup was contested, every cutter bumped, every drive cut off.

“They frustrate you, they body you, they keep their hands back and play really physical,” Few acknowledged. “They are really hard to score on. It was obviously our worst offensive outing of the year and Washington State deserves a lot of credit.”

In addition to the fact that it was the first time this series matched two ranked teams, a considerable amount of the pre-game hype – it wouldn’t be a stretch to call it hype, would it? – centered around the two splendid backcourts.

And to be fair, WSU’s guards did come up with the clinching plays – Rochestie’s 3, a nervy baseline drive by Kyle Weaver and his acrobatic putback with 2:22 left after the Zags had closed the gap to two points one last time. Nor did it hurt that Weaver’s defense badgered Gonzaga’s Matt Bouldin into a 0-for-9 night.

But in the heart of the game – when WSU built a lead that once reached 12 points and kept Gonzaga at bay for a long stretch of the second half – the Cougars won it inside. Aron Baynes punished the Zags for 13 points and Cowgill managed a double-double while all Gonzaga could manage from centers Abdullahi Kuso, Robert Sacre and Will Foster was a single point and two rebounds.

“It wasn’t a game where the offense was real pretty,” Bennett said, “so that required sometimes that you just throw it inside and let Aron horse one up or have Kyle make a play off the dribble.

“Because when it gets tight in a game, you can have all these grand schemes of plays and set offenses but at times it comes down to giving guys room and letting them play – and then holding your own on the defensive end of the glass.”

Holding their own – it may be the theme of WSU’s season.

For his part, Bennett has his eyes on a bigger prize than Wednesday’s win, cautioning that, “I don’t want to make too much of it – it’s one game in a very important season for us.

“But I have the utmost respect for what Mark’s done with this program. How can I not? He’s built a dynasty. And whenever you get a chance to play against a high-caliber program like this and test your team and come out on top, it certainly feels good.”

But Cowgill and the Cougars also feel the undercurrent.

“I think in some ways everyone is still doubting us,” he said. “We’re pretty much the same core group of guys who finished last in the Pac-10 two years ago. People are still skeptical and probably rightfully so. So each time we have to go prove it’s for real.”

Does that make sense? It did Wednesday night.