Turnaround Cougs prepare to put it all on the line against Golden Eagles

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Washington State Cougars sported more than smiles while walking out onto the Arco Arena floor for the school’s first NCAA tournament practice in 13 years Wednesday.

A number of coaches also wore T-shirts with “T.A.Y.” emblazoned on the front in block letters.

“Turnaround year,” head coach Tony Bennett said.

Questionable punctuation aside, the message is clear. These Cougars have arrived, and it all comes to a head in today’s first-round game against Oral Roberts.

Bennett first brought the acronym to his team’s attention in August, and it’s a message that’s gone up on the whiteboard before every game since. Unquestionably, the turnaround year has happened, with WSU going 25-7 and cruising into this territory that seemed out of reach for a decade.

And now, at 11:30 a.m., the Cougars put that record on the line, hoping to earn a chance at one more game.

“This is where everyone wants to be at,” junior guard Derrick Low said. “This is every team across the country’s goal to get to. Since we’re here we’re going to make the best of our opportunity. If you lose, you go home. And I think this next game that we have, all these years of preparation are going to come down to this one game.”

The third-seeded Cougars are the favorite in this game against the 14th-seeded Golden Eagles, but one might not know it talking to them a day before their postseason debut. This is a team that has thrived on playing the underdog all season after being picked to finish last in its conference before winning 13 Pac-10 regular-season games, and it has no intention of forgetting that fact.

“That’s the story of our year,” WSU guard Kyle Weaver said, asked about the handful of national prognosticators who have tabbed Oral Roberts as a first-round upset special. “Nobody expected us to keep winning. The negative stuff doesn’t bother me at all. It doesn’t shock or upset me. We just have to focus on Oral Roberts.”

Led by head coach Scott Sutton, the Mid-Continent Conference champions have tournament experience from last season and a pair of seniors in power forward Caleb Green and shooting guard Ken Tutt to lead the way. While the Golden Eagles (23-10) insist WSU doesn’t intimidate them, they are casting a wary eye at their opponent.

“They’re not going to do anything fancy,” Sutton said. “They’re not going to try to trick you in any way. They are what they are. They’re a great defensive team. They are so sound defensively.”

Added Green: “Their ability level – they can beat you and they can beat you bad. They’ll come out and play.”

The Cougars, meanwhile, can’t help but look at this as more than just a business trip. They were obviously taken aback by the experience of practicing in front of fans that cheered their every move, and couldn’t help but look down at the center-court NCAA logo that signified what today’s game would be about.

Bennett said he hopes his team arrives excited yet focused, and given the way they’ve excelled this season when playing hard it would seem that that is a solid formula for a Cougars victory.

“Those kids, obviously we sold that vision,” Bennett said. “Let’s try and get to a point where we can play in an NCAA tournament and do well. So here we are on the eve of playing it. It is significant. It is special. And I think our guys know that. It’s going to be a valuable experience for this year and for years to come.”