Eastern Washington Coach Jim Hayford Guarantees Win over Georgetown

Eastern Washington head coach Jim Hayford has no interest in playing the prototypical underdog role as his team prepares to face Georgetown in the NCAA tournament. He's confident his Eagles can pull off the upset Thursday evening. 

CBS Sports' Jim Rome passed along Hayford's comments from his Wednesday appearance on The Jim Rome Show. The head coach made his thoughts on the matchup crystal clear:

The audio of Hayford's comments can be heard via Rob Dauster of CollegeBasketballTalk.

Many small-school teams going up against squads from power conferences opt for the more traditional "nobody believes we can win" approach. Ultimately, it all comes down to the tactics a coach uses to motivate his group. 

Hayford is making a bold statement by going on a national radio show to declare victory more than 24 hours before tipoff. His quote just might end up on the wall of the Hoyas locker room between now and then.

In 2013, Georgetown lost to No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast in the round of 64. It's safe to say the Hoyas aren't taking Eastern Washington lightly in their first game of the tournament.

The oddsmakers don't share Hayford's enthusiasm. Odds Shark lists Eastern Washington as seven-point underdogs for the round of 64 clash. It's worth noting that line is down two points from where it opened, though.

If his side comes out on top, Hayford will have every right to say, "I told you so."