Washington State Battles for Respect

PULLMAN, Wash.— The 2007-08’ version of the Washington State men’s basketball team has gone according to plan for second-year head coach Tony Bennett.  Led by seniors Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver, the Cougars find themselves tied atop the Pac-10 conference with surging Arizona State and traditional powerhouse UCLA.

The Cougars started off ranked No. 10 in pre-season poles after an unexpected 26 win campaign in 2006-07.  The defensive-minded squad reached as high as No. 4 before suffering a defeat to the Bruins at Pauley Pavilion in mid-January.  Despite their 16-1 (4-1) record and No. 6 ranking, the Cougars have drawn doubts about their ranking largely in part to their non-conference schedule.

What?

Saying the Cougars are ‘overrated’ is a lot like wearing a swimsuit in Alaska while participating in the Iditarod race.  It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.  But that’s a whole different diatribe.

Until their Jan. 17 battle with Oregon State, Wazzu had enjoyed the benefit of just four home games all season.  Yes.  Four.

On Nov. 30, the Cougs marched to Waco and stole a game from Baylor after trailing by 14 points mid-way through the second half.  That game turned out to be an under-rated win as Baylor has since sprung to a 16-2 (4-0) record in the Big-12 conference.  One week later, the Cougars paid a visit to in-state-rival Gonzaga and came out victorious.  Gonzaga had previously lost only one game in their new arena which opened in 2004.

Coach Bennett drew criticism when the team decided not to participate in the Great Alaska Shootout featuring Texas Tech, Gonzaga, Virginia Tech and Butler.  But Bennett figured the conference schedule would more than make up for it.

He was right.

This year’s Pac-10 conference is like running through a gauntlet.  Basketball gurus predict six or seven teams will make the NCAA tournament come March. With Arizona State developing sooner than expected, the Pac-10 has rendered OSU as the only team without a winning record overall.  Not convinced?  The University of California sits in ninth place despite a very respectable 12-6 (2-4) record.     

Nasty.

As if it couldn’t get worse, the Cougars were given no favors by the scheduling committee.  Their task?  Start Pac-10 play with three consecutive games on the road beginning with rival UW and ending with a trip to L.A. to battle USC and UCLA.  The Cougs managed a 2-1 record, including a decisive 15-point victory over the Trojans.

Not bad.

On Jan. 20, Washington State returned to Pullman and defeated Oregon for first time in nearly seven years.  Their prize?  They hit the road again to face an Arizona team led by Chase Budinger and freshman phenom, Jerryd Bayless.  After that?  Arizona State.  In total, they will have started Pac-10 play with five of seven on the road.

Brutal.
              
Let’s recap.  Quality wins over Baylor, Gonzaga, USC and Oregon, a win against rival

UW, and five of the first seven conference games on the road.

Their record? 16-1.  Few teams in the country could make that statement.  The Washington State Cougars are one of them.