We used to be in there, now we’re out here
In: NCAA hoops
22 Mar 2009On this bitter morning after for the Washington Huskies, they’ll spend the long offseason wondering what happened in the first half of their second-round tournament loss to Purdue, when the Boilermakers dominated them on both sides of the court and built an 11-point lead that proved to be just enough. Make no mistake, Purdue is [...]
In: NCAA hoops
19 Mar 2009* Washington provided a strong response to those who thought it might be upset by Mississippi State by suffocating the Bulldogs in a 71-58 victory that wasn’t as close as the score indicated. Powered by a swarming defense, the Huskies snuffed out MSU’s long-range attack, and with Bulldogs star Jarvis Varnardo sidelined with foul trouble, [...]
In: NCAA hoops
15 Mar 2009* Can’t argue too much with the No. 1 seeds, although if you’re Memphis, you’re wondering how you can import some better schools into your conference. Louisville deserved to rise to the top – they’ve been one of the hottest teams in the country and avoided the upset bug that felled most of the elite [...]
In: NCAA hoops
13 Mar 2009Courtesy of our friends at Uni Watch, Gonzaga’s new jerseys, which the Bulldogs will debut in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Wow. From the Nike press release: “Our new Aerographic jerseys combine superior fabrics and breakthrough graphics for a look we’re excited to bring to college hoops during the tournament frenzy,” said Eric Lautenbach, Nike, Inc. [...]
In: NCAA hoops
11 Mar 2009The Pac-10 has been a league of pleasant surprises this year, none more so than Washington’s stunning rise to the league championship after most experts had pegged them as a middle-of-the-pack squad. But there was also California’s return to relevancy and Oregon State’s marked improvement under Craig Robinson. One thing, however, that has always lacked [...]
In: NCAA hoops
9 Mar 2009Well, here it is: Washington State’s last chance to make the NCAA tournament. And the Cougs are going to have to win four straight games to do it. If they had beaten Washington last Saturday, they probably could have won just two games in the Pac-10 tournament and still sneaked into the Big Dance. A [...]
In: NCAA hoops
9 Mar 2009At some point while watching this week’s Pac-10 Tournament, you will ask yourself, “Why are they playing basketball in an airplane hangar decorated with empty seats?” The Staples Center may be a lovely venue for stargazing and watching the Lakers, but it is sorely lacking as a venue for college basketball, a fact that is reinforced every March during what should be the pinnacle of the Pac-10′s campaign.
In: NCAA hoops
5 Mar 2009Hello. We’re the Northwestern University basketball program. You may not have heard of us, which is understandable. You see, we’re the only major conference program that has never qualified for the NCAA Tournament. Yes, we know it sounds unbelievable. But we really suck at basketball. We’ve never won 20 games. We haven’t finished fourth or higher in the Big Ten since 1968. We’ve only made the NIT three times. We are routinely the visitor at our own arena.
But this year is different! We’ve actually, you know, won some games, and we’re begging … no, pleading with you to throw a bone and invite us to the Big Dance.
In: NCAA hoops
2 Mar 2009Over the years, Gonzaga has done an impressive job of “scheduling up,” compensating for their weak conference by playing quality teams from the major conferences to build their strength of schedule and tournament resume. The Zags did more of the same this year, playing UConn, Tennessee, Memphis, Washington State and Maryland among others during their [...]
In: NCAA hoops
27 Feb 2009Every so often, I still kill a few trees and contribute to the dying industry that is newspaper journalism. Last night I found myself at Hec Ed for Washington’s thrilling OT victory over Arizona State. My rushed column (it’s never a good thing when an 8 p.m. start goes to overtime and you have a [...]
Two former sports reporters freed from the constraints of traditional print media write about the hot topics on both the Seattle and national sports scene. No deadlines, no word count, no press box decorum — we're Outside The Press Box.
