WSU
Moore
Capers
Thompson
Lodwick
Casto
NSU
Bose
Carter
Iles
Hunter
Ward
Nicholls State is from Thibadoux, Louisiana. They are the Colonels, but unlike Sanders do not fry up delicious, crispy fried chicken. They are 0-6, having just lost to Alaska-Anchorage, and having played poorly throughout most of their other games. Yet Vegas only has the Cougs on the board as 14 point favorites, so hold your horses if you're expecting total domination.
Player to watch out for: Anatoly Bose. The 6'6", 200 lb. guard/forward out of Australia is a matchup problem for the Cougars and Nicholls State's leader in points and minutes. If the Cougars are upset tonight, expect him to play a big role.
X-Factor: DeAngelo Casto. Can the Cougar big man shake off a couple bad rebounding games and secure the defensive boards? Can he score enough to take the pressure off Klay Thompson and Reggie Moore? We'll find out.
The Cougars win if... They dominate FT rate against a less athletic squad, and keep the rebounding battle at least even. If they can't do that, they'll need another hot shooting night by Klay to advance to the finals.