A few random thoughts:
- The Oregon loss reaches new levels of suckitude thanks to the Huskies' loss at Oregon. The Cougs could be tied with UW in the Pac-10 standings had they swept this weekend. They would also have been two games behind conference leader Arizona with one head-to-head matchup left to play. The Cougs' cold night at the TTATT shot themselves out of the conference title race for good.
- I really hate UCLA. They are ranked below Arizona, Washington, WSU and USC by kenpom's rankings. And yet they are #2 in the Pac-10 at 7-3 and are probably a sure thing for the tournament if they finish above .500, because UCLA is college basketball. Their fans will remind you of this at every possible opportunity.
- WSU isn't the Pac's most unlucky team. That, of course, is USC, who sits in eighth place (!) at 4-6 despite a top 50 kenpom ranking. Now do I put too much stock in kenpom rankings? Sometimes. But they have been shown to be a great predictor of future performance.
- Dana Altman is my early favorite for conference coach of the year. He's taken that thin Oregon talent and driven them to five conference wins - just one fewer than WSU has at the moment. Having said that, they are 3-1 at Matt Court, and I think it's time to petition the Pac-10 to get that distracting court taken care of. I refuse to accept the Ducks beating us fair and square.
- The Cougar women swept their first home Pac-10 series in ten years (yikes) and have five conference wins. A corner is being turned. Go June.
Player of the Game: DeAngelo Casto
Right Hand Man: Faisal Aden
Unsung Hero: Klay Thompson
It was over when... Roberto Nelson stepped on the end line, turning the ball over to WSU with the score 57-53. Just kidding! This game was officiated by the Pac-10. Nelson scored and the Cougs needed four free throws from Faisal Aden to ice the game.
Stat of the Game: Good lord what an ugly game. Teams combined for 5 of 32 three-point shooting (so naturally Abe Lodwick was 1-for-1) and OSU went 11 for 23 from the free throw line.