Good morning, and happy Valentines Day, Coug fans! On this, the day of paper hearts and candy, I am thrilled to celebrate this little community we’ve developed. Speaking of love, our beloved Washington State Cougars have made their way down to Southern California to rematch the UCs.

I know this is how college basketball works, but I feel the need to fall on my sword and admit that I am experiencing some minor deja-vu. My brain processes things through football terms- I explain most of my problems through playbook suggestions, my dad and I communicate exclusively through football metaphors, and I often tackle my friends. I am not used to double dipping. I’m aware it’s a home and away game situation, but I digress.

Let’s talk about how well the January 4th, 2020 game against UCLA went, briefly. That’s the one I am choosing to remember. If you don’t recall, it ended with the Cougs 79-71 W in overtime. So, yesterday, we watched the Cougs come so close, but unfortunately, not get the win. 83-86, ouch. This game also went into overtime! If anything, we proved that we’re really hard to get rid of. There’s pride in that.

Especially today, on the day of chocolate and cavities, bundles of roses, and attempted last minute reservations.

Tomorrow, we face the University of Southern California spoiled children— I mean, Trojans. In the last article I wrote about both SoCal schools, we had already played USC and were about to play UCLA. This time, it’s the opposite! So that’s new!

This is another game where we are not exactly favored to win. Here are some things to know!

1. USC is 5th in the Pac 12.
2. Onyeka Okongwu is pretty good. He leads the team in points and rebounds, he’s 6’9”, and he’s a Freshman.
3. Ethan Anderson is also pretty good, gets the ball moving.
4. Their 6’11” forward, Nick Rakocevic, is from Chicago.
5. Again it’s funny, they lost to Oregon. Hmm. Can’t relate!
6. They lost to ASU 66-64, and we beat ASU 67-65. Interesting how things play out.
7. Jonah Mathews has played, on average, the most minutes per game- 31.6 minutes according to ESPN. So, instead of watching him play, I could just watch any episode of a cliff-hanger-containing American TV sitcom episode.
8. This has been a wonderful season so far for us. I just want to take a second and address this.

So, USC, show us what you got tomorrow. And my Coug Center friends- will you be my Valentine?

Links!

USC looks to extend streak vs Washington St. | Sports | kpvi.com
Washington State (14-11, 5-7) vs. Southern California (18-7, 7-5)

Green deal: New era begins for Washington State baseball | Sports | dnews.com
Brian Green knows a thing or two about building a baseball program. His resume of four consecutive seasons of 34 or more wins at New Mexico State speaks to that.

UW falls to USC 62-56 for seventh straight loss. | Tacoma News Tribune
Washington fell to USC 62-56 on Thursday night. It was the Huskies’ seventh straight loss as they dropped beloe .500 for the first time this season.

Here is the latest Pac-12 Conference sports news from The Associated Press | KSL.com

AREA COLLEGES | Sports | lmtribune.com

Hot tubs offer relaxation and much more! - The Portugal News
Star gazing, is not just the preserve of astronomers but also one of the benefits of hot tub use!