Washington State is a 10 seed in ESPN’s latest women’s bracketology

Good morning, fellow Coug fans. If you’re from my part of the state, you emerged from your winter bunkers this week to enjoy the sunlight and warm weather like bears emerging from hibernation. It’s always a great moment when you can go outside sans jacket and enjoy yourself. There are sunnier days ahead, too.

There are also sunny days ahead for the women’s basketball team (see what I did there?). Although Thursday night’s performance against Arizona left much to be desired, the Cougs actually moved up in ESPN’s latest bracketology.

The latest projection has WSU as a 10 seed, which is better than being on the bubble, which is where WSU found itself in previous bracketology projections. The Cougs are one of six Pac-12 teams in the latest projections.

These bracketology projections tend to do quite well (at least on the men’s side—I haven’t followed the women’s side of things until this season) at predicting most or all of the field. The seeds, matchups and locations are much more difficult to project, but predicting the 64-team field is impressive enough.

So, for what it’s worth (and it’s not worth a lot, at least not yet), the latest projections have WSU playing the seven-seed in Central Florida. There’s even a semi-local connection to UCF: Ahna Burney, a 5’8 guard for the Knights, is from Vancouver, Wash.

There’s no need to dwell on a hypothetical opponent. But being a projected 10 seed may calm the nerves of Coug fans and those in the program. Of course, it’s not over until it’s over, and the field isn’t set quite yet, obviously. Some bubble teams could make a late season run in their conference tournaments, and some on the bubble—or even worse than that—could strike oil and win their conference tournament, squeezing out an otherwise deserving team. Madness!

We’ll find out on March 15.

Women’s Bracketology - Brackets in all shapes and sizes
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Say, where are we with the Pac-12 commissioner search?

It’s only March 6, so there’s still plenty of time.

Links

No. 11 Arizona women beat Washington State 60-44 | The Spokesman-Review
Trinity Baptiste had 13 of her 17 points in the first half, and No. 11 Arizona beat Washington State 60-44 in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament.

Pac-12 stock report: Donor help for WSU, Washington’s recruiting stall and smart football scheduling | The Spokesman-Review
The 2021 football schedule was crafted for success for every team.

Cougars Fall to No.6 UCLA, 6-1 - Washington State University Athletics
Senior Melisa Ates improves to 7-1 in singles play this season.

Cougs Run at Pac-12 Championships - Washington State University Athletics
Women post impressive fifth place finish, with Erin Mullins finishing 13th overall.

Rowing Begins the 2021 Spring Season this Saturday against No. 1 Washington - Washington State University Athletics
LAS VEGAS – After a 490-day wait, the Washington State women's rowing team will return to the water for an NCAA competition this Saturday, March 6, as the Cougars