Looking back on a classic WSU win over UW

Good morning Coug fans. Our Washington State Cougars welcome the Washington Huskies to Pullman tonight for a 7:30 tip-off in a matchup of teams sitting at a measly 5-9 in conference. The season hasn’t gone well for either team, as UW’s 13-12 record is only slightly better than WSU’s 10-15 mark. Still, a rivalry game is a rivalry game, and I hope that means a larger crowd than normal is in attendance for this one.

Speaking of larger crowds, once upon a time, WSU regularly drew 8,000+ for weekend games, and sometimes 10,000+. One such time happened on March 8, 2008 when the Huskies came to town for Senior Day. WSU was well on its way to its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance, and future National Championship-winning head coach Tony Bennett was at the helm masterfully running his pack defense.

The Huskies were mediocre, entering the contest at an even .500 at 15-15. Lorenzo Romar was on the sidelines for UW that day, and this being Senior Day, the game was a classic.

It took two overtimes and a missed Ryan Appleby (haha remember him?) three-pointer to clinch the victory. I remember Kyle Weaver having clean break with the clock winding down, only to clank a desperation shot from about the free throw line. I also recall Jon Brockman, UW’s stud big man, leaving with an injury that definitely didn’t help UW’s chances.

The game recap has a lot of “Oh I remember that name!” vibes. See if you can spot the convicted felon.

Anyway, the game brings back a lot of memories that hopefully Kyle Smith and Co. can replicate soon. Here are some game highlights courtesy of KXLY:

And here’s an old feature on the Senior Day festivities:

Go Cougs.