I’m Loyal. L-o-y-a-l

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Mods should feel free to delete this if not allowed, but we are about to launch our Kickstarter for an internet-connected WSU Coug. WSU is the second school we are doing this for, and we are just trying to get the word out. Essentially it is a device that lets you pick which WSU sports you care about and the lights will change from white to crimson whenever the team wins.

See a teaser video of the device at Login to view embedded media and sign up to get notified when the Kickstarter is live at https://sports-iot.com/index.php/internet-connected-wsu-coug-device-kickstarter/

Go Cougs!

After watching him play for most of this season, he sort of reminds me of Tony Parker. He has a great first step cross-over that gets his defender all twisted and out of position. Anyone else seeing this?

From the article....

The helmet communications system is, perhaps, the most significant technological change in recent college sports history. The concept will mirror the NFL. Only one member of each team can be equipped with a listening device in his helmet, and the device’s capabilities end at the 15-second mark of the play clock — a mandatory cut-off time that the NFL also uses.

Electronic tablets would be able to be used on the sideline and in the halftime locker room to review in-game video replays

Coug's about to tipoff against Cal.

So I was bored and went to the WSU ticket site. Counted the available, mostly nosebleed seats. Surprised to see any on the lower level but there are a (very) few on the endlines.

I count just shy of 800 seats left. About 630 of which are obstructed videoboard seats. So if capacity is now 11,671, we are looking at 11,000, maybe a few more?

Just released Bracketology

Having the other knee replaced. Wish me luck.

A little early to get into that, but hey we have until Thursday.

So - roster link below:


Seniors Mullins, Oleson (who?) and Jaki all have Covid years available. Of course we would love Jaki to return and bring his GF with him, but I'm sure he has a bright future ahead of him over in Europe. Mullins? IDK. He has pretty much sat the bench this year after starting 8 games last year and after 2 productive 2-year stint at St. Mary's. If Rice and Wells bail? He might come back. Oleson? Thanks for your service.

Yesufu and Jones are out of eligibility.

Now the rest. Rice is rumored to be done. Wells will be in demand. Hope we can keep him. I don't see Watts or Chinyelu leaving next year, which is key. Houinsou either. Cluff will be back. We need to install a Cluff and Chinyelu tandem game option. Others? A few nameless unknown guys.

So Watts, Chinyelu/Cluff, Housinou, Wells (hope), maybe Mullins as a starting lineup? Good for a pre-season ranking of, say, 10th?

My daughter's a senior. Last game I'll probably have a chance to see with her as a student. We've been to a ton of games over the last 22 years.
Bittersweet.

Edit.... damn few seats left.

WSU’s Andrej Jakimovski is helping carry Cougar men — injured shoulder and all​

Greg WoodsMarch 4, 2024 at 10:42 am
By
The Spokesman-Review
PULLMAN — Andrej Jakimovski wasn’t exactly himself in his Washington State group’s win over UCLA on Saturday. That much was clear just by looking at him, at the wrap on his shoulder, at the cut on his bottom lip.

“He’s tougher than nails,” WSU coach Kyle Smith said.

Playing with a shoulder injury he sustained two days prior and nursing a lip gash he suffered early in Saturday’s game, Jakimovski proved it — and then some. He scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds, all while playing 34 minutes, which is right around his average.

Even the two 3-pointers he hit were timely. Midway through the second half of the No. 19 Cougars’ 77-65 win, he pulled up on the right wing and sank it, giving the hosts a one-point lead. Moments later, he capped an 8-0 run with another wing triple, this one to secure a five-point advantage, sending Beasley Coliseum’s 8,000 fans to delirium.

For the game, Jakimovski made 3 of 7 shots, including 2 of 6 from deep. It’s his third time in four games taking 8 shots or fewer. His 3-pointer has come and gone — he went 0 for 8 last week in two games in Arizona, responding with a 6-for-16 stretch this weekend — but to let Smith tell it, his shoulder injury isn’t why.

Jakimovski first hurt his shoulder, on his shooting arm, during WSU’s win over USC on Thursday. He came out in the first half for a few moments, and in the second half, he took the court wearing the same wrap he sported in Saturday’s contest, a multilayered arrangement of tape. His minutes never suffered, playing 36 against USC and 34 against UCLA.

“They said, it hurts when he shoots,” Smith said, referring to a team athletic trainer. “I said, that’s fine. Does it affect the stroke? They said, no. I said, all right. He won’t feel it. He might feel it afterward. Just hit some big shots.”

The good news for WSU (23-7, 14-5) is that Jakimovski can continue playing through the injury, Smith said. The Cougars get three days off before they close out the regular season with a home matchup against rival Washington on Thursday. Then it’s off to the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas, where WSU has earned an extra day of rest by securing a top-four seed, playing its first game on March 14, a Thursday.

“He needs rest. It’ll be good,” said Smith, whose group is one-half game back of first place in the Pac-12. “It’s March. He plays 35, 36 minutes a game.”

That Jakimovski still connected on two opportune triples speaks to his shotmaking ability. That he continued to impact the game even when he couldn’t speaks to the way he has reinvented himself in some ways this season.

For the first three years of his career, Jakimovski fashioned himself a stand-still shooter, a tall wing whose best attribute was his catch-and-shoot ball. He still does that in spades, but he is also driving more, attacking closeouts more, making a concerted effort to hit the glass and giving his team more opportunities as a result.

So far this season, Jakimovski is averaging 5.6 rebounds per game, by far a career high. He has six games of eight-plus rebounds. He recorded just two such games last season. He’s given himself the opportunity by improving on defense — “Andrej has been our most dependable defender throughout,” associate head coach Jim Shaw said last month — and the numbers bear that out.

“What I really try to emulate is the way he’s solid on defense,” WSU freshman guard Isaiah Watts said of Jakimovski. “He’s never gambling. He just plays the right way all the time. I feel like watching him and learning from him, and being in practice with him, he’s the best teacher. He don’t really have to say much. He really doesn’t say much a lot. But when he says something, it’s important.”

Even when he isn’t making shots — Jakimovski is hitting 34% of his 3s this season, his lowest mark since his freshman season — his presence on the floor is critical for WSU. The Cougs need his size on defense and on the glass. They also need the spacing he provides. Defenses respect his catch-and-shoot 3 regardless of whether he’s made 10 in a row or missed 10 in a row, which opens up the floor for interior players like Isaac Jones.

Speaking of Jones, he’s in the middle of a rough patch, though not entirely by his own doing. Against USC, he posted six points on three shots. Against UCLA, he went for 11 points on five shots, converting just 5 of 10 free throws. He is still recovering from being under the weather, which started last week in Arizona, where he and guard Kymany Houinsou weren’t feeling well.

That has conspired to limit Jones’ effectiveness, but so has the way opponents are guarding him. The more he plays well, the more Jones sees double teams, and recently, those have been coming almost as soon as he catches the ball on the block. He’s struggled against multiple bodies, but he’s also had a tough time because he hasn’t been able to catch the ball at his best spots on the floor.

That is happening in large part because the Cougs’ biggest lineups produce a lack of space on the floor. Check out the way USC guarded WSU center Rueben Chinyelu, taking away his pass to Jones in the paint.

Fast forward to Saturday’s game. For 41/2 minutes , WSU put Jones at the center position, resulting in this lineup: Myles Rice, Watts, Jaylen Wells, Jakimovski and Jones, a small-ball approach that spreads the floor.

When Watts came in for Houinsou, the Cougs were down one. When Watts subbed out due to fouling out, the hosts were up seven — meaning that lineup was a plus-8 for WSU.

It’s no coincidence that’s when the Cougars made the run that won them the game. In that stretch, WSU went on a 14-2 run, taking complete control on both ends of the floor, using its athleticism and shooting to outgun the Bruins.

The lineup is made possible by Smith’s trust in Watts, who has made meaningful strides as a defender.

But Watts’ best attribute is his scoring, which opens up the floor for Jones, who scored one of his two second-half buckets with that lineup on the floor.

Greg Woods Washington State beat writer for The Spokesman-Review

Pac-12 MBB power ratings: Washington State beats expectations like no team has done before​

Jon WilnerMarch 4, 2024 at 12:43 pm
The regular season isn’t quite over, but Washington State already has established a Pac-12 record. The mark, not typically referenced, lends context to the Cougars’ stunning run through conference play.

No team in the 12-school era has overshot expectations like the Cougars.

WSU was picked 10th in the preseason media poll released in October and will finish no worse than second place. That eight-spot difference between projected and actual finish is the largest since the conference expanded in the 2011-12 season.

Several teams have outperformed their projection finish by six positions in recent years, including Oregon State in 2020-21. But nobody has finished seven spots higher, much less eight — until Washington State.

And that’s not all. According to the Pac-12, no team has outperformed preseason expectations by eight spots since the conference began publishing a preseason media poll back in the 1984-85 season.

The Cougars aren’t done, either.

The combination of a WSU victory over Washington on Thursday (in Pullman) and an Arizona loss this week at USC or UCLA would propel the Cougars into first place.

That nine-spot improvement of actual finish over projected finish would be two better than the best in conference history, a standard shared by Arizona (1986) and ASU (1993).

So this final season is historic in more than one sense, it appears.

1. Arizona (23-6/14-4)​

Last week: 1
Results: won at ASU 85-67, beat Oregon 103-83
NET ranking: No. 3
Next up: at UCLA (Thursday)
Comment: The Wildcats are two wins from their 18th regular-season title, which is even more impressive when you consider they have been a member of the conference for 46 years. In other words, a championship every two-and-a-half seasons.

2. Washington State (23-7/14-5)​

Last week: 2
Results: beat USC 75-72 and UCLA 77-65
NET ranking: No. 37
Next up: vs. Washington (Thursday)
Comment: In games decided by six points or less (i.e., two possessions), the Cougars are a sizzling 7-2. That confidence in close games will serve them well this month.

3. Oregon (19-10/11-7)​

Last week: 3
Results: beat Oregon State 78-71, lost at Arizona 103-83
NET ranking: No. 65
Next up: vs. Colorado (Thursday)
Comment: Our advice to Ducks fans: Put a little something extra in your applause for Dana Altman on Saturday afternoon against Utah, just in case it turns out to be his final appearance in Matthew Knight Arena.

4. Colorado (20-9/11-7)​

Last week: 4
Results: beat Cal 88-78 and Stanford 81-71
NET ranking: No. 30
Next up: at Oregon (Thursday)
Comment: In a slight statistical oddity, KJ Simpson scored 27 points against Cal and 22 against Stanford, while Tristan da Silva scored 22 and 27, respectively. Bottom line: 98 combined points from the duo was more than enough for a sweep.

5. Utah (18-11/9-9)​

Last week: 7
Results: beat Stanford 90-68 and Cal 88-59
NET ranking: No. 46
Next up: at Oregon State (Thursday)
Comment: After winning 17 games last season and having a hot start to the 2023-24 campaign, the Utes need to reach 20 to feel like their momentum is continuing under Craig Smith. And if they get to 20 before Selection Sunday, then No. 21 might come in the NCAAs.

6. Cal (13-17/9-10)​

Last week: 5
Results: lost at Colorado 88-78 and Utah 88-59
NET ranking: No. 118
Next up: at Stanford (Thursday)
Comment: The Bears won’t match WSU’s improvement over preseason projections, but they are close enough for mention. Picked 11th, they could finish as high as fifth.

7. UCLA (14-15/9-9)​

Last week: 6
Results: lost at Washington 94-77 and WSU 77-65
NET ranking: No. 114
Next up: vs. Arizona (Thursday)
Comment: The Bruins are currently tied with Utah for fifth place but were swept in the season series. Why does that matter? Because the No. 5 seed draws Oregon State in the opening round of the Pac-12 tournament, not Stanford or USC.

8. Washington (16-14/8-11)​

Last week: 9
Results: beat UCLA 94-77, lost to USC 82-75
NET ranking: No. 72
Next up: at WSU (Thursday)
Comment: Mike Hopkins is doing just enough to make it less than crystal clear that a coaching change is coming, even if many Huskies fans believe it’s obvious a coaching change should come.

9. Arizona State (14-15/8-10)​

Last week: 8
Results: lost to Arizona 85-67
NET ranking: No. 126
Next up: at USC (Thursday)
Comment: And thus completes one of ASU’s worst competition years ever against Arizona in the two major sports, with a 36-point wipeout in the Territorial Cup and losses on the hardwood by 45 (road) and 18 (home) points. They could meet in the Pac-12 tournament, but there’s no reason to think that result would be any less lopsided.

10. USC (12-17/6-12)​

Last week: 11
Results: lost at WSU 72-72, won at Washington 82-75
NET ranking: No. 96
Next up: vs. Arizona State (Thursday)
Comment: Don’t look now, but the Trojans are ramping up their play just in time to win four games in four days in Las Vegas. Laugh now, acknowledge our foresight later.

11. Stanford (12-17/7-12)​

Last week: 10
Results: lost at Utah 90-68 and Colorado 81-71
NET ranking: No. 119
Next up: vs. Cal (Thursday)
Comment: Despite the six-game losing streak, the Cardinal has more than enough talent to win two games in the conference tournament. Probably not three, but definitely two. The record does not reflect the personnel.

12. Oregon State (12-17/4-14)​

Last week: 12
Results: lost at Oregon 78-71
NET ranking: No. 162
Next up: vs. Utah (Thursday)
Comment: On the bright side, the Beavers didn’t suffer a completely excruciating loss to their rival. This time, it was merely mildly excruciating.

Jon Wilner: jwilner@bayareanewsgroup.com;

This Thursday.

If they beat Az and we beat the leg humpers WSU is regular season conference champs. Students need to storm the damn court if we beat the commie traitors from Seattle.

I thought I’d start a thread for the negative dim-witted trolls who frequent this message board to infect game threads and Cougar basketball discussion with inane political dribble with the faint hope they keep their chit-posts contained here so the rest of us can discuss

Exciting Cougar Basketball in this forum.

Go Cougs

rips into his team after getting thumped by the mutts. Basically said from here on out it's a tryout for next year's team to see who really wants to play. This can go one of two ways for today's game they can all pretty much give up and mail it in or they can get outstanding efforts by the underclassmen. However if I'm a senior then I would tend to say eff it, the season is over anyway and I'm not going to put forth the effort I normally would. I may be wrong. It will be certainly interesting to see how they come out for this afternoon's game. Here's the link to the article..

Oh this is soooo gutwrenching and horrible. For anyone who stoops to read my interactions with Mik, we recently had a little difference of opinion as to whether Teresa Gould was a permanent (me) or a temporary (Mik) AD hire. So the below is from today's Brand X article on the hire. Well, I guess that sorta means that Mik was sorta on target? Oh the pain and horror.


Teresa Gould:
"I have committed to the two institutions to serve in this role for an initial two-year period," Gould said. "We agreed on the initial two-year period based on the agreements and relationships they have with the Mountain West and the West Coast Conference. We all felt that was an important commitment, that I commit to stay through the NCAA grace period and through those two agreements to make sure that we're collaborating and seeing this work through."

Kind of a lame read overall. Also though, an article about keeping the Puke-12 network alive for another year. Ok by me, except not as a full-fledged 24-7 operation. That is a worthy read, and I disagree with A LOT of what she says there.

Can we please have one game where we don't start out fumbling and bumbling and digging a hole!

Another tough outing. Probably need to beat Colorado and have a strong tournament showing to make the NCAAs.

Is Spokane slotted for 5/12 4/13 games? I’ve never looked into how they decide who plays in which region.

The all-knowing and mighty Loyal one might actually trek over from YakiVegas and take in one or both of these games. Been a long time since I was in Beasley. Was there in the Raveling years. Yes and the UCLA win and Pollard broken backboard. Saw us beat Jason Kidd and Cal under Sampson, had season tickets in the Bennett years. Met Dick after he stepped down but was still hanging around Pullman.

A lot of great times there. Including my daughter's graduation, but that is not a sports topic. Huey Lewis was fun.

So, we moved up one spot. Teams ahead of us which make zero sense:

Gonzaga
Colorado State
Colorado
Utah
SD State
Michigan St
Cincinnati
Clemson
Boise State

I thought these formulas were supposed to remove bias. What a joke. Should be 35 at worst right now.

Every building should be locked 30 minutes before Gametime. The library, Every fraternity, sorority, the CUB, every college hill bar (maybe 5 min before Gametime 😊). Note on the door - why are you here, go to the game!

Won’t happen but that the kind of culture that needs to be built asap.

Been reading and watching videos on this thing. Still can't get my arms around it. A giant tray, and UNLV plays on an artificial field that resides underneath? And the fiasco last year in Phoenix?

Crazy shit man.