....and I could've had a V-8. USC beats Arizona by 13 tonight, which doesn't surprise me given the way the Trojans are now playing. Boy, that makes the loss to the Huskies sting even more. Arizona is the regular season champs by that one slim game over WSU. Oh well, on to the conference tournament and hopefully improved play by the Cougs.

Glad Cougar

Hopkins is gone.

Duke-UNC. WTH? How could he not be ejected for that? And isn't that the same leg that he allegedly hurt in that fan melee?

Per Brand X:

Coach Roth is one of the best around as far as analyzing and evaluating Pac-12 football programs — and he is very high on Coach Jake Dickert and the Cougs for this coming season.

“When I see the amount of players that did not leave, I see the players that came in, I see the system and the coaching staff that is here … And then you look at the slate of games and where they’re slotted. I don’t think this team is going to take a lot of time to build,” Coach Roth said.

“So if they can get through and beat Texas Tech, which I think is possible, if they can beat their rival in the Apple Cup here in Seattle in the Seahawks’ stadium, which is possible," he added. "Remember, they were a snap or two away from beating a team that went to the national title … They’re going to be the darlings in college football. And I know it’s bold, but I’m not afraid to say the Cougs have a real shot of going to the playoff next year. They just do.”

Exciting stuff from Yogi, who was back in the Evergreen State to support a Coug fundraiser

Herbie's opinion boils down to what we have discussed, 40-60 teams break away from the NCAA and form their own leagues. Unfortunately, college athletics as we once knew them will never be the same, greed and the networks took over, only time will tell where it all ends.

A new League?

Wellington Mara, owner of the New York Giants, who passed away back in 2005, always pushed revenue sharing for the NFL, while many opposed. His argument was, we are an entertainment business, people are entertained when we have exciting football games, that is why we need revenue sharing. No one will watch our product with scores of 55-0. You can thank Mr. Mara, who was in a large market, and could have dominated the league, but he understood that competitive balance was more important in the long run. And is why the NFL is so successful today. Not sure what will happen to college football, but the member institutions might learn something from Mr. Mara.

They should all read this book:

Wellington: The Maras, the Giants, and the City of New York​

Not unexpected but in my opinion the lights were too bright for the team in this one. They were anything but relaxed and loose. Bad defense and bad shot selection. Comes with having a team that hasn't gotten this far in a long time.

I look foward to the Pac12 Tournament where there will be far less shine.

Remaining times released today. Hoping for an October SDSU date

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If we can get the W and Arizona lose to UCLA………..

Alright y’all. I’ve got an unbeatable offer if anyone wants to go to B-Apple Cup Thursday but doesn’t want to drive and doesn’t have tix. I have at least 3 comp’d tix and I’ll drive (no charge) for (up to) the first 2 takers. So free lower bowl ticket and free ride. I may end up with another ticket as well.

I don’t give a shit what your political leanings are or anything like that as long as you don’t talk my ears off about it on the way 😊. We are all Cougs and we all want to beat UW, the more butts in seats the better.

Hit me up and we can figure out a good meeting spot for a pick up if you are interested.

UW, WSU men’s basketball teams heading in different directions ahead of regular-season finale​

Percy AllenMarch 6, 2024 at 4:55 pm
By
Seattle Times staff reporter

It’s been said that misery loves company.

However, Mike Hopkins, who may be in his final days as coach of the Washington men’s basketball team, expressed genuine admiration for cross-state counterpart Kyle Smith, the presumptive Pac-12 coach of the year favorite following his remarkable performance with the 18th-ranked Washington State Cougars.

“I believe that Kyle Smith shouldn’t just be coach of the year in our league, there’s an argument for him to be national coach of the year,” Hopkins said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for him. [Former UW assistant] Jimmy Shaw, his assistant, I have a lot of respect for them.

“They’ve done a phenomenal job. They have a completely new roster, which has been very difficult to do. And they’ve got them playing at a high level.”

So often during their Apple Cup rivalry, which began in 1910, the Huskies (16-14, 8-11 in Pac-12) came into the annual regular-season finale matchup with sights set on grander prizes, while the Cougars were playing the role of spoilers.

This year, the Cougars (23-7, 14-5) flipped the script while posting their most wins since the 2007-08 season, which is also their last trip to the NCAA tournament.

Regardless of what happens before Selection Sunday, Washington State is going to break its 16-year Big Dance drought. However, if the Cougs continue their strong finish — they’ve won 10 of their last 11 games — then they could potentially receive a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament, according to ESPN’s latest projections.

More to the point, WSU, which is 15-1 at home, is still in the hunt for the last Pac-12 regular-season title before the conference essentially suspends following a mass exodus of 10 teams, including the Big Ten-bound Huskies.

If WSU, which is a half-game behind fifth-ranked Arizona, beats UW in Thursday’s 6 p.m. regular-season finale at Beasley Coliseum and the Wildcats (23-6, 14-4) lose either of their two road games against UCLA or USC this week, then the Cougars will capture a share of the championship and their first league title since 1941.


Washington Huskies coach Mike Hopkins is 71-83 over the past five seasons. Hopkins has $3.2 million remaining on his contract. (Luke Johnson / The Seattle Times)
After being picked 10th in the Pac-12 preseason poll, Washington State is enjoying one of the best seasons in program history, which has made Smith an early candidate for possible coaching openings.

He has two years left on an extension signed in 2021 that paid him $1.5 million last season.

When asked this week about contract-extension talks with WSU, Smith told reporters the topic has been “tabled” until the end of the season.

Roughly 285 miles separate UW and WSU, but the distance between the two teams feels like so much more as the Huskies head into an uncertain future.

For the second straight year, Hopkins, who has $3.2 million remaining on his contract, is facing questions about his job security, which stems from UW’s 71-83 record during the past five years.

“I focus on one game at a time and doing the best job I can,” Hopkins said. “I love the University of Washington. People have been great to me and great to my family. You guys [the media] have been great [and] fair. You know, time will tell. I love coaching. Had a lot of great moments. Just got to keep doing what we do and try to finish up strong. Whatever happens will happen.”

Despite the swirling speculations, Hopkins is hoping to get the Huskies to focus on a dangerous WSU team that beat them in overtime, 90-87, on Feb. 3 in Seattle.

Following their dramatic win, which was sealed by Myles Rice’s three-pointer in the final two minutes, the Cougars partied on the Alaska Airlines Arena floor with their fans.

“The last game, they were dancing on the W and doing all kinds of stuff,” UW sophomore guard Koren Johnson said. “So, we’re going to take this game personally.”

After four months, the Huskies still haven’t fixed a porous defense that allows 79.9 points in Pac-12 road games. Hopkins put the onus on Pac-12 scoring leader Keion Brooks Jr. (21.3 points per game) and mercurial center Braxton Meah to lead the defensive effort.

“There’s no more scouting reports,” Hopkins said. “We’re not going to have a secret play that we’re going to work on for these next two days that we’re going to come out with. … This is a mindset game.

“Washington State has got a great belief right now. They can score from multiple positions. People have taken away [Isaac] Jones and taken away Rice and all of a sudden you see [Jaylen] Wells and [Andrej] Jakimovski making big shots.”

When asked what the keys to beat the Cougars are, Hopkins used the word “tough” nine times.

“They’ve built an unbelievable résumé and to be able to beat them there, we’re going to have to play well,” he said. “We have the ability to do it, but we’re going to have to play well.

“But the biggest thing is … we’ve got to be tough. We’ve got to be tough with the environment. Tough with the refs. Tough with their players. Adapt to how the game is being called and stay together and hopefully put ourselves in position.”

Percy Allen: pallen@seattletimes.com; Seattle Times staff reporter Percy Allen covers the Washington Huskies and Seattle Storm.

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.