Hoops 4-0

The WSU Basketball team hasn't really had a challenge this year and that continued Tuesday night with a 67-41 win over Canisius. It was a first round game in the Legends Classic Tournament and now the Cougs head to New Jersey to face undefeated, and very athletic Mississippi State. This will be the first big test for WSU this year. Should be a good game.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/cougars/2008437174_webcoug25.html

Lots of quotes on the game and a bit of talk about Freshman PG Michael Hartun, who has been suspened by Tony Bennett for three games. The reason for the suspension is still unknown.

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/sportslink/archive/?postID=8788#more

Lots of football notes regarding Apple Cup, the Lesuma brothers returning to Hawaii this week and some scheduling notes regarding next year. The Cougs are still searching for one more game next season.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/cougars/389411_coug26.html

And in case you missed it. Say goodbye to ESPN's Bottom 10. The Cougs are no longer on the list. UW has the honor as the worst team in the land.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=bottom100813

And a video from the Apple Cup by the Seattle Times, which I got interviewed for. That is me, a few drinks deep towards the end of the video.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1509319618?bctid=3027097001

No Words Needed

I am extremely tired and hungover from a great weekend in Pullman. Be back tomorrow with lots of updates on Apple Cup and Hoops.

Basketball Cruises To 2-0

The Cougs won the game, but a sloppy first half is probably what stood out to Coach Tony Bennett last night. Here are some basketball updates.

Andy Katz of ESPN is starting to take notice of the Cougs once again. He had this to say on his updates today. "Washington State's defense has been phenomenal so far. The Cougars went on a 28-0 run to start the game against Mississippi Valley State last weekend and won 76-25. Washington State then held Fairleigh Dickinson to 33 points in the 22-point win Tuesday night."

From the Seattle PI. A very good read. A Q&A session with Freshman DeAngelo Casto and Klay Thompson.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/cbasketball/388575_wsufrosh20.html

Future Coach Taylor Rochestie is interviewed about the performance of the Freshman so far.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/cbasketball/388621_wsumen20.html

Apple Cup Updates

Same article, different author. An article from the Seattle PI talking about two bad teams matching up. The game just needs to get here.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/thiel/388443_thiel19.html

The man who has to win this game for WSU is Brandon Gibson. It is the senior's last game at Martin Stadium. He had this to say, "I'm going to leave with a win and leave the fans happy," He needs at least ten touches in this game. Put him in at kick return and punt return. We need a spark from somewhere.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/cougars/388581_coug20.html

An article from the News Tribune on the youth of both teams playing Saturday. Also how the new faces feel about playing in their first rivalry game.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/story/542601.html

A front page article from ESPN.com's College FB section. Ted Miller writes about how this game still matters to the players and the fans.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=rivalryweek/applecup

Bulletin Board Material

UW Linebacker, Donald Butler may have provided a little bit of bulletin board material in a Jim Moore article today. "That's just comedy," Butler said of Wulff's remarks. "It's Wazzu, we always beat Wazzu. That's just him trying to put a statement out there for his players and the people in Pullman to say he's going to fight us. I appreciate that." Interesting comments for a guy that has beat WSU once. Hopefully it can get the team a bit fired up for Saturday.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/moore/388248_moore18.html

The Tacoma News Tribune has an article about how no one may be more saddened to see Willingham leave UW than Cougar fans. He has a 1-2 record against WSU. Both losses were at Husky Stadium.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/story/541144.html

Some notes on Jake Locker not playing and how Ronnie Fouch ranks last in the Pac-10 in passing efficiency.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/story/541156.html

10 ways to get through Saturday's Apple Cup.

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20081118/SPORTS/711189821#10.ways.to.survive.Saturdays.Crapple.Cup

Cougar injury notes. The offense is almost at full strength, good news.

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/sportslink/archive/?postID=8726#more

Apple Cup Notes & Harrison Goes Big

From the Seattle Times, Vegas has decided the Cougs are the worse team of the two, and UW thinks they can still find motivation for the game.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/huskies/2008399147_uwfb17.html

For the WSU side of things, Wulff doesn't seem concerned that his team won't be fired up and it appears Kevin Lopina might play after suffering a mild concussion last week.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/cougars/2008399378_coug17.html

Howie Stalwick of the Seattle PI breaks down the WSU coaching staff a bit, offering six positive and six negative things they have done this year. Finding six positives is kind of a stretch, but he does it.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/cougars/388260_coug18.html

Jim Moore chimes in on the state of the WSU and UW football teams. All while throwing in some zingers at UW.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/moore/388115_moore17.html

Tacoma News Tribune and how someone has to win this game. Despite the records I think this is going to be a very entertaining game. Both defenses are terrible so there should be some points scored.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/story/540082.html

Vince Grippi takes a more detailed look at the game.

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/sportslink/archive/?postID=8723#more

Some Basketball notes, WSU begins the Legend Classic Tourney tomorrow against Fairleigh Dickinson in Pullman.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/cbasketball/388235_wsumen18.html

And Finally, Jerome Harrison turned in the play of the game running for a 72 yard TD for the Browns in a win over Buffalo. Harrison finished with 3 carries for 80 yards. He needs to touch the ball more, he has been making plays all season.

Gibson Breaks Record

Congrats to Brandon Gibson who has broken the WSU record for receiving yards on Saturday. If we are going to beat UW on Saturday, Gibson needs to have game like he did last year. It will be fun to watch Gibson make plays in the NFL next season and beyond.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/cougars/388049_cougbok16.html

And with that it is officially Apple Cup week. While WSU and UW are having horrible seasons, bragging rights are still on the line. I've heard there is even a small chance of snow for Saturday. Should be a fun week.

Some AC notes from Vince Grippi. Looks like Chantz Staden is going to be missing the game. Hopefully Chris Ivory has a chance to play this week. His hamstring is causing him problems once again.

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/sportslink/archive/?postID=8716#more

Howie Stalwick of the Tacoma News Tribune also has some notes.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/story/539376.html

Huge Win For Cougs

In the first game of the season the Cougs definitely impressed scoring the first 28 points of the game. It was pretty much over from that point on. The final score ended up being 71-26. Wow. Very good news for a young team that is probably still finding its groove. Aron Baynes led the Cougs with 14 points in 14 minutes played. Klay Thompson led all of the Freshman with 8 points. While the opponent, Mississippi Valley State, isn't exactly a solid team, the way the Cougs won in their first game should have fans pretty excited. Great to see a W and Cougars on the same line.

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/sports/story.asp?ID=268827&page=all

Weekend Picks

There is a block of one and two loss (conference) teams sitting atop the Pac-10 standings right now. It is going to be a big day as many of these teams face off and try to cement their place for a Rose Bowl or Holiday Bowl bid. No game may be bigger than OSU's game vrs Cal. If the Beavs win the rest of their games they will find themselves in the Rose Bowl because they have the tie breaker over USC.

In other games today Slick Rick makes his return to UW while the Cougs face a struggling a ASU team. I would hate to be a Stanford football player today. USC is looking for revenge from last year's upset and they are trying to earn style points to get back in the national championship game.

Last Week: 5-0
Season Total: 48-13

California at Oregon State: Oregon State seems like they always win games when they have to. They are talking Rose Bowl in Corvallis and there is a good chance they might find themselves there if they win today. California is still struggling to move the ball and seems ready to start their free fall to a .500 record. Leading to more questions about Tedord in Berkeley.
Pick: Oregon State

Arizona at Oregon: Both teams are already bowl eligible and this game could be the deciding factor of who gets to the Holiday Bowl. Arizona is coming off a beat down of WSU but their defense did give up 28 points in the game. Now they face OU at Autzen which is always tough. I don't think this one will really be close. Expect a big day for the Ducks. Pick: Oregon

USC at Stanford: As stated above, bad day to be a Stanford player or fan. However, Stanford has had a season they can be proud of so far. Won't matter today though. Pick: USC big.

UCLA at UW: Slick Rick back in Seattle. UW alum are gonna drop the Zima's and finish the cheese a little earlier so they can get over to the stadium and boo their old coach. I bet most wish they still had him around. Pick: UCLA

WSU at Arizona State: With ASU struggling so bad, some have said this is a good opportunity for WSU to sneak in a win. I don't think that is going to happen but my main concern is to keep everyone healthy for next week's Apple Cup. Lopina needs to have a good game and find some kind of passing groove. His 10 picks and 0 TD's so far this year are not very impressive. I think the Cougs will be in this game for a quarter, maybe two, but ASU still has playmakers especially at QB so they will pull away eventually. If the Cougs can put up 28 and hold ASU to less than 40, I think that will be a small victory for this team. Just stay healthy for next week. Pick: ASU

Make Some Money

Another week, more money made last Saturday. Someone could be making some big money off of this. $10.00 parlayed over 3 games. Lines from Sportsbook.com. $10.00 bet to win $60.00.

Last Week: +$60.00
Season Total: +$253.00

BYU -4 at Air Force Pick: BYU to cover.

USC at Stanford Over/Under 48.5 Pick: The Over.

Boston College at Florida State -6 Pick: Florida State to cover.

From DL To OL

The Tacoma News Tribune has a story on OL B.J. Guerra who was recruited to WSU as a DL but made the switch in Spring Ball. Just a few months later he finds himself starting, and holding his own on the O-line. “I think B.J. has tremendous upside,” Wulff said. “His future is extremely bright. He has a lot of gifts. We need him to be a special player in our program for the next three years. There are enough components there for that to happen.”

http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/story/535121.html

Dennis Erickson is saying he owes ASU fans a good game this weekend. Saturday is ASU's homecoming.

Bennett Inks Four

Today was the Letter of Intent today for the 09 Basketball class. The Cougs received four commits today including another Australian, PF Brock Motum. The other players include SG Anthony Brown from Spokane, PF David Chadwick from North Carolina and PG Xavier Thames out of California. Thames is the most highly touted out of the bunch and is rumored to be capable of running the point in the Pac already. I will be checking in on the recruits as the season goes on.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/cougars/2008383279_wsurecruits12.html

Want to know more about Xavier Thames? Well he has his own website which includes video highlights. Here it is.

http://www.xavierthames.net/index.shtml

From the Seattle PI. While the Cougs season hasn't been any good, neither has the seasons of their last three opponents, ASU, UW and Hawaii. The Cougs are very capable of winning two of these games.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/cougars/387473_coug12.html

Some notes on Toby Turpin taking over the starting DT role and also some news on the running back situation. All three RB's should be able to play some on Saturday. That is good news looking forward to Apple Cup.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/cougars/2008379928_coug12.html

An article from Vince Grippi on Wulff taking on his former coach, Dennis Erickson this weekend.

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/sportslink/archive/?postID=8682#more

One last thing, Kyle Weaver recorded his first points as a NBA player tonight against the Orlando Magic. Congrats to him.

Finally

Basketball is here, not officially because the Cougs played an exhibition game, but it is still basketball.

Seattle Times has their preview of the Cougar Hoops Team. If you think the veteran players are cocky after a Sweet 16 appearance last year, think again. "I've never spent this much time in the gym before," Rochestie said. "I've always been a gym rat, but it's kind of a new mentality. Girlfriend's upset, I'm never at the house. But when I look around and see Daven Harmeling and Aron Baynes and Caleb Forrest, we see it in each other's eyes. This is our last chance together. It seems like whenever we were walking out of the gym all spring and summer, we were saying, 'Let's come back in two hours.' And then [again] two hours from then.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/cougars/2008375639_coug11.html

And here is the recap from last night's dominating win over LC State, a NAIA school. While this does not tell much because the lack of competition, getting the players on the court together and competing against someone besides each other is huge. Also it is good to see the Freshman hitting shots and getting involved with the offense.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/cougars/2008375822_wsumen11.html

Vince Grippi has a good recap of the game with lots of quotes from Coach Bennett. He seems pretty happy with the performance of his young team.

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/sportslink/archive/?postID=8670#more

Checking In With D-Low

Not sure where Derrick Low is these days? He is playing professionally in Australia for the Sydney Spirit. He is featured this week in a feature called "Spirit Talking." He discusses Hawaii, his ancestors, Australia and the car he has been issued. It is a good read. By the way, Thomas Abercrombie also plays in this league for the New Zealand Breakers.

http://www.sydneyspirit.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=76585

Link to Abercrombie.

http://www.nzbreakers.co.nz/default.aspx?s=playerprofile&id=926&team=breakers

Coleman Shines For Falcons

Not a huge day for professional Cougars but here is what a couple of them did on Sunday.

Falcon's Safety, Erik Coleman had a INT, 6 tackles and a Forced Fumble in a win over the Saints.

Jaguar's DT, Rob Meier had a sack and 4 tackles in a win over the Lions.

Be sure to catch Jason Hill on Monday Night Football tomorrow against the Cardinals.

Start Preparing For UW

This season has been a huge disappointment for the Cougs and I think the only thing that can give fans and probably the team a ounce of hope for the offseason is to beat winless UW in the Apple Cup. Even if they lose the week after to Hawaii, beating UW will at least keep some interest there until next season. A loss to the winless Huskies could really hurt the morale of the fans, players and even recruits within the state. While Wulff has said winning hasn't been the main goal this year, it has got to be the goal for this one game.

With Apple Cup being 12 days away, Wulff might as well start preparing the team now for the game on November 22nd. A solid running attack is very possible against UW as they haven't been able to stop anyone this year. And we all know that Brandon Gibson is prone to making huge plays against the Huskies. The confidence just needs to be there from the players, the coaches and the fans. I have been very skeptical of Wulff this season but this game can make a lot of people like myself start to believe in him. Pullman should already be buzzing with the hoops team playing Friday night. Hopefully a win from the basketball team will carry over to the gridiron on Saturday.

Weekend Picks

Kind of busy today so just going to put the picks up without much explanation. Is it basketball season yet?

Last Week: 3-1
Season Total: 43-13

Stanford at Oregon: Stanford is coming off a huge win against WSU but Oregon shouldn't lose this one at home. Pick: Oregon

Oregon State at UCLA: Can the Beavs sneak up into the top 2 of the Pac and earn a Holiday Day berth? If Riley could learn how to start a season his teams would be contenders every year.
Pick: Beavs

No.21 Cal at No. 7 USC: Trojan fans are not happy with their place in the BCS right now. I feel bad for Cal because USC is going to make a statement today. Pick: USC

Arizona State at UW: Two teams who have hit rock bottom this season. Can Willingham get a victory this year? If he does it will have to be today or against WSU. ASU will finally end their six game losing streak today. Pick: ASU

Arizona at WSU: Pick: Will the Cougs manage to score a point today? Probably not. Pick: Arizona big.

Make Some Money

I missed winning again last week by .5 of a point. Damn Pete Caroll and not running up scores! Anyways back at it this week. $10.00 parlayed with 3 games. Lines from Sportsbook.com

Last Week: - $10.00
Season Total: + $193.00

Florida -24 at Vanderbilt Pick: Florida to cover

Clemson at Florida State -3.5 Pick: Florida State to cover

Arizona at WSU Over/Under 57 Pick: The Over....probably just Arizona's score.

Moore Talks With Sterk

Jim Moore conducted an interview with AD Jim Sterk to get his take on the state of the WSU football team and I found one quote to be particularly interesting. From the article, "If Sterk has any issues with Wulff, they're minor. At Wulff's postgame news conferences, he occasionally gets down on the players. "Probably more than you would want, but it's uglier than all of us wanted, too," Sterk said. "He needs to be sensitive to that. He doesn't realize what's being printed out there. But he's not that way with the kids. He just challenges them to get better." So somebody is noticing that besides myself.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/moore/386420_moore05.html

Lots of notes from Howie Stalwick of the Seattle PI.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/cougars/386412_coug05.html

Notes from the Seattle Times.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/cougars/2008351772_coug05.html

Wullf says nobody is quitting. From the Tacoma News Tribune.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/story/529077.html

And just when you thought things couldn't get worse, Ryan Leaf is back in the news. He is taking a absence from his job at West Texas A&M.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3684240

Cougs Need Focus

Not sure if many people care at this point but here are some links regarding the Football team.

From the Seattle Times, Wullf talks about the lack of focus his players are having before games. This could have nothing to do with coaching could it? If you asked him I know which answer you would get.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/cougars/2008343166_coug03.html

From the Seattle PI, did you know the Cougs haven't scored a point since October 11th? Yikes.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/cougars/386141_coug03.html

Almost Here

With the football team being the joke of the Pac-10 and most of Division 1 Football, WSU fans will put all of their attention to Taylor Rochestie and the WSU Basketball team in the coming weeks. This is going to be an interesting season for Coach Tony Bennett and the Cougs as they look to their most impressive class of Freshman in school history to maintain the success of the program. Here is my breakdown of this year's Senior Class. I will follow up on the younger guys as the season draws closer.

No man will be counted on more than Rochestie this year as the floor general and a senior leader. He will now be asked to score instead of just handle the ball on the court. With limited depth at the PG position he will also have to log more minutes than in year's past. Rochestie just needs to maintain what he did last year. Clutch shooting, getting to the basket, drawing fouls and not turning the ball over. If he can score more and create on offense it may lead to an even bigger year for Aron Baynes who is said to have lost over twenty pounds heading into the season.

The lost weight should improve Bayne's quickness on the defensive side of the ball and also allow him to log more minutes. It should also improve his rebounding because he only averaged six last year which needs to be improved upon this season. Having DeAngelo Casto will be huge for Baynes because a super athletic weak side defender will now have his back in the post. Baynes excelled when Ivory Clark was by his side and he appears to have that once again with Casto.

Besides Rochestie and Baynes, Caleb Forrest, Daven Harmeling and Nikola Koprivika round out the seniors this season. With Forrest you know what you are going to get. High motor aggressive play on both sides of the ball, excellent mid range shooting, and good rebounding. He can defend a SG or a PF so his play will be key in times when Casto is either in foul trouble or getting tore up by a high caliber player.

Harmeling struggled last year and needs to improve his flow within the offense. He is a spot three point shooter but needs to show the ability to create a shot or teams are simply going to leave him open when he is not red hot from behind the arc. On defense Harmeling can guard the 3-4 positions fairly well. At 6'8" he is tall and long and is a mis-match for shorter SF's and slower PF's.

Koprivica needs to improve his offensive game as well this year. He was dreadful on offense last season shooting I don't even want to look it up from the 3 point line. However, he is said to be fully recovered from his knee injury two seasons ago, so his speed and quickness should be better. The Cougs desperately need his slashing style to draw fouls and create open shots for others. If Nik can contribute 10-12 points a game with 4 assists and 4 boards, we should consider the season a success for him.

Make Some Money

Start paying attention, the winnings are over $200.00 this season. Looking to make it sixty more this week. As always, 3 games parlayed with 10 bucks. $10.00 to win $60.00. Lines from sportsbook,com.

Last Week: +$60.00
Season Total: +$203.00

Washington at USC Over/Under 56.5 Pick: The Over

Nebraska at Oklahoma -21 Pick: OU to cover.

Florida State at Georgia Tech Over/Under 42 Pick: The Over

Weekend Picks

Oregon at Cal headlines a kind of down week in the Pac-10 today. With two horrible teams, WSU and UW, two bad teams, UCLA and Arizona State, this hasn't been all that exciting of a season for the Pac-10 so far. Maybe things will start to shake up today.

Last Week: 4-0
Season Total: 40-12

No. 24 Oregon at California: This game may decide who has the annual end of season collapse that has haunted both teams in previous seasons. Oregon, despite all their QB injuries has held it together this season. Cal can't decide who they should play at QB because of lackluster performances from Kevin Riley and Nate Longshore. Expect this game to be close but Oregon's speed to take over in the 4th. Pick: Oregon

Arizona State at Oregon State: I have said it before and I will say it again. What the heck happened to the Sun Devils? They are not a good team right now despite hopes of a Rose Bowl this year. Losers of 5 in a row expect a 6th against the Beavs. Pick: Oregon State

Washington at No. 5 USC: With the firing/resigning of Ty Willy, will UW come out and play inspired football the rest of the season? They might but it won't matter at all today. USC still has hopes of getting in the national title game. They will cruise through this one and start preparing for Cal next week. Pick: USC

WSU at Stanford: It has gotten so bad for Cougar fans we are just hoping we can cover a 30 point spread against Stanford. That is horrible. Good thing we can't watch this disaster on TV. Pick: Stanford