http://www.yardbarker.com/content/team/1233 Recent articles about the Washington State Cougars en-us Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:47:10 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/323533 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/323533 Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:47:06 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/323495 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/323495 Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:47:02 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/323440 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/323440 Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:47:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/323406 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/323406 Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:46:59 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/323403 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/323403 There have been several great individual performances in the NCAA tourney this year. But who had the single most outstanding performance in the Sweet 16? Who deserves the honor of being the 'Sweet 16 Workhorse?' Sat, 29 Mar 2008 11:19:15 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/223297 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/223297 North Carolina rode Danny Green in the first half and Tyler Hanbrough in the second en route to a surprising 68-47 blowout victory over Washington State. Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:55:17 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/222382 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/222382 He's the best sixth-man in the ACC, but Danny Green has overcome some now well-publicized family adversity to be the best sixth-man in the country. Last night's 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting sealed the deal. Is Danny Green Carolina's X-factor for this year's championship run? Yep. Fri, 28 Mar 2008 08:25:16 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/222333 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/222333 Which teams will win tonight in the East and West regions? Which teams would you select against the spread? Click on each team to visit their home page and view their latest information from the local newspapers and bloggers. Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:48:20 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/220690 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/220690 Carolina reigns supreme thus far, but an easy road to the Sweet 16 doesn't always mean a trouble free second weekend. There to do their best to dismantle the Tar Heels? A seasoned Washington State club that can light up a scoreboard with the best of them. Wed, 26 Mar 2008 08:51:18 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/218718 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/218718 Fun analysis and little humor mixed in at the end make this Carolina-Washington State preview a must read. Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:19:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/218458 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/218458 Taking yet another page from the Lou Holtz Book of Aw Shucks and Clever Quips, UNC's Roy Williams wasn't all that happy with Deon Thompson's rebounding against Arkansas. Just to make a point, he drug his bride into the conversation... Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:45:53 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/217525 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/217525 After an exciting first weekend, the NCAA Tournament continues on Thursday night with the Regional Semifinal round, otherwise known as the Sweet 16. Here are the exclusive Sports Fan Base game previews for the Sweet 16 on Thursday and Friday: WEST REGION (7) West Virginia vs. (3) Xavier As predicted by Sports Fan Base.com, the West Virginia Mountaineers were able to upset the #2 seeded Duke Blue Devils in the 2nd round. With Joe Alexander inside and Alex Ruoff hitting three-point shots from the outside, West Virginia is a very dangerous team. The Xavier Musketeers defeated a very tough Purdue team in the 2nd round and have quietly advanced into the Sweet 16. Xavier is athletic and balanced with big men Josh Duncan and Derrick Brown, versatile guards Stanley Burrell, C.J. Anderson and B.J. Raymond and the little court general, Drew Lavendar. Because of this, Xavier may be a little too much too handle for West Virginia. SFB Prediction: Xavier wins 74-68 (12) Western Kentucky vs. (1) UCLA The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are perhaps this year`s biggest surprise into the Sweet 16. Their thrilling 101-99 overtime victory over Drake in the 1st round permanantly won the hearts of basketball fans everywhere and put the Hilltoppers` guard Ty Rogers into the NCAA Tournament history with his three-point shot at the buzzer. Western Kentucky has two very athletic guards in Courtney Lee and Tyrone Brazleton and can certainly give UCLA some problems. For the Bruins, Naismith Award finalist Kevin Love is a force in the paint. Combine that with guards Darren Collison and Russel Westbrook along with forward Josh Shipp, you have a great basketball team. UCLA should win this game, but it will be closer than many people think. SFB Prediction: UCLA wins 79-74 EAST REGION (4) Washington State vs. (1) North Carolina This is probably the worst possible matchup for North Carolina, other than Wisconsin. Why do I say this? Simply because the Cougars are well-coached and always put together a great defensive scheme. Head coach Tony Bennett will have a plan ready for the Tar Heels and use the big bodies of Aron Baynes and Robbiw Cowgill to frustrate UNC`s Naismith Finalist, Tyler Hansbrough. Washington State was able to shut down Notre Dame`s high-powered offense in the 2nd round, could they do the same against North Carolina? The only problem is that Washington State just does not have the scoring to even come close to what North Carolina scores. But the Cougars could provide the blueprint for Louisville or Tennessee to take down the Tar Heels in the next round. SFB Prediction: North Carolina wins 71-62 (3) Louisville vs. (2) Tennessee In what may be the most entertaining Sweet 16 game, the Louisville Cardinals take on the Tennessee Volunteers. Louisville has had a somewhat easy tournament so far with dominating Boise State and Oklahoma in the 1st and 2nd rounds, respectively. Meanwhile, the Vols had a fairly easy game against American in the 1st round, but had a tough take with #7 seeded Butler in the 2nd round, nearly being bounced from the NCAA Tournament. This is a great matchup of athletic players with Tennessee`s Wayne Chism and Tyler Smith versus Louisville`s Terrence Williams and Eric Clark. The x-factor in this game may end up being Tennessee guard Chris Lofton. If he can make his outside shots, the Vols win. If he struggles, Louisville may move on to the Elite 8. SFB Prediction: Tennessee wins 86-84 MIDWEST REGION (10) Davidson vs. (3) Wisconsin While many sports fans were hoping for a classic Big East-Big Ten showdown in the Sweet 16 with Georgetown and Wisconsin, Stephen Curry and the Davidson Wildcats had other plans. Curry went off for 30 points in the 2nd half (35 overall) to single-handedly take down the Georgetown Hoyas in the 2nd round. If anyone wasn`t a Davidson believer before, believe it now. In addition to Curry, point guard Jason Richards and power forward Andrew Lovedale are very solid players. Wisconsin is a great defensive and fundamentally sound team with experienced players such as Brian Butch and Michael Flowers. The matchup of Flowers, one of the best defensive players in the country, versus Curry, one of the top scorers in the country, is very intriguing. That matchup will be the key to the game for both teams. If Flowers can hold Curry under 20 points, it will be hard for Davidson to defeat the Badgers. SFB Prediction: Wisconsin wins 70-65 (12) Villanova vs. (1) Kansas The Villanova Wildcats were the 8th team put into the NCAA Tournament for the Big East Conference and perhaps were the last team into the Big Dance this year. But a 1st round win over Clemson and a dominating victory over another surprise, Siena, has put Nova into the Sweet 16. Led by play-making guard Scottie Reynolds, the Cats are experienced, athletic and could be a threat for Kansas. The Jayhawks are deeper, more athletic and more balanced than Villanova. Guards Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins combined with the frontcourt of Darrel Arthur and Darrell Jackson gives Kansas a lethal starting lineup. SFB Prediction: Kansas wins 85-73 SOUTH REGION (3) Stanford vs. (2) Texas The Stanford Cardinal and Texas Longhorns run their offenses distinctly different ways. Stanford has the twin towers witgh 7-footers Brook and Robin Lopez and they are the Cardinal`s two leading scorers and rebounders. Meanwhile, the Longhorns rely on guard play, primarily from D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams. Texas` big man Conor Atchley will have a large task in defending Brook Lopez, who will most likely be a Top 10 NBA Draft Pick this coming year. Stanford had a tough take with Marquette in the 2nd round, winning 82-81 in overtime. The good thing for Texas is that Marquette also relies on their guard play. So the Longhorns should certainly watch the game film from this past Saturday if they want a good idea of how to defeat Stanford. SFB Prediction: Texas wins 79-77 (5) Michigan State vs. (1) Memphis Sports Fan Base.com counted out the Michigan State Spartans early in the NCAA Tournament with a 1st round loss to #12 seed Temple. Of course that did not happen and now the Spartans are in the Sweet 16 with a solid win against Big East Champion Pittsburgh in the 2nd round. Guard Drew Neitzel is the leader of this Michigan State squad and he will need to lead his team not only with his three-point shooting and scoring ability, but also with his ability to distribute the ball and get his players involved. The Memphis Tigers will be a tough team to defend as they have a lot of ways they can score. Chris Douglas-Roberts is probably the best player on this team and guard Derrik Rose may be the most athletic. Their front court consists of Robert Dozier and Joey Dorsey and combined they pull down over 16 rebounds per game. But the achilles heel for Memphis has been free throw shooting and that did not change in their 2nd round game against Mississippi State with a free-throw percentage of 47%. If Michigan State can get Memphis to the free throw line, they have a shot to win. SFB Prediction: Memphis wins 79-75 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:13:48 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/216820 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/216820 The second round game of Notre Dame and Washington State will be more like a chess match of strength versus strength. Notre Dame's high octane offense will try and get something going against the stingy Cougar defense. Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:26:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213319 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213319 Well the early games yesterday proved to be "snoozers" with only the potential of #14 seed Georgia beating #3 seed Xavier giving some excitement to basketball fans. #12 seed Temple proved to be very disappointing against #5 Michigan State and #9 Kent State (a very high-scoring team) scored only 10 points in the first half against #8 UNLV. The one game that was truly exciting in the day-cap was #6 Marquette versus #11 Kentucky. The Wildcats, playing without their best player Patrick Patterson, gave Marquette all they could handle. Kentucky senior Joe Crawford went off for 35 points in a gutsy effort to single-handedly push his team to the 2nd round. But Marquette just proved to be too deep and too athletic for Kentucky and the Golden Eagles are the ones advancing. In the night cap, we certainly had a thriller with #15 Belmont pushing #2 Duke to the limit. If not for a Gerald Henderson coast-to-coast layup with under 1 minute remaining, the Blue Devils may have been bounced by the Bruins for Tennessee as only the 5th time a #15 seed had won an NCAA Tournament game. #13 seed Winthrop and #4 seed Washington State were tied at 29 at halftime, but the Cougars just took over in the 2nd half and were able to advance. #14 seed Cal State Fullerton hang tough the Big Ten champion Wisconsin Badgers, but the Titans fell short losing, 71-56. #12 seed George Mason was simply outplayed the #5 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish, showing the Patriots were clearly not the Final Four team from 2006. There were 3 other exciting games in the nightcap with #10 Arizona versus #7 West Virginia, #8 BYU versus #9 Texas A&M and #11 Kansas State versus #6 USC. The West Virginia Mountaineers stayed consistent all game and although star forward Joe Alexander did not have an OUTSTANDING game, he still turned a good enough performance to win. Arizona`s Chase Budinger really stepped up his game with 23 points, but it wasn`t quite enough. The competitive 8-9 matchup did not let down with BYU versus Texas A&M. The Aggies started out the game 11-0, but the BYU Cougars slowed down the game to take a 29-29 tied into halftime. But in the 2nd half, Texas A&M were just too athletic for BYU and went on to win 67-62. When thinking of the Kansas State-USC matchup, everyone was talking about Michael Beasley versus O.J. Mayo. But as said in a previous Blog, this game would depend on the supporting cast and the Wildcats got a 22-point game out of Bill Walker to support Beasley. Jacob Pullen also played well scoring 11 points and dishing out 5 assists off the bench. On USC`s side, Davon Jefferson and Taj Gibson combined for 25 points, and that is perhaps the reason Kansas State went on to win and advance to the 2nd round. Fri, 21 Mar 2008 07:40:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213121 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/213121