WCC in the Postseason

Besides the lack of rest and long road trip to Valpo, SMC was finally hurt by the team's lack of "bigness" tonight.  The Crusaders were decidedly bigger and stronger than the skinny Gaels and could be very dominant at times.  Of course Valpo's 16-0 run also helped them in their 16 point win.

I guess you could say BYU's Collinsworth really had a gut check tonight, and it was obvious he was hurting, but he was still a big contributor.  In addition to all the normal Cougar stars, we saw freshman Zac Seljaas really light it up tonight for 19 points. (In the short term, it might be a good thing for the WCC that Seljaas heads off for his 2-year LDS Mission this summer, but he might get in some good scrimmages on his one day off a week....he's going to De Moines, Iowa).

Yes, I was pulling for WCC representative, BYU, but they are not a very likeable bunch with their continuing complaining and overt refusal to accept that they actually committed a foul.  It's pretty obvious the team has taken on the character of its coach.

Zags botch an ELOB play horribly in the closing seconds. Cost them the game. FIRE FEW!

up7587 wrote:Zags botch an ELOB play horribly in the closing seconds.  Cost them the game.  FIRE FEW!

Well, I think you've got to admit that was a heck of a block by Syracuse on the driving Perkins....normally the defender would have dropped off to cover Wiltjer of Sabonis in that situation.

A 9-1 run by Boheim's team to close out the game may have shown he's the better coach in late game, big game situations, but Gonzaga has been a fun team to watch in the tournament....they were an excellent representative for the WCC.

BYU is still alive in the NIT.....and although they too rep the WCC, they are outliers compared to the other 9 teams in the conference.  (Oh snap, did I just say that out loud!!)

It is sometimes difficult to live in Spokane and be a Pilot fan. My favorite team in the WCC is our Portland Pilots and it not even a close second but not getting wrapped up rooting for the Zags is hard to do.
Part of it is that I have been in Spokane a lot longer than I was blessed with the Pilots but part of it is that as a huge fan of college hoops I like to root for the conference if my team isnt in the tournament.
That said I watched on the edge of my seat as the WCC representative went down tonight. I really thought they had it, both in the beginning of the game when Wiltjer was scoring in bunches and then again with 10 or so to go in the second. It was tough to maintain the lead and not being able to execute a final shot despite two chances sealed the loss.
Syracuse was 10th in the ACC I believe, and compared to Indiana this was a winnable track to the final four or at least EE.
Gonzaga getting as far as they did despite losing their center and BYU and St Marys doing well in both the regular season and post season shows that the WCC is a pretty good conference. At the least, every time a Portland beats Gonzage ala 2014 or St Marys doing it twice this year proves how close a program can be to sustainable success. Lets hope that the Pilots get to enjoy that type of culture in the coming years.

I still have 3 FF picks still alive in my bracket but it wont be quite as exciting watching next weeks games without Gonzaga. The plus side is that March Madness is the single greatest postseason competition in all of sports. There are plenty of exciting games on the docket. Love this time of year.

Valpo 72-70 BYU. Cougars couldn't quite overcome a 14 point deficit at halftime. Collinsworth and Fischer finish their careers. Those who players had 34% of the total minutes played this year on the team. Big holes to fill.

BYU played one of its better games, but as the Pilots found out in Nashville last season, Valparaiso is an excellent team that includes the top shot blocker in the nation.

Way to rep the WCC, Cougars!

up7587 wrote:Zags botch an ELOB play horribly in the closing seconds.  Cost them the game.  FIRE FEW!

Who knows, it might have made all the difference:

Yesterday (yes, I know it was April 1st, but apparently this is legit) Coach Few said the NCAA called to inform him officials blew the call on a 10-second violation in their loss to Syracuse.

The turnover came with 1:17 left and GU leading 60-59.  Perkins skipped a pass for Dranginis into the frontcourt, but a Orange defender deflected it back across the mid-court line to the backcourt where Dranginis went and grabbed it.

The refs called a 10-second violation, but the 10-second limit in the backcourt should have reset once a the defender touched the ball in the frontcourt.

Syracuse went onto score the next four points as part of a 15-3 run that ended with a 63-60 final score.