One of the toughest high-major jobs out there is in Pullman, Washington. While the football program at Washington State has had plenty of success, it’s been a different story on the hardwood. NCAA Tournament appearances have been a rarity, and it’s been a coaching graveyard. It is in that vein that Kyle Smith, previously the head coach at Columbia, tries his hand.
Thursday night provided a rare high moment for the program. For just the third time in program history, the Cougars beat a team ranked in the top 10 of a poll as they used a big second half to knock off Oregon 72-61.
The Cougars were short-handed on the evening, but C.J. Elleby was all they needed – well, at least from the standpoint of leading the way. One of the Pac-12’s leading scorers and the team’s leading rebounder, he had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and he started a late run that closed the game out with a conventional three-point play. He rebounded nicely from a six-point outing on 2-9 shooting at Stanford in their prior game, and they need him if they are going to be competitive in an improved Pac-12.
The task in front of Smith and his staff is a tall one. The Cougars haven’t been in the NCAA Tournament since making two straight appearances in 2007-08 under Tony Bennett. They have had flashes since then, like when they won the Wooden Legacy two years ago by beating a pretty good field of Saint Joseph’s, Saint Mary’s and San Diego State, but it was all downhill from there as they lost the next three and never won consecutive games the rest of the year. Instead, they have been one of many drags during two of the Pac-12’s worst seasons in a long time.
Smith’s goal is to have a tenure more like that of Bennett and less like that of other predecessors like Ernie Kent, Ken Bone, Paul Graham and Kevin Eastman. Wins like the one on Thursday night help toward that end, as they help give reason for optimism as he puts his stamp on the program and gets it in place for a team with more players he and his staff recruit to the way they want to play. The hope is that such a win, and others like it, show what is possible. Included as well will be reversing the past two years, to go from being one of many drags during bad years to being a reason the conference rises back up.
Side Dishes
Richmond will be without leading scorer Blake Francis for about four to six weeks after he suffered a fractured sternum on Saturday. The junior guard is in his first season for the school after he sat out last season as a transfer from Wagner, and the Spiders have been among the Atlantic 10’s best teams to date. This will certainly test them for the foreseeable future.
Other results of note: Memphis took care of Cincinnati 60-49 behind another double-double from Precious Achiuwa (12 points, 11 rebounds); Northeastern rallied from a 13-point deficit in the second half to get a big 79-76 win at College of Charleston behind 33 points from Jordan Roland and despite a triple-double from Cougar star Grant Riller (20 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists); William & Mary moved to 6-0 in CAA play with a 77-68 win at Delaware behind 25 points and 14 rebounds from Nathan Knight; Arizona ran out to a big lead in the first half and made it stand up in a 93-77 win over Utah; Colorado held down most of Arizona State save for Remy Martin and Romello White in a 68-61 win in Tempe; USC blew out Cal 88-56 to keep pace with other Pac-12 front-runners at 3-1; Washington held off visiting Oregon State 64-56; and Gonzaga annihilated Santa Clara 104-54, scoring more points in the first half (58) than the Broncos scored in the entire game.
Tonight’s Menu
A very light night of action is on tap with just nine Division I games, one involving a non-Division I opponent.
- The Big Ten leads the way with two matchups to watch as Michigan State hosts Wisconsin (7 p.m.) and Iowa hosts Michigan (9 p.m.)
- Fresh off a big win over VCU earlier in the week, Dayton goes on the road for another key matchup at Saint Louis (7 p.m.)
- One game is on tap in the Southern Conference, and it’s a good one as Wofford hosts Furman (7 p.m.)
- Three games are on tap in the MAAC at 7 p.m., with Canisius hosting Siena, Iona hosting Fairfield and Niagara hosting Rider.
- In the Ivy League, Yale hosts Brown (7:30 p.m.)
