Setting: 2:00 EST – The Pete Maravich Assembly Center is the location for a match-up between Washington State and Louisiana State University – two schools from major conferences that might struggle getting multiple at-large bids in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Currently the PAC-10 has two teams in the AP’s top 25 (#13 UCLA and #20 Arizona State) while one SEC team shows up in the rankings (#16 Tennessee).
Plot: The Cougars enter today’s action with a record of 6-3; the Tigers come in 9 and 1.
Sub-plots: All three of the Cougars losses have come to ranked teams – Pitt, Gonzaga, and Baylor. Tony Bennett’s crew is the only team to hold the Panthers under 60 in a 57-43 loss. Washington St. has already beaten Mississippi State of the SEC by a 63-52 margin.
L.S.U. has feasted on the likes of Alcorn St., Jackson St., and Northwestern St. Their lone loss is to Texas A&M – 72-61.
L.S.U. is number one in the land with a rebound margin of 13.3. The Tigers are also 6th in the nation in scoring margin at 20.7 per game. The Cougars are number one in the country in field goal percentage defense at 33.5%. Washington St. is also holding teams to 48 points per game – best in the nation.
L.S.U. is number four in the country with 7.4 blocks per game.
Characters to watch: Taylor Rochestie leads the Cougars in minutes per game (32.9), but the senior guard only averages 9.8 points. Everything goes through Rochestie who hands out assists at a rate of 5 per game while only turning the ball over 2.5 per contest. Bennett’s defense starts with Rochestie who keeps the dribble in front of him. Aron Baynes and Klay Thompson combine for 22 points and 11 rebounds per game.
Chris Johnson has amassed 25 blocks so far this season. The senior center grabs rebounds at a rate f 6.8 per contest. Marcus Thornton leads the Tigers with 17 points per game.
Theme: Conference bragging rights and survival. Match-ups like this should go a long way the NCAA selection committee sits down in March in decides which conferences deserve the most representation.
1st Team All-Casey
PG Stephen Curry – Davidson
SG Kyle McAlarney –ND
SF Dionte Christmas – Temple
PF Blake Griffin – Oklahoma
C Arinze Onuaku – SU
Wally says
What?! Nobody from the ACC made All-Casey yet????
Appreciate the appointment of K-Mac 🙂
Casey says
I know. I know – it is hard to believe. Give it time…it is bound to change.