Cougs move up in rankings

The new polls came out today, and the Cougs moved up to No. 9 in each. In both cases, Michigan State dropped out of the top 10 … after having not played a single game.

Find the complete AP poll here (or on the right-hand side of the page), the coaches poll here.

Incidentally, in any reference you see on the blog, I’ll refer to the AP ranking. Writers know more about what’s going on around the country and have a lot more time to watch hoops than A) some assistant coach who spends countless hours breaking down game film, recruiting and running errands, or B) the sports information director unlucky enough to cast the votes for the coach. Coaches polls always have been, and always will be, totally bogus.

Looking ahead to Gonzaga?

If you’re already thinking about the Cougs’ one big non-conference game on Dec. 5, you’ll be interested in this piece of news: The Zags lost Josh Heytvelt for 4-6 weeks after it was announced he will need surgery to repair his foot.

Although true freshman Austin Daye filled in admirably with 20 points and 10 rebounds, that team was nowhere near as good last year without Heytvelt after his run in with law enforcement.