GAME THREAD: No. 6 WSU (6-0) at Baylor (5-0)
Posted by Jeff Nusser on November 30, 2007
Ferrell Center (Waco, Texas), 6 p.m. PT
TV: ESPNU
Well, the moment we’ve all been waiting for: The Cougs, on TV (if you have ESPNU or happen to be in a bar that does), against a quality opponent. Baylor has been impressive in its 5-0 start, and this actually looks to be a better tournament resume builder than was initially thought.
The Bears are coached by Scott Drew, son of Homer and brother of Bryce, all of Valpo fame. He’s been there for five years, and Drew and the Bears are looking at this as a kind of a get-over-the-hump year. Lots of juniors who have taken their lumps and are desperate to finally put their mark on this program.
Sound familiar?
The good news for the Cougs is that this is a similar team to themselves. Guard oriented, no dominant big man. The bad news, is that this is a very good 3-point shooting team. (And if you read my post below, you know why that’s a problem.) Led by dynamic guard Curtis Jerrells, the Bears have three players who have shot more than 20 3-pointers who are shooting at a better than 40 percent clip from beyond the arc. Jerrells is at 48.3 percent.
That likely will be the difference in the game — shut down the Bears on the perimeter, win the game, because they don’t take care of the basketball: 155th in the country in turnover percentage. Without 3s to bail them out, that offensive efficiency will drop through the floor.
If you’re looking for a hometown read on the Bears, here’s one from the Waco Tribune-Herald.
Otherwise, leave your thoughts on the game below as we head to tipoff and as the game unfolds. I won’t be able to comment as it goes along, since I’ll have to find a bar.
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WSU HOOPS 
Nuss said
So, yeah, I won’t be watching the game. I called every restaurant in Wenatchee that had TVs and found out nobody has ESPNU. I am so beyond livid right now, I could scream.
Leave it to the Pac-10 to screw up a TV deal that involves its best products.
Pac-10: “So, we’ve got this Pac-10/Big XII Hardwood Series, and we’re wondering, ESPN, if you’d like to broadcast some of our games?”
ESPN: “Does that include the Cougars?”
Pac-10″ “Sure does!”
ESPN: “OK, we’ll televise your top 10 team this upcoming season. But you’ve gotta let us use them to prop up our piece of crap ESPNU, which only has 20 million subscribers. I mean, we could put them on ESPN or ESPN2, which has nearly 100 million subscribers, but that wouldn’t really help us out.”
Pac-10: “That’s great! That’s so much better than our football TV deal!”
I think I’m going to go vomit. Somebody please post updates. Thanks.
Longball said
Listening on the radio – not sure how it looks on TV, but it sounds awful on the radio. 28 – 20 Baylor with 3:30 left in the half. We are having a terrible time just taking care of the ball. Very sloppy and unfocused on offense, and giving up way too many offensive rebounds to the Bears. The bad news is, Baylor is not hitting their 3 pointers. yet. so this could get embarassing real quick if someone doesnt step up. Weaver has barely played since getting 2 fouls early. So, anyway, ALL BAYLOR early.
Longball said
Wow, we are getting killed. Lots to learn from this one going into a hostile environment at Gonzaga soon. Sounds to me like this team was just completely unprepared to play a moivated quality apponent on the road. Since that is going to be a weekly occurence in Pac-10 play might as well take our learning experience beating now (like Utah last year) rather than in conference play. We’ll see if this teams experience is worth anything in the 2nd half, but I’m not feelin it tonight.
Duane said
I’m watching it…
Weaver got the two quick fouls and he was out for the last 12+ minutes of the first half. Baynes was absolutely dominating in the post until he picked up his second foul and then Lowe picked up his second and was sent to the bench as well. That left Rochestie on the floor, who was completely careless dribbling the ball past midcourt and had the ball stolen from him for an easy score.
Caleb Forrest has made two really great passes and one jumper from inside the arc, but his last shot came right after an inbound and I didn’t like it. Didn’t wait to create anything and jumped the gun a bit.
But from what I’ve seen we’ve come out flat for the most part. We’ve kept the ball at the perimeter for the most part and the majority of our success has been going to Baynes and Cowgill down law. We need to get back to that. Why Cowgill took a three-pointer is beyond me, I might add.
Low has not looked good whatsoever and Weaver hasn’t been in the game to look good or bad, although he had a nice swat of a ball that ended up being an airball for a Baylor player. The Baylor freshman (Mann, or something like that?) was lights out for them to start their scoring and it’s been all Jacobs for about the last five minutes. The three the Bears hit to end the half was NBA range with a man in his face.
And we’re not getting fouls on any of their guys. Only 6 team fouls for Baylor in the first half. And we’ve been to the line how many times? Zero. We’re gonna need another one of those big second halves. Let’s go Cougs!
Duane said
By the way, that sucks ya’ll can’t find it on TV. It’s on 609 on DirecTV, so even on the east coast I’m able to see it. Those in Seattle could catch it on Village Pub in Magnolia I’m sure, but no bar has DirecTV? That’s just hard to believe considering they’ve got the NFL Ticket package…
Nuss said
Sounds terrible. Looks terrible on the internet. If you read my post from earlier today, check this out: Baylor’s offensive efficiency in the first half is 124.9. That’s flat out insane.
Duane said
Terrible passing by Low. He’s had one go off the side of the backboard in the first half… and now one he threw across half court that Rochestie couldn’t handle.
Baynes picking up the third foul within the first minute was huge. Back to the bench he goes.
13 turnovers by the Cougs thus far. They deserve to lose this game right now. It’s a different team having Weaver on the floor. But Low isn’t doing anything for the offense and Harmeling continues to turn the ball over. A couple big buckets and we’re back in this one, but we’ve got to eliminate the turnovers…
Longball said
Horrible game by our perimeter guys. Low, Weaver, Rochestie and Harmeling are just not contributing anything at all.
Longball said
Little run going, 6 points down now with 12 minutes left, so anything can happen.
Sedihawk said
PHEW! A win is a win. You had me worried NUSS.
Longball said
Wow, big time second half gut check on the road.
Nuss said
That was unbelievable. It was kind of like watching the comeback against Boise State, as I watched the Cougs inch their way back in this one via the web browser on my phone. The 14 turnovers were very uncharacteristic for this team — they simply have been one of the best in the country at that.
I’ll take the win, especially when you play about as terrible as possible for a half in a hostile environment and still figure out a way to come back and win. However, they have got to figure out a way to straighten out these slow starts.
Ptowncoug said
Well Longball I wander over to this website and find your pessism has carried over to Coug hoops. One of these days you will be a half-full type of guy and not a half-empty. I bet you wake up every sunday morning expecting your fantasy football team to be beat into submission.
But as long as this dog tied to a tree attitude (see AC prediction) results in Coug wins, I don’t want you changing anything, especially your lucky socks.
By the way, I wanted to point out that the Coug FB was 5-0 in games I personally attended. I missed both ASU and OSU (thank god I didn’t have to sit through that entire game in the cold because I wouldn’t have left until the final gun) as traveling was wearing on me with the boys.
ATB: Wazzup Baylor? « Rush the Court said
[…] 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series. Two games tonight, and the Big 12 finally got one. #7 Washington St. 67, Baylor 64. We had a sneaky feeling that this would end up being a tremendous game, and we were spot on with […]
Sedihawk said
Brinkhater watched the whole thing from the comfort of his living room and just raved at how they held together. Championship teams always seem to find ways to win games like this, where they look like they are in big trouble, then boom! They break your heart. I mean how many times in our past have we had the likes of UCLA, Arizona, etc, on the ropes, only to see them escape? He also said Cowgill interviewed after the game, was just so jacked that he actually got choked up watching him. He said it was an amazing, proud-to-be-a-Coug moment.
Nuss said
(trying not to let bitterness about ESPNU rise any more than it has …)