Washington State has been the most consistent team in the Pac-10 Conference this season, and perhaps in the country, yet the Cougars still haven’t received the respect they deserve. Coach Tony Bennett’s scrappy crew, picked to finish at the bottom of the standing by the ‘experts’, is ranked 10th in the country. It’s hard to believe that there are nine teams better than the Cougars.
Washington State will try to open the eyes of the pollsters and avenge one of its three conference losses this season on Thursday when it travels Eugene to face a very shaky Oregon outfit. The Cougars may need a series sweep in the Great Northwest this weekend if it expects to catch UCLA in the Pac-10 standings.
The Ducks are 13-2 at McArthur Court and this would be an opportune time for them to flex their muscles. The same muscles that helped them win 18 of their first 19 games.
Oregon enters the final two weeks of the regular season drifting towards Bubble Land. The Ducks are reeling from consecutive losses that have left them at 8-7 in conference play after starting 6-1. But a win over the high-flying Cougars would change all that [...]