Podcast Vs. Everyone - For Washington State Cougars fans

NCAA tournament preview! (Episode 192)

Good morning. Go Cougs!As you read this, the Cougs are in Philadelphia, preparing to open up the 2023 NCAA Tournament on Saturday against Florida Gulf Coast. That deserves a deep-dive preview on the matchup.WSU, seeded 5th, would seemingly be a prohibitive favorite against the No. 12 seed Eagles. But FGCU is actually quite terrifying as an opponent — the Eagles have won 30 games and pretty much destroyed everything in their path for a couple of months. Now, that’s against the Atlantic Sun Conference, not the Pac-12. But it’s impressive enough that DraftKings has set the line as a pick ‘em. No other 5 seed is less than a 4.5-point favorite.What makes the Eagles so dangerous? Like a lot of mid-/low-majors, they’re undersized. But they shoot a lot of 3s — and shoot them very well! They also generate a ton of turnovers on defense. These are high-variance strategies that can lead to unexpected outcomes against a supposedly superior opponent.There are weaknesses, though. In fact, the two quality opponents the Eagles played this season — Stanford (1 seed in the tournament) and Duke (3 seed) — shut them down and beat them by 24 and 23 points, respectively. The Cougs might not be as good as those two, but they’re a heck of a lot more like those two than they are like the also-rans in the ASun that FGCU routinely beat up. Chasing the Eagles off the 3-point line, offensive rebounding, and securing the ball on offense seem to be the big keys for us. We also took a look at WSU’s probable second round opponent, Villanova. Dive deeper into it with us on this episode!Then, we turn our attention to the NIT, where the men’s season came to an end with a loss to Eastern Washington. We break down what we saw happen and where the Cougs go from here as they embark on their offseason.And finally, we wrap up by talking about the baseball team, which is off to an incredible start after winning its first Pac-12 series of the season at No. 15 Oregon State. Poll voters are impressed, too, putting WSU in the top 25 for the first time in over a decade.Podcast music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.You can also subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast services:* iTunes * Google Play * Spotify * Stitcher  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podcastvseveryone.substack.com

PAC-12 CHAMPS!! (Episode 191)

The WSU women's basketball team has done what once was thought to be impossible: Win a Pac-12 championship with a 65-61 win over UCLA in Las Vegas. Let's celebrate. Then, let's turn our attention to the men, who beat UW handily and are heading into their own conference tournament riding a six-game win streak.Podcast music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.You can also subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast services:* iTunes * Google Play * Spotify * Stitcher  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podcastvseveryone.substack.com

The Cougs are surging toward the postseason (Episode 190)

Wins against Stanford and Cal have given the WSU men five wins "on the trot," as we say in soccer -- and it's propelled the Cougs into sixth place, with an eye on potentially securing the No. 5 seed in the Pac-12 tournament -- and maybe another appearance in the NIT. But they'll need a victory over Washington in the season finale first. And we make some time to appreciate Mouhamed Gueye.Then we celebrate the women accomplishing yet another first this season -- beating UCLA at Pauley Pavilion. We also save some time for complaining about the officiating in the loss to USC, though. Plus, just a little baseball talk.Music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.Subscribe to us on ...iTunes Google Play Spotify Stitcher  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podcastvseveryone.substack.com

How does WSU get more out of Justin Powell? (Episode 189)

Don't forget: SB Nation is cutting off support for the podcast. To continue to get our work, the best thing is to subscribe to our newsletter at podcastvseveryone.substack.com. You'll get the podcast and ALSO get some writing from us!The Cougs welcomed the Washington Huskies (and former teammate Noah Williams!) to Pullman over the weekend, and they emerged with yet another victory over their rivals -- their fifth in the last seven meetings. The offense was ugly, but was it bad? Jeff talks it over with CougCenter's Bryce Hendricks since Craig is still in Costa Rica.Plus, we have thoughts on Noah's return before turning our attention to this weekend, as Oregon State and Oregon come to town. And finally, should we be concerned about the trajectory of the women's team? They're also playing the Oregons this weekend, and it has potentially big implications for their postseason fate.Music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.Subscribe to us on ...iTunes Google Play Spotify Stitcher  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podcastvseveryone.substack.com

Noah makes his not-so-triumphant return (Episode 188)

When Noah Williams announced last April that he was transferring away from Washington State after three years in Pullman, it wasn’t exactly a shock.When Williams announced less than a week later that he was heading back to his hometown to play for the Washington Huskies, it was ... a bit more surprising.Now, Williams returns to town for the first time since making the move as the Huskies clash with the Cougs on Saturday in Pullman.The move to Seattle definitely hasn’t gone as Williams envisioned. An injury in his first game that caused him to miss nearly two months. Inconsistent play since returning. Getting benched last weekend at UCLA for a “coach’s decision.” Scoring two points and committing four fouls in 18 minutes on Sunday in a six-point loss to USC.But if there’s one thing we know about Williams, it’s that he lives for moments like this: Taking the court against a team that he’ll be desperate to prove wrong. He did it for years against the team he now plays for, famously shouting “THIS IS MY CITY” when the Cougs beat the Huskies in Seattle in his freshman season. The environment is sure to be hostile at Beasley Coliseum. Chants of WA-ZZU RE-JECT are likely to reign down from the student section.For his part, WSU coach Kyle Smith is being diplomatic about it — speaking on his coach’s show this week, Smith credited Williams for his accountability during his departure, but you also don’t have to read too far between the lines to conclude that Williams had been a destructive force in the locker room and might have been asked to leave, anyway.Oh, and by the way: Both teams really need a victory, having lost nine of their last 11 games combined.It sets up a fascinating dynamic. How are you feeling about Williams’ return? How should he be received? What should we expect? We’ve got thoughts.Music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.Subscribe to us on ...* iTunes * Google Play * Spotify * Stitcher  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podcastvseveryone.substack.com

Suck on that, Bobby Hurley! - Podcast Vs. Everyone 187

It was a killer weekend for WSU basketball, where the Cougs won three of four against the Arizona schools, capped by the women knocking off the ranked Wildcats in Tucson. It was the first time the Cougar women have won two games against ranked opponents on the road -- just another feather in Kamie Ethridge's cap.Music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.Subscribe to us on ...iTunes Google Play Spotify Stitcher Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podcastvseveryone.substack.com

The mountains win *again* - Podcast Vs. Everyone (186)

We were hoping for a split on the road for men's basketball, but the mountain trip proved perilous -- as usual -- and the Cougs returned to Pullman without a victory. What does it mean for the rest of the season? Then, we talk women's hoops' equally rough weekend. How will the NCAA committee weight the absence of Charlisse Leger-Walker?Music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.Subscribe to us on ...iTunes Google Play Spotify Stitcher Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podcastvseveryone.substack.com

One for the haters! - Podcast Vs. Everyone (185)

The Cougars pulled off a stunning win over No. 5 Arizona on Saturday, but perhaps we shouldn't have been super surprised: WSU clearly had been turning a corner, and the win over the Wildcats was the capper. This team is fun, folks! Then, we talk women's hoops and football's new coordinators.Music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.Subscribe to us on ...iTunes Google Play Spotify Stitcher Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podcastvseveryone.substack.com

Remembering Mike Leach - Podcast Vs. Everyone (184)

Former WSU coach Mike Leach, who did so much for the program over his eight seasons in charge, died on Tuesday at age 61. It's a sad day, so we mourn a little, but mostly we remembered the good times that he gave us -- and there were A LOT of good times. Then, we preview the LA Bowl against Fresno State before talking men's and women's hoops.Music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.Subscribe to us on ...iTunes Google Play Spotify Stitcher Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podcastvseveryone.substack.com

TRANSFER PORTAL MADNESS!! - Podcast Vs. Everyone (183)

The end of the football season now means a flood of players entering the transfer portal to see what else might be out there for them, and just like everyone else, WSU is saying goodbye to a number of guys. How will it affect the Cougs? And how can WSU compete for players in this new era? We also talk men's and women's hoops, and volleyball.Music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.Subscribe to us on ...iTunes Google Play Spotify Stitcher Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podcastvseveryone.substack.com