Podcast Vs. Everyone Jeff Nusser and Craig Powers

The annual Crimson and Gray game is on Saturday, and that’s when we’ll get our first real look at the Cougars’ rebuilt roster — and the first real chance to talk about something substantive other than the off-court upheaval of men’s basketball. The quarterback competition will take center stage.

The more we dig into new WSU men’s basketball coach David Riley — and the more we hear from him — the more impressed we are with him, and the more excited we are about what he might be able to do in Pullman. This episode was a fun one for us, as it’s one the rare occasions we were able to record at the same location — this time, at Beer Star in Tacoma after watching the NCAA championship. Let’s get excited about the future of Cougar basketball.

The last time we recorded a show, the Cougs had just been selected as a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament. Since then, WSU beat Drake in the first round; WSU lost to Iowa State in the second round; Kyle Smith left for Stanford; Pat Chun left for UW. What. The. Hell. We try to make sense of it all, which — to be honest — took us on quite the journey.

Before we get rolling with today’s newsletter and celebrate WSU’s inclusion in March Madness, we want to tell you real quick about one of our favorite newsletters: Extra Points by Matt Brown. Extra Points offers both free and premium options — for a limited time, Podcast Vs. Everyone subscribers can get 15% off the regular subscription price. Click on the link and select “Cougar Gold” to secure your discounted subscription.

FOLKS: WE ARE DANCING. FINALLY. OFFICIALLY. DANCING!!
Like you, we can hardly contain our excitement — and that meant grabbing our microphones and recording a Selection Sunday show to celebrate the Cougs’ inclusion as a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
It’s a long show, but that’s how it goes when your team hasn’t participated in March Madness in 16 years. WSU’s opponent is the No. 10 seed Drake Bulldogs out of the Missouri Valley Conference.
The Bulldogs are and interesting and intriguing mid-major matchup. We agree that we’re glad the Cougs are playing a mid-major and not a high major, but WSU cannot take them lightly — the Bulldogs might not have elite athletes, but they most certainly have weapons that can hurt the Cougs if they’re not on their game.
Topics of discussion

Men’s basketball: Top of mind for the Cougs will be how to defend Tucker DeVries, who is an exceptional scorer. Top of mind for Drake will be keeping the Cougs off the offensive glass. Can WSU rein in their turnovers? And we take a very brief look at what Iowa State might hold in the next round if WSU can get past Drake.


Women’s basketball: The Cougs were left out of the field. Pain. But they’re playing in the WBIT which is cool, we guess?.


Beer: Jeff — A Seed To Blackened Acres (Holy Mountain); Craig — Beyond Spacetime, Beyond Self (Holy Mountain).

Notes
Podcast music by Randy England. You can find more of his work on Instagram.
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For the first time since 2008, Washington State was not playing on the first day of the Pac-12 Tournament. The Cougs are seeded 2nd, and we now know their opponent: No. 10 Stanford, who came back from an 18-point second half deficit to beat No. 7 California in overtime — and whom the Cougs have already beaten twice this year by a combined 27 points. What might a third matchup have in store?

It wasn’t easy, but it was still a sweep, as the WSU men’s basketball team returned home to face USC and UCLA last weekend. The Cougars trailed by double digits in both games but showed the resiliency that has served them so well in soaring to a 23-7 overall record and 14-5 in the Pac-12. And now, Washington awaits.