Victory! Victory! That’s Our Cry!

"My name is Mike Ladd and last night, I was on fi-ah!!"

Here's a fun fact about blogging: It's hard to work on a game recap when you are under the weather and a little sleep deprived and you fall asleep during a portion of the game you intend to recap. My need to nap does not say much for me as a functioning member of society. The fact that I actually good nap during a sporting event does not say much for the states of the Washington State and Utah basketball programs. That said, an opportunity to write about a win should be cherished so here's some quick thoughts on the game (at least what I could gather while I was awake):

I enjoy the Mike Ladd experience. He was on fire last night and even better, he knew it. It's always a fun thing to watch when a basketball player starts raining three's and he knows they're going in as soon as the ball leaves his hand. This was Ladd last night. Also, his baby girl got lots of air time. From all of us at the WSU Football Blog, congratulations! For a dude who probably isn't sleeping much these days, you're doing pretty well.

The Cougs won on a night that Brock Motum struggled mightily. Granted, Utah doesn't look like they'll threaten anybody in the Pac-12, but for a team that looked like it would have no chance without Brock leading the way, it was nice to see the supporting cast step up. 

Larry Krystokvowewokdaiifkdak clearly didn't go to the Lorenzo Romar school of inspirational technical fouls. When the Utes were putting a serious dent in a Cougar 16 point lead, The Other Coach K picked up a technical that led to a 5 point possession for Wazzu. Utah never seriously threatened after that.

Royce Woolridge had what I thought was his best game in a Cougar uniform. He was able to cause problems all night off the dribble. We've seen some glimpses of his talent lately and there are signs of encouragement if he can find some consistency. His jumper is what it is with a funky looking stroke, but if he can use his athletecism to get in the paint and make plays, it'll add another dimension.

I'm happy the Pac-12 Network exists so that we can watch the games, but hoo boy the commentary is a mess. When your expert analyst says that Will DiIorio is brought on for ball handling purposes, you're doing it wrong.

Plenty of good seats available at Beasley last night, or as I put it on Twitter last night (hit me up @Huddlestron), a lot of Manti Te'o's girlfriends were in attendance. They don't exist, so the seat's still empty. Get it? Topical! Anyhow, I'm not sure if you knew this, but Bill Moos does not like it when the fan base is showing signs of apathy. With the team now standing at a ho-hum 10-7 record and buts only in seats for "big games", the basketball program is need of a serious jolt. I'm not saying, I'm just sayin'.

It's always good to get a win and it's even better to win comfortably in conference. Last night, the home team managed both so credit to all. Go Cougs.