It’s been a long time coming.
Good morning, Coug fans!
As you may or may not know, today is the start of a very culturally significant weekend—a weekend that your Washington State Men’s Basketball team has not been a part of for some time (16 years).
A weekend that kicks off a month of unity, stress, gambling, and so much more.
Selection Sunday. March Madness. These are phrases many of us are familiar with. “March Madness” was first coined by a high school referee named Henry V. Porter in Illinois in 1939. Porter’s iconic term of endearment for the NCAA Tournament wouldn’t become widely popularized until Brent Musbuger (a CBS broadcaster and former Chicago sports beat writer) referenced it in 1982, turning it into a household name. It’s been linked to the tourney ever since.
In the beginning, only eight teams were chosen to compete in the prestigious tournament. The University of Oregon was the first champion in 1939 (which I have conflicting feelings about), beating Ohio State (which I also have conflicting feelings about) 46-33. The number of teams would grow to 16 in 1951, 32 in 1975, and finally landed at the 64 we’ve been accustomed to in 1985. Like a Virgin was on the air, everyone seemed two inches taller due to the sheer volume of hair, and my father was about to turn 30. Times were simple!
Everyone would gather on Selection Sunday and wait with bated breath to hear their name called. Or their team’s name, if you’re a normal person like me.
But what is “Selection Sunday”? When did that begin?
Well, in 1981, CBS aired its first “Selection Show”—which started as a 30-minute program and eventually morphed into a two-hour event designed to not only showcase the bracket and announce who is in or out but also provide analysis and highlights of the teams who get an opportunity to take their talents to the big stage.
This year, we’ll hear our name for the first time in a long time.
What is Washington State’s relationship to the iconic March Madness Tournament?
Let’s take it all the way back to 1941.
Your Washington State Cougars, led by the late great WSU alum Jack Friel, were having one of their most iconic seasons in history. Friel had been at the ship’s helm for 13 years at that point, not halfway through his eventual 30-season tenure. Similar to this season’s Cougs, the ‘40/41 squad was picked to land somewhere near the bottom of the Pacific Coast Conference, which was a narrative they were eager to change. They went on to be top of the conference and plowed all the way to the finals, where they fell to Wisconsin 39-34. While this generation of Cougs can’t relate to losing to Wisconsin (if you know, you know), it feels good to have gotten justice for the ‘41 Cougs, just in a different sport.
WSU has appeared in the famed tournament in 1941 (seeds weren’t a thing yet), 1980 (5th seed), 1983 (8th seed), 1994 (8th seed), 2007 (3rd seed), and 2008 (4th seed).
In case you’re a history buff, here are pictures of all the brackets that involve WSU! All pictures are found in this article, including every NCAA bracket from 1939!
2008
WSU was eliminated in the Sweet Sixteen this year against top-seeded North Carolina. North Carolina would go on to get eliminated in the semi-finals, falling to the eventual champion, Kansas.
This was the BKT (before Klay Thompson) era. Aron Baynes was a junior, and the economy was crashing.
When Craig Powers reads this, he will text me and say that there was so much more to this season, but Craig, I only have so much time. I’m sorry! Please reach out to Craig with any further questions about 2008. It was a wonderful time in his life, and I was ten and didn’t care about anything except my peace-sign headband and Greek Mythology.
2007
WSU fell in the tournament’s second round to 6th-seeded Vanderbilt, after beating 14th-seeded Oral Roberts. Vanderbilt lost the following round to Georgetown, who went all the way to the semi-finals, only to lose to Ohio State, who would go on and lose the whole thing!
Only four players from this era have Wikipedia links (Baynes, Nikola Koprivica, Taylor Rochestie and Kyle Weaver). The final game for WSU in this tournament actually ended in double overtime, which is very cool! Another fun fact about this season? They completely swept the University of Washington! Yay, ‘06/’07 squad!
1994
Washington State lost to Boston College in ‘94, and the Eagles actually made it all the way to the Elite Eight! So that makes me feel better! Boston College was a 9th seed.
During this era, WSU had snapped its eleven-year March Madness drought under Kelvin Sampson! There was no conference tournament; it had stopped in 1990 and wouldn’t resume until 2002 due to “academic concerns.” This was the end for Samson, who packed the extra L in his name after taking an unfortunate L in the tournament and jumped ship to Oklahoma. Kevin Eastman (no L in his name, a few unfortunate Ls in his career) took over until 1999.
1983
The Cougs took on Weber State (9th seed) to kick off their tournament run, and won 62-52. They went on to face 1st seed #4 Virginia (seems unfair but ok), and lost 54-49. Virginia lost in the Elite Eight!
This team was coached by the Pac-10 Coach of the Year and runner-up AP Coach of the Year, George Raveling! Unfortunately, he left after this season and went to Iowa. A name on this roster that you might have heard is Craig Ehlo, who we remember for being a WSU legend and definitely not for falling down after Michael Jordan scored a game-winning goal.
1980
12th-seeded Penn knocked the Cougs out, but they would go on to lose to Duke, so it’s alright. At this time, WSU snapped a 39-year drought from the NCAA Tournament. The information for this season of Men’s Basketball is… a little sparse, but I will do my best! We do know that the Cougs went 22–5 overall in the regular season, 14–4 in conference play, and third in the standings.
1941
And that brings us back to the beginning!
I think it’s really cool to see the brackets throughout the years. Looking at all the special logos in the corner and how the one from 1941 is just so plain- because, of course, it is! It’s from 1941! No one is going to create a logo for a chart from a time when charts and logos weren’t even a thing! And how cool is it that we were part of that? It’s us, inked, in the history of an event that notoriously and tolerably distracts the entire country in a positive way. I work in a high school, and I’m already preparing to scold students with games on their phones, even though I myself will be hiding a broadcast (if you’re my boss reading this, that isn’t true, and I work VERY hard).
And this year, a new bracket and logo will be added with our name on it. A new year on our banner.
I don’t know how we’ll do in the tournament and I can’t bring myself to stress about it. I’m too excited simply to be in the conversation. I’m sure I’ll feel differently when it’s game time, but for now, the fact that we’re part of something bigger again makes me too happy to question anything. For a few days, we get to live in that.
What do we know about the 2024 Selection Sunday, March 17th?
It’s airing on CBS at 3:00 PST, and the Cougs hope to get lucky.
Back on February 7th, my friend Jeff Nusser (you might have heard of him) dropped his Bracketology: How WSU can feel safe on Selection Sunday. But, by the time you’re reading this, a lot has gone down between February 7th and March 15th. Hell, I’m starting to write this on March 1st (I will not be accused of being unprepared) and I’m sure more things will change! But I can’t apologize for having March on the brain.
For now, live in the moment with me. Let’s see where we land and get ready to cheer on the Cougs!