Pepsi Center NCAA Tournament director Craig Thompson, a.k.a. the commissioner of the host Mountain West Conference, watched the building fill up early Thursday morning.
“This is not a throwaway site,” Thompson said of the MWC abandoning Denver in favor of returning the MWC Tournament back to Las Vegas. “I do not know why we wouldn’t consider it again.”
The league played the tournament in Denver from 2004-06 to take advantage of a neutral site after coaches complained UNLV had too much of an advantage on its home court. There was tepid fan response, especially the first year, when the NCAA Tournament followed into town.
Now, after UNLV won both years since returning to Las Vegas, there’s more inevitable complaining, despite increased attendance.
Thompson expects the league presidents will revisit the issue before the Las Vegas contract runs out after 2010.
CSU presence.
When does a school that didn’t win a men’s or women’s regular-season conference game get its name on the floor of an NCAA Tournament site?
When Colorado State joins the Mountain West Conference in a co-host role at the Pepsi Center.
CSU bought a luxury suite, which athletic director Paul Kowalczyk used to host potential donors.
Sports information staffs from CSU, Air Force and Wyoming joined the massive media staff contingent.
Seeing is believing.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo couldn’t believe his eyes when the final box score revealed that his starting guards, Kalin Lucas and Drew Neitzel, were a combined 4-for-18 in the 72-61 victory over Temple.
“I thought we’d be in trouble,” Izzo said of that statistic.
Neitzel was 2-for-11, missing his first five shots, and Lucas was 2-for-7. Neitzel’s total of five points was his third-lowest output of the season.
Double-double.
Temple’s Lavoy Allen, a freshman, was 5-for-8 from the floor, including two 3-pointers, and cashed in his only free throw for 13 points. He also had a career-high 11 rebounds.
Tale of two halves.
Washington State’s 6-foot-10 senior forward Robbie Cowgill was asked about his defense against Winthrop’s 6-7 Taj McCullough, limiting him to two points for the final 20 minutes after McCullough had come out of halftime with 15 points.
“Yeah, whoever guarded him in the first half didn’t do a very good job,” Cowgill deadpanned.
Everybody knew what was coming next.
“I had him in both halves,” Cowgill admitted with a grin. “I was pretty disappointed in myself the way he really just kind of abused me a bit in that first half.
“Coach (Tony Bennett) challenged me at halftime. I tried to get up on him a little bit more.”
Aussie enforcer.
Winthrop had no answer for Aron Baynes, Washington State’s 6-10, 270-pound junior center from Cairns, Australia. Baynes scored 19 points and went 9-for-9 from the field, three coming on backboard-shaking dunks.
“When Aron has a full head of steam coming in for a dunk, I don’t think anybody is going to get in his way,” said Cougars point guard Taylor Rochestie, who handed out 10 assists.
Tom Kensler, Natalie Meisler and Irv Moss, The Denver Post
