Commentary: Washington State survives against Drake, one win from the Sweet 16
Instant takeaways from Washington State’s 66-61 win over the Drake Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night.
• WSU’s dream season lived to enjoy another day – and become more lucrative in the process.
As they have done so often during a season that long ago blasted past expectations, the No. 7 Cougars made a slew of big plays down the stretch to overcome an eight-point deficit with 6 minutes remaining.
The victory is worth $2 million to the Cougars and Oregon State through the NCAA’s revenue distribution plan, which awards a unit for every game played by each conference.
(The units carry a $2 million value over a six-year distribution period and will be shared by the two remaining members of the conference.)
• Washington State played stellar defense on Drake’s top scorer, Tucker DeVries, who scored just 14 points on 6-of-18 shooting from the field. The Bulldogs added to their woes by making only 6 of 14 free throws.
Isaac Jones led the Cougars with 20 points, but Jaylen Wells and Andrej Jakimovski made several critical baskets.
The biggest shot of all, however, came courtesy of freshman guard Isaiah Watts, whose 3-pointer from the right wing with 1:53 left gave WSU its first lead since early in the second half.
• The opening minutes were a test of poise for the Cougars, who were participating in the NCAAs for the first time since 2008, and they passed easily. Myles Rice opened the scoring with a 3-pointer and WSU took an early 15-9 advantage.
The Bulldogs reeled off 12 consecutive points, but the Cougars stopped the run and the teams quickly settled into an exchange of baskets – and a crisp, entertaining first half.
WSU didn’t fare as well at the start of the second half, struggling to contain Drake big man Darnell Brodie – he’s a locomotive in sneakers – as the Bulldogs became the aggressor.
If not for Wells, the Cougars would have trailed by more than six points at the midpoint of the second half.
The margin grew to eight before WSU found its footing. Wells’ free throws and a 3-pointer by Jakimovski cut the deficit to three with 6 minutes left.
From there, Watts’ big shot and WSU’s airtight defense fueled the final charge to victory.
• Next up for Washington State is Iowa State, the No. 2 seed in the East and champion of the Big 12.
The Cyclones will have a home-court advantage in Omaha, Nebraska, but WSU’s success on the road this season – the Cougars won at Arizona and Oregon – should provide a source of confidence.
Iowa State’s defense is No. 2 nationally in efficiency. WSU must execute better on Saturday than it did Thursday night, or the miracle season will end.