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For those who didn't notice the dateline, I'm in Charlotte.
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Which is in the South.
And the host city for the East Region.
Joining me here is Louisville, a power from the South. And North Carolina, a power from the South. And Tennessee, a power from the South. I mean, everybody here is from the South, including myself (raised in Mississippi). And then there's Washington State, a non-power from the West. Or the North. But certainly not the South. So the Cougars' first trip to the Sweet 16 has them in an unfamiliar part of the country (2,656 miles from home) surrounded by unfamiliar schools from unfamiliar leagues while talking to unfamiliar reporters, almost all of whom want to ask about that unfamiliar style of play.
You know, the style Roy Williams doesn't like too much.
"I'm a fan of basketball going up and down the court," the North Carolina coach said Wednesday before later adding that "the number of people who enjoy seeing 19-18 (scores at the half) is not as many as the number of people that like to see 61-60. If you were to take a poll you would pick 61-60."
No argument here.
But Washington State doesn't mind 19-18 at the half, so long as it is the one with 19. And if you want to call it boring, that's fine. But don't expect the Cougars to apologize, even though they're the outsiders in this region and surrounded by three schools that love to push the ball and score in transition.
"People say it's boring, but we shouldn't have to apologize for getting back on defense," said Washington State's Derrick Low. "That's what we have to do to win. And we shouldn't have to apologize for taking good shots even if it takes the whole shot clock to get a good shot. That's how we play whether you like it or not. And it's working."
Yes, it is indeed working.
At a place where little has ever worked before.
At a place where basketball isn't supposed to work.
At a place far away from this East Region, where these boring Cougars have emerged ... with no apologies.
