Whitworth faces Puget Sound (again!) in second round of NCAA Tournament

Oh brother here we go again.

After beating the Claremont Scripps 81-63 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament for Div. III basketball, the Whitworth Pirates were reward with a matchup against the very team they beat to get into the tournament: Puget Sound. According to Whitworth SID Steve Flegel - they're familair with the team.

Last Saturday Whitworth knocked off then 3rd-ranked Puget Sound 90-80 in overtime in the championship game of the NWC tournament. Ross Nakamura scored a game-high 24 points, while Nate Montgomery posted 18 points and 18 rebounds, playing most of the second half and overtime with four fouls. David Riley (So., G, Palo Alto, Calif.) scored 18 points and hit three late three point shots that turned the tide back in Whitworth's favor. The win ended the Loggers' 19-game winning streak and it was the first loss of the season for UPS against a Division III opponent.

And even though Whitworth beat them in the NWC Tournament, for some odd reason Puget Sound will be hosting the game on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Fieldhouse. Phooey. Nobody ever said the NCAA was perfect.

So if you can make the trek, head on over and support the Bucs!

Gameday is here for Whitworth

Tonight is the night for the Whitworth Pirates. They're hosting a first round NCAA Tournament game against the Claremont Mudd Scripps in Spokane. And their riding the good feelings of beating No. 3 Puget Sound in overtime last Saturday. 

And since there's no college basketball going on tonight in the area - YOU SHOULD GO TO THE GAME! Seriously. Div. III postseason college basketball. What else are you going to do? Take notes during American Idol.

For more information on the game, which is super cheap to get into, head on over to Whitworth's Athletic site. 

And, this is a treat, here is the Div. III basketball tournament bracket. My inner sports nerd just crapped itself.

Whitworth is going dancing!

Better get your slippers ready because the Whitworth Pirates are going to the Big Dance! Here's the headline from SID Steve Flegel:

When it finally mattered most, Whitworth came through, as the visiting Pirates upset 3rd-ranked Puget Sound 90-80 in overtime on Saturday night in Memorial Fieldhouse to win the Northwest Conference men’s basketball tournament and pick up the NWC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.

A hot upset to get into the tournament? That usually leads to even more success and the Pirates are no strangers to the NCAAs as they've been their four times already. Looks like Spokane will be a busy city during March Madness time.

Whitworth in Championship Game

Couldn't wait until Wednesday to update everyone on this one. The Whitworth Pirates will be playing for the NWC Championship tomorrow and an automatic berth in the NCAA Div. III Tournament.

The Pirates finished the regular season in second place of the conference with a record of 21-5, and the first place team just so happens to be the same squad they're playing in the championship game, Puget Sound, who has a sparkling 24-2 record. Game time is Saturday in Puget Sound's house, at 7 p.m.

You can find all the info of the game here.

Whitworth got to that game after a win over Linfield 74-66 in the quarterfinals of the NWC tournament, led by junior post Nate Montgomery who had career highs of 31 points, 14 rebounds and SIX blocked shots.

Apparently he was doing his best Wilt Chamberlain impression. Holy crap that's an insane performance. Which is why I've come up with a list of nicknames for Nate:

Nate "Tyler Hansbrough is a pansy" Montgomery
Nate "Remember that British General in WWII named" Montgomery
Nate "He Nate Me" Montgomery
Nate "Yeah, I've blocked six shots before in a game" Montgomery
Nate "I'm not Stephon Marbury" Montgomery
Nate "Stimulus Plan" Montgomery

Okay, please dont hate me Whitworth fans.

Whitworth Weekly Update: The postseason starts Thursday

Whitworth begins the postseason on Thursday after they clinched the second-seed in the NWC Tournament. They'll host their first-round game against three-seed Linfield, a team that they defeated 82-70 the last time they played at home (Feb. 7).

However, the Pirates lost to Linfield 88-79 earlier in the season (Jan. 10) when the team had to travel down to Oregon. So this isn't a cake walk. Gametime is at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.

For the first time in school history, the Pirates have put together four consecutive 20-win seasons (20-5 overall, 12-4 NWC record), and if they win, they'll face the winner of the one-seed Puget Sound vs. Lewis & Clark for a berth in the Div. III NCAA Tournament.

Hello March Madness.

Whitworth Weekly Update: Getting that first round game would be huuuuge

I know that we make a big deal about this, but we should probably make an even bigger deal about it.

Home-court advantage is huge in college. Because the fans are right on top of you, and you get to sleep in your own bed the night before.

Now Whitworth University's men's basketball team should be getting that first round home game of their conference tournament if (1) Lewis & Clark, the team that they are tied for second place, loses to Whitman on Friday or (2) Whitworth beats LC outright on Sunday in the Fieldhouse.

And considering how the Pirates are playing at the moment, Lewis & Clark better be bringing their a-game. Last night Whitworth beat Whitman for the 20th straight time with a 97-87 win. Clemson vs. Duke ring a bell? The Pirates shot an amazing 62 percent from the field in that game as well.

So watch the LC score on Friday, if they win, then go to the Whitworth fieldhouse on Sunday at 3 p.m. and rock the joint.

Whitworth Weekly Update: Way too many cats!

One thing the Whitworth Pirates aren't is overrated, unlike some other cross-town college basketball teams, cough, Gonzaga, cough.

You see, Gonzaga has what you would say is a cat problem. They've got too many cats in the house to make them feel better about themselves. Their are way too many homer fans and media members that pander to the Zags every move until Tournament time, then they exit early. Wowee.

But at least they don't have 118 Cats. Like this couple had in trailer park.

It took three hours for about 15 masked workers and police officers to remove 118 cats from a couple's reeking home in the Lowry Grove Mobile Home Park in St. Anthony on Tuesday.

Another dozen or so cats couldn't be captured because they were hiding in mounds of dolls and debris in the trailer and will have to be live-trapped, said Keith Streff, senior investigator of the Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley. One cat escaped and three were left with the couple, the limit permitted by city ordinance.

Authorities have seen such cases before.

The woman fits the classic profile of an obsessive-compulsive animal hoarder, "which is sad for both animals and owners," Streff said. In 2002, Humane Society workers removed 72 cats from the same couple's residence when they lived in Coon Rapids, he said.

So you heard it hear first. Gonzaga University is like that cat lady. They had obsessive compulsive fan disorder, which leads to their Final Four hopes stinking like urine and tuna.

But moving on to the Whitworth men's basketball, they play three roads games in the next five days with the marquee matchup against league-leading Puget Sound. Currently the Pirates are tied for second in the conference with 17-4 overall and 7-3 league mark, so a win over the top team would definitely do well for the rest of the season. A sweep of the weekend would put them in very good shape heading into the postseason tournament.

And even though this is the third highest win total under head coach Jim Hayford's tenure, you wont hear a big fuss about it. Such is the life of a Division III program.

Luckily they don't have cats though.

Whitworth Weekly Update: Game on

Unlike Gonzaga, which is slowly putting their foot on the throat of the WCC and choking everyone else under them in the standings, or WSU, which (sorry coug fans) has no chance of winning the Pac-10 outright, Whitworth is in the midst of a very heated race for the Northwest Conference regular season championship.

On Jan 30, the Bucs defeated George Fox 83-67 in the conference standings, after Bo Gregg came off the bench to score 18 points. This puts them at a 7-3 conference mark, which is tied with Lewis & Clark for second place and three games behind Puget Sound.

This weekend they'll play two teams fighting for the final fourth spot in the conference tournament, Willamette and Linfield. Meaning that they'll definitely be bringing their game to Spokane this weekend.

Linfield beat the Bucs earlier this year 88-79, but we all know how home-court advantage can really help things out. Lets hope Whitworth can sweep the weekend otherwise they'll have no chance of catching Pudget Sound in the standings and may drop far behind Lewis & Clark as well.

BUCS FULL SCHEDULE I RELEASE FOR WEEKEND GAMES

Whitworth Weekly Update

Here's something you probably didn't know was possible: the Whitworth Pirates lead the Northwest Conference in scoring defense (64.5 points allowed), field goal percentage (49.7), field goal percentage defense (38.8), three-point percentage (39.2), three-point percentage defense (29.8), free throw percentage (70.7), and rebound margin (+7.8), yet only have two players leading the NWC in any category individually.

Weird.

While the Pirates lost last Friday to Lewis & Clark 74-62, bumping them down to third place in the conference standings, they're still sporting a 13-4 overall record and 5-3 conference mark. In that loss Calvin Jurich had his third double-double of the season with 20 points and 15 rebounds.

They'll face George Fox this Friday on the road at 8 p.m. and then Pacific on Saturday at 6 p.m.

And traveling with them will be the Whitworth women's team, who has won five of their last six to pull into a three-way tie for second with Whitman and Puget Sound. They'll play the same opponents as the men, just two hours earlier. Got to love how they do this Div. III basketball stuff, seems way better than the Div. I brand.

And good news for those people getting giddy about baseball. Whitworth Sports Information Director Steve Flegel has release the season outlooks for Whitworth Baseball and Softball. Now the only question becomes, when do pitchers and catchers report in Spokane?

Whitworth Weekly Update: They score a lot of points, folks

Division III men's basketball doesn't get as much media attention as say... professional goat roping but hey, that's alright, we get up to minute news stories on the condition of Josh Heytvelt's ankle. That's important stuff.

Now if you're able to pull your head out of your Gonzaga induced you-know-what, there's a pretty darn basketball team playing down the road in the Whitworth Pirates.

Currently 13-3, the Pirates don't have a single play under 6-0, which is more than you can say for the Eastern Washington Eagles (sorry Benny), and are averaging over 80 points per game.

Their latest outing? Well they crushed Whitman 101-70. Hoooot dog.

So if you can't get tickets to the Zags game (which you cant) and you don't want to watch another team leave the NCAA Tournament prematurely (you know this will happen) then head up to Whitworth's campus on Feb. 6 when they take on Willamette. Full Schedule.

More to come next week!