MSU-Washington: Official Game Thread

LIVE FROM PORTLAND

We’ve just seen Purdue dispatch a scrappy Northern Iowa team, 61-56, which means No. 13 seed Mississippi State (23-12) and No. 4 Washington (25-8) are up next in this West Region first-round game. The rest of today’s schedule involves a pair of South Region games: Gonzaga-Akron and Illinois-Western Kentucky.

Before we get to the basics, here’s one of those fun by-the-numbers:

1 – Jersey number of Washington’s Venoy Overton, a 5-foot-11 sophomore who was named honorable mention Pac-10 all-defensive team. He’s a reserve.

2 – Number of different lineups MSU has used this season, the lone change being Phil Turner for Kodi Augustus 10 games in.

3 – Top Pac-10 honors received by Huskies this year: Lorenzo Romar (Coach of the Year), Isaiah Thomas (Freshman of the Year) and Justin Dentmon (Most Improved).

4 – Washington’s seeding, its second-highest ever (No. 1 in 2005).

6 – Consecutive games won by MSU.

8 – Number of 20-win seasons for MSU coach Rick Stansbury.

12 – Number of times this season State has made at least 10 3-pointers in a game.

13 – Years since State last advanced past the second round of the NCAA tourney. Also, its seeding this year.

15 – Washington’s ranking in the latest AP poll (No. 14 in ESPN/USA Today poll)

19 – Number of blocks by MSU’s Jarvis Varnado over the last three games.

21 – Rebounds by State’s Turner over the last two games.

27.8 – Points per game from Washington’s bench in its last four wins.

28 – The combined 3-point shooting percentage of MSU’s last six opponents. Only Georgia (36.8) shot 30 percent or better.

30 – Average number of free throw attempts by the Bulldogs over its last five games. They’ve hit 72.7 percent of them.

58 – Career double-doubles for UW’s Jon Brockman, the NCAA’s active leader.

OK, here are the basics:

TV: CBS.
XM: Channel 199.
Series: Washington leads 1-0.
Last meeting: Washington, 82-80 on Dec. 27, 1967, in Jacksonville, Fla.
Coaches: MSU – Rick Stansbury (231-127, 11th year); Washington – Lorenzo Romar (237-168, 13th year; 144-80, seventh year at Washington).
Notes: Washington, the regular-season Pac-10 champ, is a No. 4 seed. MSU, the SEC Tournament champ, is seeded 13th. … For the third straight time, MSU opens the tournament against a Pac-10 team. … The winner plays the Northern Iowa-Purdue winner on Saturday. … This is Stansbury’s sixth NCAA appearance as a head coach. … Five of MSU’s last six opponents have shot less than 30 percent from 3-point range.

Probable starters
Mississippi State (23-12)
C – Jarvis Varnado    6-9    Jr.    13.1 ppg
G – Phil Turner    6-3    So.    8.5 ppg
G – Dee Bost    6-2    Fr.    11.1 ppg
G – Barry Stewart    6-3    Jr.    12.3 ppg
G – Ravern Johnson    6-7    So.    12.2 ppg
Top reserves: F Kodi Augustus, G Riley Benock, F Brian Johnson.

Washington (25-8)
G – Isaiah Thomas    5-8    Fr.    15.4 ppg
G – Justin Dentmon    5-11    Sr.    15.0 ppg
F – Jon Brockman    6-7    Sr.    14.9 ppg
F – Quincy Pondexter    6-6    Jr.    11.5 ppg
F – Darnell Gant    6-8    Fr.    3.1 ppg
Top reserves: F Matthew Bryan-Amaning, G Venoy Overton, F Elston Turner.