Tourney Time

Got My Tourney Tickets!

It's official. I have my two tickets for the Big Sky tournament--a ticket for the semi final round on the 9th and a ticket for the championship game on the 10th. I know it may seem somewhat presumptuous for me to buy a ticket for the championship game when I still don't know for certain that the Wildcats will be playing in it. Even my boss was giving me a hard time for requesting to take off work a little early on the 10th to see Weber play in the championship.

I guess I figured it was bad etiquette, bad luck, bad karma or something like that to not go ahead and plan on the Big Sky champions playing in the finals of the Big Sky Championship. And besides that, I do feel very confident that Coach Rahe and the boys will get it done this year. I feel good about their chances of winning the championship and going dancing for several reasons.


1. Weber State is hosting the tournament at the Dee Events Center. The Wildcat's have yet to lose a conference game at home this season. They are a perfect 8-0 in the Purple Palace. Having the largest fan base and an always rowdy student section can only strengthen the home court advantage.

2. Big Sky MVP, Damian Lillard, and Big Sky Newcomer of the Year, Franklin Session. Weber State is the best team in the league because they have the best player in the League. Lillard, though only a sophomore, leads the Big Sky in points per game. He has managed to do this while all year having to face double-teams and defensive schemes designed with the sole purpose of stopping him. Session brings non-stop energy to the team and the arena. If he gets a breakaway dunk early, you can bet on a big night from him. One thing that I have observed all season long is that if both Session and Lillard are on, the Wildcats are virtually unstoppable.

3. The Seniors. Throughout much of this season Nick Hansen and Steve Panos have been somewhat overshadowed by Lillard's ability to score almost at will. Just because they may not be the best players on the team doesn't mean that they aren't great. In fact it was their senior leadership, maturity and poise that carried this team through the last four games of the season. And it was these seniors that were instrumental in beating UNC in a high stakes game and in leading the Wildcats in a blowout of Idaho State to clinch the Big Sky title. In the UNC game the two combined for 16-19 shooting. Panos scored 29 points and Hansen scored 18 on a perfect 6-6 shooting night from behind the arc. Since that game, Hansen has been on a 3-point shooting hot streak--he's made 22 out of his last 30 attempts!

4. Coach Rahe. His nickname isn't "The Wizard of Weber" for nothing. Rahe's Wildcats have been Big Sky Champions three of the last four years. Rahe has shown a consistency of excellence here at Weber. A gambler would be a fool to bet against this two-time coach of the year.

Some may think I'm cocky or at least a fool for having spent money on a game I can't be sure the Wildcats will even be in. But that's a risk I'm willing to take. On the 10th I may have ripped my championship ticket up and thrown it away, and maybe I will find myself at home watching two teams that aren't Weber State playing for the championship on national television. But I don't think that is going to be the case. I think this cocky fool will be at the Dee Events Center watching the Wildcats take the tournament trophy and clinching a spot in the NCAA tournament where they will be doing some dancing.