At the beginning of the 2006-07 men's basketball season, there were not many people to be found who would place the Cougars' men's hoop team at the top of the Pac-10 conference. Not national pundits, not regional pundits and certainly not the Pac-10 traditional media - who have been endlessly pulverized for placing Wazzu last in their pre-season predictions. Even good ole CougZone was not clairvoyant - predicting a 9-9 Pac-10 record, an overall 17-13 mark by the end of the regular season and a possible berth in the NIT. By the end of the season this Sunday, the Cougars will make everybody look silly. If they lose both games this week, they will be assured of a 23-7 overall record, 12-6 in the Pac-10 and a certain ticket to the Big Dance. Split and they continue their unprecedented success with 24 wins - the most in school history since 1941 - when they were NCAA runner-up. Sweep? That could set up the impossible dream of sharing the Pac-10 title with UCLA. A few more things would have to happen but just to have the ability to talk about that possibility in the last week of the season - and to be the only other team that can talk that talk - is good enough for Wazzu head men's hoop coach Tony Bennett.


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