Strangers in Charlotte, surprising Cougars no longer going south

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Tony Bennett sat in front of the microphone and immediately stated the obvious.

"I haven't been here before," he said. "So I'm not used to giving general comments."

Tony Bennett has pointed WSU to its first back-to-back NCAA tourney appearances. (AP)

Or detailed comments. Or any comments about the Sweet 16, long as we're being honest. Because, like Bennett said, he's never been here before, nor have his Washington State Cougars. And in some ways that makes them the biggest surprise of this NCAA tournament -- even more so than Davidson and Western Kentucky if you're willing to take the conversation back two years and consider the following multiple-choice question:

Which school, in November 2006, would've been most unlikely to play in the 2008 Sweet 16?

A.) Davidson

B.) Western Kentucky

C.) Washington State

Correct answer: C.) Washington State.

Explanation: It's never unreasonable to expect Davidson to win the Southern Conference or Western Kentucky to win the Sun Belt Conference and in turn make the NCAA tournament and then possibly make a run. With an automatic bid and a lucky draw, a Davidson or Western Kentucky is always capable of escaping the first weekend. Seems to happen every few years for a program from a similar league with similar attributes. Just check the record book.

But Washington State?

Washington State making the Sweet 16 is silly.

Washington State was a lifeless program with no expectations when Bennett took over before last season, an afterthought in the powerful Pac-10. And a program fitting that description has little chance of ever making the NCAA tournament, much less advancing, because a team representing what is generally regarded as the ninth-best program in a 10-program league will always find it difficult to earn a bid -- which is why the Cougars had appeared in just four NCAA tournaments before last season compared to Western Kentucky's 19 and Davidson's eight.

So from a big-picture standpoint, what Bennett has accomplished at Washington State is more impressive than what Bob McKillop has accomplished at Davidson and what Darrin Horn has accomplished at Western Kentucky. Simply put, this stuff isn't supposed to happen at Washington State. It was impossible to imagine even two years ago, and perhaps that's why the Cougars seemed completely out of place during Wednesday's interview session -- though the real reason might be because, well, they are completely out of place.