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Washington State returns to the NCAAs under Bennett's guidance

Mar 15, 2007 - 1:51 PM Oral Roberts (23-10) at Washington State (25-7) 2:40 pm EDT

SACRAMENTO, California (Ticker) -- Washington State already had one tournament dream dashed, but it still has one more left to explore.

Coach Tony Bennett and the third-seeded Cougars look to make a dramatic run in the NCAA Tournament when they meet Oral Roberts in the opening round of the East Region on Thursday.

In his first season at the helm, Bennett led Washington State to an impressive 25-win campaign - second most in school history - and a 13-5 record en route to a second-place finish in the Pac-10 Conference.

However, the Cougars' hopes of a conference tourney title ended with last Saturday's defeat in the semifinal to Southern California.

The Cougars made a huge jump under Bennett's guidance, winning 14 more games than last season - the second-biggest improvement in school history. Bennett took over program from his father, longtime coach Dick Bennett.

All-conference guards Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver will lead the offense for Washington State, which was rewarded with an at-large bid in its first NCAA appearance since 1994.

The Mid-Continent Conference champion Golden Eagles are making their third NCAA appearance, including an opening-round exit to top-seeded Memphis last season.

Oral Roberts is led by three-time conference Player of the Year Caleb Green, who averages almost 21 points and 10 rebounds. He also is the league's all-time leading scorer with 2,490 points.

A 6-8 forward, seniors Green and Ken Tutt became just the seventh teammates in NCAA history to reach the 2,000-point plateau.