Bank of America Arena

Well its certainly not Omaha, and that can be a good or bad thing, but the Vanguard is here in Seattle at Bank of America Arena on the campus of the University of Washington.

It could be a good day to be a Husky. Earlier today the entire nation reported that USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian will be the new head coach of the Husky football team. Good hire, we say. Sarkisian is the total opposite of Ty Willingham.

Outside of the Oregon schools, Washington probably holds the fondest spot in my heart. My father went here, I grew up in nearby Puyallup, and this is still a pretty unique school.

In waiting for the Portland State game to start in about an hour I did a bit of walking around the arena. It's certainly not overwhelmingly gigantic but very nice and professional.

Comparing the two schools competing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament would be like comparing a whale to a shrimp. The Huskies won a National Championship in 2005 and have been a national powerhouse for the last seven years.

Viking fans are hoping that the difference in the two squads stops at the facilities and successful history.

One thing that will likely work against the Vikings during this game is the fact that Washington was upset in the first round of last year's NCAA Tournament, played at this very arena, by BYU.

Sometimes teams playing as heavy favorites that have the stinging taste of upset in their mouth are less likely to struggle in the same situations.

Nevertheless, the game will go on and win or lose this is a big step in the right direction for this program and for Portland State.

Currently the Santa Clara Broncos are having their way against Big VII foe Kansas State. Santa Clara has taken the first two sets.