His Wildcats, on Saturday night, had just finished a dominating performance in defeating Montana State to advance to tonight's Big Sky Conference semifinal against Northern Arizona at the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore. So you'd think, in the midst of the euphoria, that Rahe would celebrate, right? At least for a minute? Well, in a word, no.
Instead, he looked like he was on his way to the dentist - for a root canal. Maybe he had a point, considering how his team has played against NAU this season.
"This will be an extremely tough matchup for us," Rahe said. "They've been the team who's given us the biggest fits this season. So we just have to get ready, go prepare and go fight and get after it."
It's absolutely true that NAU has given Weber State fits over the course of the season. Northern Arizona won 69-56 in Ogden. The Lumberjacks then completed the season sweep with a 74-71 triumph a few weeks ago.
That gives the No. 3 Wildcats a tough assignment against No. 2 NAU. Weber State hasn't matched up well this season, but the Wildcats know how the old adage goes, the one that says it's tough to beat a good team three times. And while Weber State fancies itself as a good team, the Wildcats know that's it's going to take more than that to advance to Wednesday's championship game.
"They've beaten us up this season," Weber State guard Brody Van Brocklin said. "They've given us all kinds of problems. We went down there and got off to a great start, but we couldn't finish. We just have to come out aggressive and play the entire game. We owe them one."
On paper, the Wildcats have the advantage of not being rusty because of Saturday's game. Adding to a best case scenario is the fact that Weber State has had two days off, which won't make fatigue as much of a factor.
"We know that it's hard to beat any team three times," senior forward Arturas Valeika said. "We just have to go up there and play. We don't have any pressure on us. All the pressure is on them to win the game because they're the favorites. We just have to come out and play hard."
tjones@sltrib.com
Where: The Rose Garden, Portland, Ore.
Tipoff: Tonight, 6:30 p.m. MDT
TV: Altitude
Radio: 1430 AM
Records: Weber State 16-13, NAU 20-10
Last Meeting: NAU 74-71, Feb. 28
About the Wildcats: Weber State is attempting to win its second consecutive conference tournament championship. . . . The Wildcats have lost twice this season to NAU. . . . The winner will advance to Wednesday's championship game, which will be carried live on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. MDT.
About the Lumberjacks: Kyle Landry is one of the best all-around players in the conference. He averages 17 points and eight rebounds per game. . . . Northern Arizona has won six of its last eight games, with their latest defeat coming at the hands of top seeded Portland State.
