Long Beach State Is Going Dancing

The Long Beach State 49ers played five teams in the RPI's top 25 this season in their out-of-conference schedule. They lost all of them, sure, but at least in this instance the burnishing of losses to quality teams prepared Dan Monson's squad for the tangled mayhem of Big West rivalries.

That's evident in the 25-8 49ers' 77-64 dismantling of UC Santa Barbara in the Big West final, in which LBSU star Casper Ware poured in 33 points. State's going dancing, and don't be surprised if they aren't finished collecting wins on this season. [ESPN2]