Hot Cougar Action: It's senior day at Washington State

Washington State's regular season comes to an end today at Friel Court and as part of the regular season finale, the Cougars will hold senior day festivities for Mike Ladd and Brock Motum.

Ladd has missed the last six games due to injury, but Ken Bone called him "questionable" to play on Saturday. Questionable may not sound promising, but it's better than "out" so we'll take it. Injuries derailed Ladd's WSU career, so I guess it's fitting that he would be listed as questionable on senior night. It wouldn't surprise me if Ladd suits up, even if he doesn't play much.

As for Motum, Saturday's game will be his final regular season appearance in a career that was among the more interesting I can remember. If you remember, Motum committed to Tony Bennett and was hyped by national sportswriters as the missing piece. Bennett left and Bone was able to re-recruit Motum to WSU. He won the dunk contest as a rail-thin freshman but didn't play a whole lot.

He played more as a sophomore but did little to convince most he was going to be a star. Then last season came and Motum went from a role player to a Pac-12 Player of the Year candidate. Motum's senior season may not have gone as some expected both from a team and individual standpoint, but he still put together one of the better two-year stretches in recent WSU history.

With spring break underway, 2013 senior day isn't exactly coming at an opportune time, but hopefully a decent crowd shows up to give Motum and Ladd a proper sendoff.

Men's basketball:

Today's game is scheduled to tipoff at 3:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.

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Cougars Host Trojans in Regular Season Finale Saturday - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site
COUGARS HOST TROJANS IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE SATURDAY: Washington State University men's basketball (12-18, 3-14) looks to ride the momentum from its upset of No. 23 UCLA Wednesday, as it hosts USC (14-16, 9-8) in both teams' regular-season finale, Saturday, March 9 at 3:30 p.m. at Beasley Coliseum.

Up next for USC: Saturday at Washington State - latimes.com

USC defeated Washington State, 72-68, at the Galen Center on Feb. 7. Before Wednesday, the regular-season finale against the last-place Cougars appeared to be a probable win for the Trojans.

Journey nearing end for WSU’s Motum - Spokesman.com - March 8, 2013

PULLMAN – The messages came from former and current players and fans, all intent on persuading a young, talented Australian man to honor his commitment and play basketball at Washington State.

Women's basketball:

The Cougars' season came to an end on Friday with a 79-60 loss to Stanford in the Pac-12 Tournament. June Daugherty appears to be recovering well as she sat behind the bench during the game.

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Cougs Fall to No. 4 Stanford, 79-60 - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Lia Galdeira led Washington State (11-20) with 16 points. The Cougars had coach June Daugherty back on the bench a day after she underwent emergency surgery to remove her appendix.

WSU's Daugherty in attendance, but Cougars fall | WSU Cougars - The News Tribune
Once she got the clearance from doctors to be in attendance, there was no way June Daugherty wasn't going to coach Washington State.

Washington State falls to Stanford as coach June Daugherty watches | College Sports | The Seattle Times
Washington State women's basketball coach June Daugherty tried to sit still, but the pull was too strong.

Baseball:

The baseball team opened its seven-game road trip with a win on Friday. Joe Pistorese was solid once again as he continues to look like a legitimate Friday night starter. With the bullpen rolling and the offense performing well up and down the lineup, the Cougars are off to an impressive start. Win a few more games on this roadtrip, including one or two at Arizona State and they may become a legitimate NCAA Tournament contender.

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Cougar Baseball Opens Road Trip with Win - The Washington State University Official Athletic Site
SAN ANTONIO - Washington State began a seven-game road trip with a 6-3 nonconference baseball victory over UTSA, Friday at Roadrunner Field.