WSU vs. Idaho State basketball: Preview and game thread

WSU returns to Pullman for its home opener tonight, facing the Bengals of Idaho State University.  We'll be tipping off at 6 pm PST and the game will be broadcast on Pac-12 Washington (I see that Dish customers get a Joined-in Progress at 7pm so people might want to check their programming guide to see if they have to watch the 1st half on the internet.)

The Cougs come into this game with their legs hacked off at the knees limping.  After getting dominated on the boards and completely unable to take care of the basketball in back-to-back games, the 297th best team in the country is definitely sight for sore eyes and could be a rare opportunity this year for the team to gain some needed confidence.

The Bengals are led by Senior G/F Chris Hansen, who used nearly a third of Idaho State's offensive possessions and averages 16 points through the first two games of the young season.  Going through Idaho State's page on Ken Pomeroy's site, the Bengals don't do anything particularly better than their 297th ranking suggests, other than they seem to be pretty good at not allowing offensive rebounds (although their 303rd best defense in the league might suggest they don't allow offensive boards because teams don't miss against them).

Can Davonte Lacy get back on track being an All Pac-12 player?  Will Que Johnson or Dexter Kernich-Drew fill up the stat sheet?  Will newcomers Ny Redding and Jackie Davis, Jr. make a significant contribution?   Will Ernie yell "MOVE" loud enough for us to hear it on the tv?  Tune in tonight and see!

Vegas: Cougs by 13;

Over/Under 132.5

KenPom: Cougs by 11 (83% confidence)

TeamRankings: Cougs by 12.6

NumberFire: Cougs by 15.4

Go Cougs!