WSU women's basketball set for Pac-12 home opener

It should be a telling weekend for the women's basketball program as the Cougars are set to host the Bay Area schools. Cal and Stanford are usually among the elite of the conference and the country. While both good, neither is up to the standard of previous seasons. WSU earning at least a split this weekend would keep the Cougars on pace. They'll get a chance to pick up the first win on Friday, when they host Cal.

The Bears will bring a 10-3 record into Pullman, the same mark as WSU. While Cal has been a top 10 team in recent seasons, it is more just a good team this year. The Bears -- like the Cougars -- are among the teams receiving votes in the poll, just outside the top 25.

If WSU is going to take the next step and make a legitimate run at the NCAA tournament, games like the one tonight will be key. The Cougars and Bears appear to have close to equal teams, and with WSU's advantage of playing at home, it's a game the Cougars should win. The recent history between the schools has been back-and-forth. Cal won both regular season meetings last year, including an overtime win. But, the Cougars beat the Bears in the Pac-12 Tournament.

And to top it all off, it's Dads and Daughters Date Night.

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Women's basketball:

Cougars Open Homestand Friday Against California - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Washington State (10-3, 1-1) kicks off its Pac-12 Conference home schedule Friday hosting University of California (10-3, 2-0) in Beasley Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks.

Cal Travels For Tough Pac-12 Road Opener at WSU - California Golden Bears - University of California Official Athletic Site
Winners of three straight, California travels for its first Pac-12 road trip of the season this weekend. The Bears open up the road trip Friday night with a trip to Washington State at Beasley Coliseum.

Men's basketball:

WSU’s Jordan Railey maturing and showing promise | Cougar Basketball | The Seattle Times
It’s finally starting to come together for Jordan Railey. Good thing, too, because the college basketball season ends in three months, he’s set to graduate next semester with a degree in general studies and soon he’ll embark on a professional career to "give my baby girl a great life," he said.

WSU athletics:

Director of Athletics Bill Moos Podcast - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
Director of Athletics Bill Moos discusses a wide-range of topics during his first podcast of 2015. This includes Oregon's win at the Rose Bowl, a game that Moos attended, and the Pac-12's bowl-season performance (6-2).