Cougs welcome Washington Huskies to Pullman

It has been 674 days since the Washington Huskies beat the Washington State Cougars on the basketball court. Will WSU extend the streak today? We’ll see.

The Cougs and Huskies tip off at 1 p.m. in Pullman. School doesn’t begin until Monday, so it’ll be interesting to see what the crowd looks like.

These are two teams that aren’t all that similar to last year’s versions of themselves. WSU is closer to last year’s squad than UW is, I suppose. UW, with new head coach Mike Hopkins, boasts a zone defense that Hopkins perfected as an assistant at Syracuse.

Ernie Kent has the kind of team he’s used to coaching: one that shoots a lot of three-pointers (you can read more about that in the links). WSU is shooting 39.2 percent from three-point land. If you live and die by the three, you’re going to have to make a hefty amount to win.

This is also the first matchup in any sport against UW that’s part of the new “Boeing Apple Cup Series.”

It might take some getting used to, but at least there’s a free drawstring bag included, so at least that’s something.

You can catch the game on the Pac-12 Networks.

Links

Basketball

Ernie Kent has remade Washington State into three-point shooting team | The Seattle Times
The Cougars, who host Washington on Saturday, lead the nation in three-pointers made per game with 12.1.

Washington State assistant, ex-Garfield coach Ed Haskins preparing for reunion with Washington’s Jaylen Nowell | The Spokesman-Review
Nowell’s reached double figures in all but one game this season and UW’s scoring-savvy guard brings his glowing numbers into a rivalry matchup at Beasley Coliseum on Saturday between the Huskies (11-4, 1-1) and the Cougars (8-6, 0-2).

Robert Franks having break-out season at WSU | ClarkCountyToday.com
Robert Franks, a 2015 Evergreen High School graduate, is the leading scorer this season for the Washington State Cougars.

Football

Road to the Collegiate Bowl: Washington State RB Jamal Morrow – NFLPA Collegiate Bowl
Jamal Morrow begins his quest to the National Football League.

Texas Tech to be sued over records about firing of former football coach Mike Leach | amarillo.com
The president of a firm hired by Mike Leach to investigate the former Texas Tech head football coach’s firing plans to sue the university for allegedly withholding records.