WSU basketball teams near the end of non-conference schedules

Last week was finals week at WSU which on the basketball court is a sign the non-conference portion of the schedule is nearing an end. For the WSU women’s basketball team, the non-conference schedule came to an end with an eventful final weekend.

The Cougars played not one, but two games this weekend. To do so, they had to travel from Utah to New York and the results looked like a team playing two college basketball games on the road in separate states on back-to-back days.

On Saturday, the Cougars lost 71-53 to No. 20 BYU. WSU got off to a slow start and expended a lot of energy in a comeback attempt. The Cougs were eventually able to pull within one point with nine minutes to play. BYU, however, went on a 10-0 run and put the game away.

WSU then hopped a flight and flew to New York to play Stony Brook on Sunday. WSU was initially scheduled to play Cornell, but that game was canceled due to Covid issues so Stony Brook was added as a late addition to the schedule. The back-to-back was not kind to the Cougs who shot 33% overall and just 7-of-35 from three in a 69-62 loss.

The pair of losses dropped the Cougars to 9-3 on the season. The good news is, they will now get some rest. The Cougs get this week off and won’t play again until they host Cal to start Pac-12 play on 12/31.

The men’s basketball team had a much better weekend. After dropping two straight games leading into Saturday, the Cougs rebounded with an 82-56 win against Northern Colorado.

The Cougs will play one final non-conference game this week, hosting Boise State on Wednesday in Spokane. Then, the WSU men will get a break themselves, resting until they host Washington for the resumption of Pac-12 play on 12/29.

If you were banking on killing some time with WSU athletics this holiday season, you might need to actually spend some time with your family instead. The men’s basketball game against Boise State is the only event this week. There are only four WSU athletic events left in 2021 with two men’s basketball games, one women’s basketball game, and the football team’s appearance in the Sun Bowl left on the schedule.

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Football:

Washington State receiver Marshawn Buchanan enters transfer portal, Cougars add walk-on quarterback | Washington State University | khq.com
Washington State's depth at wide receiver took a hit. About eight hours later, the opposite happened to the Cougars' quarterback room.

'It's been a unique blend, but everyone's handling it really well': New offensive coordinator Eric Morris settles in as Washington State prepares for run-and-shoot finale | Washington State University | nbcrightnow.com
PULLMAN – For now, Eric Morris is taking a back seat to his predecessor.

Dickert: Transfer tampering does occur more often than not | Sports | lmtribune.com
Add Washington State’s Jake Dickert to the list of college football coaches lamenting an element of “tampering” associated with the high volume of players entering the NCAA transfer portal in

Women’s basketball:

Cougs Close Out Non-Conference with a Loss at Stony Brook - Washington State University Athletics
STONY BROOK, N.Y. – The Washington State women's basketball team closed out its non-conference schedule Sunday, Dec. 19, with a 69-62 loss at Stony Brook to end

Cougs fall to Cougars – The Daily Evergreen
The Cougars women’s basketball team came up short Saturday on the road against No. 20 BYU Cougars, 53-71. This was the second game that WSU played against a ranked opponent this season. WSU previously lost to No. 2 NC State (62-34) on Nov. 27 in the Bahamas. WSU drops to 8-2 in nonconference games this season and...

WSU women fall at Stony Brook | Sports | lmtribune.com
STONY BROOK, N.Y. — It wasn't necessarily what the Washington State women's basketball team did wrong in a nonconference game Sunday. It was what Stony Brook's did right.

Men’s basketball:

A Grip on Sports: Pac-12 falters, Gonzaga attacks, and the NFL waffles in a pretty crowded Saturday | The Spokesman-Review
WSU: The Cougars welcomed Northern Colorado to Beasley Coliseum yesterday and were pretty rude about it. They routed the Big Sky’s easternmost member 82-56, riding the outside shooting of DJ Rodman to their eighth win. Colton Clark has this game story.