PREVIEW: WSU hosts Stanford (TV info + game thread)

The Washington State Cougars will wrap up their home schedule when they face the Stanford Cardinal on Sunday evening (5 pm PT, ESPNU). Stanford smacked around the Cougs in the first meeting between the teams this season, an 88-62 romp that wasn’t even that close.

In that game, Stanford was able to do whatever it wanted inside the arc—particularly in the paint. The Cardinal hit 27-36 2-point shots, led by 22 points from point guard Tyrell Terry and 15 points in just 13 minutes from Oscar da Silva.

If WSU can’t stop the Cardinal, it could be in for a long night. Stanford has been the best defense in Pac-12 play, and ranks 6th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency. The Cardinal force tough shots, and that’s a bad matchup for a Coug offense that has struggled mightily to find good looks.

Wazzu should do its best to attack—both to the basket and in offensive rebounds. Stanford has been 11th out of 12 teams in league play for both defensive rebounding percentage and free throw rate (free throws per field goals).

Sometimes senior nights have a little magic. Maybe Jeff Pollard and Jervae Robinson will go off, or maybe their teammates will raise their games in their honor. Either or both will need to happen for the Cougs to beat Stanford.

If your are looking to follow the game, the WSU Men’s Basketball Twitter account has you covered with TV, stream, radio, and stats info: