WHAT: Washington State (9-6, 2-1) at Stanford (8-8, 0-4)
WHERE: Maples Pavilion (7,233), Stanford, Calif.
WHEN: Thur., Jan. 12, 8 p.m. PT
TV/RADIO: Pac-12 Network (Guy Haberman, Eddie House); Washington State IMG Sports Network (Matt Chazanow).
The Cougars leave the Evergreen State for the first time in Pac-12 play when they travel to the Bay Area for games against Stanford on Thursday and California on Saturday.
With temperatures predicted in the 50ās, Ernie Kent is happy to temporarily depart snowy Pullman for a few āwarmā days in northern California.
āI love this campus and I love this community, but getting out on the road is a chance for fellowship together and a chance to get out of the elements,ā Kent said during his weekly press conference on Tuesday. āWeāll get into an environment that will reenergize our guys. Iām anxious to get them on the road. My teams typically come together on the road. This team has been no different. We really rallied together at Seattle and Spokane.ā
The Cougars are coming off an 85-66 loss to Oregon, which has won 13 straight games and climbed to No. 13 in the latest AP Poll. Nonetheless, WSU has won five of the last seven games, giving the Cougars a much-needed shot of confidence following the disappointing home losses to San Jose State and New Orleans in late November and early December.
Stanford is winless in Pac-12 play in Jerod Haaseās first season as head coach (his official job title is Anne and Tony Joseph Director of Menās Basketball) and trying to keep from falling below the .500 mark.
However, those efforts were dealt a blow recently when leading scorer Reid Travis sustained a right shoulder injury during practice and is sidelined indefinitely. Travis had been among the Pac-12 leaders in scoring (17.5 ppg) and rebounding (9.6 rpg).
Through 14 games prior to his injury, Travis accounted for 25.3 percent (245 points of 967) and 27 percent (134 of 497) of Stanfordās scoring and rebounding, respectively. He was one of five Power 5 conference players to rank in the top five of his league in scoring and rebounding.
Without Travis, the Cardinal lost road games last weekend at USC and UCLA, and carry a four-game losing streak into Thursdayās clash with the Cougars at Maples Pavilion. Kent, though, isnāt taking Stanford lightly.
āIf you look at my coaching career, Iāve always struggled going down to Stanford,ā Kent said. āIāve had a little more success at Cal. They are both tough places to play. Those are two teams needed a victory so badly, especially Stanford. Weāre going to get a different Stanford team than the ones that have beaten them. They are going to present problems for us with their size and ability to score.ā
Just one player in Stanfordās projected starting lineup is averaging more than 8.0 points per game ā forward Dorian Pickens (13.2 ppg), He has made 14 3-pointers in the last five games.
Michael Humphrey, who replaced Travis in the starting lineup, has scored 33 points and collected 20 rebounds in the last two games, including a career-high 27 points and 14 rebounds in the Cardinalās loss at UCLA last Sunday.
The Cougars must bring their A-game defensively to the Farm, Kent said.
āYour defense has to travel in this conference and it needs to travel to the Bay Area because weāre facing two good teams,ā Kent said.
NOTES:
-- Kent is taking steps to minimize the impact whenever guard Malachi Flynn inevitably hits the āFreshman Wall.ā Those steps include making sure he keeps his legs fresh and strong. āHe had handled himself extremely well for a true freshman,ā Kent said. āHaving been down this road before, one of the things weāre doing is watching his legs in practice and things like that. He is such a worker that on days off, we have to literally sit on him to make him take the time off. There is still a long stretch of season to go and he will get worn down. Freshman normally hit the wall in December or January. I see some signs of that, but not much.ā
-- Stanfordās strength of schedule is ranked No. 2 nationally, They faced Kansas, St. Maryās, Miami (Fla.), Seton Hall and SMU in non-conference action before opening conference play with a pair of home games against the Arizona schools.
-- Washington State is No. 179 in the latest NCAA RPI, which is through games of Jan. 10.
PROJECTED STARTING FIVE:
G - Ike Iroegbu (11.0 ppg)
G - Malachi Flynn (11.7)
G ā Charles Callison (8.9)
F ā Josh Hawkinson (15.9)
C ā Conor Clifford (9.9)
NEXT FIVE GAMES:
Jan. 12 at Stanford, 8 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)
Jan. 14 at California, 1 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)
Jan. 18 UTAH, 6 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)
Jan. 21 COLORADO, 1 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)
Jan. 26 at Arizona, 6:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)
(All Times Pacific)
PAC-12 SCHEDULE (Jan. 12)
USC at Utah, 6 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)
Washington at California, 6 p.m. (FS1)
Arizona State at Arizona, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)
UCLA at Colorado, 8 p.m. (FS1)
Washington State at Stanford, 8 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)
(All Times Pacific)
PAC-12 STANDINGS (As of Jan. 11)
Arizona 4-0
Oregon 4-0
UCLA 3-1
Utah 2-1
Washington State 2-1
USC 2-2
Arizona State 2-2
California 2-2
Washington 1-2
Colorado 0-3
Stanford 0-4
Oregon State 0-4
- S
- IOL
