WHAT: Washington (19-5, 10-1) at Washington State (10-14, 3-8)

WHERE: Beasley Coliseum (11,671), Pullman, WA

WHEN: Sat., Feb. 16, 5 p.m. PT

TV/RADIO: ESPNU (Eric Rothman, Adrian Branch); Washington State IMG Sports Network (Matt Chazanow)

Forgotten amidst the commotion caused by Robert Franks’ conference and n national award-winning performances in last week’s unexpected double-digit road victories at Arizona State and Arizona is the fact that WSU won those games with the help of some solid defense as well.

After struggling to stop any team not named California in the first nine Pac-12 games, the Cougars put the clamps on the Sun Devils and Wildcats, holding them to a combined 32.6 percent (42-129) from the field, including a paltry 19.6 percent (11-56) from 3-point distance.

WSU must bring the same defensive intensity to Beasley Coliseum on Saturday night as UW won’t give up many points with its suffocating 2-3 zone favored by head coach Mike Hopkins, a former Syracuse assistant now in his second year in Seattle.

“This game is going to be about defense,” Kent said earlier this week on the ‘Cougs in 60’ show. “We know they are going to bring their defense. Their defense travels with them. We have to make sure our defense from last weekend travels back to Pullman. We are going to have to defend because they make it so tough for you to score.”

UW is allowing a conference best 62.1 points against Pac-12 competition, limiting league opponents to 29.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc and 42.8 percent shooting overall. So, if WSU brings the same defensive intensity as the previous two games, scoring could be at a premium.

“(UW) has great length and athleticism,” Kent said. “They’re in Year 2 of the 2-3 zone, so they really play it well and they understand all the tidbits and nuances of it. They are excellent at reading your offense and where you want to go with the ball. The second piece is their veteran leadership. They have a lot of guys that have been together for a long time and have played in a lot of games. They are very resilient in terms of their mental toughness and they know how to compete.”

Two adjustments Kent made in an attempt to bolster WSU’s defense was give more minutes to 6-foot-8 freshman Aljaz Kunc (last name is prounced ‘Coon-st) from Slovenia and 6-foot-5 JUCO transfer Marvin Cannon, effectively putting more length and size on the floor. The strategy worked.

“That’s one of the subtle adjustments we made to put more size on the floor,” Kent said. “Both of those guys (Kunc and Cannon) can score, they can run, they can rebound and block shots and guard you man-to-man by moving their feet. That’s a lot to ask from two new guys, but they give us more depth and length to play with.”

Both players have added about 15 pounds of muscle to their frames since arriving at WSU, Kent said, and should add even more before the start of next season.

Biggest difference between Saturday’s game in Pullman and the first meeting of the season between the Cougars and UW on Jan. 5? Franks will play for WSU after missing the first three conference games, including the Pac-12 opener in Seattle, an 85-67 loss for the Cougars.

Nobody in the country is hotter than Franks right now shooting the basketball. Franks, the reigning Pac-12 Conference Player of the Week, scored a combined 65 points at Arizona State and Arizona, while grabbing 21 rebounds and blocking 5 shots. In Tempe, he collected a career-high 34 points with 13 rebounds, 4 blocked shots and 4 steals.

Franks leads the Pc-12 in scoring at 22.6 points per game. Against Pac-12 opponents he is averaging 23.3 points and shooting 53.2 percent from the field, 45.8 percent (27-59) from long distance.

“He’s not going to score 30 points every game, but he will certainly show his ability to shoot the basketball,” Kent said. “He had a phenomenal weekend and all his accolades were well deserved. It’s another example of how individual success follows team success. They work hand-in-hand.”

Franks, though, has been far from a one-man team as some analysts have suggested. Freshman C.J. Elleby, the only other Cougar player averaging in double figures, flirted with a triple-double at Arizona State with 10 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds, falling one assist short of the second triple double in school history. Having already scored 371 points (15.3 ppg), the Seattle native is on pace to break the school freshman scoring record held by Steve Puidokas (454 pts in 1974).

“C.J. is a unique player because he has the size, the skill set and the mental and physical toughness that allows him to do a lot of things,’ Kent said. “For a freshman to be doing what he is doing is actually pretty amazing. His future is extremely bright. We’re lucky to have him in our program.”

Kent insists for the Cougs to continue their recent winning ways, they must stay focused and keep believing in each other and the coaches.

“Different teams come together at different times,” Kent said. “It’s all centered around buy-in. You have to buy in. Sometimes you can get three or four guys, maybe half a team to buy in and two or three don’t. But that little ripple can knock you out of whack, especially when we have so many new guys in our program that need to buy in all across the board.

“We have finally bought in with each other and what we’re doing. Then we started to come together. We still have a lot of work to do, but the players have seen, felt and experienced the blueprint, and they’ve seen what a winning locker room after a game is like. As a result, we‘ve had the energy, the effort, the commitment and the focus you need at this level.”

NEXT FIVE GAMES:

Feb. 16 WASHINGTON, 5 p.m. (ESPNU)

Feb. 20 COLORADO, 7 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)

Feb. 23 UTAH, 5 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)

Feb. 28 at Stanford, 6 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)

Marc h 2 at California, 4 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)

PAC-12 SCHEDULE/SCORES (Feb. 13-17)

Wed., Feb. 13

UCLA 75, California 67

Colorado 77, Arizona State 73

Stanford 79, USC 76

Thur., Feb. 14

Utah 83, Arizona 76

Sat., Feb. 16

USC at California, 5 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)

Washington at Washington State, 5 p.m. (ESPNU)

UCLA at Stanford, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)

Arizona State at Utah, 7 p.m. (FS1)

Oregon at Oregon State, 7:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)

Sun. Feb. 17

Arizona at Colorado, 5 p.m. (ESPNU)

PAC-12 STANDINGS (As of Feb. 15)

Washington 10-1 (19-5)

Utah 8-4 (14-10)

Oregon State 7-4 (15-8)

Arizona State 7-5 (16-8)

Oregon 6-5 (15-9)

Colorado 6-6 (15-9)

Stanford 6-6 (13-11)

UCLA 6-6 (13-12)

USC 6-6 (13-12)

Arizona 5-7 (14-11)

Washington State 3-8 (10-14)

California 0-12 (5-19)