SAN JOSE, Calif. – Matt Painter straddles the halfcourt line at SAP Center, monitoring what’s happening at both ends of the floor during an open practice session one day before Purdue’s Sweet 16 matchup against Texas.
PULLMAN – The most sober assessment of this Washington State season, the most salient summary of the reason the Cougars’ season petered out in nondescript fashion last weekend, may have come from their starting power forward.
This idea that Riley somehow killed all of the momentum that Kyle Smith created is a little far-fetched. Smith was terrific in leading the Cougs to the NCAA Tournament. Still, he was just one game over .500 in three of his five seasons at WSU. And after that 2024 NCAA berth, he and nearly his entire roster – including future pros Jaylen Wells and Isaac Jones – scattered just as WSU dropped to the WCC.
LAS VEGAS – Over a nine-day period, the Washington State women’s basketball team enjoyed its best stretch of play this season, winning four consecutive games – including two in as many days at the West Coast Conference Tournament.