Some pregame thoughts from Key Arena
COUGARS
The first five of these Cougar Hardwood Classics in Key Arena have featured Washington State wins, though last year's game against Louisiana State was close for, oh, say 45 minutes before the Cougars finally prevailed 72-70 in overtime. But tonight's foe, the Portland Pilots, though not a flashy opponent - heck, the Pilots come to Spokane every year to face GU - will challenge the Reggie Moore-less Cougars. For more, read on.
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• If you read our advance today, you would have read the names Jared Stohl and Luke Sikma. Those two, along with Kramer Knutson, are the players to remember as you watch the game on TV – or here, if you braved the Seattle roads. That troika presents the Cougars with the biggest problems tonight. ... Stohl is the outside shooter who hit 98 of 205 3-pointers last season and is 17 of 33 this season. The 6-foot-1 guard from Marysville works hard to gain the space he needs to get his shot off. The Cougars will do whatever they can to ensure that doesn't happen. ... Sikma, the 6-8 forward from Bellevue, is a monster on the glass (13.8 per game) and is quick enough to make a defender pay if he overplays out front. He and Knutson, a 6-9 post, work diligently down low to establish position, especially in transition. If either can bury the defender deep, the Pilots (4-1) at good at getting them the ball. It's crucial the Cougar bigs beat them to the spots. And the guards have to apply enough ball pressure to make the entry passes difficult. ... Of course, the Cougars size on the wings can cause the Pilots problems as well, with Stohl and 6-1 Eric Waterford both outsized against their WSU counterparts. That might lead to Portland playing zone to stop the Cougars from inverting their offense (posting guards). But it's not like the Pilots haven't faced big guards already, having played Kentucky just last Friday. ... OK, enough from me. You can read more thoughts on the matchup from Jeff Nusser on CougCenter.
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• That's all for now. We'll be back at halftime with a quick post here, but between now and then catch us on Twitter at vinceg55. Someone asked me today the significance of 55. Simple. IQ points. Waist size. Number of tacos I can eat at one sitting. Take your pick. Until then ...
