Marquee matchup in Pullman
PULLMAN – Oregon and Washington State played each other three times last season, growing familiar with one another as they played out the string on a season that ended in disappointment for both.
They will meet this evening on Friel Court to complete the first half of the Pac-10 conference schedule, and things are a little different this time around. That’s because they will meet also to determine which team heads into the second half of the season all alone in second place – or possibly even in a first-place tie should UCLA lose at Stanford on Sunday.
“We know it’s not the same Washington State team,” Oregon coach Ernie Kent said. “They’re a lot more confident. The building is different, the fans are different. The system is pretty much the same. They play with a little more freedom. But understand also that we’re far from the team they saw last year here, too.”
Today’s 7 p.m. game will represent the first time in history that No. 20 WSU has played in Pullman as a ranked team to host another ranked team. The Ducks are ranked seventh in the nation.
Different might not be bad for WSU (17-3, 6-2 Pac-10), which hasn’t defeated Oregon in the last 11 tries, dating back to the 2001 season. Since then, the Cougars have defeated every other Pac-10 team at least once. Oregon (18-2, 6-2) might also look for a change of pace after losing to Washington 89-77 on Thursday night.
The Ducks were playing without Aaron Brooks, their top player, who was suspended for the one game as a result of an elbow he threw in the Pac-10 tournament against the Huskies last season. Without Brooks, the Oregon defense suffered against Washington’s up-tempo attack and as a result Kent’s team fell out of a first-place tie.
“That was a hard game to watch,” said Brooks, who viewed the game at his aunt’s house in the Seattle area. Brooks said he even tried to text message freshman guard Tajuan Porter at halftime to offer encouragement. “I don’t feel I have anything to prove, but Washington State’s a great team. And if we win this game, we get our split.”
With Brooks back in the lineup, the Cougars are clearly concerned about Oregon’s athletic four-guard look. The Ducks feature five players who average more than 10 points a game, and attempt to crank up the tempo to take advantage of their speed.
“This probably is the quickest team in the league and arguably the best,” WSU coach Tony Bennett said. “Their quickness and their ability to get down the floor and play fast … some people think it’s better than Arizona … and it might be. It’s going to test us.”
The record doesn’t lie, either. It’s a test that the Cougars have failed in years past, and they are clearly hoping that the vast improvement made by this year’s team will show against the Ducks as well.
“I really want to see how we play against these guys,” said WSU junior Robbie Cowgill, who led all scorers with 18 points in Thursday night’s 70-55 win against Oregon State. “This is the one team coming into the Pac-10 season that I’m always most concerned about. I’m interested to see how we play them just because we’ve had so much trouble in the past. Even UCLA, I feel like we’re going to grind it out with them and it’s going to be a close game at the end. With Oregon, if you don’t do things the right way it’s got a chance, it’s got the potential to get ugly.”
Notes
Oregon’s Adam Zahn (concussion) will not be available for today’s game, Kent said. … The Oregon coach would not commit to a starting lineup, but in all likelihood he’ll use both Porter and Brooks in the backcourt. If that’s the case, the 5-foot-6 Porter will almost certainly have to guard Derrick Low, since WSU’s other guard, Kyle Weaver, is a full foot taller than Porter.