With road matchup against Gonzaga looming, WSU staying focused on home game against Pacific
PULLMAN – During Washington State’s men’s basketball practice Tuesday, with two games coming up this weekend, the Cougars adopted a new rule: No saying the word “Gonzaga.”
Everyone in the Cougars’ program, from head coach David Riley to the walk-ons, recognizes what’s on the horizon. On Saturday, WSU will travel to take on No. 18 Gonzaga, renewing a rivalry that has spent a decade on the shelf. A sellout is expected for the anticipated matchup.
But the Cougars are waiting to speak the Zags’ name because they have another game first. On a four-game winning streak, WSU is set to host Pacific on Thursday, a dangerous contest if the Cougs aren’t careful. The struggling Tigers may have lost nine straight, but WSU is taking care not to look too far ahead.
“Just trying to focus on Pacific,” WSU guard Nate Calmese said. “They’re a good team. Obviously, they’ve lost nine in a row, but anybody can beat anybody in college basketball.
“We just want to come in, focus on that. That’s the most important thing in front of us right now, is beating them. Obviously, we know Gonzaga is a big game. We want to beat them, but there’s something bigger in front of us before that.”
WSU is 13-3 overall and 3-0 in the West Coast Conference. Pacific (5-13, 0-4) has just three Division I wins this season. The Tigers’ last victory came Nov. 30 over Cal State Fullerton. Since then, they’ve dropped games to Colorado, Illinois State, UNLV, Portland State, Idaho, Saint Mary’s, San Diego, San Francisco and Pepperdine, dropping to the bottom of the WCC standings.
Three Tigers are averaging double figures in points: senior wing Elias Ralph (17.1 ppg), junior wing Elijah Fisher (16.9 ppg) and junior guard Lamar Washington (11.2 ppg). Pacific averages 70.4 points per game, ninth of 11 WCC teams, and it’s connecting on about six 3-pointers per game, which ranks 10th.
It’s been a struggle on both ends for the Tigers and first-year head coach Dave Smart, who spent last season as an assistant at Texas Tech. Before that, Smart coached 18 seasons at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, where he totaled 656 victories. Around the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Riley said, he watched an online clinic Smart put on.
“I thought it was very unique,” Riley said. “It kind of stuck with me, some of the defensive concepts they have.”
Years later, Riley’s WSU team has a chance to exploit a Pacific defense that ranks near the bottom nationally in several defensive metrics. KenPom gives the Tigers’ defensive efficiency a mark of 112, No. 301, and they’re generating turnovers on about 15% of defensive possessions – No. 320. Pacific is allowing opponents an effective field-goal percentage of 53%, No. 272.
WSU’s offense is still hitting its stride with four key players out with injuries. In their win over San Francisco last weekend, five Cougars scored in double figures, including 24 points and 12 rebounds from wing LeJuan Watts, and 20 points from forward Ethan Price. Forward Dane Erikstrup added 16.
Perhaps more important, the Cougs need a win to avoid a bad loss on their NCAA Tournament resume.
Pacific is No. 307 in the NET rankings, making this a Quad 4 game for WSU, which ranks No. 65.
The Cougars are 1-1 in Quad 1 games, 4-2 in Quad 2, 2-0 in Quad 3 and 6-0 in Quad 4, good for a spot just outside the bubble, according to an update Wednesday from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.
The Cougars could bolster their resume with a win over the Zags on Saturday. First, though, they have business to take care of.
“I think we’re just so good when we’re focused on the process, and we’re focused on what’s at hand,” Riley said.
“We’ve got a lot of guys with big goals. When we start talking about those goals and talking about the future, that’s when we start getting lost with where we’re at right now. So we’re just trying to stay focused on what matters.”