Thursday, March 12, 2009

Staples Center empty

It's obvious the tournament isn't drawing well. The attendance at Staples Center was listed at 16,271 but that was more like 11,000 tops. After a UCLA-USC matchup was cinched, tournament officials handed out fliers offering tickets for $10 to the semifinal game. You would expect UCLA-USC on a Friday night to fill the house, but in this city with this economy, it won't even come close.

Still, there will be two good games tomorrow night starting with Arizona State-Washington and we will have all the action and details beginning at 6.


Talk to you tomorrow.

UCLA 64, Washington State 53, Notes and Quotes

UCLA coach Ben Howland: "I thought we really did a good job defensively. I was particularly pleased with Jrue Holiday's defense against Klay Thompson. It was a good overall team performance. We're excited that we won and look forward to playing tomorrow."

Point guard Darren Collison: "I thought the team played great today. I don't know if it was the late start, but we played well."


UCLA

Darren Collison -- 15 points
Nikola Dragoivic -- 12 points, six rebounds
Jrue Holiday and Josh Shipp -- 10 points each

WASHINGTON STATE

Aron Baynes -- 22 points, 8-for-15 from the field
Taylor Rochestie -- 8 points, 1-for-11 shooting

Baynes -- 8-for-15
Rest of Cougars -- 10-for-45 (22 percent)

Final from Los Angeles: UCLA 64, Washington State 53

The score was closer than the game indicated but the Cougars never relented, forcing UCLA coach Ben Howland to insert his starters with 1:31 left and that still did nothing. Washington State cut the deficit to 60-53 after an Aron Baynes dunk with 31 seconds left and this performance has likely cinched the NIT for Washington State, which got 22 points from Baynes, who manhanded Alfred Aboya in the paint.

UCLA 57, Washington State 41 -- 3:40 left




(The Bruins during a time out)




The Bruins are doing what good teams do, putting a hurting on a tired team as the Cougars aren't sharp and have been a step slow the entire game.

WSU was lucky to be behind 33-21 at the break, shooting 21 percent from the field and getting 3-for-24 shooting from all Cougs not named Aron Baynes. They were a couple of 3-point baskets from making it interesting in the second half but weren't capable of such a run. Darren Collison leads UCLA with 11 points while Baynes has 11.

So it will be UCLA vs. USC and Arizona State-Washington in the semifinals.

Sitting with Dick Enberg


Sat at a Staples Center table with legendary announcer Dick Enberg, who will call the Pac-10 Championship on Saturday for CBS. Eavesdropped on a conversation with former Arizona State coach Bill Frieder and Enberg said, "I haven't had a real job in 50 years." Enberg was talking announcing with Frieder, who now calls games on radio during the college postseason.


Enberg is a definite icon and joked with Frieder that he gets a kick out of younger people saying how they remember certain games and Enberg interjects that he called that game. Good stuff.


Final: USC 79, Cal 75 -- Floyd vs. Randle


(Cal coach Mike Montgomery (left) addresses the media following the 79-75 loss with Patrick Christopher looking on)

By far the best game of the tournament turned heated in the final seconds when Cal guard Jerome Randle shoved USC coach Tim Floyd after making a turnover with under 3 seconds left. Daniel Hackett had just put the Trojans ahead 77-75 with two free throws with 3.8 seconds left and Randle bobbled a pass from Theo Robertson out of bounds. Randle chased the ball out of bounds and pushed Floyd in frustration as he was barking orders to his USC players.

Floyd handled the situation with class after the game, following an apology from Randle, who missed two of three free throws that could have tied the game at 72 with 1:14 left. Dwight Lewis responded with a critical 3-pointer for a 75-70 lead and Cal then rallied with a Theo Robertson 3-pointers, a defensive stop and then a Randle runner for the tie.

USC's Hackett posted up the smaller Randle, who got a foul call by holding Hackett's wrist, not exactly a butcher foul to decide a game, but it was a foul.

Cal played like an NCAA Tournament team in the second half, but USC played like one throughout the game, which has to serve as a source of frustration for USC fans because the Trojans are likely likely headed for the NIT.

USC outrebounded Cal 53-27, most of those was pure desire. DeMar DeRozan and Taj Gibson equaled Cal's rebounding totals themselves.

"I could have told you the way they were going to come out," Cal coach Mike Montgomery said of USC. "I could have told you they were going to come out with a chip on their shoulder. I could have told you they were going to come out and be physical and they were going to try to manhandle us and run us off and they did precisely that. It just took us a long time (to warm up) and it's happened on a number of occasions. Most of those times we bounced back and won games. It's something, I can't explain it."

Cal shot 56 percent in the second half compared with 41 for USC, but the Trojans always seemed to get the key rebound or loose ball, and that again was desire. Taj Gibson was a monster in the paint and Cal had no answer. Gibson is 24 years old and could dominate the Pac-10 again next year if he returned, and I'm sure the other nine coaches don't want to see him back.

He finished with 21 points, 16 rebounds and hit five of his six free throws. USC has Sweet 16 talent and I was quite impressed with DeRozan, who over matched Jorge Gutierrez and was able to get his shot off at will. He finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds. My key player was Lewis and his 3-pointer was pivotal because it turned a two-point lead into a five-point lead.

"We've been practicing hard all week," Hackett said. "We just carried that intensity into the game."

Said Floyd about Randle: "He's a good kid. He played a great game."


CAL

Randle -- 18 points on 6-for-14 shooting
Christopher -- 15 on 5-for-15 shooting
Gutierrez -- 14 on 5-for-10
Jordan Wilkes -- 4 points and one rebound in 14 minutes.


USC

Gibson -- 21 points, 16 rebounds
DeRozan -- 17 points, 11 rebounds
Hackett -- 15 points, seven assists .

USC -- 22 offensive rebounds.

Halftime: USC 42, Cal 27

This is especially tough to watch being a Cal grad but it's easy to see why the Bears could be home for the summer by this time next week if they lose in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Being behind their bench, you could hear frustrated players arguing, including Harper Kamp, who picked up three early fouls and challenged his teammates to be aggressive. Jorge Gutierrez, the sparkplug guard, was angry late in the first half after not getting help seizing a loose ball.

The Bears are a mess and, as this blog expected, USC is playing like a team that should have competed for the Pac-10 title.

The halftime numbers are mind-boggling. USC is outrebounding Cal 32-13. Yes, 32-13. With DeMar DeRozan and Taj Gibson combined for 17. The trio of Theo Robertson, Jerome Randle and Patrick Christopher is a combined 4-for-18 for 11 points. Christopher mysteriously was named to the All Pac-10 first team earlier this week but he hasn't played like an all-conference performer since a triple-overtime win at Washington.

Washington 85, Stanfrord 73: notes and quotes

Thanks to Pac-10 media relations:

Washington coach Lorenzo Romar: "Going into this game we knew how hard Stanford has played us. They are dangerous offensively and we did a good job to get a victory. We probably turned the ball over many times. We were a bit sloppy but we did a good job in the second half of converting and stepped up and did very well. We are just excited that we are advancing in the tournament."

On Stanford's offense:

"Any time you play against someone, if you can get them to take contested perimeter shots you have a better chance to come out on top. They can really shoot the 3-ball and obviously when they are hitting them they are really hard to deal with. We did a pretty good job for the most part of contesting those threes."

On Elston Turner:

"(His three 3-pointers) were huge as we were having trouble taking care of the basketball and not really having an offensive rhythm. He gave us a little breathing room with those 3's before the half. I thought it was a great momentum builder for us going into the second half. Elston is capable of coming in and hitting five or six."

On next opponent Arizona State:

"ASU plays us to the wire and really makes us work, We are going to have to do a great job determining the pace. They are a really, really difficult club to play against."

Washington guard Isaiah Thomas:

"We came out in the second half and did a better job but we need to be better on the defensive end."

Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins:

"I thought it was an incredible game. Washington is a really, really good team. They played extremely well, especially in the second half. I'm proud of my kids. We competed the entire night, and they were the better team tonight. Give them credit."

On the pace:

"We found the tempo for the most part. We've been playing a little faster and as long as we get what we want when we got into transition offensively we were fine. I thought tonight we have some great looks that didn't go down. That's part of shooting the basketball."

Stanford guard Anthony Goods:

"It just came down to shot selection. If they were shooting shots that we were shooting they would have come up short, too. I thought we resorted to the three a little too early. It took its toll on us. They were able to come down and drive to the basket, get fouled and hit their free throws."

NOTES

*The Huskies are 21-3 when leading at the half. ... it is their first win on a neutral court, having going 0-2 in games in Kansas City in December. ... Jon Brockman moved into third place on the Washington career scoring list and now has scored 1,762. ... Washington finished 3-0 against Stanford.

*Anthony Goods has nine games of 20 or more points. ... Mitch Johnson is second on the Stanford career assist list with 518, trailing only veteran NBA guard Brevin Knight. ... Landry Fields produced a career-high 15 rebounds and turned in his fifth double-double of the season.

James Harden. Bearded or not bearded?


This is James Harden (courtesy of ASU) without a beard, looking like a nice young man who is a college sophomore.



This is James Harden, the bearded version, completing a dunk and obviously enjoying the feeling.

Final from Los Angeles: Washington 85, Stanford 73

The Huskies simply wore down the Cardinal, using an early second-half run to coast to the Pac-10 Tournament semifinals. Now comes a matchup with Arizona State in Friday's semifinals. Stanford, perhaps a postseason candidate, finishes the regular season at 18-13 and 7-13 in the Pac-10. We will have to check to see the last time a Pac-10 team has lost all of its games in conference.

Stanford:

Anthony Goods -- 26 points
Landry Fields -- 16 points and 15 rebounds (not a good matchup for Quincy Pondexter)

Washington:

Jon Brockman -- 20 points, 8 rebounds
Isaiah Thomas -- 14 points
Quincy Pondexter -- 11 points

Washington wins rebound battle 48-39

Washington 75, Stanford 68 -- 5:03 left -- Isaiah Thomas takes over

Isaish Thomas has come alive with 11 points in the second half with his winding style that frustrates because he is small enough to fit through opposing defenders. But is Thomas considering leaving school early? He said a few weeks ago he would have to consider it if he was a first-round pick and there are dozens of NBA scouts here watching him dominate his matchup with Stanford's Mitch Johnson.

Washington 67, Stanford 59 -- second half

This was expected to be an interesting game because both teams are physical and Stanford is probably the best ninth-place conference team in the country. Sitting behind the Huskies bench, it's interested to see how much coaching former UCLA player Cameron Dollar does. The question for Dollar is how much longer he will have to wait for a head coaching position of his own.

Two jobs have just opened up -- Elon and Boston University -- two mid majors that may be a perfect fit for the 33-year-old Dollar. Of course, he may want something bigger and closet to his native Atlanta.

Back to the game: The Huskies led 38-35 at halftime fueled by three 3-pointers from Elston Turner, who came to Washington with the reputation of being a premium shooter. He has proved that. Eight of the 10 Huskies who played scored in the first half and I'm especially impressed with Englishmen Matthew Bryan-Amaning, who has a toughness that every team needs and he should be a nice replace for Jon Brockman next year in the starting lineup.

Stanford keeps hanging around but the matchup between the Cardinal's Landry Fields and Washington's Quincy Pondexter is a mismatch. Fielders scored 13 at halftime with eight rebounds and his combination of bulk and athleticism drives Pondexter crazy.

Pac-10 Tournament Game 6

PAC-10 TOURNAMENT -- GAME 6

WASHINGTON STATE vs. UCLA

WHEN/WHERE: 8:30 p.m. tonight, Staples Center

TV: FSN

WASHINGTON STATE (17-14, 9-10 Pac-10)

Wildcats starting lineup Pts. Reb. Ast.
G Taylor Rochestie (Sr.) 13.3 3.6 4.7
G Marcus Capers (Fr.) 1.4 2.3 1.2
F Klay Thompson (Fr.) 13.0 4.0 1.8
F Nikola Koprivica(Jr.) 3.3 2.5 1.6
C Aron Baynes (Sr.) 12.2 7.5 0.6

UCLA (24-7, 13-5)

Bruins starting lineup Pts. Reb. Ast.
G Darren Collison (Sr.) 14.8 2.5 5.0
G Josh Shipp (Sr.) 14.4 3.0 1.6
G Jrue Holiday(Fr.) 8.6 3.7 0.6
F Nikola Dragovic (Jr.) 9.2 4.0 1.5
C Alfred Aboya (Sr.) 10.1 6.0 0.6


WHAT TO KNOW: A battle of tempos and strong defenses conclude the night at Staples Center and despite the dramatic differences between these two schools -- one is in LA and the other is in Pullman, Wash. (have you ever been to Pullman). As former coach George Raveling once said, "It's not the end of the world, but you can see it from there." -- the similarities are striking, starting with the defensive philosophy. The matchup between Collison and Rochestie should be an interesting one because both are scorers who have habits of hot streaks. Rochestie was brilliant in the previous meeting against UCLA while Collison is consistently a productive scorer. It will make waiting for the first three games worth it. ... Also look for Baynes against Aboya and how the two matchup burliness against athleticism. ... The Cougars are likely already in the NIT and a victory tonight may give them a first-round home game.


WHO TO WATCH: Dragovic is a late bloomer whom few expected to make the impact this season that he has. He burned Washington State in the first meeting and his 3-point shooting make UCLA tough to defend because he stretches the floor. A couple of long-range bombs for Dragovic make for a long night for the Cougars.


HEAD TO HEAD: This is the third meeting between the two clubs and each team won on the road. Dragovic scored 20 points and the Bruins staved off a WSU surge in the late going for a 61-59 win at the Palhouse on Jan. 22. Rochestie had the game of his career, tallying 33 points, including five 3-pointers, as he single-handedly carried the Cougars to an 82-81 win on Feb. 21. The Bruins played their worst game of the season defensively.

WASHBURN'S PICK: The Bruins are the better team and the Cougs finally run out of gas in the second half 78-66 UCLA.

Final: Arizona State 68, Arizona 56

What was expected to be a highly competitive war turned into a dude as Arizona ran out of gas and interim coach Russ Pennell likely wrote his ticket out of Tucson. The Arizona coaching job is officially open.

The Wildcats shot 26 percent in the second half and produced 22 points. Their offense was stymied by Arizona State's physical style and they were relegated to launching 3-pointers. Jordan Hill and Nic Wise combined for 38 of the 56 points and 15-for-35 shooting. The rest of the team: 7-for-27.

The biggest disappointment was Chase Budinger, who keeps getting tabbed as a solid NBA prospect but his play has never reflected that. He finished with eight points on 3-for-15 shooting and he took nine 3-pointers, hitting one. Perhaps he should stay in school and work on his game, because he may be another Casey Jacobsen, a scorer whose game can't translate to the NBA.

As for the Sun Devils, a very solid performance, shooting 52 percent for the game, led by 27 points from the bearded one, James Harden. He needs to stop taking 3-pointers (1-for-7) but with his left-handed, unorthodox game, he is difficult to stop in the paint. And remember, he is a legitimate 6-foot-5, so he is an NBA shooting guard waiting to blossom.

Jeff Pendergraph, whom I believe will be on an NBA squad next season (maybe as a D-Leaguer) finished with 10 points and nine rebounds and did want he needed to do. He took just six shots, making four, a testament why he is leading the nation in field goal percentage.

Said Harden: "Until they call our name we are not in the tournament, yet, so we have to keep winning games."

Pac-10 Tournament Game 5

PAC-10 TOURNAMENT -- GAME 5

USC vs. CALIFORNIA

WHEN/WHERE: 6 p.m. tonight, Staples Center

TV: FSN

USC(18-12, 9-9 Pac-10)

Wildcats starting lineup Pts. Reb. Ast.
G Daniel Hackett(Jr.) 12.3 4.0 4.8
G Dwight Lewis (Jr.) 14.2 3.3 2.0
F DeMar DeRozan(Fr.) 12.9 5.3 1.3
F Taj Gibson(Jr.) 14.4 9.3 1.1
F Keith Wilkinson (Sr.) 2.7 2.7 1.0

CALIFORNIA (22-9, 11-7)

Golden Bears starting lineup Pts. Reb. Ast.
G Jerome Randle (Jr.) 18.5 3.1 5.0
G Patrick Christopher (Jr.) 14.6 3.8 2.1
G Theo Roberston (Jr.) 12.8 3.8 2.5
F Jamal Boykin (Jr.) 9.7 6.5 0.9
C Jordan Wilkes(Jr.) 4.8 4.0 1.0


WHAT TO KNOW: The Bears could use a win to improve their NCAA seeding and set up semifinal showdown potentially with UCLA. Cal is pretty much a lock for the tournament but a loss could drop the Bears to perhaps a ninth or 10th seed, so the game is critical. ... Speaking of critical, that's USC's NCAA chances and the Trojans need a couple of wins at the Pac-10 Tournament to perhaps give the committee something to think about. USC has a very interesting roster. Gibson is a 24-year-old junior and Hackett is a 20-year-old junior. The team's infighting has become a major issue and perhaps coach Tim Floyd is losing control of the program, although that is something he will never admit. USC is no doubt one of the more talented teams in the conference while conversly it's hard to reason why Cal is reaching the NCAA Tournament after losing its leading scorer (Ryan Anderson) to the NBA Draft. But the two teams are in inverse positions, which will make for an interesting matchup.


WHO TO WATCH: Lewis struggled during conference season, shooting 37 percent, including a fist fight with Hackett after a home loss to Washington. But if he is on and the 3-point shot is going down, Cal could be in trouble.


HEAD TO HEAD: This is the third meeting between the two clubs and each team won at home. Four Trojans scored in double figures and USC went on a monster second-half run for a 73-62 win on Jan. 31 at Galen Center. DeRozan scored 19 points. Christopher tallied 29 as Cal held off the Trojans 81-78 in overtime. The Trojans missed 12 free throws.

WASHBURN'S PICK: The Bears hold on in a while one, 68-67, but don't go to Vegas on that one.

Halftime: Arizona 34, Arizona State 32

The Sun Devils, wearing their white uniforms (we are seated right behind their bench) dominated play thought out the first half of the first half, leading by as much as 18-11, but the Wildcats, fighting for their tournament lives, rallied behind an inspired Jordan Hill, who dominated the paint with 12 points and six rebounds and looks as if he is getting close to healthy following a bad ankle sprain two weeks ago against Washington.

Arizona: Hill 12 points
Nic Wise: 9 points
Jamelle Horne: 8 points
Chase Budinger: 3 points on 1-for-6 shooting.

Question: do you think Budinger should enter the NBA Draft? He doesnt look like an NBA player today.


Arizona State:
Ty Abbott: 8 points
James Harden (with beard): 8 points
Jeff Pendergraph: 6 points, one rebound.

Question for Arizona State: Do you think Harden should go pro?

Finally a connection

It's been a struggle to get connected here at Staples Center but I have hurried back into the media room and away from the court to pass along notes on the opening game Arizona vs. Arizona State.

The atmosphere is much better than the night before. There's about 6,000 in the Staples Center and it's a vibrant feeling as two bitter rivals go at it. Already seen is Lorenzo Romar, who is prepping his team for Game 2 against the Stanford Cardinal.

Pac-10 Tournament Game 4

PAC-10 TOURNAMENT -- GAME 4

STANFORD vs. WASHINGTON

WHEN/WHERE: 2:30 today, Staples Center

TV: FSN

Stanford (18-12, 6-11 Pac-10)

Cardinal starting lineup Pts. Reb. Ast.
G Mitch Johnson (Sr.) 6.9 2.5 4.4
G Anthony Goods (Sr.) 15.9 3.4 1.8
G/F Landry Fields (Jr.) 12.6 6.4 1.9
F Lawrence Hill (Sr.) 13.6 5.6 2.5
F/C Josh Owens (Fr.) 7.3 3.6 0.8

WASHINGTON (24-7, 14-4)

Huskies starting lineup Pts. Reb. Ast.
G Isaiah Thomas (Fr.) 15.4 2.9 2.6
G Justin Dentmon (Sr.) 15.3 2.8 2.5
F Quincy Pondexter (Jr.) 11.6 5.7 1.5
F Darnell Gant (Fr.) 3.2 3.5 0.5
C Jon Brockman (Sr.) 14.8 11.5 1.1


WHAT TO KNOW: The Huskies are still basking over their conference title, Washington's first ever unshared Pac-10 crown, and will try to use the tournament perhaps to gain a No. 2 seed in Portland in next week's first-round of the NCAA Tournament. A loss to Stanford probably drops the Huskies to a No. 4 seed, so Lorenzo Romar's club indeed has something to play for Friday afternoon. The Huskies took home several Pac-10 honors, including Thomas as Freshman of the Year and Dentmon as Most Improved. The question is do they have enough energy to win three games in three games or should they rest for the NCAAs? ... Stanford will provide a physical challenge and the two played two grueling games during the regular season. Coach Johnny Dawkins has done a solid job during his first year as a NCAA Division I head coach after seemingly forever as an assistant at Duke. Dawkins has found out that the Pac-10 isn't so easy or soft, as the Cardinal finished ninth in the conference following an 11-0 start. The Cardinal has enough talent to push Washington but players such as Goods and Hill need career nights.


WHO TO WATCH: Dentmon seems to be the team leader and the player who can score a key basket when the Huskies need it. Did we ever think that would be the case? Remember, Dentmon was benched during his junior season and was considered a mediocre player until this -- his senior -- season.


HEAD TO HEAD: This is the third meeting between the two clubs and Washington has won both previous games, an 84-83 win at Seattle on Jan. 8 and 75-68 victory on Feb. 8 in Palo Alto. Pondexter has averaged 17 points in the two games.

WASHBURN'S PICK: The Cardinal push Washington for about 30 minutes and then the Huskies wear them down en route to a potential matchup with Arizona -- 72-61.

Game 3: Arizona vs. Arizona State

PAC-10 TOURNAMENT -- GAME 3

ARIZONA vs. ARIZONA STATE

WHEN/WHERE: Noon today, Staples Center

TV: FSN

ARIZONA (19-12, 9-9 Pac-10)

Wildcats starting lineup Pts. Reb. Ast.
G Nic Wise (Jr.) 15.0 2.4 4.6
G Kyle Fogg (Jr.) 6.4 2.4 1.7
F Chase Budinger (Jr.) 18.2 6.4 3.4
F Jamelle Horne (So.) 6.7 5.1 1.3
C Jordan Hill (Jr.) 18.5 11.0 1.4

ARIZONA STATE (22-8, 11-7)

Sun Deviks starting lineup Pts. Reb. Ast.
G Derek Glasser (Jr.) 8.0 2.0 4.9
G Ty Abbott(So.) 6.3 4.1 1.6
G James Harden (So.) 20.8 5.4 4.1
G Rihards Kuksiks (So.) 10.8 4.0 1.4
C Jeff Pendergraph (Sr.) 14.4 8.5 1.0


WHAT TO KNOW: A brutal rivalry begins the day and the Wildcats need this game a lot more than their counterparts to the north. Arizona is squarely on the bubble and a third loss to Arizona State likely would end its NCAA Tournament hopes. So there is much to play for and this is what makes Pac-10 Tournaments fun -- rivalry games. The Wildcats have perhaps the most talented trio in the conference with Wise, Budinger and Hill, but they rarely play well all in the same game. ... Arizona State stomped on Cal in its season finale and is playing for NCAA seeding, but what team will show up? The Good Sun Devils who dominated Cal, beat UCLA twice and Arizona twice or the bad Devils who lost to Washington State twice, at USC and home to Stanford. ... Harden is the best player in the country college fans really don't know much about. Although his beard makes him look like Isaac Hayes, he is barely 20 years ago. The splendid scorer has tallied double figures in 27 of 30 games en route to Pac-10 Player of the Year honors.


WHO TO WATCH: Kuksiks. The Latvian sharpshooter is nearly a 46 percent 3-point shooter and takes advantage of Harden's dribble penetration and kick outs. He should have a big game.


HEAD TO HEAD: This is the third meeting between the two clubs and Arizona State has won both previous games, a 53-47 win at Tucson on Jan. 21 and 70-68 victory on Feb. 22 in Tempe. Arizona State show 53 percent in the second win.

WASHBURN'S PICK: The Wildcats win a high-scoring contest 75-70 and cling to their NCAA hopes.

Final: Washington State 62, Oregon 40

This was one of those clunkers where Washington State outclassed the Ducks, who were never in this game and depended on one player -- 5-foot-6 Tajuan Porter -- who scored half of Oregon's points.

Washington State's strategy was to pound the ball inside to burly center Aron Baynes and forced the Oregon young big men to stop him. It didn't work. After playing some inspiring ball toward the end of the season, coach Ernie Kent's Ducks looked bad in their final three games, leaving his job status in question. The question for the University of Oregon, with a new arena on the horizon, is do you can Kent after a 2-17 conference record or allow him to come back because Oregon is extremely young and potentially talented.

The Cougars improved to 17-14 and are a cinch for the NIT, likely a first-round game against Weber State, that's my guess.

"I don't think we took a step back against Washington in our final regular season game, but unfortunately didn't come away with one, but we were solid tonight," Washington State coach Tony Bennett said. "We did a nice job getting the ball to inside to Aron. He really got us going offensively. And we made it hard for them. In the first half, even the 3's that they hit, all of them we're pretty well contested."

Now Washington State takes on UCLA in the nightcap on Thursday night. The Cougars won for just the second time at Pauley Pavilion on Feb. 21 as Taylor Rochestie scored 33 points. It should be an interesting game because that was UCLA's last loss and the Bruins are playing for a No. 3 seed.