Sports - Local Colleges - Washington State

POSTED: Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Cougars take on ranked Sun Devils

The Washington State Cougars fled frigid Pullman to seek sun and fun in Arizona.

The Cougars have already accomplished the first part of their goal. As for the fun part … well, that might be a bit more challenging.

Washington State’s hopes for an upper-half finish in the Pacific-10 Conference may be determined over the next 10 days. The first of four consecutive road games is set for tonight at 14th-ranked Arizona State.

The Sun Devils (16-3, 5-2 Pac-10) might be even better than WSU (11-8, 3-4) defensively, and they’re far better offensively. Perhaps more importantly, ASU has James Harden, and the Cougars – like just about every other team in the country – has no one in the same stratosphere.

Harden, a 6-foot-5, 218-pound guard, is widely projected as the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft behind Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin if the two sophomores decide to turn pro this summer.

Harden can pound it inside or pop it from outside, and he’s a slick passer and quality defender. He leads the Pac-10 with 22 points, 1.9 steals and 6.3 free throws made per game. He also averages 5.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists and shoots 54 percent from the floor, including 40 percent on 3-pointers.

“He’s so strong,” WSU coach Tony Bennett said. “When his jumper is falling, it’s a nightmare.”

The Sun Devils, who employ a variety of aggressive zone defenses, rank seventh in the latest official NCAA Division I statistics (through Sunday) with 57.8 points allowed per game. WSU remains first at 52.5, but the Sun Devils average 72.3 points for (103rd) and shoot 49.5 percent from the field (eighth). WSU averages 58.5 points for (321st out of 330 teams) with 42.6 percent shooting (215th).

“It’s hard for us to score,” Bennett summed up. “That’s just the way it is.”

To make up for the lack of offense, Bennett says the Cougars must be uncommonly tough mentally and defensively. Of course, that can only carry a team so far if you can’t muster a decent offense.

“We’ve been in so many close games, and it’s because our defense has held us in there even when we’ve labored to score,” Bennett said.

“We just have to keep challenging our kids not to let that slide, because that’s what gives us a chance. If that’s not real strong, then we’re not going to even be in games and have heartbreaking losses.”

Notes

ASU sophomore guard Rihards Kuksiks leads Division I in 3-point shooting percentage at 48.6. He’s third in the Pac-10 due to different statistical guidelines. … ASU senior Jeff Pendergraph, a ferocious post player, leads the Pac-10 and ranks fourth nationally with 67.5 percent shooting from the field. … ASU is 8-0 at home. WSU is 2-0 in Pac-10 road games. … Thanks to a 46-for-47 effort the past three games, WSU has climbed to seventh nationally in free-throw shooting percentage (77.7). Taylor Rochestie ranks fourth individually at 91.2. … ASU coach Herb Sendek, known for his bland quotes except when making sugary comments about upcoming opponents, had this to say about the Cougars after they shot 27.5 percent from the field and scored 44 points in last week’s loss to USC: “They’re playing excellent basketball.” … Bennett remains quite pleased with the play of freshman guard Klay Thompson. “As he continues to get physically stronger and improve the layers of his game, it’ll be fun to watch him develop,” Bennett said. … A fifth consecutive WSU win over Arizona State would even the all-time series at 32-32. … WSU is 3-0 against teams that currently have losing Pac-10 records and 0-4 against teams that currently have winning Pac-10 records.