Sports - Local Colleges - Washington State

POSTED: Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009

Washington State (11-8) at (14) Arizona State (16-3)

GAME NOTES: The 14th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils are clearly favored in tonight's Pac-10 Conference clash with the Washington State Cougars.

With back-to-back losses, Washington State has fallen to 11-8 overall and 3-4 in conference action. The Cougars dropped a 46-44 decision to USC on Saturday, and the team is now an even 6-6 at home. Fortunately, the club is 3-1 in true road games, a reason to carry some confidence into tonight's tilt in Tempe.

Arizona State will not be short on confidence either, as the team has won all eight of its home games to date. The Sun Devils have captured victories in two straight outings and four of their last five overall, including a 53-47 triumph over Arizona on January 21st. They have been idle since that clash and figure to be well-rested for tonight's showdown.

Arizona State holds a 32-31 series edge over Washington State, as the Cougars have narrowed the gap with four straight wins over the Sun Devils.

Taylor Rochestie is scoring 12.2 ppg to lead Washington State, and he has dished out 90 assists as well. Clearly, his scoring average would be even better if not for his disappointing 38.8 percent shooting from the field. Aaron Baynes provides 11.9 ppg and 7.1 rpg for the Cougars, and he is hitting 59.4 percent from the floor. The third and final double-digit scorer on the roster is Klay Thompson with his 11.5 ppg. Washington State is posting a lowly 58.5 ppg this season while limiting opponents to 52.5 ppg on 36.9 percent field goal efficiency. In the two-point loss to USC on Saturday, Thompson scored 15 points, and Baynes added 12 points and nine rebounds before fouling out. The Cougars only connected on 27.5 percent of their field goal attempts, the most obvious reason for the setback.

How important is James Harden to Arizona State? Well, only four times this season has a player other than Harden led the team in scoring. The star guard is racking up 22.0 ppg, and his 53.8 percent shooting from the field is certainly impressive. More than just a scorer, Harden is pulling down 5.7 rpg to go along with 80 assists and 36 steals. Jeff Pendergraph provides 13.6 ppg and 7.5 rpg, while Rihards Kuksiks checks in with 10.6 ppg. The Sun Devils are generating 72.3 ppg through 19 outings, and they are limiting opponents to 57.8 ppg on 39.6 percent shooting from the floor. In the six-point win over rival Arizona last week, Harden scored 21 points. Derek Glasser added 13, while Pendergraph finished with 11 points and 14 boards. Arizona State only connected on 28.6 percent of its field goal attempts, but the squad played strong defense and only turned the ball over nine times.

Arizona State is clearly the better team in this matchup and will have little difficulty imposing its will on the visiting Cougars.

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Predicted Outcome