We are 0-3 against the Washington schools this season. Considering we beat UA and UCLA twice, this record is unacceptable. This was supposed to be our year, and we are barely clinging to the possibility of a Pac-10 title.
Luckily, we are still in a great position. We have a quality team with good role players, and the star of our show is playing well. James Harden's great steal with 20 seconds to go in the UW game nearly gave us the momentum to win it all.
Unfortunately, Harden and Jeff Pendergraph fouled out on iffy calls, and Washington went on to take care of business in overtime.
Last time we played the Cougars, we were coming off a big win on the road in Tucson. Apparently, we were unable to keep our intensity up, and we dropped both home games unceremoniously to the Washington schools.
Here was the preview to our last game against Wazzu, and here is a Q&A with the CougCenter bloggers about that game. Most of it still applies: SHUT DOWN KLAY THOMPSON!
Washington State is 7-9 in Pac-10 play, good for 8th place. Overall, they are 15-13, and need to win the Pac-10 tournament to have any chance to dance in March.
But a good tuneup for the Pac-10 tournament is to beat a quality team like the Sun Devils, and you can bet they will be a tough matchup.
Oh, and if you missed our interview with ASU LB Mike Nixon, check it out! He has a great story.