Washington State (+1.5) at USC - 5:00pm Pacific - Game #847-848

The Cougars are not getting their due respect from oddsmakers.  Dick Bennett is a very good head coach and in his third year at WSU has his best team yet.  They have won 8 of their last 11 games with all three losses coming vs ranked teams Gonzaga, Arizona, and UCLA.  The loss at UCLA on Saturday was by just two points despite a very slow start.  WSU lost starting point guard Derrick Low for the season two games back but sophomore guard Josh Akognon has stepped up in a huge way.  He scored 27 points in road win at Washington earning Pac-10 player of the week honors and followed that performance with 25 points at UCLA.  He has hit six three pointers in each of the last two games.  Fellow guard Kyle Weaver has also played very well in recent weeks.  In addition to the marquee win at Washington, the Cougars have also blown out some decent teams in Utah, Portland, Arizona State, and Wyoming, and won by 11 at San Diego State.  This is basically a team full of no-name's and appropriately they do not wear names on the back of their jerseys.  The Cougars rank sixth in the country in field goal percentage defense despite not playing many cupcakes.  It is no surprise that they lead the Pac-10 in field goal percentage defense as well as points allowed, but most people do not realize that they also rank third in the conference in field goal percentage shooting.

 

This is a horrible matchup for USC.  The Trojans do not have the maturity, discipline, or depth to play 40 minutes of tough half-court basketball vs a team like Washington State.  I anticipate USC having a very difficult time generating offense in this game and eventually getting worn down physically.  USC is still trying to survive with only two legitimate post options while freshman big man Cromwell is sidelined with a foot injury.  Washington State does not have any dominant big men but 6-10/245 Aaron Baynes and 6-9/248 Chris Henry can really push their weight around.  USC had a nice home atmosphere two weeks ago when they played Stanford and Cal at the Staples Center but this weekend they are back at the dungeon like Sports Arena.  It will be hard to get many fans out for a Saturday game vs Washington State.

 

I always knew Washington State played great defense, but I never really appreciated it until seeing it in person Thursday night at UCLA.  This team flat out gets it done defensively.  Their coach demands nothing less.  It is not like anything USC has or will see all year.  It would not be surprising if USC is held to under 50 points in this game.  Offensively the Cougars may not be pretty but they rarely hurt themselves and eventually get their share of good looks.  Expect an outright win.

 

RAS Official Play:  Washington State +1.5  1 UNIT