The Washington State Cougars will play the California Golden Bears on Saturday at Haas Pavilion. Tip-off from Berkeley, CA, is at 2:00 p.m. PT.
Wazzu (14-15 SU, 15-14 ATS) beat Stanford on Thursday. The Cougars are 4-1 straight-up in their past five and 9-9 in Pac-12 Conference competition.
Cal (3-25 SU, 11-17 ATS) was defeated by Washington on Thursday. The Golden Bears are 0-5 straight-up in their past five and 2-15 in Pac-12 play. Senior guard DeJuan Clayton (9.2 PPG) is questionable to play after missing the last three games with an illness.
Washington State beat Cal 66-51 on January 11. The Cougars used a 35-21 second-half advantage to pin the Bears. WSU shot 46.0 percent and held California to 35.8 percent. Cal still leads the all-time series 76-54.
Washington State has won four straight, building momentum into the upcoming Pac-12 Tournament. Will Wazzu go on a run into the tourney?
The Cougars won a tight battle with Stanford Thursday, outshooting the home team from the field and behind the arc. The Cardinal never trailed by double digits but couldn't get over the hump. Wazzu shot 50 percent overall with a 48.0 shooting percentage from distance. Junior guard TJ Bamba paced the Cougars with 22 points.
The basket that put the Cougs up with less than a minute to play! @TjBamba_ tuff ????#GoCougs #WAZZU pic.twitter.com/BSuwBEXUEx
— WSU Men's Basketball (@WSUCougarMBB) February 24, 2023
Wazzu averages 67.4 points per game (290th) and shoots 42.4 percent from the floor (297th) with a 36.8 three-point shooting percentage (55th). The Cougars convert 70.4 percent of their free throws (223rd) and average 31.8 rebounds (181st) with a +2.0 rebounding margin. Washington State is 76th in KenPom's schedule-adjusted offensive efficiency.
The Cougars give up 65.0 points per game (57th), and their opponents shoot 44.7 percent from the field (252nd), including 32.0 percent from long range (69th). WSU is 58th in adjusted defensive efficiency.
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