All about the Pac-10: Wazzu breakthrough
Less than a year after finishing last in the league standings, Washington State has a legitimate chance to win this season's Pac-10 title.
In fact, it may not be a stretch to label the Cougars as the favorites following Thursday's 77-71 victory over No. 15 Baylor in the semifinals of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu.
Washington State will take a 10-1 record – and loads of confidence – into Saturday's championship matchup against a Butler squad that lost to Duke in last season's NCAA title game.
Victories over Gonzaga, Baylor and Mississippi State have certainly enhanced the Cougars' image, but a nationally televised win over Butler on Christmas Day would turn the entire country's attention toward Washington State.
And rightfully so.
The Cougars have a bona-fide star in wing Klay Thompson, who is averaging 21.5 points. The son of former No. 1 NBA draft pick Mychal Thompson made two huge 3-pointers in the closing minutes of Thursday's win over Baylor.
Washington State nearly squandered a 20-point, second-half lead against the Bears but managed to hang tough.
"This year," Thompson told reporters, "we've got so many good players and such a close team that when we face adversity like that we’re not going to fold. We're going to stay strong and keep coming at you."
As good as Thompson has been, he's far from the only star on Washington State's roster.
Junior college transfer Faisal Aden is averaging 16.8 points while returnees such as DeAngelo Casto (team-high 5.9 rebounds) and Reggie Moore (4.2 assists) are also making big contributions.
Former role player Brock Motum has become a force down low and starting guard Marcus Capers is a calming presence in the backcourt.
Washington State is coached by former Portland State coach Ken Bone, who took over two years ago when Tony Bennett left for Virginia.
"I think this game shows everybody in the country how good we can be," Thompson told reporters after the Baylor win. "If we carry this momentum into the Pac-10, we're going to be good."
Thompson is missing the point.
The Cougars already are.
LEAGUE RANKINGS
(Last week's rank in parenthesis.)
1. Washington (8-3) – All three of the Huskies' losses have come by single digits against current Top 25 teams. (1)
2. Washington State (10-1) – The Cougars have played a solid schedule. (2)
3. USC (8-5) – Alex Stepheson and Nikola Vucevic form one of the league's top frontcourts. (5)
4. Arizona (11-2) – Lamont Jones is still too turnover prone. (3)
5. UCLA (8-4) – Tyler Honeycutt leads the team in points (14.9) and rebounds (8.0). (4)
6. Oregon (7-5) – The Ducks had a bad home loss against Idaho on Tuesday. (6)
7. Cal (6-5) – Markhuri Sanders-Frison had a double-double against Kansas. (7)
8. Arizona State (7-4) – Herb Sendek's team has a chance to gain some early momentum when it opens league play at Oregon and Oregon State. (9)
9. Stanford (6-4) – A young team has lost its last two games (against Butler and Stanford) by an average of 22 points. (8)
10. Oregon State (5-6) – The Beavers have lost four of six games. (10)
WHO'S HOT?
Derrick Williams, Arizona – Tough to imagine where the Wildcats would be without Williams, the sophomore forward who is averaging 19.3 points while shooting 63.2 percent from the field. No other Arizona player has a double-figure scoring average. Williams has scored between 13 and 27 points in each of Arizona's games.
Maurice Jones' stamina – USC's point guard is averaging a mind-blowing 37.6 minutes. And get this: He's a freshman. Jones is also averaging 11.3 points and 4.2 assists for a squad that nearly upset Kansas last weekend. Three days later USC topped Tennessee in Knoxville.
Trent Lockett, Arizona State – The Sun Devils sophomore guard is averaging 14.7 points and shooting 57.1 percent from the field for an Arizona State squad that has won four straight games. Lockett has reached double figures in 10 of his team's 11 contests.
WHO'S NOT?
UCLA – The Bruins continue to be the toughest team to read in the Pac-10. Five days after a potentially season-turning victor over No. 16 BYU, Ben Howland's squad barely escaped UC-Irvine 74-73 victory at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins have proven they can compete with just about any team in the country – but they're capable of losing to just about anyone, too.
Cal vs. Kansas – Both teams let their frustrations get the best of them in Wednesday's game, which was won 78-63 by Kansas. The second half featured a flagrant foul, the ejection of Kansas forward Marcus Morris for throwing an elbow and three technical fouls. Both teams deserve equal blame.
Stanford – The Cardinal continues to have issues with consistency. Stanford has a few nice wins over power conference schools such as Virginia and DePaul. But last weekend it lost to Butler by 33 points and then fell to a mediocre Oklahoma State squad by 11. Both of those losses were on the road.
THREE TO WATCH
Washington State vs. Butler, Saturday – The championship game of the Diamond Head Classic should be a doozey. Both teams are red-hot.
Washington at USC, Wednesday – Two of the league's top three teams face off in southern California.
Arizona at Oregon, Wednesday – The Ducks are one of the more improved teams in the country, but beating Arizona may be too tall of a task this early.
