The WSU Cougars (8-2) prepare to host the Missouri State Bears (5-4) on Saturday Dec. 14 at the Beasley Coliseum in Pullman.
The Cougs return home after winning at Nevada and Boise against two of the Mountain West’s top-ranked schools. WSU is currently ranked No. 75 on the KenPom rankings and No. 65 on the NET rankings, making their case as a bubble team for the NCAA tournament.
Missouri State, meanwhile, is ranked No. 192 by KenPom and No. 201 by the NET rankings.
The Cougs will once again be without Cedric Coward, who is reportedly slated for shoulder surgery. It is still to be determined if Rihards Vavers, Kase Wynott or Marcus Wilson will rejoin the Cougs bench. If not, it will once again be a three-man bench for the Cougs.
Washington State enters the game on a roll, but should not take Missouri State likely, as a home loss to a fringe-top-200 team would hurt the Cougars resume. Washington State will look to continue playing their brand of basketball; fast-paced and accurate shooting. The Cougs play with grit, hustle and physicality, but they also shoot three’s with the best of them.
Missouri State is led by Dez White and Vincent Brady, a pair of guards who have done most of the scoring this year for the Bears. White, a sophomore, is averaging 19 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds a game. Brady, a junior, is averaging 14 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
As long as the Cougars defense can slow down White and Brady, WSU should not struggle with Missouri State, but anything is possible in college basketball.
This will be just the second all-time matchup between the Cougars and the Bears. The first was an 89-84 WSU win in 2014.
