COUGARS

FROM PULLMAN -- We'll have our weekly live chat again today at 1 p.m. in lieu of a pregame chat (since participation on those has been pretty sparse, anyway). And we also have links for you as the Cougars prepare to play Gonzaga tonight at 8 p.m. Read on.

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In today's newspaper, we have an advance of tonight's game focusing on the challenge presented by Gonzaga's frontcourt. The S-R's Jim Meehan had a blog post yesterday with some Gonzaga notes. ... Howie Stalwick has this feature on Royce Woolridge. ... Gonzaga's SB Nation site has this short preview. ... Gonzaga is up to an 11.5-point favorite. ... CougCenter writes about the progression of Dexter Kernich-Drew.

In football news ... Stanford has already sold its Rose Bowl ticket allotment. ... The Oregonian has 10 things to like about Oregon State's trip to the Alamo Bowl, as well as a history lesson on Oregon's Fiesta Bowl opponent, Kansas State. ... USC knows what it wants out of its next defensive coordinator. ... Arizona wants better kick returns in its bowl game. ... Does Colorado have its next football coach? Not yet, it seems. ... 

In basketball news ... UCLA beat Cal State San Marcos in an exhibition game on Tuesday. ... Arizona took an ugly, 63-55 win over Southern Mississippi. ... Washington hopes to have one of its injured big men back for its game Saturday. ... California needs to toughen up before facing UNLV. ... Arizona State is getting better effort on the glass from one of its forwards. ... Boise State's offense will be a challenge for Utah, which appears to be making strides this season. ... Colorado's rivalry with Colorado State is heating up.

Check back at 1 p.m. for our chat.

Christian Caple can be reached at christianc@spokesman.com. Twitter: @ChristianCaple

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