Pregame notes from Beasley
COUGARS
FROM PULLMAN -- Meant to pass this along in this morning's post, but wanted to note that the Cougars are supporting the fight against cancer in a couple of different ways this afternoon. Read on for details.
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We'll begin with matters much more important than today's game, which you can watch on Root Sports at 2 p.m. You'll notice WSU's coaching staff wearing white sneakers again today, as they did one week ago against Arizona State. Just as they did then, they're wearing the shoes in support of Coaches vs. Cancer, which partners with the American Cancer Society in the fight against cancer. Also, former Cougars quarterback Mark Rypien will be in attendance today representing the Rypien Foundation, which also raises awareness and money in the fight against childhood cancer. Rypien, who lost his son at age 3 to cancer, will speak at halftime about the work his foundation is doing. You can read more about the Rypien Foundation here. And if you're at the game today -- or know somebody who will be -- you can donate to the Rypien Foundation before, during or after the game on the main concourse of Beasley Coliseum. I'll try to get some video of Rypien's halftime remarks, as well.
As for the game ... we passed along this story in the LA Times this morning, noting that Bruins forward Travis Wear is expected to sit out with a sprained ankle suffered Thursday. That's a big blow for UCLA, as Wear averages 11.8 points per game. Still, the Bruins have Wear's twin brother, David, who is also 6-foot-10 and averages 10 points per game. And Josh Smith is coming off the best game of his career, a 24-point, nine-rebound outing against Washington. The Bruins pounded the ball into Smith, knowing Washington couldn't stop him once he got the ball on the block. A similar game plan seems likely today against the Cougars, who have a limited number of bodies with which to combat a dominant post player. I wouldn't be surprised to see Charlie Enquist start in place of Abe Lodwick today, if for no reason other than the fact that he's 6-foot-10. Expect D.J. Shelton to play quite a few minutes, as well, after sitting the entire game against USC. Between Brock Motum, Enquist and Shelton, the Cougars have 15 fouls to use in the post against Smith, who is a 57.3 percent free throw shooter. Keep that in mind. ... Of course, the Bruins' leading scorer is Lazeric Jones, who averages 13.3 points per game and 4.5 assists. So the Cougars can't afford to collapse their entire defense into the paint. UCLA shoots 38.4 percent from 3-point range.
All for now. As usual, you can follow on Twitter, and we'll be back afterward.
Christian Caple can be reached at christianc@spokesman.com. Twitter: @ChristianCaple