Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

SportsLink

Aden sidelined, plus some links

COUGARS

FROM TEMPE, Ariz. -- Washington State won't have the services of Faisal Aden when it faces Arizona State this afternoon. That and more after the jump.

...

Here's our short story with an update on Aden, who has been ruled out of Saturday's game and will undergo an MRI exam on Sunday after the team returns to Pullman. Coach Ken Bone said there's no further prognosis to be had until Aden is further evaluated. That means that as of now, the diagnosis remains a sprained MCL in Aden's left knee. It's possible the MRI could reveal further damage, but there's no way for team doctors to make any definitive statements until those results are obtained. ... With Aden out, Bone said players like Dexter Kernich-Drew and Will DiIorio, who played in the second half on Thursday, will have to be ready to contribute. He said "anybody and everybody" could play at this point, with both Aden and guard Mike Ladd (thumb) unavailable. ... Bone had good things to say about Arizona State reserve center Jordan Bachynski, who is the subject of this story in the Arizona Republic. Abe Lodwick will likely start again at the four spot for WSU, but Bone said Charlie Enquist will still get his minutes because "we need him, especially tomorrow. They’ve got two huge guys, 7-2 and 7-foot. ... The 7-2 kid that comes off the bench (Bachynksi), he’s really aggressive. They’re both pretty aggressive, and they’re just so big. We don’t have any 7-footers. Size-wise, they’re just big." ... Also wanted to link this story about Craig James' lack of popularity in Texas -- and everywhere else -- which is tied together nicely by the following quote: "It's not that people in West Texas don't like him. It's that nobody likes him." ... Another commit for the Cougs, their 23rd.

Here's a look at the rest of Saturday's games. All times Pacific ...

Colorado at UCLA, 1 p.m. (Prime Ticket): LA Sports Arena doesn't exactly inspire the same warm fuzzies as playing at Pauley Pavilion, but the Buffaloes know they're in for a challenge, regardless. UCLA will rely on its senior guards as it attempts to sweep the weekend. Cool story here about John Wooden's teachings living on in Uganda.

Washington at Arizona, 4 p.m. (ESPN): Should be quite the festive atmosphere at the McKale Center on Saturday. ESPN's College GameDay crew is there, and several stories resulted from the crew's presence. The Arizona Daily Star takes a look at Tony Wroten. Percy Allen takes a look at the budding UW-Arizona rivalry.

Utah at USC, 8 p.m. (Prime Ticket): Boy, an 8 p.m. game between these two teams? What a great matchup in primetime. USC will be without Dewayne Dedmon, who is done for the season after injuring his knee on Thursday. Utah is looking for its first road win, while USC is provided perhaps its best chance to avoid an 0-18 conference record.

And one last football link: Jon Wilner takes a look at recruiting matters in the Bay Area.

We'll be back with a pregame post from Wells Fargo Arena.

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



SportsLink is your portal into sports news around the Inland Northwest and beyond. You'll find updates, notes and opinions, and plenty of reader feedback.






Looking for a Grip on Sports?

Vince Grippi's daily take on all things regional sports has been moved to our main sports section online. You can find a collection of these columns here.