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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Gameday links, plus some hoops notes

COUGARS

FROM PULLMAN -- For the first time this year, it finally felt like fall as I drove to Bohler Gym last night. But maybe that was because I was driving to a basketball event. Read on for some more on that, plus our usual look at the Cougars' football gameday.

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First, we'll link to WSU's official release from the ZzuMania event, for those interested in numbers and such. We'll add that DaVonte Lacy has slimmed down quite a bit and obviously shot the ball well, making four 3-pointers to lead his team to a 29-23 win in the scrimmage portion. Lacy, who was voted one of WSU's three captains by the players, appears to have quite a bit of command over the team for being a sophomore. ... Richard Longrus has a good-sized frame for a freshman -- broad shoulders, big arms. He's not skinny. Royce Woolridge showed some decent ball-handling skills, though the scrimmage was obviously pretty rag-tag and I'm not sure you can draw any real conclusions from anything you see at these practice-opening fan events. Woolridge did win the slam dunk contest, though, edging out Mike Ladd in the finals. The Kansas transfer won it by leaping, weaving the ball between his legs and dunking with one hand. ... Spoke a bit with Ladd afterward. He said it took a bit of rest for his thumb injury to heal -- it was affecting him so badly toward the end of last season that he considered sitting out the CBI, he said -- and that there's a pretty big difference in his game now that he can shoot the ball properly. ... Brock Motum was in full uniform and sat on the bench but didn't participate in the scrimmage or dunk contest. May have just been for rest purposes. We'll find out from coach Ken Bone later today. ... D.J. Shelton is another guy who appears to have altered his body. He looks as if he's added some bulk.

Now seems like a good time to remind folks that we'll be chatting live on the blog starting at 6 p.m. to preview the game. ... On to the links ... For today's newspaper, we wrote about WSU's need to contain California's running game tonight (7:30 p.m., Pac-12 Networks), and also have our weekly keys to a possible WSU victory. ... Howie Stalwick previews the game with a mention that it's Mike Leach Bobblehead Night (MLBN?). ... Not really WSU related, but Leach is quoted quite a bit in this story about Dana Holgorsen. ... Bud Withers has this preview box in The Seattle Times. ... From California ... Some interesting comments from Cal coach Jeff Tedford about his previous interaction with a Leach-coached team. ... Cal is trying to continue its momentum.

In other Pac-12 action ... 

Utah (2-3, 0-2 Pac-12) at UCLA (4-2, 1-2), 12 p.m., FOX -- Looking at the matchup from the UCLA side. The Bruins need their young receivers to catch on. ... Utah is seeking its first conference win.

Stanford (4-1, 2-1) at Notre Dame (5-0), 12:30 p.m., NBC -- These teams have similar offenses. A Stanford receiver will get his chance to prove himself.

Oregon State (4-0, 3-0) at Brigham Young (4-2), 12:30 p.m., ABC -- A look at the matchup from The Oregonian.

Southern California (4-1, 2-1) at Washington (3-2, 1-1), 4 p.m., FOX -- The Huskies are going for another upset as old Trojans come together again. ... USC brought some confidence with it to Seattle.

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



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