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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Pac-12 roundup on Monday

COUGARS

FROM PULLMAN -- As the sting of another close loss begins to subside for Washington State, another week begins with a recap of the weekend's Pac-12 action. Read on.

...

Got curious last night and did a little math, but just a little, because the last time I took a math class was 2005. Anyway, in case you were wondering: the average margin of deafeat in the Cougars' 15 losses this season is 8.4 points. And if you take out the biggest outlier, WSU's 78-41 loss to Kansas, that number drops to 6.3. To compare: in Paul Graham's final season as coach, the Cougars lost 20 games by an average of 14.15 points, and in Kevin Eastman's final season, WSU's average margin of defeat was 14.4 points in 19 losses. So while the losses continue to stack up this season, it certainly doesn't seem to have the same kind of feel to it. ... The WSU women's team suffered a tough loss yesterday in Eugene, falling 65-60 to the last-place Ducks.

Around the Pac-12 ... A pair of Sunday games capped the weekend. Arizona started by holding off Utah 68-64 to avoid being swept by the mountain schools. It was another frustrating close call for the Utes. ... Mike Montgomery gave Allen Crabbe a much-publicized shove late in California's 76-68 win over USC last night. Crabbe responded by leading the Bears on a furious comeback that resulted in a big win. ... Looking at Arizona State's big win over Colorado on Saturday. ... Colorado says it won't dwell on its tough loss to Arizona State. ... Looking at Oregon State's numbers after another loss.

All for now. Ken Bone meets with the media later today, and we'll have more then.

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



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