Washington State Cougars

COMING UP: Saturday vs. Washington, 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

OUTLOOK: Washington, having just concluded its most disappointing nonleague schedule in years, holds an 8-5 record and has lost three home games to non-BCS opponents. And yet the Huskies still pose a bigger challenge than did most teams on WSU’s nonconference schedule, which is what makes this rivalry game more intriguing than the numbers suggest; the Cougars are largely untested against teams of similar skill. UW lacks defensive cohesiveness and doesn’t possess a dynamic scorer like past stars Terrence Ross or Isaiah Thomas. Leading scorer C.J. Wilcox averages 18.4 points per game

@ChristianCaple