Four corners: Washington State Cougars

Coming up: Tonight at OSU, 7 (Pac-12); Sunday at Oregon, 4 p.m. (Pac-12).

Outlook: WSU is coming off its most impressive win – an 89-88 victory over third-place Stanford. Every questioned aspect of the Cougars’ game showed improvement and WSU saw great performances out of its scorers and a determined effort from its defense against a physical opponent. Against Oregon State, the Cougars will face the style of play that has frustrated them all season. OSU will zone the Cougars and force their shooters to hit from the perimeter. It was a strategy that worked in OSU’s 62-47 victory in the team’s first matchup and now WSU has to find its offense on the road. Gary Payton II is an athletic guard who plays high-level defense and can throw off WSU’s fast break. What’s worse for WSU is that a grueling game against OSU will be followed by a sprint against high-octane Oregon, which will be eager to avenge its loss from earlier in the season.

WSU leaders

Points: DaVonte Lacy, 17.7

Rebounds: Josh Hawkinson, 10.8

Assists: Ny Redding, 3.8

@JacobThorpeSR