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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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WSU, Stanford and pregame thoughts

COUGARS

An hour before game time here in Beasley and we have a few thoughts. Mainly about dinner (little doughnuts sound really good, but unavailable here), but some about the game. So read on.

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• So the biggest question I have is which WSU team will show up. The group that faced Arizona and UW? Or the imposters that were in Eugene? As I've written too many times to count, I'm not sure if I can figure it out. ... But there is one thing I'll stake my money on (if I gambled, which I don't; when you always lose you learn not to bet). I believe you'll see a productive, focused Klay Thompson in this one. Thompson turned 21 this week, not that a date on a driver's license changes people. But he was focused – yet relaxed – this week. It's as if he's learned how not to dwell on poor performances, but to learn from them. And that type of attitude should keep such streaks as last season – when he missed more than two-dozen consecutive shots – from occurring. That and this little nugget: Thompson was the first player on Friel Court tonight. ... If you remember the first meeting of these two, Reggie Moore did not play, Faisal Aden took Moore's shots and finished with 20 points, and Josh Owens and the Cardinal almost ran the Cougars out of Maples in the first half. But a few adjustments to the WSU zone – taking away the short corner – and WSU rallied after halftime. A long Stanford scoreless streak led to a 61-58 Cougar win. Well, I have no doubt the Cardinal will attack WSU's zone more efficiently tonight. Studying film shows flaws pretty well. So the Cougars will have to be efficient on the offensive end as well. And that's tough against Stanford, who play as physically as anyone in the conference. However, playing physical on the road often leads to foul trouble, and there are a few players – like Owens and Jeremy Green – the Cardinal can't afford to be without.

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• That's it for now. We'll be back at halftime and on Twitter (vinceg55). Until then ...



Vince Grippi
Vince Grippi is a freelance local sports blogger for spokesman.com. He also contributes to the SportsLink Blog.

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