Gameday all around for Cougs
COUGARS
FROM PULLMAN -- There's so much going on today that we won't be able to witness it all in person, but that doesn't mean we can't offer an adequate preview of the weekend. I think. Read on.
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Not only is it Dads' Weekend (Dad's Weekend? Dads Weekend? Dads weekend? Fin de semana de los padres?), but both the men's basketball and football teams are in action today. You can watch the WSU basketball team begin the regular season against Eastern Washington at 4:30 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks, followed by WSU's game against UCLA at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2. I'll only be able to watch the first half or so of the basketball game before trekking over the Martin Stadium, but Vince Grippi will be covering hoops for us. Afterward, join us for our live pregame football chat at 6:30 p.m. ... In today's newspaper, we had our usual game advance -- this one focusing on the potential for some very cold weather -- along with our 2-minute drill offering four keys to a possible WSU victory. Also, we had a brief advance of the basketball game. ... Howie Stalwick offers this advance in the Kitsap Sun. ... Bud Withers has this preview box. ... The Los Angeles Times has this story on Mike Leach. ... Had to figure it'd be inevitable that Leach's name would come up somewhere in relation to the Kentucky job, so here you go. ... From UCLA: The Bruins are trying to avoid a trap game (and somewhere, Admiral Ackbar smiles). UCLA is trying to keep its focus on WSU.
In Pac-12 action today ...
Colorado (1-8, 1-5 Pac-12) at Arizona (5-4, 2-4), 10:30 a.m., FX -- Colorado thinks it might actually have a chance this week. Part of that is because Arizona is starting a new quarterback.
Oregon State (7-1, 5-1) at Stanford (7-2, 5-1), 12 p.m., FOX -- Stanford needs to win this game to have a shot at the Rose Bowl. So does Oregon State, which knows this probably won't be a shootout.
Arizona State (5-4, 3-3) at Southern California (6-3, 4-3), 12 p.m., Pac-12 Network -- USC is looking for some redemption. ASU is just trying to move on.
Oregon (9-0, 6-0) at California (3-7, 2-5), 7:30 p.m., ESPN -- This one should be another Oregon rout in primetime. The odds are overwhelming for the Bears.
Utah (4-5, 2-4) at Washington (5-4, 3-3), 7:30 p.m., Pac-12 Network -- An emotional ride comes to an end for one Washington senior. The Utes are looking for their first-ever win against UW. The Huskies are trying to get bowl eligible.
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A few quick basketball links for you ... Big non-conference victories were achieved last night by Colorado (74-59 over Wofford); Utah (104-47 over Williamette); UCLA (86-59 over Indiana State, though the Bruins got some bad news involving the eligibility of prized recruit Shabazz Muhammad); Oregon State (102-83 over Niagara); Stanford (74-62 over San Francisco); and USC (87-73 over Coppin State).
Check back at 6:30 for our live chat.
Christian Caple can be reached at christianc@spokesman.com. Twitter: @ChristianCaple