College Basketball Tonight

WSU at Arizona State

The Cougars (8-7 overall, 1-6 in the Pacific-10 Conference) sneak away from the unfriendly confines of Friel Court in hopes of snapping their three-game losing streak with a road win over the Sun Devils (7-8, 2-5). Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. (PST) at the University Activity Center.

At a glance: It’s a tossup as to which team needs this one the most. Both have struggled early in the Pac-10 season, but both still have outside chances to finish in the first division. WSU has Mark Hendrickson back, but the Cougars’ shooting touch is still MIA. Coach Kevin Eastman hopes a road swing into the Valley of the Sun might heat up his offense. “In our situation, being 1-6 in league play, each next game is critical,” he said. “I don’t think we’ll continue to shoot this way, but I’ve never really been involved with a team that’s been in as long a slump.” The Cougars have lost three in a row and six of their last seven and must contend with an ASU team that has won two straight in the Pac-10 after a dreadful 0-5 start. Offensively, the Sun Devils rely mainly on the tandem of Jeremy Veal and Ron Riley. They do not shoot it as consistently well from the perimeter as in recent years, however, and they no longer have a big-time inside threat since the early departure of Mario Bennet to the NBA. But coach Bill Frieder seems to have stumbled upon something that has his team believing.

Leaders: WSU: Isaac Fontaine 18.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg; Mark Hendrickson 18.0 ppg, 10.3 rpg; Donminic Ellison 13.2 ppg, 5.1 apg; Shamon Antrum 13.1 ppg. Arizona State: Jeremy Veal 20.7 ppg; Ron Riley 19.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg; 4.3 apg.

TV/radio: No live television; KXLY (920 AM) Spokane, KCLX (1450 AM) Colfax, KWSU (1250 AM) Pullman, KCVL (1240 AM) Colville, KZFN (106.0 FM) Moscow, KORD (870 AM) Tri-Cities, KBSN (1470 AM) Moses Lake, KKRT (900 AM) Wenatchee, with Bud Nameck, 5:30 p.m.

, DataTimes