37 likely won’t get it done for Cougars vs. Cowboys

Thirty-seven points, enough to beat Idaho on Tuesday, probably won’t get it done again at 1 p.m. PST today when Washington State faces No. 6 Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla.

“How far back did we set the game? The worst of it is, we were trying to score more,” WSU head coach Dick Bennett said, thinking back to the Cougars’ one-point win. “People assumed we just held the ball. When we hold the ball, it’s because we can’t get a shot. … We really have to get some good looks at the basket, which has not been easy for us.”

The Cougars won’t have Derrick Low for today’s game, but their offense should get a big boost with the impending return of the freshman point guard. The Honolulu native arrived at WSU with the starting job in hand, but broke a foot in the third practice of the year. Low has received clearance to practice at full speed and in theory is healthy enough to play immediately. But the Cougars will give him time to catch up physically and mentally to his teammates.

Even with Low, the matchup against Oklahoma State would be a tough one. The Cowboys play in Gallagher-Iba Arena, one of the nation’s most famous facilities.

Head coach Eddie Sutton is in the last season of a storied 44-year career. And point guard John Lucas III was the Big 12’s player of the year last season. Oklahoma State is 4-0 this year and favored by most to repeat as conference champions.

With that in mind, Bennett plans to put junior Randy Green in the starting lineup at point guard in place of freshman Kyle Weaver, hoping the extra experience will help on the road.

“They play very hard, and in that setting it can be very intimidating. On top of that, they come after you,” said Bennett, whose team is playing this game with a guaranteed payout and no return trip scheduled by the Cowboys. “I’m looking forward to it, and I really hope our guys are.

“I just wanted to play them. I wanted to play somebody like that. We actually offered a number of schools the opportunity (to play us). And they were the ones that wanted to do it.”