Cougs in pivotal game at Oregon
EUGENE, Ore. — In a game as vital as today’s looks to be for Washington State, it would make sense that Dick Bennett would pore over Oregon game film with his team.
Ever since the Cougars’ disappointing effort Thursday night against Oregon State, it would make sense that WSU would dwell on the reality that this game could end up determining their Pac-10 tournament fate, with the Cougars currently occupying the eighth and final slot with the Ducks in ninth.
But with a team full of freshmen and apparently low on confidence after that ugly 58-51 loss in Corvallis, sense doesn’t apply.
“Our kids, you cannot talk to them about anything,” WSU head coach Dick Bennett said. “You simply try and get ready to play and play. If it were possible not to even know who they’re playing, we’d be better off. Because the dangerous thing that happens is some of them start thinking and they try to figure some things out and they don’t play. So I’ve seen Oregon play, and their struggles aren’t like ours.”
That last statement is probably an exaggeration, especially when — warning: dangerous information about Oregon to follow — you consider that the Ducks have lost six games in a row leading into today’s 3 p.m. contest at McArthur Court. That Oregon is just 2-4 at home in the Pac-10 this season. That the Ducks missed 21 free throws against Washington on Thursday while blowing a chance for an upset. And that 7-footer Ian Crosswhite, a starter for much of the year, is suspended for a violation of team rules and won’t play today.
Take all the negatives about the Ducks (11-9, 3-8 Pac-10), and the recent woes of the Cougars (10-11, 5-7), and it’s easy to see why this might not end up being the prettiest game of the Pac-10 season. Oregon’s last win, by the way, was against the Cougars in Pullman on Jan. 15. But someone has to win, and WSU seems to think it holds the key in a fast start.
Against the Beavers, Bennett’s team played miserably at the start of each half, dooming its chances. Today, his players know that that can’t happen again.
“If we can get that confidence at the beginning it’ll be really crucial for us in the rest of the games,” said freshman Daven Harmeling, who scored 10 in Corvallis. “We will not beat Oregon if we come out flat in the first or second half. You can’t do it on the road. I don’t know why it is, but we have to figure some way to change it.”