Week ahead
EWU Eagles
Saturday: Portland State, 7:05 p.m.
Outlook: The Eagles swept the season series, shooting 60.7 percent in an 89-70 romp in Portland and pulling out a 72-64 OT win at home when the Vikings missed a quality shot at the end of regulation. EWU freshman Rodney Stuckey has 53 points in the two games. PSU is without center Scott Morrison, who was suspended one game for throwing a punch at the conclusion of the Vikings’ home win over Montana on Saturday. PSU has won has won four straight with center Anthony Washington a University of Washington transfer, scoring 34 in the last two.
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Sunday: WCC Tournament semifinal game in the McCarthey Athletic Center against an opponent to be determined, 5 p.m. (ESPN2)
Outlook: The Bulldogs, after posting their second 14-0 WCC regular-season record in three seasons, are the top seed – and host team – in this year’s conference tournament and have a bye into Sunday’s semifinals. Two of GU’s potential Sunday opponents – fifth-seeded San Diego and fourth-seeded San Francisco – played the Zags extremely close at least once during the regular season.
Idaho Vandals
Saturday: at Boise State, 1 p.m.
Outlook: Idaho (4-23, 1-14 WAC) closes the regular season with a rivalry game that doesn’t mean anything in terms of seeding for the WAC tournament. Win or lose, the Vandals will be the No. 8 (last) seed and face Nevada March 9 in Reno. The Vandals have dropped seven straight and 17 of 18. Boise State (13-14, 5-10) is locked into the sixth seed. The Broncos have lost five straight WAC games, the latest an 81-79 loss to Fresno State on Monday in which BSU saw a 70-60 lead evaporate down the stretch.
WSU Cougars
Today: at Arizona, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday: at Arizona State, 5 p.m.
Outlook: The Cougars enter the last week of the regular season knowing they can do no better than an eighth-place finish after losing 11 of the last 13. Should the Cougars go 2-0 this week, they’re guaranteed to finish eighth. A 0-2 week means a 10th-place finish. A split means they could finish anywhere in the bottom three, depending on other results around the Pac-10. WSU opened the conference season in December with a blowout loss to the Wildcats in Spokane and a narrow win over Arizona State in Pullman. Much has changed since then, most notably the official retirement announcement from Dick Bennett earlier this week. What effect that has on the Cougars in the short term remains to be seen.