Week ahead
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Saturday: vs. Pepperdine, 5 p.m. (KHQ)
Monday: vs. Loyola Marymount, 5 p.m. (KHQ)
Outlook: Gonzaga crushed Pepperdine 92-57 nearly a month ago in Malibu. Three days later, Pepperdine coach Vance Walberg stepped down and assistant coach Eric Bridgeland was named interim head coach. The team is 1-4 under Bridgeland, but the Waves lost by just five at Saint Mary’s and by three to visiting San Diego.
WSU Cougars
Today: vs. UCLA, 7:30 p.m. (FSN)
Saturday: vs. USC, 12:30 p.m. (ABC)
Outlook: No one in the Pac-10 – and possibly the country – is playing better than UCLA’s Bruins. Ranked fifth in the nation, UCLA is led by freshman center Kevin Love, who averages 17.2 points and 11.2 rebounds a game. The Bruins will be without starting forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who sprained his ankle in a win over Arizona. USC’s Trojans are the only Pac-10 team to defeat UCLA, which shows their potential.
EWU Eagles
Today: at Sacramento State, 7:05 p.m.
Sunday: at Northern Arizona, 1:05 p.m.
Outlook: Eastern, with a four-game losing streak and still in search of its first Big Sky road win, opens its road trip against a Sacramento State team it beat 76-52 in Cheney. The Eagles match up well – even on the front line – against the Hornets, who have no one on their roster taller than 6-8. In NAU, the Eagles face another team without a true center, but must find a way to deal with 6-8 senior Kyle Landry, who is averaging 20.2 points against league opponents.
Idaho Vandals
Saturday: at Louisiana Tech, 5 p.m.
Outlook: The Vandals can collect their first sweep of a Western Athletic Conference opponent and first sweep of a conference foe since 2004-05. Idaho beat Louisiana Tech 85-78 on Jan. 10. Tech, which has lost nine straight going into a home game tonight against Boise State, is the lone winless team in conference play (0-8).