A later than expected WSU post

COUGARS

Got started this morning perusing the web and collecting links, but found there was one place I couldn’t go: The S-R site. Because this post is available, you know that changed, but for a long time there I was shut out at home. Sort of like my baseball career. Anyhow, today’s post is split between football from around the conference and basketball, which starts tonight. Read on.
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• Washington State: We put together a basketball story that previewed practice openings at WSU and the other local Division I programs. … Football-wise, ESPN.com’s Ted Miller has this on WSU and a very important four-letter word: hope .

• Around the Pac-10: We’ll start with Miller’s Pac-10 picks and follow that with the picks of Buster Sports’ Nick Daschel. It seemed like a good Friday thing to do. gives out grades for the weekend. … Washington: The Huskies will be facing ASU’s heat up front. … Oregon State: What’s going on at Reser Stadium? Where are the crowds? … Basketball coach Craig Robinson wants Beavers to dream big. … Oregon: Are the Ducks the best one-loss team in the country? Are they the best one-loss team in the conference? … Ernie Kent is looking for a turn-around season. If not, will he be back? … Cal: As goes Kevin Riley, so goes the Bears. … Cal is one of the Pac-10 basketball favorites. … Stanford: The Cardinal can’t pry the ball away from their opponents. … USC: To beat Notre Dame, you must control Jimmy Clausen. … To win basketball games, Kevin O’Neill – Dick Bennett’s favorite college basketball coach – will have to use smoke and mirrors . … UCLA: The Bruins’ kickoff coverage isn’t good. … The basketball team is starting over . … Arizona State: When Craig Bray left WSU , the Cougars not only lost an assistant coach, but his son as a player as well. … ASU’s players say they know how to win basketball games. … Arizona: The Wildcats will have their hands full with Stanford’s running game . … New basketball coach Sean Miller doesn’t believe in madness .

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• That’s it for this morning. We’ll be back later. Until then …