WSU tries to end first half on positive note

• Washington State: We had our advance of tonight’s FSN-televised game, focusing on the rebounding aspect of the game. Before the game tonight we’ll focus on the other aspect of Washington’s game the Cougars must worry about. … We also delved into WSU’s football recruiting, what with signing day coming up on Wednesday. The Cougars focused on size, but have a history the past couple years of coming up with one or two real underrated gems. … Back to basketball, the Times’ Jerry Brewer writes about Lorenzo Romar and Ken Bone’s outlook on basketball. … Klay Thompson averaged six points in the two games with UW last season, hitting 4 of 29 shots, including 2 of 13 beyond the arc. Not his best performances of the season.

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• Around the Pac-10: Football recruiting is quite a bit different today than it was 10 years ago. And it will be quite a bit different in 10 more years than it is today, especially in the Pac-12. … Oregon was trying to sweep the Bay Area schools but Cal, one of the four conference schools with a winning record, was having none of it in an 85-77 victory. … UCLA is another in the top quartet, but the Bruins came this close to having a lost weekend . They survived 73-72 in overtime at Arizona State, however, to hold on to third place. … Arizona’s Derrick Williams played with tape all over the pinkie on his right hand, which probably limited his effectiveness , but it didn’t stop the second-place Wildcats in their 82-73 win over USC. … Neither Stanford nor Oregon State has a winning record, but the Cardinal won their battle 70-56 Saturday as the Beavers again were unable to convert around the basket.

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• That’s all for this morning. We’ll have our usual post before the game and our typical coverage throughout. Until then …