Football, basketball news on a Tuesday

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FROM KANSAS CITY — Yesterday turned out to be a busy one. And not just on the basketball front. Read on for our usual assortment of WSU news and links.

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We’ll start by linking our game story from WSU’s loss to Kansas last night, which we also blogged about and provided video for. … Josh Wright was at football practice for us last night, and filed this report about the potential of WSU missing its top defensive player — and one of its quarterbacks — for the Apple Cup. We also have this feature on former WSU running back Derek Sparks. … Here’s the AP story from last night’s basketball game. … The Seattle Times also has a story . … Howie Stalwick says it’s been a nightmare season for the WSU football team. … Dave Boling says things are pretty subdued for Apple Cup week. … Former WSU coach Mike Price announced his retirement from UTEP yesterday. … Friday’s game features an improved UW pass defense against a pass-heavy WSU offense. … Stalwick is picking the Huskies.

Around the Pac-12 … Arizona’s coach has already seen a few intense rivalries. … Arizona State is motivated by an enduring image from last year’s game against Arizona. … California gets an F-grade for its loss to Oregon State, while coach Jeff Tedford is still in limbo . … Stanford gets an A-plus for beating Oregon. … UCLA’s success could be a financial boon for Bruins coaches this season. … USC’s backup quarterback is ready to go this week against Notre Dame. … Oregon appears mortal this week as Oregon State prepares for the Civil War. … For once, the Ducks are in “fix mode.” … One of the most obvious headlines you’ll ever see out of Utah. … Colorado’s administrators have a tough decision to make when the season is over.

In basketball action yesterday, UCLA lost to Georgetown in Shabazz Muhammad’s debut. … Oregon blew out Jacksonville State to stay unbeaten. … Arizona cruised past Long Beach State. … Illinois hammered USC.

Christian Caple can be reached at christianc@spokesman.com . Twitter: @ChristianCaple