Pac-12 race gets muddier

COUGARS

FROM PULLMAN — Rare is a Wednesday night this season when we can just sit in front of the television and watch some other Pac-12 basketball games. But last night was different. It was also entertaining. Read on for links to words.

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It’s Thursday, which means our usual Four Corners content ran in the newspaper today. So we link our brief look ahead at the weekend, along with this area notebook with a WSU item. … I joined Michael Preston of CougCenter this week to discuss the men’s basketball and football programs. You can listen to that podcast here . … Bud Withers revisits the Reggie Moore vs. Xavier Thames “melodrama,” as he describes it . … ESPN.com writer Jason King includes a defense of Ken Bone in the “Thoughs from Press Row” section of his column. … WSU associate athletic director John Johnson, who is heavily involved in the school’s football facilities upgrades, is one of three finalists for the Nevada athletic director job. He was a finalist for the same position at Montana back in September.

Around the Pac-12 … The night started with USC knocking off tied-for-first-place Arizona, 89-78, in Los Angeles. The loss could crush the Wildcats’ Pac-12 title hopes. USC shot 61 percent from the field. … Wednesday’s second game didn’t have any Pac-12 title implications, but it was a big one for Colorado. The Buffaloes managed to hold off Stanford , 65-63, keeping their NCAA tournament hopes alive. … The nightcap went to overtime, where UCLA stayed in a first-place tie with Oregon by holding off Arizona State 79-74. The Sun Devils might be trending toward the wrong side of the NCAA tournament bubble. The Bruins’ freshmen carried the team. … There are two more games tonight: at 6 p.m., Utah attempts to halt California’s hot streak at Haas Pavilion (ESPNU). Oregon and Oregon State renew their rivalry at 8 p.m. in Eugene (ESPNU). Dominic Artis should return for the Ducks.

That’s all for now.

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