WSU hosts No. 15 Oregon on Saturday

PULLMAN – Washington State is unexpectedly atop the Pac-12 men’s basketball standings. On Saturday at 4 p.m., we’ll find out if the Cougars are for real.

WSU (9-5, 2-0 Pac-12) is off to its best start in conference play since the 2007-08 season, having downed Washington in Seattle last week and beaten Oregon State in Spokane on Wednesday.

On Saturday, WSU will host No. 15 Oregon (14-2, 3-0), one of the most talented and experienced teams the Cougars are likely to face all season. The Ducks return most major contributors from last year’s Elite Eight team and have only lost to No. 2 Baylor and Georgetown.

Last week, the Ducks knocked off then No. 2 UCLA thanks to a buzzer-beater from star guard Dillon Brooks.

WSU point guard Malachi Flynn has been on a tear during conference play. In 73 minutes, the freshman has scored 29 points with eight assists and zero turnovers, while making 5 of 9 3-point attempts.

Senior guard Ike Iroegbu needs only five points to become the 36th player in WSU history to score 1,000 or more in his career.