Notebook: WSU winning games on defense, Seattle U preview and more

PORTLAND – Even as his first season at Washington State came to a close, when his role was becoming clear er than ever, ND Okafor wasn’t much more than a defensive specialist in spot minutes. He’d come in for a short shift, maybe block a shot or two, then head back to the bench.

Last season, the Cougars had two veteran forwards who were ahead of Okafor on the depth chart, so his limited minutes made sense. He was still adjusting to coach David Riley’s system, his intricate offense and roller-coaster defense, and as a former transfer from Cal, Okafor was still finding his way.

How things can change in a year. In his second campaign donning the crimson and gray, Okafor is averaging 9.3 points per game, by far a career-high, plus 1.6 blocks per game, which is also the best mark of his career. He looks more comfortable on offense and even more vicious on defense.

Okafor’s development mirrors the way these Cougars have won each of their past three games – victories over Eastern Washington, Mercer and Portland on Sunday afternoon. WSU held the Pilots and Eagles under 70 points. The Bears managed 78 against the Cougars, but all told, it represents the kind of growth that could swing this WSU season.

Are the Cougs getting better on defense?

The numbers seem to suggest so. In their first eight games of the season, the Cougars allowed opponents to record an effective field goal percentage of 55% or better, a dreadful figure that laid the foundation for the team’s worst 11-game start since the Cold War era. Even worse, WSU wasn’t exactly playing the best of the best, dropping contests against Idaho and Davidson.

But in the six games since, the Cougars have held opponents to a field -goal percentage of 50% or lower, including Portland’s 36.9% mark and a 41% mark against USC, which has still only lost one game this season.

The main way they’ve done that: guarding better on the perimeter. They’ve closed out harder and kept better track of shooters, forcing them to drive inside, where Okafor is waiting to block their shot – or at least alter them.

Think about this: In their first three games of the season, the Cougs were allowing opponents to shoot 41% from distance. They gave up double-digit triples to Idaho, to Davidson, and to St. Thomas. They didn’t just look disjointed on defense. They looked lost.

In their last four games, the Cougars have brought that number down to 22%, which ranks No. 26 nationwide in that span. And perhaps most important of all, they’ve completed stops with defensive rebounds. On average this season, WSU’s opponents are grabbing offensive rebounds only about a quarter of the time, which is No. 21 in the country, and No. 2 in the WCC.

For that, the Cougars can thank Okafor and transfer forward Eemeli Yalaho, who may be flying under the radar this season – at least in the rebounding department. Yalaho leads the team with six rebounds per game. He’s snared at least six boards in each of his last six games, including one 11-rebound game and one 10-rebound showing.

Earlier in the season, freshman guard Ace Glass made mention of the phrase kill. At WSU, that means three stops in a row, completing them with a rebound and no loose-ball foul.

“We’ve really been practicing that, really practicing that at practice, really trying to get three stops in a row,” Glass said, “trying to find different ways to end the possessions.”

After WSU’s win over Portland on Sunday, Riley framed things this way: “We won this game with defense.” Think you’d hear that phrase come out of his mouth in November?

Cougars set to take on Seattle U at Climate Pledge Arena

Riley, born in Seattle, grew up in California, where his father worked at Stanford. Then, he played his college ball at Division III Whitworth, which set the stage for his career at nearby Eastern Washington.

Tuesday, Riley will get his first chance to coach at Climate Pledge Arena, where WSU will take on Seattle U at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

Led by coach Chris Victor, in their first season in the WCC, the Redhawks (11-3) have made a living on defense, where they’ve carved out the nation’s 46th-best , according to KenPom. Forward Will Heimbrodt ranks No. 23 nationwide with a block percentage of 10.9%, and the Redhawks allow just 66.6 points per game, which is No. 45 in the country.

Can the Cougars navigate that defense? They shouldn’t be surprised to see zone, which Portland utilized to great effect in Sunday’s game, forcing the Cougars into awkward floaters from about eight feet out. WSU will have to score it better than they did in Portland, where they shot just 40% on 2-pointers.

“We learned a lot of lessons through losing,” Riley said after that game. “We haven’t learned those lessons through winning. Some silly, stupid fouls that we can’t have. We had a careless turnover with about two minutes to go. We talk about it. We have practices where we scrimmage, and every time we scrimmage late game, we bring the group together, we talk about what went well, what went wrong. But there’s a difference when the lights are on. I always think we gotta figure it out in practice. It just takes another game to figure it out, I guess.”

Wynott missing time with hip injury

WSU guard Kase Wynott hasn’t played in more than a month as he deals with a hip injury, Riley said after Sunday’s game. It’s eight straight missed games for Wynott, who was averaging four points in nine minutes per game before he got hurt.

The team expects to have more clarity on Wynott’s long-term future within the next week or so, Riley said.

“Trying to make sure that we’re not doing any more damage,” Riley said, “and just make sure that he’s progressing the right way, and long-term, gonna be good.”