Washington State MBB Hosts David Riley's Former Team, Eastern Washington

Eastern will have some extra motivation tonight in Pullman.

Keenan Womack | 8 Hours Ago

Feb 16, 2023; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars mascot Butch performs before a men s basketball game against the Oregon State Beavers at Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images / James Snook-Imagn Images

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Washington State Cougars

Tonight, Washington State MBB will host Eastern Washington, the school that Cougars head coach David Riley left to take the job in Pullman this offseason, bringing a host of players with him. There will certainly be extra motivation for the Eagles tonight as they attempt to take down the Cougars on the road, but considering the talent differential, it's unlikely that Eastern is able to pull the upset. The game will tip at 7:30 PM PST on the CBS Sports App.

The Eagles are 1-3 on the season, with losses to Colorado (76-56), Missouri (84-77), and Cal Poly (82-78). Their lone win of the season came against Seattle U, and Washington State will be one of their toughest tests of the season so far, if not the toughest considering Colorado's and Missouri's struggles. The Cougars are 11.5-point favorites over Riley's former team, and with wing Cedric Coward getting hot last game, going for 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting, it seems that WSU is starting to figure out how to be a multi-pronged scoring attack.

Eastern's leading scorer is guard Andrew Cook, who is putting up 17.0 points per game on an elite 65.9% from the field. While not an outside shooting threat, Cook still gets buckets by attacking the lane, and is a very capable finisher once he gets in position to score at the rim. Nic McClain (14.8 points) and Mason Williams (13.5 points) make up the rest of the top scorers, but outside of these three, no one averages more than 8.3 per game.

The Cougars' goal should be to limit dribble penetration and keep Cook out of the paint, as his scoring prowess has been the driving force in the Eagles' offense in 2024. Considering all three of Eastern's leading scorers are guards, the focus should be on the back court, giving Washington State's perimeter players an opportunity to demonstrate some two-way versatility.

While the Eagles will be fired up for the game, the Cougars simply have a better roster at this point, and should handle business at home.

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KEENAN WOMACK

Keenan Womack is a sportswriter native to Dallas, Texas, who has spent the last 12 years in Austin, the home of his alma mater, the University of Texas. Keenan has covered sports for SB Nation, Bleacher Report, Rivals/Orangebloods, a host of his own sites and now, Fan Nation. Focusing on basketball, Keenan was on the beat for the Longhorns hoops team for the last two-and-a-half years before moving on to pursue other opportunities. He is married and lives with his wife close to the Moody Center, so they can continue to catch games together.