Pac-12 basketball is back, and Monday night gave the league a little of everything: a tight heavyweight fight, a rough home loss, and a pair of easy wins for teams that entered the season with real buzz.
The headline game belonged to Gonzaga and Purdue, and it played out like the kind of 40-minute test that can shape a team’s early résumé. Gonzaga came away with a 78-72 win, a result that looks like a likely Quad 1 victory.
Xaivian Lee made a strong debut with 18 points and three assists, knocking down three triples along the way. Davis Fogle led the Bulldogs with 22 points, and Izan Almansa added 11 off the bench.
It wasn’t clean from start to finish, but Gonzaga did enough to survive and bank a meaningful win.
The night’s ugliest result came in Pullman, where Washington State was beaten 76-61 by Davidson. The Cougars never really settled in after a slow start, and Jamari Phillips was the only starter to reach double figures with 11 points.
Washington State shot just 35% from the field and went 5-for-24 from three, a rough offensive night by any standard. Davidson may turn into a solid A-10 team, but this was still a tough loss for a program trying to climb back toward competitiveness.
Elsewhere, Utah State and Oregon State both took care of business against Big Sky opponents in convincing fashion. Utah State rolled past Idaho State 94-58 behind 26 points from Kingston Tosi.
Oregon State was even more dominant, blasting Weber State 102-61 with Daniel Freitag scoring 23 points. The competition level was lower, but for two teams with top-50 potential and at-large hopes, those kinds of wins still matter.
In Other News...
Washington State Already Has An Early Offensive Problem
Washington States home opener was supposed to be an early chance to settle in on offense and build some rhythm, but Davidson quickly made it a rough night in Pullman. The Wildcats left with a 76-61 win, powered by Sam Browns 22 points and Nick Janowskis 21, while also knocking down 12 3-pointers to keep the Cougars chasing from the start.
The bigger concern for Washington State was the lack of punch on its own side, especially with projected offensive leader Ronnie Harrison unavailable because of ankle soreness. Jaylen Harrell provided a spark off the bench with 13 points, but the Cougars never found enough consistent scoring to keep pace, leaving an early question about how this group will generate offense when one of its key pieces is out. [Read more 🡒]
Washington State Still Has A Few Bright Spots Worth Arguing About
Through nine games, Washington States season has been defined more by frustration than momentum, but there are still a few spots on the roster worth a closer look. A review of the Cougars most valuable players by position points to a handful of steady contributors who have given the team something to build around, even as the overall record has lagged behind expectations.
The list includes quarterback Owen Eshelman, running back Kirby Vorhees, wide receivers Branden Ganashamoorthy and Trey Leckner, left guard Jonny Lester and defensive end Matyus McLain, all of whom have flashed in the numbers and in Pro Football Focus grades. For a team searching for any signs of traction, those individual bright spots matter, even if the bigger question is whether Washington State can turn them into something more meaningful before the season slips away. [Read more 🡒]