WSU Men Face Crucial Road Test in Corvallis Before Brutal Stretch Begins
Washington State’s men’s basketball team heads into Corvallis tonight with more than just a win on the line - they’re staring down a defining stretch of the season. Tipoff against Oregon State is set for 8 p.m. PT on CBS Sports Network, and while the Beavers might not be elite, this matchup is anything but a walk in the park for the Cougars.
At 11-13 overall and 6-5 in conference play, WSU has clawed its way back into the thick of the WCC race. But this game marks the end of what’s been a relatively forgiving portion of their schedule. After tonight, the Cougars face a brutal four-game gauntlet - and they’ll want every ounce of momentum they can muster before that hits.
Don’t Let the Records Fool You
Oregon State sits at 12-12 (5-6 WCC), nearly mirroring WSU’s record on paper. But dig a little deeper, and the differences start to show.
The Beavers’ non-conference schedule was softer than a warm-up layup line - just one opponent ranked in KenPom’s top 100. WSU, by contrast, faced five.
And while both teams have double-digit losses, the quality of those losses matters. Ten of Oregon State’s 12 defeats came against teams outside KenPom’s top 100.
WSU? Just five.
The Cougars already handled the Beavers once this season, an 81-67 win in Spokane back in January. That was before the emergence of Rihards Vavers and Simon Hildebrandt, who have added a serious scoring punch to the Wazzu lineup in recent weeks.
The Road Woes Are Real
Here’s the catch: WSU has just one win outside of the state of Washington this season - a road victory at Portland. That’s it. Traveling hasn’t been kind to the Cougars, and Corvallis hasn’t exactly been a welcoming destination in recent years.
Oregon State, meanwhile, is 9-4 at home this season. They’ve struggled on the road, but Gill Coliseum has remained a tough place to play - and the officiating history there hasn’t helped WSU’s cause.
Last year, OSU shot 38 free throws to WSU’s 16. In 2021, it was 31 to 11.
Head coach Kyle Smith didn’t mince words back then, calling the game "brutal."
But officiating quirks aside, the Cougars can’t afford to let the whistle dictate the outcome. If they want to keep pace in the WCC and stay in the hunt for that No. 4 seed in the conference tournament, they’ll need to take care of business on the road - no excuses.
A Win Tonight Sets the Table for a Massive Saturday
A victory in Corvallis would mark WSU’s fourth straight win - and that’s exactly the kind of momentum they’ll need heading into Saturday’s showdown with Santa Clara.
The Cougars will be wearing their Clock Tower Collection jerseys for the 3 p.m. tip at Beasley Coliseum (streaming on ESPN+), and they’ll be looking for a much different result than last year. Santa Clara absolutely steamrolled WSU in both meetings last season - a 28-point beatdown in California and a 30-point drubbing in Pullman, despite a triple-double from LeJuan Watts.
The Broncos come in red-hot at 19-5 overall and 10-1 in WCC play. They’ve been steamrolling the competition, winning by an average of more than 20 points per game in conference. Only Gonzaga has managed to take them down, and it took a 34-point explosion from Graham Ike to do it.
This year’s Santa Clara squad isn’t quite as reliant on the three-ball, but they’re physical, they rebound like maniacs, and they don’t give you much room to breathe inside. If WSU wants to pull off the upset, they’ll need to bring their best defensive effort of the season, dominate the glass, and get big-time performances from Vavers, Hildebrandt, and Ace Glass.
WSU Women Searching for Answers on the Road
While the men are building momentum, the WSU women’s team is still looking for a spark. At 4-20 overall and 3-8 in WCC play, the Cougars have dropped four straight and are in danger of falling out of contention for a top-eight seed in the conference tournament.
This weekend’s road trip offers a glimmer of hope - but it’s firmly in “believe it when you see it” territory.
WSU travels to San Diego on Thursday (6 p.m. PT) and Pepperdine on Saturday (1 p.m.
PT), with both games streaming on ESPN+. The Toreros are 8-16 (2-9 WCC) and sit below Wazzu in most advanced metrics.
Pepperdine, at 14-9 (5-6), has been one of the surprise teams in the conference - but they’re also one of WSU’s four wins this season.
Currently sitting 10th in the standings, WSU would be locked into a Thursday matchup against the 11-seed in the conference tournament if the season ended today. To avoid that early game, they’ll need to finish eighth or better - and that means leapfrogging teams like St.
Mary’s and Pacific. The Cougars have a win over the Gaels and a chance to sweep them, but they lost to Pacific and won’t get another crack at them.
Stat Trends to Watch
For the men, the turnaround has been fueled by perimeter defense. During their previous four-game skid, WSU surrendered 47 threes and allowed opponents to shoot a blistering 49% from deep. But over the current three-game win streak, they’ve tightened the screws - just 14 threes allowed, and opponents are shooting a chilly 26.9% from beyond the arc.
That’s the kind of defensive identity they’ll need to maintain to survive the next few weeks.
As for the women, offense has actually been a bright spot amid the struggles. They’ve scored at least 70 points in three of their last four games - a sign that if they can shore things up defensively, wins might not be far off.
Bottom Line
For the WSU men, tonight’s game at Oregon State is more than just another road trip - it’s a measuring stick. Win, and they roll into Saturday with confidence and a shot at making real noise in the WCC. Lose, and the uphill climb gets a whole lot steeper.
For the women, it’s about pride, progress, and proving they can still compete. The opportunity is there - now it’s about execution.