Notebook | WSU men's basketball team remain humble

Washington State

(16-3 overall, 5-2 Pac-10)

This is how much life has changed at Washington State: Teams that have recently had their way with the Cougars are now seen by outsiders as fodder they might overlook.

"We talk about how important it is to remain humble," WSU coach Tony Bennett said.

But to paraphrase an old song, it's hard to be humble when you're 16-3, nipping at the leaders of the Pac-10, and ranked 18th in the coaches poll.

The Cougars will be big favorites Thursday night over Oregon State, a program that won five of six from Tony's dad Dick during his three-year regime.

"We know how fleeting it is," Tony Bennett said, preaching caution. "There's not a big gap between being off to a good start and the teams that are struggling. There are only a few teams that are dominant, and we're definitely not one of those teams."

Oregon State coach Jay John says he expects two injured players to be available on at least a limited basis — Wesley Washington (sprained wrist ligament) and Sasa Cuic (left elbow).

WSU expects a crowd of 7,000-8,000 for the OSU game, and more than 10,000 for the Oregon game Saturday night.

The surprise start represents the best at WSU since Jack Friel's 1948-49 team began 18-1.

Even Bennett concedes that constitutes high times in Pullman.

"If you say, would you take 16-3 and 5-2?" he asked rhetorically, "Sure, that sounds good to me."

Gonzaga

(13-7, 4-1 West Coast)

It wasn't just that Gonzaga has traipsed all over the country, making three trips to the Eastern time zone.

"You just don't get enough days out on the practice floor," said assistant coach Leon Rice.

Last week, the Zags had their longest uninterrupted practice stretch of the season, and it showed Monday night at Portland, where they played with more zest in an 80-68 victory.

One result of the week's workouts was that center Josh Heytvelt (14 points) got more touches in the low post. In some games, the 6-foot-11 Heytvelt has failed to establish himself inside.

"We have to find ways to direct him into the post," Rice said. "It's also a weapon for him to step away. We need to find the right mix of all that."

The Zags, who have played just three games on their home floor in the past 56 days, have San Francisco on Saturday and San Diego on Monday in Spokane. They follow with an important game at Stanford next Wednesday.

Eastern Washington

(10-10, 4-4 Big Sky)

Eastern Washington puts its dwindling hopes for a Big Sky regular-season title and tournament-host berth on the line this week with games at eighth-place Sacramento State (7-12, 2-4) and second-place Weber State (12-9, 5-3).

Bud Withers