There's really no way to sugarcoat (9-7,2-3 Pac-12) the loss WSU men's hoops posted yesterday afternoon in Pullman. A rather dicey first half saw the Cougs leading Stanford (10-4,3-1 Pac-12) at the half by nine points. Wazzu played solid defense over the course of the first twenty minutes, but their offense sputtered without anyone playing true point guard leadership. By the time the final buzzer sounded the scoreboard announced a 62-57 Cardinal victory and Wazzu had just ten assists for the 32-buckets they made. That ratio of assists to baskets is the very definition of a lot of one-on-one offense. If your roster is loaded with a bunch of one-and-done talent just biding time before turning pro, that might work. Make no mistake, the WSU roster is not loaded with NBA talent. Unless Coach Kyle Smith can get his players to understand team basketball concepts, Cougar Nation is destined to have their heart broken repeatedly over the balance of this season. It's still early and changes can be made and effected. A barrage of misfires by everyone wearing a crimson and gray uni fostered a 23-point run by Stanford in the second half. Truthfully, this Wazzu team isn't good enough to withstand 23-0 runs.
Almost lost in the malaise that has been the inexplicable losses would be the outstanding play of freshman Mouhamed Gueye. Gueye has back-to-back double-digit scoring games. He posted a double-double against Stanford with 16-points and 11-rebounds. If the last two games are any indication, Gueye is going to be a superstar.
Wazzu will get a chance to right their ship Saturday afternoon at 1pm when they host the Cal Bears. The game will be telecast on Pac-12 Network. Set your DVR at your own risk. Watching this team play isn't for the faint of heart.
POSTGAME NOTES
• With the loss, the Cougars:
o Fell to 9-7 on the year, 2-3 in Pac-12 contests
o WSU fell to 61-84 all-time against the Cardinal and 38-31 in Pullman
• The game was delayed 75 minutes due to Covid-19 testing issues within the Coug program – tipped off at
3:15 from the original time scheduled of 2 pm.
• WSU led at the break for the 15th time in 16 games on the year, falling to 9-6 in those games
• WSU used its 9th starting lineup of the season (Flowers, Williams, Bamba, Gueye, Abogidi)
o Roberts, initially in the starting lineup, was pulled right before tip due to testing issues but played
the game
o Cougs were without Tony Miller and Dishon Jackson due to injury, and DJ Rodman and Matt
DeWolf due to Covid-19 protocol
• Mohamed Gueye led the Cougs in scoring and rebounding (16 & 11) for his second career double-double.
o Both his points (16) and rebounds (11) were career highs
o First career double-double in Pac-12 play
o First time leading the Cougs in scoring in his career, 7th time leading in rebounding
o Scored 10 first half points, second time in as many games with a double-digit first half
o 5th double-digit scoring game of his career, 3rd double-digit rebounding game
 2nd straight game in double-digits scoring
• Michael Flowers finished with 12 points on 4-of-8 from deep
o 11th time in double figures, 96th of his career, 2nd straight
o 4 three-pointers a high in a Pac-12 game for the senior
 Has hit a three-pointer in 22 straight games including all 16 as a Coug
• Tyrell Roberts finished with 10 points
o 4th straight game in double-figures, 9th of his career
o 4 assists a high in a Pac-12 game for the junior
• TJ Bamba played 36 minutes, the most in a Pac-12 game for the sophomore
o Tied a career-high with 3 steals
• Cougs shot 4-of-10 (.400) from the line, a season-low
o Lowest FT% since going 2-for-5 (.400) at Utah at Salt Lake City, 1/25/20
https://wsucougars.com/news/2022/1/13/mens-basketball-cougs-fall-to-the-cardinal-62-57.aspx

Expect plenty of movement on the football roster in the coming days and weeks. Yet another Coug decided to play his last season of eligibility elsewhere. Willie Taylor III has entered the transfer portal. Aside from growth as a player, Taylor boasts tremendous physical growth. He arrived in Pullman tipping the scales at 210 pounds, which is pretty decent for a safety coming out of high school. Taylor converted to the EDGE rush position and packed on 36-pounds of muscle during his five years on the Palouse. Though he wasn't really a standout on the defense, he was an integral part of the defensive line rotation and played very effectively the past two seasons.
Coach Jake Dickert has plenty of room to restock his roster. He has fourteen new names already and the NCAA allows him to bring in a total of 32 new student-athletes (standard 25 max scholarship guys, plus one-time 7 transfers). Of the total already signed, four are transfers.