Game 8: Idaho (4-3) vs. Washington State (4-4)
When: December 7, 2011 (7:05 p.m. PT)
Where: Moscow, Idaho (Cowan Spectrum)
Radio: VandalXtra
Television: None
Online Video: VandalXtra
Live Stats: www.GoVandals.com
A Look at the Cougars
Washington State is 4-4 this season. The Cougars started the year 2-4, but won their last two games against Grambling State (69-37) and Eastern Washington (75-49) by an average of 29 points. WSU scores 71.4 points per game on 47.3 percent shooting while giving up 65.8 points on 38.9 percent opponent shooting. The Cougars have a +2.1 rebounding margin and a -2.1 turnover margin so far this season. Senior guard Faisal Aden leads the team with 16.3 points per game on 47.9 percent shooting, while junior forward Brock Motum pitches in 14.6 points and 7.3 rebounds on 55.4 percent shooting. Junior guard Reggie Moore leads the team with 5.5 assists per game.
WSU Head Coach Ken Bone
Ken Bone is in his third season at Washington State with a 42-32 record at the school. He's in his 20th season overall as a collegiate head coach with a career record of 377-199. He led WSU to a 22-13 record last year, including a semifinal appearance in the NIT. Before coming to WSU, Bone was the head coach at Portland State, where he posted a 77-49 record in four seasons. He also spent 12 seasons as head coach at his alma mater, Seattle Pacific, where he went 253-97.
Vandals and Cougars
It's the sixth-oldest continuous men's basketball rivalry in the nation and the oldest West of the Mississippi. The Vandals and Cougars meet on the basketball court for the 107th year in a row on Wednesday. The rivalry was born with a 28-11 Washington State victory on Jan. 13, 1906, and has been contested 266 total times since then. WSU holds a 160-106 overall edge in the series, including wins in 14 of the last 16 meetings. Idaho's last win in the series was Dec. 4, 2002, by a 62-58 margin at the Cowan Spectrum.
Black Out the Spectrum
Fans are encouraged to wear black to Wednesday's Battle of the Palouse. It is also recommended that fans purchase tickets in advance, either through www.GoVandals.com or over the phone at (208) 885-6466 to avoid long ticket lines before the game. Doors open to the general public at 6 p.m., but Idaho students can enter at 5:30 p.m.
Top of the Heap
The Idaho men lead the Western Athletic Conference in six statistical categories so far this year. The Vandals have the league's top numbers in field goal percentage (.497), 3-point percentage (.434), rebounding defense (31.7), assists (14.71), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.07) and blocked shots (5.71).
Hi, My Name Is...
Connor Hill. In just his fourth game as a Vandal, the true freshman broke into the Idaho record book with a 5-of-6 shooting performance from 3-point range in the 94-74 win at UC Davis on Dec. 3. The 83.3 percent clip from long range is tied as the fourth-best performance in school history. It's also the best 3-point shooting game in the WAC so far this year.
Sophomore Slump?
Not for Stephen Madison. In his second year, Madison is averaging 12.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.9 blocked shots per game. He's hitting his shots at a 50-percent clip overall and 45.8 percent from 3-point range. He posted a career game in the 94-74 win at UC Davis on Dec. 3 with career highs in points (19), rebounds (8) and assists (5), and tied career highs in made field goals (6) and made 3-pointers (3).
Protecting Possession
Landon Tatum was the WAC's best and was among the nation's top protectors of possession last season with a 2.20 assist-to-turnover ratio. So far this season he's upped the ante with a WAC-best ratio of 4.13. He ranks sixth in the nation in that category. In his career, he averages just one turnover per 17.7 minutes of play and dishes up 2.5 assists during that same time span.
November All-Conference
CollegeHoops.net's Jon Teitel noticed the hot start by Idaho junior center Kyle Barone and selected him to the CHN November All-WAC Team. Barone averaged 13.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.0 assists in six November games while shooting 63 percent from the field.
Click the PDF link above to view complete game notes.
