Cougs look to return to their winning ways at home

December 2, 3:01 PMWashington State Cougars ExaminerLew Wright

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(AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

For the first time during the tenure of Coach Tony Bennett, Washington State lost a basketball game played during the month of November.  It should also be pointed out that it's the first time his Cougs have faced a Top 25 opponent early in the season.

After advancing to the Legends Classic final, WSU fell to the Big East powerhouse, Pittsburgh.  The Cougs played the Panthers tough in the first half, but seemed to run out of gas after intermission against the physical play of Pitt.

Coach Bennett will lead his team on to Friel Court in Pullman, WA, to play the Bengals of Idaho State.  Tip off is scheduled for 7pm PST.

Idaho State is off to a rocky start, sporting a 1-4 record over their first five games.

The Cougs traveled to Pocatello, ID to play the Bengals in late December last season. It was well worth the drive.  WSU defeated Idaho State 75-45 on their home court.

There is optimism about how the Bengals are going to fare this year after finishing second in the Big Sky, advancing to the semi-final conference tournament game.

Key to the progress of Coach Bennett's team will be improved play by Taylor Rochestie. The Panthers took Rochestie out of his game after seeing how MSU covered him.  The fifth-year senior is likely to make the necessary adjustments to return to his form of the past two years.  WSU needs his leadership on the floor, but not at the cost of turnovers and lackluster offense. There's no reason to think that Rochestie won't step up his play.  The talented, crafty southpaw clearly misses the core players from last year's squad.  However, he is learning the abilities of his new teammates.

Look for Coach Bennett to give plenty of players PT.  He's still trying to get a feel for what player combinations are capable of.

A win tonight will put Washington State back on the cusp of being ranked in the Top 25 themselves.

Seriously.

Idaho State Bengals  vs.  Washington State Cougars

7pm PST - Friel Court, Pullman, WA

Televised on Fox Sports Northwest