ASU Basketball: 2019 Pac-12 Week 7 Power Rankings
By Trevor Booth
8. Washington State Cougars (6-3) LW: 10
Just over a week ago, Washington State suffered maybe the Pac-12’s most embarrassing loss in the first few weeks of the season.
The Cougars fell to a then-3-6 Montana State squad 95-90. According to CBS Sports insider Jon Rothstein, it was “the epitome of brutality.”
Washington State only played one game this week to proceed that head-scratching loss. That came against another struggling mid-major — Rider.
A MAAC team, Rider came into the game with a winning record. But that didn’t matter in Sunday’s game against the Cougars.
Though not a true blowout, Washington State controlled the game for its entirety.
The Cougars outshot Rider from the field, 3-point line and the charity stripe, helping them cruise to a 94-80 win.
Foul trouble also killed the Broncos. Rider ended the game with 33 fouls — 11 more than Washington State.
In Wazzu’s first nine games, Robert Franks has been the catalyst for the Cougars. Sunday was no exception.
Franks led the team in scoring with 25 points, just above his season average. A senior forward, he leads the Pac-12 in scoring and is eighth in the nation, averaging 24.5 points per contest.
Even if Franks keeps producing, the Cougars will need a little more help from another area – their fans. Just 1,673 were on hand for WSU’s win over Rider, which is 11 percent of Friel Court’s capacity.
Only three games remain in Washington State’s non-conference schedule. Those games, all at home, are against SIU Edwardsville, San Diego and Santa Clara.