Playing the Washington State basketball team at home used to be considered a guaranteed victory for Oregon. The Cougars haven’t won at McArthur Court since 1995.
But seeing that Washington State has nearly matched its win total from the two previous seasons (22 this year compared with 23 from 2004-06) and resides just behind UCLA in the conference standings after being predicted to finish last by the media – To say that their season has been a success would be an understatement.
And even though the Ducks have had their fair share of success against the Cougars with 12 straight wins, including a 77-74 win in overtime on Jan. 27, coach Ernie Kent doesn’t believe any of his players will take the team lightly.
“They know how good Washington State is,” Kent said. “I don’t think they’re looking at it like we’ve beat them the past 12 times.”
The reason for Washington State’s resurgence?
“They’re different this year,” Kent said. “They didn’t have as many scorers last year.”
Junior Derrick Low is one of those scorers. After missing much of the past two seasons with a broken foot, Low has led the Cougars with his 14.3 points per game.
Teams have taken notice of Low’s skill and have begun to key on him during recent games. Kent said the team didn’t try to double team on defense in the last meeting, fearing Washington State’s other scorers would step up in his place. As a result, Low scored a season-high 37 points against the Ducks.
These days, Low expects to see two defenders on him at any point during the game.
“I’ve just got to be mentally tough, especially when I’m tired in the second half,” Low said in the Spokesman Review. “When teams are trying to deny me the ball or overplay me, I’ve just got to dig deep inside because the thought of knowing that the team needs me at this crucial part of the game, I think that gives me an extra lift.”
Regardless of Low, Kent believes teams have to account for every one of the Cougar players.
“There’s no weak spots on the team right now,” Kent said. “They can score the ball from all the positions on the floor. That makes them a very dangerous team, particularly with the way they play – very smart and they don’t really beat themselves.”
But how did they change so quickly from one year to the next?
“They are a veteran basketball club,” Kent said. “I think Tony (Bennett) is my coach of the year. He’s done a nice job of freeing them up and giving them more energy.”
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