Davidson
Davidson at Wazzu is a file of 3 stories. The newest of them: “Cougs host Davidson for a hoops matinee; second half live on the stream”, “Year two under Riley starts the same way as year one: a loss”, and “David Riley gets a little family trash talk as WSU hoops tips off”. Davidson comes to Beasley on a Saturday afternoon for a matinee that tips off at 2 p.m. Another season, another opener where the Cougs leave you wondering what you just watched. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every Davidson story on Wazzu, newest first.
Cougs host Davidson for a hoops matinee; second half live on the stream
Davidson comes to Beasley on a Saturday afternoon for a matinee that tips off at 2 p.m. PT. If you can't make it to Pullman, the second half is streaming live, so you can watch from wherever you landed after you left. That's the real Coug move. This is exactly the kind of non-conference game that tells you something about where this team is. Davidson is disciplined. They run their stuff. They don't beat themselves. If the Cougs come out flat after that California win, it'll show. If they handle business, that says something too. Want the full breakdown on what Riley is seeing from the bench? Our story "WSU hoops coach Riley breaks down the Davidson game and two key Coug players" gets into the matchups and the guys he's counting on. Worth a read before you settle in for the stream. And yeah, we know the rowing team just wrapped a strong fall at Head of the Lake. That's the kind of depth this place has. Hoops, oars, whatever. Cougs show up. Go Cougs.
Year two under Riley starts the same way as year one: a loss
Another season, another opener where the Cougs leave you wondering what you just watched. Year two under Riley started with a home loss to Idaho. Year three? Davidson. Final score 76-61, and it felt every bit that lopsided. The box score is ugly. Wazzu shot 35% from the floor. From three-point range, they hit 5 of 24. Davidson, meanwhile, shot 52% from deep. That's not a game; that's a math problem. Riley talked about his team freezing up after that first action on offense, and it's hard to argue. They got good looks. They just couldn't finish them. Missing Ronnie Harrison hurt. The East Texas A&M transfer put up 23 and 11 in that exhibition win over Washington, and without him, the Cougs looked disjointed. Riley isn't sure if he'll have him for Saturday's trip to High Point. That's a problem, because High Point won 31 games last year and made the second round of the tournament. Jaylen Harrell said the effort wasn't there. Riley said the players are thinking too much. Both are probably right. The Cougs have 14 newcomers, and it showed. They've got time to fix this, but a second straight opening loss in Pullman is a lousy way to start selling a new season. For a brighter note from this weekend, check out the women's team's opener against Cal. That one didn't go great either. Go Cougs.
David Riley gets a little family trash talk as WSU hoops tips off
David Riley's brother Noah, a coach for the New York Giants, spent the summer telling him his Cougs are soft. That's the kind of trash talk that sticks, especially when the numbers back it up. WSU finished last season ranked No. 292 in turnover rate and No. 248 in effective field goal percentage defense. That's not a blip. That's a pattern. Riley's response? Make practice chippy. Uncomfortable. Make somebody lose. It's a simple philosophy for a team that badly needs an edge. Monday night against Davidson, we'll see if it took. The roster is almost entirely new, 14 newcomers, only two returners. That means a lot of transfers learning on the fly. Ronnie Harrison looked the part in the exhibition win over UW, dropping 23 points and 11 boards. But that game was ugly: 87 combined free throws, neither team shooting 40%. The Cougs won, but it wasn't pretty. This is a rebuild in a rebuilt Pac-12, and Riley is trying to teach concepts to a group that barely knows each other. The losses from the portal stung, Ace Glass, ND Okafor, Ri Vavers, and others all left. The guys who replaced them have to prove they can hold the ball and guard someone. For more on how this season fits a bigger pattern, check out our story on the Cougs' one-win start to the fall. The themes are similar: talent isn't the issue, but decisions are. Go Cougs.