It's Apple Cup time on the Palouse again as the Washington Huskies and Washington State Cougars hit the hardwood tonight in the Pac-10's marquee matchup of the week. The Huskies come to Pullman sitting atop the Pac-10 standings and are the only Pac-10 team ranked in the top-25.
Klay Thompson leads the way for the Cougars, scoring 22.2 points per game. Thompson has evolved into a more complete player this season and his numbers show it. His rebounding is up, at 5.5 per game, and he leads the team in assists, with 4.4 per game. If WSU has any aspirations of knocking off the Huskies, it's going to take a big game from Thompson, who has struggled against Washington throughout his career.
The Huskies are led by Isaiah Thomas' 16.9 points per game. With Abdul Gaddy done for the season with a torn ACL, Thomas has taken more of a distributor role this year, dishing out 5.8 assists per game while running the point for the Huskies. His versatility, and ability to score from anywhere on the floor, has the Huskies ahead of the pack, and looking like a sure NCAA tournament team halfway through the conference season.
At 4-4 in Pac-10 play, the Cougars need a win on Sunday in the worst way. Beating the first-place Huskies would be a huge resume boost for Washington State as they look to position themselves for an NCAA tournament berth in March.
The Huskies, on the other hand need a win to maintain their Pac-10 lead over the Arizona Wildcats, who sit just a half game behind Washington in the standings. A loss would knock Washington into a dead heat with the Wildcats, while a win would give them some breathing room heading into the back-half of the Pac-10 schedule.
The Cougars and Huskies hit the floor on Sunday night at 7 p.m. at Beasley Coliseum. The game will be televised live on FSN. For more on the game, stay tuned to our StoryStream for previews and live updates throughout.