Men’s basketball
> Idaho at Cal State Bakersfield
Tipoff: 7 tonight, Icardo Center, Bakersfield, Calif.
Records: Idaho 6-2 overall, 0-0 Big Sky Conference; Cal State Bakersfield 5-6 overall, 0-0 Western Athletic Conference
Players: The Vandals are getting increasingly strong play from senior post Brayon Blake (13.4 ppg, 9.6 rpg), who scored 26 points in a rousing 91-64 home win Wednesday night over Washington State. The Roadrunners’ top scorer is 6-foot-6 senior Shon Briggs (12.2 ppg).
Game themes: The Vandals try to avenge one of their two losses this season, a 64-62 verdict at the Great Alaska Shootout. The game-winning 3-pointer came from freshman Justin Davis.
> LCSC at Walla Walla
Tipoff: 6 tonight, Fitness Center, Walla Walla, Wash.
Records: Lewis-Clark State 10-1 overall, 2-0 Frontier Conference; Walla Walla 5-6 overall, 1-1 Cascade Conference
Players: Lewis-Clark State’s Andre McCowan, who earlier this year dealt with a knee injury, is back and leading the Warriors with 15.8 ppg. Also for L-C, Pullman High grad Race Martin scores 13.9 ppg. For the Wolves, Wesley Burke leads the way with 15.1 ppg.
Game themes: The Warriors as a team rank No. 5 in the NAIA in assist-to-turnover ratio, and a big reason for that is the duo of Trea Thomas and Derrick White. Those two are as capable of ball-handlers as any guards in the Frontier Conference, and are a big reason any pressure teams apply to the Warriors often backfires. The Warriors are a much more steady team with Martin on the court, but their consistency truly emanates from their guards.
> Washington State at UTEP
Tipoff: 6 tonight, Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas
Records: Washington State 6-2 overall, 0-0 Pac-12 Conference; UTEP 2-6 overall, 0-0 Conference USA.
Players: Junior forward Robert Franks has reached double figures in seven of his eight games for the Cougars and leads the team with an average of 19.9 points per game. With Matt Willms nursing a wrist injury, the Miners will likely turn to Keith Frazier for offensive production, as the senior guard averages 13.3 points and six boards this season.
Game themes: Washington State is looking to avoid a three-game losing streak after dropping contests to Idaho and UC Davis on the Palouse. UTEP enters the matchup fully rested after a week-long break between games.
Women’s basketball
> Wyoming at Idaho
Tipoff: 6 tonight, Memorial Gym, Moscow
Records: Wyoming 5-3 overall, 0-0 Mountain West Conference; Idaho 3-4 overall, 0-0 Big Sky Conference.
Players: Leading Wyoming’s balanced attack is 5-foot-11 senior guard Liv Roberts (11.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg). The Vandals’ Big Three are Mikayla Ferenz (21.0 ppg), Taylor Pierce (17.1 ppg) and Geraldine McCorkell (16.4 ppg).
Game themes: In the third of Idaho’s four straight home games, the Vandals face the team picked second in the preseason MWC poll. The Cowgirls lived up to those expectations early, winning their first five games, but then dropped their next three before topping Idaho State last Sunday at home. The Vandals try to beat Wyoming for the second year in a row, having won 74-71 last December at Laramie, Wyo. Although the UI men played Wednesday at the Kibbie Dome, tonight’s contest is at Memorial because of commencement at the Dome.
