Weekly viewing guide: March 19-25

This week headlined by Chloe Larson in NCAA championships, women’s basketball in NCAA tournament

Senior+freestyle+swimmer+Chloe+Larson+gets+set+to+compete+in+NCAA+swim+championships+on+Saturday.

COURTESY OF DEAN HARE, WSU PHOTO SERVICES

Senior freestyle swimmer Chloe Larson gets set to compete in NCAA swim championships on Saturday.

AARIK LONG, Evergreen reporter

Another week of Cougar sports means another week of WSU viewing guides. This week is highlighted by an Apple Cup, NCAA Championships and a return of Cougar hoops to March Madness.

Friday, March 19

All Day — The WSU track and field team kicks off the 2021 outdoor season with two meets on Friday. Part of the team will be in Spokane for the Whitworth Essential at Whitworth University, while the rest of the squad will travel to Los Angeles for day one of the Trojan Invitational hosted by USC. The event in Spokane will feature four D-I schools, two D-III, an NAIA, a CC and a ParaSport team, while the Trojan Invitational will feature USC, Cal, Long Beach State and the Cougars. Live results for the Whitworth Essential can be found here, while the Trojan Invitational results can be found here. USC will also be streaming their event.

5 p.m. — Aron Baynes and the Toronto Raptors return to their home away from home in Tampa, Florida to host the Utah Jazz. The Jazz do not have a Pac-12 representative. The game will be live on NBA League Pass.

5:35 p.m. — Cougar baseball kicks off conference play on the road with game one against the No. 23 Oregon State Beavers. The Beavers come into the meeting with an 11-3 record but lost their last series when they gave up two of three games to their in-state rivals, the Oregon Ducks. WSU holds an all-time record of 230-209-3 against the Beavers but are just 81-116 when visiting Corvallis, Oregon. The game presents the toughest challenge of the season thus far for the Cougars. The game will be live-streamed by Oregon State.

7 p.m. — No. 13 WSU soccer gets back on the pitch after having their last four matches canceled due to COVID-19. This weekend, they head out on the road, as they will face the Washington Huskies at Husky Soccer Stadium in Seattle. Last season, the Huskies picked up a 1-0 win at home and in the process, earned their first win over the Cougars since 2003, a stretch where they had lost 10 times and drawn five times. Since their first meeting in 1991, the Cougars hold a 14-8-7 all-time lead in the series. This game will be the first of two meetings between the in-state foes this season, with the latter being the one that will count towards the Pac-12 standings. Regardless, this will be a big game for both teams. The game will be live on the Pac-12 Network.

Also at 7 p.m., CJ Elleby and the Portland Trail Blazers host the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks have three Pac-12 representatives on their team: Josh Green from Arizona, Tyrell Terry from Stanford and Dwight Powell from Stanford. The game will be available on NBA League Pass and NBC Sports Northwest.

Saturday, March 20

All Day — Chloe Larson gets back in the pool for WSU, as the Pac-12 Champion will compete at the national level in the 100-yard freestyle. The preliminary round will take place at 7 a.m. with the final taking place at 3 p.m. should she make it. The whole event can be watched on ESPN3.

Also taking place all day, the WSU track and field team will compete in day two of the Trojan Invitational in Los Angeles. Results can be found here. USC will also be streaming their event.

Time TBA — For more aquatic sports, the rowing team gets back in the water, as they face the Oregon State Beavers on Dexter Lake in Lane County, Oregon. This will be just the second event of the year for the Cougars following their dual with the Huskies.

11 a.m. — No. 39 WSU tennis will host Eastern Washington for a two-match double-header on Saturday. The first match will be at 11 a.m. with the second one following at 3 p.m. The Cougars come into the matches with an all-time record of 37-2 against the Eagles, including a win earlier this season. The matches will be live-streamed by WSU.

1:35 p.m. — The WSU baseball team gets set for game two against No. 23 Oregon State. The game will be live-streamed by Oregon State.

5 p.m. — Former Cougar defensive lineman Logan Tago looks to make a name for himself in a new sport: rugby. The former Seattle Seahawk and Montreal Allouette will make his debut with the Utah Warriors of Major League Rugby. The Warriors face off against the Austin Gilgronis. The game can be viewed for free on the Rugby Network or KSLSports.

Sunday, March 21

1:05 p.m. — Baseball wraps up the three-game series with the No. 23 ranked Oregon State Beavers. The game will be live-streamed by Oregon State.

4 p.m. — The Raptors and Aron Baynes hit the road for a meeting with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers have just one Pac-12 alumnus: UCLA big man Kevin Love. The game will be live on NBA League Pass.

6:30 p.m. — For the first time in thirty years, WSU women’s basketball is competing in the NCAA Tournament. It all gets going on Sunday as they face the eighth-seeded South Florida Bulls. The Cougars will be searching for the first-ever win in the tournament, as their lone appearance in 1991 was cut short after just one game. South Florida comes in with the better record this season and a 1-0 record all-time against the Cougars, with the lone meeting coming in 2017 when the Bulls picked up an 82-45 win in the Gulf Coast Showcase. The game will be a monumental one for the history of WSU women’s basketball, no matter the result. The game will be live on ESPN2.

7 p.m. — Game two of the Trail Blazers versus Mavericks in Portland takes place. The game will once again be available on NBA League Pass and NBC Sports Northwest.

Monday, March 22

6 p.m. — Aron Baynes and the Toronto Raptors head into game two of a back-to-back with a road meeting against the Houston Rockets. Houston has one Pac-12 foe for Aron Baynes: USC’s Kevin Porter Jr. The game will be live on NBA League Pass.

Tuesday, March 23

12:05 p.m. — Baseball returns to the diamond, as they head to Sin City to face the UNLV Rebels. Currently, the Cougars hold a 9-11 record all-time against UNLV. WSU will be looking for a couple of good wins before a weekend series against Arizona State. No live streaming has been announced quite yet, but UNLV will likely stream the game.

7 p.m. — The Trail Blazers get back in action on Tuesday with a game against the Brooklyn Nets. Brooklyn is led by their lone Pac-12 player: Arizona State’s James Harden. The game will be live on NBA League Pass and NBC Sports Northwest.

Wednesday, March 24

12:05 p.m. — WSU heads into game two of their series with UNLV on Wednesday. No broadcast has been announced quite yet, but UNLV will likely livestream the game.

4:30 p.m. — The Raptors look to get some momentum following their day off with a home meeting against the Denver Nuggets. Denver has two Pac-12 alumni: Oregon’s Bol Bol and Arizona’s Zeke Nnaji. The game will be live on the NBA League Pass.

Thursday, March 25

All Day — It is going to be a jam-packed Thursday of action for Cougar sports fans. First of all, men’s golf heads to Stanford, California for the Goodwin Intercollegiate hosted by the Stanford Cardinal.

Additionally, track and field will see another split-team day, as part of the team travels to Raleigh, North Carolina for the Raleigh Relays hosted by North Carolina State, while the other part of the team travels to Spokane again for another Whitworth University-hosted event in the Whitworth Invite.

4:30 p.m. — Portland faces the Miami Heat on the road to close out their week. Miami has two Pac-12 alumni: UCLA’s Trevor Ariza and Arizona’s Andre Iguodala. The game will be live nationally on TNT.