Weekly viewing guide: April 2-8

This week’s guide headlined by three big matchups for WSU baseball, NBA basketball

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ABIGAIL LINNENKOHL | DAILY EVERGREEN FILE

Jack Smith travels the base paths during the 2020-21 season.

AARIK LONG, Evergreen reporter

After taking a week off due to The Daily Evergreen’s spring break, your WSU Athletics weekly viewing guide returns, and it’s a good one. While not as heavy on events as some previous weeks, this week features some marquee matchups to keep an eye on.

Friday, April 2

All-day — Track and field return to action with two more meets. One group of athletes will head to Eugene, Oregon, for the Hayward Premiere hosted by the Oregon Ducks, while the rest will head to Spokane for the H.I.R. Invite once again hosted by Whitworth University. This will be the third time in as many weeks that WSU track and field has competed in a meet hosted by Whitworth University.

12:30 p.m. — Tennis gets back in action against the Utah Utes in Salt Lake City. This is the second meeting between the programs this season with WSU taking the previous match 4-1. The Cougars hold a 10-8 record all-time against the Utes. The match will be live-streamed by Utah.

4 p.m. — Aron Baynes and the Toronto Raptors will host the Golden State Warriors in Tampa, Florida. Golden State has two Pac-12 representatives: UCLA’s Kevon Looney and Arizona’s Nico Mannion. The game will be live on NBA League Pass.

5 p.m. — The WSU baseball team gets back on the diamond for the second game of their second home series of the year following their loss on Thursday. The Cougars currently hold a 26-59 all-time record against the Stanford Cardinal and will be looking to move the needle in their direction during this series. The game will be live on the Pac-12 Network.

6 p.m. — The WSU soccer team gets back on the pitch, this time in Los Angeles. The No. 21 Cougars come in with a record of 5-1-1 and a Pac-12 record of 1-0-1, winning 1-0 in overtime against Colorado the last time out. The game will be a major matchup because both teams are in the Top 25, with UCLA sitting as the No. 5 team in the nation. Historically, UCLA has been the much-better team with a record of 18-5-4, but WSU won three of the last five meetings. The game will be live on the Pac-12 Network.

7 p.m. — CJ Elleby and the Portland Trail Blazers host the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks have both UCLA’s Jrue Holiday and Stanford’s Brook Lopez representing the Pac-12. The game will be live on NBA TV.

Saturday, April 3

All-day — Track and field continue their Hayward Premiere meet in Eugene, Oregon. Additionally, the WSU rowing team gets back in the water. This time, it is their first at home as the Gonzaga Bulldogs head to Pullman to face the Cougars. WSU currently sits one spot outside of the national rankings.

Noon — There are two big noon matchups for WSU on Saturday. First of all, the baseball team takes on Stanford in the third and final game of the series. Secondly, No. 15 volleyball will face Arizona for the second time. The Cougars sit third in the conference and could potentially jump to a regular-season title depending on how things go elsewhere in the conference. Meanwhile, Arizona sits with a 9-10 record that has them in sixth in the conference. Arizona does have a 47-20 record all-time against the Cougars, though.

1:30 p.m. — The 2-0 Utah Warriors head to the east coast to face the 1-1 New England Free Jacks. The Warriors have WSU football alumnus Logan Tago. Tago is playing in his first season of Major League Rugby, making one appearance so far. The game will be live on the CBS Sports Network.

7 p.m. — The Trail Blazers head into their second half of a back-to-back as they host the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder have two Pac-12 alumni: UCLA’s Moses Brown and Arizona State’s Luguentz Dort. The game will be live on NBA League Pass.

Sunday, April 4

9 a.m. — WSU tennis gets their third of four weekend matches on their road trip as they head to Boulder, Colorado, to face the Buffaloes. The Cougars hold a 7-5 all-time record against Colorado. The match can be followed live on StatBroadcast.

Noon — No. 21 soccer stays in sunny Los Angeles for their second match of the weekend. This time, the Cougars face No. 19 USC. The Trojans hold a 15-7-3 against the Cougars, including wins in the last six meetings. The game will be live on the Pac-12 Network.

Monday, April 5

All-day — The WSU women’s golf team heads to Napa, California, for the Silverado Showdown. The tournament will take place over three days. The scoring can be following from the GolfStat website.

Noon — WSU tennis faces the Denver Pioneers for just the fourth time in the two programs’ history. Denver’s lone win came in the 2007-08 season, while WSU won in 2013-14 and 2019-20. While not officially announced yet, the game will likely be live-streamed by the hosting Denver Pioneers.

4 p.m. — The Raptors host the Washington Wizards. The Wizards have two big-name Pac-12 alumni with Stanford’s Robin Lopez and UCLA’s Russell Westbrook. The game will be live on NBA League Pass.

Tuesday, April 6

All-day — WSU women’s golf heads into day two of the Silverado Showdown. The scoring can be followed from the GolfStat website.

8 p.m. — Aron Baynes and the Toronto Raptors will host the Golden State Warriors in Tampa, Florida. Golden State has two Pac-12 representatives: UCLA’s Kevon Looney and Arizona’s Nico Mannion. The game will be live on NBA League Pass.

4:30 — The Raptors host the reigning NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers. Utah’s Kyle Kuzma is the lone Pac-12 representative for Los Angeles. The game will be live on NBA League Pass.

7 p.m. — The Trail Blazers will head to Los Angeles to face the Clippers. Despite playing on the west coast, the Clippers currently have no players from the Pac-12. The game can be viewed on NBA League Pass.

Wednesday, April 7

All-day — WSU women’s golf close out the Silverado Showdown on the final day of the tournament. The scoring can be followed from the GolfStat website.

5 p.m. — Baseball returns to the diamond in Orem, Utah to face Utah Valley. WSU holds a record of 15-7 all-time against the Wolverines. While not announced, the game will likely be live-streamed by Utah Valley.

Thursday, April 8

4:30 p.m. — The Raptors host the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls have Oregon’s Troy Brown, UCLA’s Zach LaVine, Arizona’s Lauri Markkanen and USC’s Nikola Vucevic. The game will be live on NBA League Pass.

7 p.m. — The Trail Blazers head to Utah to face the Jazz. Utah currently does not sport any Pac-12 alumni on their team. The game will be live on the NBA League Pass.