The Cougars will take on the University of San Diego on Thursday in what will be their senior night and their final home game of the 2024-25 season.
The team features three seniors, forwards Ethan Price, Dane Erikstrup and injured guard Cedric Coward, who is redshirting and could opt to return next year.
All three seniors transferred to WSU last spring from Eastern Washington University. It is a stark contrast from the women’s team, which honored four-year starter Tara Wallack at their senior night. The senior men still feel new, as if they just arrived on the Palouse, and yet they are already gone.
Still, in such a short time, the seniors have made an impact in Pullman. They helped the team start 13-3, tying the best start in WSU history. While the second half of the year has not gone like they may have hoped, Price and Erikstrup have been steady through the wins and losses. Neither player has missed a start this year.
Coward was honored on the West Coast Conference preseason team, and was the team’s leading scorer through six games, before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.
In the Cougars’ first game against the Toreros, they won a nail-biter, 64-60. The Torero’s defense put together one of the best performances of the year against the Cougs. On the road, WSU was forced to make a comeback. Nate Calmese was clutch in the final stretch of the game, scoring eight of the last twelve points and managing to stay in the game with four fouls and not foul out.
Now playing the Toreros in Pullman, the Cougars are expected to win with less of a struggle. ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Cougars a 93% chance at victory.
For the Cougars, who have won three of their last thirteen games, that is a welcome sign. However, the Toreros nearly beat them in San Diego, and WSU knows better than to take any opponent lightly.
The Cougars still have something to play for; wins against San Diego and Pepperdine this Saturday, combined with an LMU loss to Saint Mary’s would move the Cougars from the seventh seed to the sixth seed in the WCC.
The difference between six and seven might not feel like much, but it is the difference between having to play in the first round and earning a bye straight to the second round. It is especially important considering that if WSU does have to play in the first round, there is a chance it would be against the current ninth seed Pacific, which has beaten WSU twice already this season.
The Cougars are coming off their worst home loss in eight years, a 109-79 loss to Santa Clara. They will be looking to bounce back in a big way against San Diego.
The Torero’s have struggled this year. They have only one conference win, which came at home against Pacific.
“We want to really make the most of these last few weeks of the season,” said head coach David Riley. “We want to get back to playing competitive, and playing for each other.”
He said this season has reminded him of his first year coaching at Eastern.
“There’s a lot of lessons you gotta learn,” said Riley.
Sophomore forward LeJuan Watts said the recent losing streak has been hard on the team, but that he has fought through adversity before, and that he plays with a fight.
“I had a hard upbringing,” said Watts. “I just play how my life was, I try to play hard, try to push through.”
San Diego head coach Steve Lavin spoke about how he hopes his team can find momentum before the WCC tournament.
“We just wanna get some wins,” said Lavin. “You’re a given a reset, an opportunity to punch your ticket to the big dance if you can get hot at the right time of the year.”
The Cougars could also relate to Lavin’s sentiment. Although the second half of the season has not gone as planned, anything can happen in Vegas. Wins in their final two games can help give the Cougs momentum going into the tournament, and beating San Diego can be the start of something special.
