The WSU men’s basketball team will face off against their toughest opponent tonight in Spokane. The Cougars are heavy underdogs in their matchup against No.9 ranked Gonzaga. This is an opportunity for growth for a team that Head Coach Ernie Kent said is still trying to find its identity as a basketball program.

“We are getting ready to step up on a platform that is going to force us, it will force us to grow and that’s a good thing,” Kent said. “You are not going to go into an environment like that, play against a team of that caliber and not be on your A-game. You will get blown out. So for us to be in a situation to have an opportunity in this game you are going to have to play at a higher level and that is a good thing for this team.”

In order for the Cougars (4-4) to elevate themselves, as Kent put it, they will need to shoot consistently like in their previous game against UTSA. WSU’s 18 three-pointers tied a school record and their 60.8 percent shooting from the floor was a season high.

Gonzaga’s (7-1) defense is formidable considering their size, and has held their opponents to shooting 42.5 percent so far this season. If the Cougars are going to come away with the upset they will also need to have a fast start. Starting off slow in games is an area the Cougars have struggled with this season, and putting themselves in a hole early against Gonzaga would equal a long night for Kent and his team.

“A little bit, but the biggest thing we have focused on is getting out to a fast start. We have come out a little slow, sluggish in the first couple of games in our season and that is one of the reasons why we lost a couple games,” WSU sophomore forward Josh Hawkinson said. “So I think a fast start and knocking down shots will be our biggest key … If we can come out and shoot like we did against UTSA on Saturday then we can compete against almost every single team, so that is going to be a really big key going into the regular season. ”

On defense the Cougars will have to contain players like junior forward Kyle Wiltjer who has been shooting 55 percent from the floor. Senior guards Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell Jr. are also major threats. Pangos is shooting 61 percent from the floor and 46 percent from behind the arc. His offensive rating of 145.4 has him ranked sixth nationally. The Cougars will rely on their big men to control the field and will need to force a few turnovers to knock the Bulldogs off their rhythm.

“We are improving; we know what things we are struggling in this year and what our weakness is,” senior guard DaVonté Lacy said. “I think we are still trying to find our identity. We are just trying to improve every game.”