Traveling more than 2,500 miles to Pullman, the New Orleans Privateers come to WSU to take on the men’s basketball team in a game that pits two young teams with similar styles of play against one another.

The Cougars (4-3) and Privateers (3-3) are statistically close with nearly identical records.

WSU is making close to 47 percent of field goals attempted while New Orleans is hitting 46 percent of its shots. The two teams also shoot a similar clip at the charity stripe, with WSU knocking down 77 percent of its free throw attempts and the Privateers at 73 percent.

Each team has at least eight underclassmen on its roster. The Privateers boast a taller lineup than the Cougars, who rely on a quick offensive tempo in games.

Both teams are in search of turnaround seasons. The Cougars finished last season with a 9-22 record and the Privateers finished with a 10-20 record.

“It has more to do with energy, drive, passion, all those types of things,” Head Coach Ernie Kent said of his team’s inconsistent play.

Kent also said low attendance at home games in Beasley Coliseum is far from an ideal environment to play in, but is not an excuse for the team’s recent performance.

“Not a lot of energy on campus, (so) what,” Kent said after Sunday’s 88-76 home loss to San Jose State. “Come together, let’s play.”

Freshman guard Malachi Flynn, who netted a game-high 27 points in Wednesday’s 83-76 win over Utah Valley, said that fans will support the team with better performance.

“We just have to play with the conditions we have,” he said, “and if we win, people will come out.”

To build off of Wednesday’s bounceback win and play with more offensive consistency, WSU has to cut down on its turnovers. The Cougars have turned the ball over 102 times through seven games. The Privateers have committed 112 turnovers in their six games, averaging four more per game than WSU.

Start time is pegged for 3 p.m. on Saturday and the game will air on the Pac-12 Network.