WSU men at home amid rarified air

PULLMAN -- Not that this campus and community have endured destitute times in basketball, but Washington State experiences something tonight it hasn't seen since Dick Bennett was a first-grader in Pittsburgh.

The Cougars play in front of the home fans as a team ranked by The Associated Press. There. That's all.

Not since February 1950 has that happened, when Bennett, father of WSU coach Tony Bennett and the man who bequeathed him the job, was eagerly awaiting grammar-school recess.

All around the Cougars (16-3 overall, 5-2 Pac-10) are signs not only of how far they've come, but what a barren landscape they've traveled. For instance, the opponent tonight is Oregon State, hardly a recent powerhouse in the Pac-10, yet the Beavers have won 12 of the past 15 meetings between the teams.

"Right now, it's a fantastic Washington State team," said OSU coach Jay John.

It's also one off to its best start since Jack Friel's 1948-49 club began the season 18-1. Even that team's achievement is of debatable merit, because five of the 18 victories were against Whitworth, Eastern Washington and Central Washington.

Seventh-ranked Oregon's visit Saturday night will mark the first time in the 34-season history of Friel Court that WSU and the opponent are ranked. It also puts the onus on the Cougars to behave like a ranked team tonight against the Beavers (9-11, 1-6) and not one looking forward to the Ducks.

Wednesday after practice, Tony Bennett said he thought WSU had been responding adequately in workouts to its increased profile and media demands. He cut back somewhat this week on player availabilities because of interview requests.

"You can never assume anything at this level," Bennett said. "You never know when you're going to be 'right' and the other team's not.

"Our mind-set is, let's pour everything into the next game, and when it's done, let's pack it up, win or lose, and go on to the next one."

The defense-minded Cougars probably are not what OSU needs to see right now. The Beavers are shooting only 42.7 percent, 30.4 on threes, and 63 percent from the line.

They are coming off competitive defeats last week at home against California and Stanford, surrendering both games down the stretch. That's a decided improvement from a November game at Hawaii when the Beavers fell behind 25-0 and lost by 44, and a Jan. 6 home loss to USC, 91-46.

Forward Marcel Jones leads OSU in scoring at 16.9 points per game. Second-leading scorer Sasa Cuic (13.3) sat out last week against Stanford with a swollen left elbow. John says if Cuic can defend and rebound, he should play, because his shooting isn't affected.

Bennett said he expects at least limited availability from center Aron Baynes and reserve guard Chris Matthews, out recently with foot and ankle injuries.

Bud Withers: 206-464-8281 or bwithers@seattletimes.com