Washington State Cougars Set to Battle UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion

As the Washington State Cougars prepare to take on the UCLA Bruins at the iconic Pauley Pavilion, fans can anticipate a game where recent trends and performances will play a significant role. The Cougars have shown a mixed bag of results in their past games, which could influence their approach as they head into this challenging away fixture.

In their most recent outing against Auburn's Tigers, the Cougars fell short with 62 points against the Tigers' 69. Despite starting strong with 20 points in the first quarter, they struggled to maintain momentum, particularly in the third quarter where they only managed 9 points. Their field goal percentage stood at a respectable 45 percent and an impressive free throw percentage of nearly 91 percent. However, turnovers were an issue as they gave up possession 20 times.

Conversely, when facing Houston's Cougars at home earlier in December, Washington State dominated with an emphatic victory scoring an outstanding 95 points to Houston's mere 48. They showcased offensive prowess with a field goal percentage of nearly 59 percent and were flawless from the free-throw line. Additionally, their defense was solid with eight blocks and seven steals.

However, it wasn't all smooth sailing for Washington State; when playing against Washington Huskies at home again later that month, they suffered a narrow defeat scoring only 55 points compared to Huskies' 60. Despite having better control over turnovers and maintaining a decent two-point field goal percentage of around 48 percent, their three-point shooting was lackluster at just over thirteen percent.

The upcoming game is set for January 28th at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles – one of college basketball’s storied venues known for its vibrant atmosphere that could pose an additional challenge for visiting teams like Washington State. Fans eager to see if the Cougars can bounce back from their mixed performances can catch live action on game day scheduled for tip-off at nine o'clock PM Eastern Time (6 PM Pacific Time).