Miller: Sunday & Monday Men's Hoops Previews

Posted on February 14, 2021


  By Dane Miller, SportsPac12

It was a wild Saturday of Pac-12 men’s basketball with Cal upsetting Colorado, Oregon claiming yet another close win over Arizona, and Washington giving UCLA another scare.

Stanford got the win it likely had to have to stay in the hunt for an at-large NCAA tournament bid, and the Cougars let their chance to sweep the L.A. schools at home slip through their fingers

That leaves us with two more games this week, with Arizona State hosting Oregon state today, and Washington visiting Pullman for a renewal of the Apple Cup on Monday.

I preview both of those games below. You’ll also find my picks and those of Nick Bartlett at the bottom of the page.

Oregon State at Arizona State

Sunday, February 14
4:00 pm PT, ESPN2

Despite Remy Martin’s 30 points on Thursday, the Sun Devils still lost by double-digits to the Ducks at the Bank.

And down in Tucson, the Beavs lost by nine to Arizona even after a late second half push by Ethan Thompson to bring it within a few possessions.

With two programs reeling from defeats, the motivation to emerge with a victory on Sunday outweighs any lingering injuries, frustration with COVID testing, and dissatisfaction with the trajectory of the season.

The result could be a tightly contested game with emotions boiling over between both coaches. The refereeing in Conference play has been atrocious at times, with Warith Alatishe handicapped all game at McKale Center and Kimani Lawrence fouling out against the Ducks.

It’s anyone’s guess how the refs call this one, but it’s in everyone’s best interest to let the players settle it without the men in stripes defining the game.

And with injuries depleting ASU’s roster, it could fall entirely on Remy Martin to will his team to victory once again.

Washington at Washington State

Monday, February 15
5:00 pm PT, Pac-12 Network

On Monday night, the basketball version of the Apple Cup returns.

Regardless of what happened on Saturday, this rivalry is personal for Noah Williams. The native of Seattle has yet to lose to the Dawgs, and it’s clear that he turns it up for the battles against UW.

The confidence the WSU starters have been playing with over the past few games is tangible, spilling over to Kyle Smith’s role-players off the bench. And against a Husky program in the midst of an historically poor season, it wouldn’t be surprising if this game turned into a blowout at Beasley Coliseum.

That doesn’t mean Quade Green and Company can’t get it done, but it’s an uphill struggle for a team that sometimes appears to have checked out and wants nothing more than for the year to mercifully end.

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Dane Miller

covers Pac-12 Basketball and Football as a Senior Writer and Assistant Editor for SportsPac12.com. Miller also co-hosts and produces "The Dane & Nick Show," a SportsPac12 Radio Podcast.