Preview: WSU takes on Drake in 1st round of NCAA Tournament

No. 10-seed Drake Bulldogs (28-6, 19-4 MVC) vs. No. 7-seed WSU Cougars (24-9, 15-7 Pac-12)

Thursday, 7:05 p.m. (pregame 6:30 p.m.)
Radio: Seattle Sports 710 AM; Seattle Sports app; SeattleSports.com

BOTTOM LINE

No. 25 WSU plays in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Drake in Omaha, Nebraska.

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The Cougars’ record in Pac-12 games is 15-7, and their record is 9-2 in non-conference games. WSU ranks second in the Pac-12 at limiting opponent scoring, giving up 66.9 points while holding opponents to 42.2% shooting.

The Bulldogs are 19-4 against MVC teams. Drake ranks fourth in the MVC shooting 36.7% from 3-point range.

WSU makes 46.6% of its shots from the field this season, which is 2.2 percentage points higher than Drake has allowed to its opponents (44.4%). Drake averages 8.7 made 3-pointers per game this season, 3.0 more made shots on average than the 5.7 per game Washington State allows.

TOP PERFORMERS

WSU: Jaylen Wells is shooting 42.5% from beyond the arc with 2.0 made 3-pointers per game for the Cougars, while averaging 12.1 points. Isaac Jones is shooting 58.3% and averaging 14.7 points over the past 10 games.

Drake: Tucker DeVries averages 2.6 made 3-pointers per game for the Bulldogs, scoring 21.8 points while shooting 36.4% from beyond the arc. Atin Wright is shooting 46.0% and averaging 14.1 points over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES

WSU Cougars: 7-3, averaging 70.7 points, 37.0 rebounds, 12.4 assists, 5.3 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 45.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 65.8 points per game.

Drake Bulldogs: 9-1, averaging 82.4 points, 32.7 rebounds, 16.7 assists, 6.1 steals and 1.0 block per game while shooting 47.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.0 points.

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