Nebraska Omaha @ Washington St. preview

Washington State looks to record its third victory in four games under first-year coach Kyle Smith, before heading to the eight-team Cayman Islands Classic next week, when it hosts Omaha for a non-conference contest on Thursday night. The Cougars have won both their home games, including a 72-61 triumph against Idaho State on Sunday as sophomore standout CJ Elleby scored 23 points.

Elleby, who is averaging a team-high 20 points in the first three games, drained 9-of-14 from the field and finished with a career-best seven steals versus the Bengals while Washington State forced 20 turnovers and coughed up the ball just seven times. “We took care of the ball and made some plays,” Smith, who won 20 games with San Francisco each of the last three seasons, told reporters. “I thought we played with a little more poise in the second half and got our legs underneath us.” The Cougars will play Nebraska to open play in the Cayman Islands Classic on Monday before taking on either Old Dominion or George Mason, but first must face an Omaha team which has already played five contests. The Mavericks, who meet Washington State for the first time, had won two games in a row before dropping an 80-65 decision at Colorado State on Nov. 13 and falling 93-68 at Dayton on Tuesday.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

ABOUT OMAHA (2-3): Senior guard JT Gibson, who leads the team in scoring (16.8), recorded 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and the team’s other four starters combined to make just 10-of-27 of their attempts in Tuesday's loss. Junior guard Ayo Akinwole averages 11.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and a team-best 4.8 assists while junior forward Matt Pile is the third player scoring in double figures (11.4) and tops the Mavericks in rebounding (9.4) along with blocks (1.8). Senior guard KJ Robinson recorded 13 points off the bench on 5-of-9 shooting versus Dayton after posting five in his season debut against Colorado State.

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (2-1): Junior Isaac Bonton, a junior college transfer, is the only other Cougar averaging in double figures scoring (15.3) and the 6-3 guard leads the team with four assists per contest. Senior forward Jeff Pollard averages 8.3 points and a team-high 6.3 rebounds after recording 11 and six, respectively, against Idaho State while sophomore forward Aljaz Kunc has added 6.3 points and five boards per game. Senior guard Jaylen Shead (6.3 points), a Texas State transfer, left Sunday’s game with a lower-body injury and his status for the Omaha matchup is uncertain.

TIP-INS

1. The Cougars are averaging only eight turnovers per game, but have made just 39.2 percent from the field.

2. Omaha sophomore G Zach Thornhill scored 19 points in the win over Bethune-Cookman on Nov. 11, but has nine combined in the last two games.

3. Cougars senior G Jervae Robinson is just 6-of-21 from the field in the first three games.

PREDICTION: Washington State 78, Omaha 64