Washington St. @ Nebraska preview

CJ Elleby, one of the top scorers in the nation, will lead Washington State into action as it commences play in the Cayman Islands Classic on Monday against Nebraska. Elleby's 21.8 points per game put him 17th in the nation and fifth among sophomores entering Sunday for the Cougars, who will square off against the Cornhuskers for the ninth time - but the first time this century.

Elleby's 27 points, which matched his career high from the season opener, wasn't enough to carry the Cougars past another Nebraska team - Omaha - on Thursday despite leading by 15 points early in the second half. Washington State entered the game as a sound defensive unit, allowing 70 or fewer points in its first three contests, but the Mavericks put up 85 points and the Cougars looked more like the team that regularly ranked near the bottom of the Pac-12 in defending under former coach Ernie Kent than the one of first-year coach Kyle Smith. "They keep growing as a unit," Smith, who has been preaching hustle plays since coming to Washington State from San Francisco, told the media. "They've really been accepting what were trying to do." After dropping its first two games, including a 47-point effort in their season opening loss to UC Riverside, the Cornhuskers have scored 90 or more points in back-to-back wins behind 40 total points from sophomore Cam Mack and 28 from junior Jervay Green.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, No TV

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (2-2): Aside from defense, Smith has come in demanding ball control and it has resulted in the Cougars ranking first in the nation in turnovers per game (7.3). Junior guard Isaac Bonton came over from Montana State, where he averaged 2.3 turnovers in 2018-19, and has four in four games this season. The 6-3 native of Portland, Ore., who was tied for 18th in the country with an assist to turnover ratio of 4.5, has scored in double figures in every game, including a high of 19 points, and has also hit the boards with 4.5 per contest.

ABOUT NEBRASKA (2-2): Western Nebraska Community College isn't exactly a hotbed for Division I talent, but Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg found a good player there in Green. The junior, who once scored 64 points in a game for a Denver high school, has acclimated well, including scoring 22 points and dishing out six assists in the overtime win over Southern. The 6-3 guard struggled to score in a couple games but was still doing other things such as rebounding (3.5 per game) and coming up with steals (1.8) for the Huskers, who will face George Mason or Old Dominion on Tuesday.

TIP-INS

1. Elleby (2.75) and Jaylen Shead (2.33) rank in the top 10 in the Pac-12 in steals per game.

2. Despite making 12-of-21 against Southern, the Cornhuskers come into this game shooting 30.3 percent from 3-point land and will be facing a Washington State squad that has held its opponents to 26.8 percent from deep.

3. The Cougars averaged 13.3 turnovers during the past three seasons under Kent.

PREDICTION: Washington State 78, Nebraska 75