Old Dominion @ Washington St. preview

Recent seasons haven't been kind to Washington State, and first-year coach Kyle Smith isn't faring much better than his predecessors. The Cougars aim to snap a two-game losing streak when it plays Old Dominion in the losers' bracket of the Cayman Islands Classic on Tuesday.

Washington State has endured seven consecutive losing seasons and is 2-3 this season with embarrassing losses to Omaha, Santa Clara and 82-71 to Nebraska on Monday - a team that has lost to UC Riverside and Southern Utah and barely survived an overtime tilt with Southern. The Cougars led the Cornhuskers by three at the half, but Nebraska heated up after the break and pulled away, outshooting the Cougars 53 percent to 37 percent for the game. CJ Elleby led the way for the Cougars with 27 points for the fourth time this season and third game in a row, shooting 9-of-21 with six rebounds and two steals, while guard Isaac Bonton added 17 points, three 3-pointers and seven rebounds. Old Dominion, which led for 25 minutes against George Mason in its first game on the island Monday, fell behind after a decisive run by the Patriots and rallied to within one before eventually falling 60-53.

TV: 5 p.m. ET, No TV

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (2-3): Despite playing at one of the faster paces in the country, the Cougars do a good job holding on to the ball, ranking second in the nation in turnover percentage (11.5), but they shoot just 27 percent beyond the arc and 38 percent overall. Elleby, a 6-6 sophomore who averaged 14.7 points and 7.1 rebounds last season and contemplated turning pro, has been fantastic, averaging 22.8 points on 48 percent shooting, 6.4 rebounds and 2.6 steals. Junior college transfer Bonton came in with lofty expectations and has delivered, averaging 16.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists, but he must improve upon his 34 percent shooting, including 8-of-37 beyond the arc.

ABOUT OLD DOMINION (3-3): Xavier Green leads the team in scoring at 16.2 points and adds 5.8 rebounds but shoots just 38 percent from the floor. Marquis Godwin, who drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to cut Old Dominion's deficit to 54-53 against George Mason with 1:15 to play, is the most dangerous shooter from deep, sinking 36 percent of his 3-point attempts while averaging nine points per game. Jason Wade provides 12.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and four steals per game, while Malik Curry contributes 11.7 points and 4.3 assists.

TIP-INS

1. The winner will play Wednesday in the fifth-place game against the winner of Loyola Chicago and Colorado State, while the two losing teams will play in the seventh-place contest.

2. Old Dominion shoots just 44 percent on 2-pointers, 31.7 percent on 3-pointers and 61.3 percent on free throws, a big reason they rank 277th in Division I in offensive efficiency (94 points per 100 possessions).

3. In the Cougars' five games this season, Elleby has been the best player on the floor in four of them, according to KenPom analysis.

PREDICTION: Washington State 77, Old Dominion 65