Bethune-Cookman @ Washington St. preview

With the memories of its 6-0 start fading, Washington State tries to get back in the win column when it hosts Bethune-Cookman on Friday. The Cougars have lost four of their last five games after Wednesday's 68-65 loss to Kansas State in a contest in which they trailed by 10 at halftime and led by eight in the second half, but coach Ernie Kent remains confident in his team.

"This team has come a long way after getting picked last in the conference," Kent told reporters. "We handled ourselves well to get back in the game." Washington State sophomore guard Carter Skaggs scored 24 points - two points shy of his career high - in a personal-best 31 minutes Wednesday after scoring 19 in his previous six contests while averaging 12.3 minutes during that span. The Wildcats of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference began their trip to the Pacific Northwest in nightmare fashion with a 106-55 loss at Washington on Tuesday, arriving in Seattle four hours before tip-off. "I thought our guys tried to compete in the first half," Bethune-Cookman coach Ryan Ridder, whose team was stranded during a power outage at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Sunday, told reporters. "Obviously we had some factors going against us with the travel. I thought we had a game plan the first half and we executed it. Unfortunately we just let it unravel in the second half."

TV: 9 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

ABOUT BETHUNE-COOKMAN (5-8): Senior guard Brandon Tabb averages a team-best 18.3 points but 12.5 coming off the bench in the last two contests since returning from a two-game suspension. The Wildcats lead the MEAC in offensive rebounds with 14 per game with junior forward Shawntrez Davis (13.6 points, 8.7 rebounds) recording team bests of 77 boards and 36 on the offensive glass. Junior guard Isaiah Bailey (13.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists) scored 16 points against Washington.

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (7-4): Junior forward Robert Franks (team-high 17.2 points, 6.8 rebounds) was held to six points and four rebounds versus Kansas State and was 2-for-10 from the field. Sophomore guard Malachi Flynn averages 16.1 points, 4.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds after scoring 40 points in his last two contests, rebounding from a two-game stretch in which he scored a total of 12. Junior guard Viont'e Daniels (8.8 points) recorded double figures in points in consecutive games for the first time in his career with 15 in a 72-59 victory over IUPUI on Saturday and 18 in a 76-69 loss at UTEP on Dec. 9 before scoring three Wednesday.

TIP-INS

1. The Cougars outscore opponents by an average of 7.3 points in the second half but get outscored by 5.9 in the first.

2. Bethune-Cookman has also lost to major conference teams Georgia Tech 65-62 on Nov. 19 and South Florida 83-63 on Dec. 14 - both on the road.

3. Washington State is the only Pac-12 team with a negative rebounding margin (minus-1.6).

PREDICTION: Washington State 80, Bethune-Cookman 58