Texas Southern @ Washington St. preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 28, 2015 ) Texas Southern 65, Washington St. 77

Ernie Kent was one of the key members of Dick Harter's famed "Kamikaze Kids" teams at Oregon in the mid-70's that were known for their tenacious defense and playing with reckless abandon, including upsetting Bill Walton-led and seven-time defending national champion UCLA in Eugene in 1974. But Kent is now focused on speeding up his team's offense in his fourth year as head coach at Washington State, which opens its season Sunday afternoon against visiting Texas Southern.

The Cougars return just one starter and 22.8 points from a team that averaged 70 points and missed the postseason for the sixth straight year. But Kent wants to up the tempo this season and has had his team practicing with a 12-second shot clock. Now the question is whether the ultra-quick pace translates into victories for a squad picked to finish last in a deep Pac-12 Conference. "It makes you play faster, react faster, think offense quicker, stay in attack mode quicker," Kent told the Spokane Spokesman-Review. "And quite frankly, it gives you a confidence level to be able to shoot, knowing you've got a green light to shoot it and everything. Then when you go back to that normal shot clock, it keeps the pace of the game moving."

TV: 4 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

ABOUT TEXAS SOUTHERN (0-1): The Tigers opened their season on Friday night with a 97-69 loss at 19th-ranked Gonzaga, falling behind 52-31 in the first half at The Kennel. Demontrae Jefferson, a 5-7 guard who is the only returning starter from a team that finished 23-12 and lost to eventual NCAA champion North Carolina 103-64 in the first round of the South Regional, led the team with 20 points Friday while 7-2 center Trayvon Reed and guard Donte Clark added 13 points each. The Tigers, coached by former Indiana and UAB coach Mike Davis, have finished no worse than second the Southwestern Athletic Conference in five seasons under Davis, and are opening the season with a 13-game road trip that continues Friday at Ohio State.

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (2016-17: 13-18): Sophomore guard Malachi Flynn (9.7 points, 2.9 assists per game) is the only returning starter and is being counted on for a much more expanded role after earning honorable-mention Pac-12 All-Freshman honors last season. Kent is also expecting breakout seasons from junior forward Robert Franks (6.3 points, 3.3 rebounds) and guard Viont'e Daniels (2.9 points), a former Washington state Class 4A Player of the Year. The Cougars are also expecting big things from 6-8, 220-pound senior forward Drick Bernstine, a grad transfer who went to the 2017 NCAA Tournament with North Dakota where he averaged 9.0 points and 8.3 rebounds.

TIP-INS

1. Washington State hasn't lost a season-opener at home since 1972 when it fell to Houston.

2. The Cougars are 19-0 all-time against members of the SWAC including 2-0 against Texas Southern.

3. Flynn became only the third true freshman since 1972-73 at Washington State to start every game joining current Golden State star Klay Thompson (2008-09) and Mark Hendrickson (1992-93).

PREDICTION: Washington State 95, Texas Southern 76