How fitting is that one of the nation’s top 10 teams in 3-pointers made per game plays in a city called Pullman against an opponent by the name of Rider on Monday?
Washington State will try to use a high-octane offense that is registering 83.5 points per game to beat Rider, the MAAC team from Lawrenceville, N.J., which enters having all seven of its games decided by 10 or more points.
Rider has been an up-and-down team this season, but has shown a tremendous ability to make 3s, making 42.3 percent of them as a team. The curiosity is, Rider is in the bottom third of the country in 3-point attempts per game with a 3-point rate that was 299th among Division I teams entering the weekend.
Washington State has scored at least 69 points in all but one game this year, but also has allowed that many in all but one of its games. The Cougars have seen the total go over the closing number in three of their past four games, with all of those totals closing above 150. With Washington State making 55.1 percent of its two-point shots and the Broncos allowing opponents to make 54.3 percent of their two-point baskets, it represents a big mismatch that should be exploited.
Washington State forward Robert Franks leads all players in this game in both points and rebounds per game with averages of 24.4 points and eight rebounds per contest. With there being three other Cougars who take at least 4.5 3-pointers per game, it will be too much for Rider to handle defensively.
The play: Washington State, +1.