Idaho State (3-3) at Washington (4-4), Dec. 14, 2 p.m. (MST)

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Idaho State at Washington

Saturday, 2 p.m. (MST), Alaska Airlines Arena, Seattle

Radio: 930 CBS Sports or Rock 102.5
TV: Pac-12 Network
Web: isubengals.com (live stats)
Records: Idaho State is 3-3. Washington of the Pac-12 is 4-4.
Last outing: Idaho State lost at Utah 74-66. Washington fell to No. 24 San Diego State 70-63.
Up next: Idaho State plays Idaho Friday in Boise at CenturyLink Arena. 

Game notes: Washington  ... Idaho State

In a press conference this week, Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar talked a little about Idaho State. Want to watch the video yourself? Check out this link.

Romar told reporters, "Idaho State is a rugged, tough basketball team. Their starting lineup is dominated by juniors and seniors. ... They go into Utah the other night and they don't flinch. They're up 15 and Utah has been playing good basketball, and we know how difficult it is to go to Utah and play.

"They didn't flinch. They have a couple guys in there that can really score the basketball and the other guys are not chipped liver by any stretch of the imagination. They can score also. They just depend on Hansen and Sanchez as their primary guys."

"It presents a really good challenge for us as we're headed into the break."

... On to the story ...

Bengals face Washington today in Seattle

It’s a change of mindset, a new reality — a fresh perspective.

Idaho State sophomore Evann Hall has played as many as 27 minutes in one game this year for the 3-3 Bengals, and as little as nine in another.

It’s a different role for the 6-foot-4 guard from Thousand Oaks, Calif. The last time Hall didn’t start for his basketball team was his sophomore year in high school at Thousand Oaks playing for the Lancers.

Idaho State plays Washington today at 2 p.m. (MST) at Alaska Airlines Arena. It’s the third and final game for the Bengals versus a Pac-12 opponent this season.

ISU dropped an 88-60 decision to Arizona State Nov. 15 and fell 74-66 to Utah this past Tuesday.

Those two games illustrate the best and worst for Hall as the Bengals’ sixth man. Against the Sun Devils, Hall entered off the bench and scored a career-high (and game-high for ISU) 19 points in 24 minutes. On a night when Idaho State shot 37.5 percent from the floor, Hall connected on 5 of 11 attempts and buried 8-of-11 free throws.

Then at Utah, with the starting point guard, senior Tomas Sanchez, having his best game of the season (19 points, five assists, 7-of-10 shooting), Hall played a season-low nine minutes and scored three points.

But that’s the role of a sixth man. 

“I just try to be aggressive when I get out there and do the most I can with the time I get,” Hall said.

Like Justin Smith, Scotty Tyler and all of ISU’s backups, Hall’s importance to the Bengals took a different tone after ISU’s depth crumbled away with Ben Wilson and Andre Slavik sitting out this season because of NCAA amateurism issues.

It means a guy like Hall has to embrace the challenge that today, against Washington, he could go into the game for a minute, maybe two before heading right back to the bench. Or he might stay out there for extended periods. He can’t afford working himself into a game. When Hall steps on the floor he has to mold right into the flow.

“I need to embrace it this year because I’m not going to be getting as much time as usual,” Hall said. “I just try to help the team out.”

Which is exactly what he’s doing. Hall is the Bengals’ fifth-leading scorer at 9.2 points a game, and he leads ISU in steals with 14. His athleticism, raw strength and dribble-drive ability is a change of pace from starters like Sanchez and Andre Hatchett.

Hall’s success is a reason why Idaho State, despite having eight players (two of those are freshmen) in its regular rotation, is 3-3 overall and has the second-ranked (106th nationally) RPI in the Big Sky Conference.

Washington will test the Bengals’ RPI (a formula used to rank teams based on their wins, losses and strength of schedule). The Huskies sport a pedestrian 4-4 record, but all four defeats are to Division I opponents, the latest on the road at No. 24 San Diego State.

UW has already knocked off two Big Sky opponents, beating Eastern Washington 92-80 and Montana 83-79. The Huskies are led by senior guard C.J. Wilcox who is averaging 21.9 points a game.

“He’s probably the best pure shooter that we’ve played against this year, and we’ve played against some really good shooters,” said ISU head coach Bill Evans.

Just like with the Utah matchup, Evans is concerned with rebounding against the Huskies. Washington is scoring 81.5 points a game while shooting a combined 42.6 percent from the floor (the second lowest mark in the Pac-12). The Huskies work around a poor field-goal percentage by pounding the offensive glass and playing in an up-tempo style.

“This will be our greatest challenge as a team in regards to rebounding the basketball,” Evans said.
   
NOTES: Idaho State has lost 20 straight games to Pac-12 opponents. The last victory came in 1986-87 when the Bengals won 62-57 at Oregon.