Pepperdine Waves vs Washington State Cougars Prediction, 1/24/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pepperdine Waves vs Washington State Cougars

Date: Saturday, January 24, 2026

Location: Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, WA

TV: ESPN+

Beasley Coliseum is where the Washington State Cougars (8-13) will go up against the Pepperdine Waves (6-15) on Saturday.

The Pepperdine Waves took the court against Gonzaga and ended up losing by a score of 84-60 in their last game. Pepperdine ended having earned a 37.9% FG percentage (22 out of 58) and converted 3 out of their 22 3-pointers. At the charity stripe, the Waves buried 13 of their 14 attempts for a rate of 92.9%. In relation to hauling in rebounds, they collected 31 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 11 assists for this contest in addition to forcing 7 turnovers and getting 5 steals. In relation to defense, Pepperdine allowed their opponent to shoot 47.0% from the floor on 31 out of 66 shooting. Gonzaga dished out 9 dimes and had 10 steals for the contest. In addition, Gonzaga pulled down 37 boards (13 offensive, 24 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Gonzaga shot 70.8% from the free throw line by burying 17 of 24 tries. They converted 5 out of their 20 attempts from 3-point range. In relation to fouls, the Waves left the arena with 18 and Gonzaga finished the game with 17 fouls.

Styles Phipps is someone who was a major factor in the matchup. He was able to score 13 points on 3 out of 5 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 27 minutes and totaled 4 boards. He went 60.0% from the field and also dished out 3 assists.

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Pepperdine heads into this contest with a mark of 6-15 this season. They are averaging 69.1 pts per game (325th in D-1) while hitting 42.1% from the floor. The Waves are shooting 28.5% on 3-pointers (135 of 473) and 76.4% from the free throw line. As a team, Pepperdine is grabbing 33.9 boards per game and has accumulated 286 assists so far this season, which ranks 158th in college in terms of passing. They are turning it over 13.2 times per game and as a team they are committing 14.7 fouls every game.

On defense, the Waves are forcing 11.5 turnovers every game and they draw 18.3 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 317th in college hoops in allowing assists to their opponents with 308 surrendered so far this season. The Waves defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 45.7% (584 of 1,279) and they surrender 35.0 boards per game as a squad. They are conceding 33.6% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 244th in college in points per game allowed (75.9).

When they last stepped on the court, the Washington State Cougars took a loss by a final score of 96-92 against San Diego. The Cougars corralled 19 defensive boards and 12 offensive boards for a total of 31 for the game. They also turned it over 10 times, while earning 4 steals in this game. San Diego committed 18 fouls for the matchup which got the Cougars to the free throw line for a total of 25 shots. They were able to knock down 21 of them for a percentage of 84.0%. When discussing shooting from downtown, Washington State knocked down 9 of their 26 attempts (34.6%). When the final whistle was blown, the Cougars shot 31 for 64 from the field which had them shooting 48.4%. The Cougars permitted San Diego to convert 37 of their 71 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 52.1% in this matchup. They shot 53.6% from beyond the perimeter by going 15 out of 28 and finished the contest at 7 out of 13 from the charity stripe (53.8%). When talking about cleaning the glass, Washington State allowed San Diego to pull down 35 in all (14 on the offensive side).

Ace Glass lll pitched in for the Cougars in the game. He made 11 of 21 for the contest for a rate of 52.4%, and added 7 rebounds. He earned 29 points in his 38 mins of playing time and accounted for 4 assists in the game.

Washington State has a win-loss mark of 8-13 on the year. The Cougars are committing 18.0 personal fouls every game and they shoot 73.0% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 12.6 times per contest (296th in the country) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 13.3 times per game. Washington State has scored 1,590 pts for the year (75.7 per contest) and they collect 34.8 rebounds per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the Cougars are hitting on 46.6% from the floor, which is ranked 114th in the nation.

The Cougars defensively are ranked 288th in college in PPG allowed with 77.8. They are able to force 10.1 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 46.4% from the field (306th in Division 1). The Washington State defense concedes 37.0% on 3-point shots (183 of 494) and opponents are making 73.4% of their foul shots. They have relinquished 13.8 dimes and 31.2 boards per contest, ranking them 214th and 33rd in college.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Pepperdine

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