Hoops pendulum swinging back to the West?

Washington won six out of seven basketball games against Washington State from 2002 to 2005, behind such guys as Will Conroy and Nate Robinson.

When those guys left, Cougars such as Derrick Low, Kyle Weaver and Robbie Cowgill helped WSU win the seven games since.

Now, those veterans are gone, and a lot of Washington fans think control of the series is about to swing back, perhaps starting today when UW visits Washington State in the teams’ Pacific-10 Conference opener.

No so fast, UW coach Lorenzo Romar warns.

“It’s their system that has been so effective,” Romar said. “Obviously their players are good, too; but they’re going to plug guys into their system. They’ve got guys that are good players still. … When Ivory Clark was there, I thought he gave us as many problems as anyone. … When he wasn’t there afterward, then there was someone else. They just fill in the blanks with someone else. Again, it’s their system.”

In some ways, the WSU system is clicking again. These new-look Cougars are allowing the fewest points a game (49.3) in the Pac-10 and are holding opponents to the lowest shooting percentage (34.0). They’re also committing the fewest turnovers (12.3). And scoring the fewest points (60.1).

Those numbers are typical of the system brought to Pullman by coach Dick Bennett and carried on by his son, Tony Bennett.

However, there also are indications that the system functions better with players such as Low and Weaver – WSU’s top two scorers on the 26-9 team of last season.

These Cougars head into conference play with an 8-4 record. The four losses have come in their past seven games, including a home blowout against Gonzaga and a crunch-time meltdown at Louisiana State last weekend.

“We played about 32 minutes of good basketball (against LSU),” senior guard Taylor Rochestie said this week. “In the last nine minutes we scored about five points. We let up a little on defense. We’re still learning: learning how to close out games, learning how to be physically and mentally sound for a whole game.”

With nine freshmen on the WSU roster, a lot of newcomers are looking to seniors such as Rochestie and Aron Baynes, even as Rochestie and Baynes are learning how to deal with on- and off-court responsibilities that were seldom demanded of them last season.

“Baynes and I talk to each other before each practice and each game; talking about how this is kind of our last run, we’ve got to make the best of it,” Rochestie said. “That’s not meaning we’ve got to shoot the ball a lot or we’ve got to have the ball at all times. But we’ve got to do what’s best for our team to get some wins. I think Baynes knows there’s a lot on his shoulders. A lot of teams are helping down. When he catches the ball, he sees about six eyes and six hands coming down to help.”

Similar responsibilities passed to current UW senior captain Jon Brockman much earlier in his career.

In Brockman’s freshman season, he was a complementary player on UW’s Sweet 16 team led by senior Brandon Roy. However, Brockman became the team’s leader as a sophomore, and that remains the case now. So, he understands what Rochestie and Baynes are going through.

“It was tough at times,” Brockman said. “There were times when all of a sudden you’re the guy at the end of the game and you miss a shot and you feel like you let your team down. I think being consistent every single time is the biggest thing I learned observing Brandon. He missed shots, he made mistakes, but it was how he bounced back from them. He was better after he made his mistakes. I thought that was the biggest thing I learned from him.”

That’s something Rochestie is learning now – sometimes the hard way.

He and Baynes were the Cougars’ top returning scorers this season. And sometimes Rochestie forced the transition from complementary player to go-to guy. The result was a slower-than-expected start: 10 points a game – down about half a point from last season – and a .353 shooting percentage.

“As soon as you start going outside of what you’re good at, or trying to force the action and not let things come to you, that’s when you find that you’re not going to be as successful,” he said. “I think some games I’ve forced some shots or shot the ball a little too early in the shot clock or tried to go outside of my game. Just trying to stay more relaxed and letting the game come to me has been good.”

Even with more experienced leadership, the Huskies got off to a 2-3 start while working two freshmen into the lineup: guard Isaiah Turner and forward Darnell Gant. However, they have won seven consecutive games since.

But it is that seven-game losing streak to WSU that is on their minds today – especially for seniors Brockman, Justin Dentmon and Artem Wallace, who have never beaten the Cougs.

“You lose to them seven times straight, it’s definitely a game that you want to win,” Brockman said. “It’s something that I definitely want to accomplish before I leave here.”

Meanwhile, these WSU seniors have never lost to the Huskies. And as much as they’d like to keep it that way, Rochestie points out that this game is important for other reasons.

“We’re a young team, we want to get our first win in the Pac-10, especially our first game,” he said. “It’s a rival game. It’s the first game of the new year – so many reasons that we want to go out there and get a win. … This will be a really high-energy game with a lot on the line, and I think everyone is going to be pretty excited about it. All the slates are clean, and everyone’s just trying to get a win.”

Don Ruiz: 253-597-8808

blogs.thenewstribune.com/uwsports

WASHINGTON (9-3) AT WASHINGTON STATE (8-4)

Tipoff: 3 p.m., Friel Court, Pullman.

TV: FSN. Radio: 950-AM (UW); 850-AM (WSU).

Series: UW leads, 167-98. However, WSU has won the last seven meetings.

Statistical leaders: For UW, F Jon Brockman, 16.5 ppg and 10.2 rpg; G Isaiah Thomas, 3.1 apg. For WSU, C Aron Baynes, 11.4 ppg and 6 rpg; G Taylor Rochestie, 4.8 apg.

Scouting report: This is the Pacific-10 Conference opener for both teams. Washington comes in on a seven-game win streak. WSU has lost four of its past seven, including its most recent outing, 64-52, at Louisiana State last weekend. … UW is 0-3 away from home. … The Cougars have the No. 1 scoring defense in the Pac-10, allowing 49.3 ppg, and the lowest-rated offense, scoring 60.1 ppg. UW is third in scoring (77.5) and ninth in points allowed (64.8). The Huskies lead the Pac-10 in rebounding margin. … WSU is one of four NCAA Division I schools with nine freshmen on its roster. … UW’s Thomas leads Pac-10 freshmen with a 14.8 scoring average. UW freshman guard Elston Turner is out with an ankle sprain.

Next for UW: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, vs. Stanford, Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

Next for WSU: 7 p.m. Thursday, vs. California, Friel Court.

Don Ruiz, The News Tribune WSU’s new top two

With top two scorers Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver gone from last season’s 26-9 team, Washington State is looking to a new pair of seniors to lead them into this Pacific-10 Conference season:

 • Aron Baynes: 6-10 center is third in Pac-10 field- goal percentage (.623), sixth in blocked shots (1.1 per game) and tied for 11th in rebounding (6 pg).

 • Taylor Rochestie: 6-1 guard is fifth in Pac-10 assist/turnover ratio (1.9), fifth in minutes played (33.5 pg) and seventh in assists (4.8 pg).