CBI 2012 Bracket: Pittsburgh Defense Will Keep Undermanned Cougars at Bay

The problem with Washington State losing top scorer Brock Motum to an ankle injury is that the Cougars weren't a very high-scoring team anyway.

That showed on Wednesday, when the Cougars scored 53 points and shot 43 percent from the floor against Pittsburgh.

Motum, whose status is still up in the air for Friday's deciding game, averaged 18.0 points for the Cougars this season, while shooting 55 percent from the field. It doesn't help that the Cougars' second-leading scorer, Faisal Aden, was lost due to a knee injury in late January.

In Motum's absence on Wednesday, junior guard Reggie Moore scored 18 points for Washington State, but he shot 5-of-13 from the floor. Beyond him, nobody contributed much offensively for the Cougars.

And while the Panthers have been without their leading scorer, Ashton Gibbs, the difference is that they have a better defense than Washington State, homecourt advantage and an edge in rebounding. They also have second-leading scorer Tray Woodall.

That's why Motum needs to be on the floor on Friday, or the Cougars will lose the CBI tournament title. The Panthers can afford to be without Gibbs—Washington State can't afford to be without Motum.

Does Washington State have a shot in Pittsburgh without Motum? I'll say the Cougars have a shot, but they would need multiple players to step up and play uncharacteristic basketball offensively.

Nobody wants Motum on the floor more than himself. As a junior, he's approaching the end of his college basketball career. Perhaps he can will himself to the court on Friday.

If not, expect Pittsburgh to capture the CBI tournament title.

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