PULLMAN — Win tonight, and for the first time since February 2007, Washington State’s men’s basketball team will stand alone in first place in the Pac-12. That is among the many storylines in play as the No. 21-ranked Cougars clash with No. 4 Arizona in Tucson at 8 p.m. It’s a tilt that stands as the conference’s game of the year. FS1 will carry the broadcast, marking the first of three national broadcasts for the Cougars to close the regular season.

WSU enters the game 20-6/11-4 and on the cusp of its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2008. Arizona is 20-5/11-3 and seeking to get over the hump after a Sweet 16 exit in 2022 and a shocking first round loss to Princeton last season. The Wildcats’ postseason hopes are not in question; they are playing for a No. 1 seed in March Madness.

The teams met in Pullman in January and WSU pulled off the 73-70 upset, sparking what has become a magical crimson season. The Cougs entered that game 11-5/2-3 and are 9-1 since, winning seven in a row. Arizona stumbled again two weeks later against Oregon State, but have since rattled off six straight and scoring a collective 204 points the last two games.

The Wildcats have lost just twice at home in Tommy Lloyd’s three-year tenure, both coming last year. One of those was to Washington State, although both teams now look much different.

Whatever the reason, WSU has had Arizona’s number the last couple years even in Wildcat victories. While they have been one of the best offenses in the country, WSU has held Arizona to just 66.5 points per game in the last four meetings, well short of the 84.9 points it has averaged under Lloyd.

For the Cougars to make it a sweep over Arizona, it has to not just defend the paint, but dominate the glass. Arizona won the rebounding battle in January and while the Cougars got away with it, doing so again would be playing with fire. That means boxing out Oumar Ballo and Keshad Johnson inside and keeping Caleb Love and Pelle Larsson on the perimeter. If WSU can do that, lightning may strike twice.

IT IS EAST TO FORGET because Arizona is the higher-profile game, but WSU does indeed have a second game this weekend. That comes against Arizona State on Saturday at 5 p.m. on ESPN2.

The Sun Devils present a much easier task on paper at 13-13/7-8, but there are no days off when you are seeking the postseason and win or lose at Arizona, Wazzu has to be sure not to have a letdown. Arizona State has taken down good teams at home as well this season, beating San Francisco, SMU, Colorado, and Utah on its home floor.

But on the other hand, times have gotten tough lately for ASU. After starting 5-2 in conference play, the Sun Devils have lost six of eight and were just obliterated by Arizona last weekend.

They are at the bottom of the league in 3-point shooting during conference play (31.3 percent), and also in two-point defense, yielding a whopping 55.3 percent. The latter stat likely means open season for Isaac Jones inside. Shawn Phillips is ASU’s only true big at 7-0, 245, but he has been a virtual lock for foul trouble, committing an insane 8.7 fouls per 40 minutes.

Almost all of ASU’s offense will run through Frankie Collins and Jose Perez. Collins is shifty and can get to the lane, but he is also a turnover liability and is a minimal threat from deep. Perez is a bruiser inside, but does not take many shots from outside and has struggled when matched with physicality.