Here's my thought process:

First, the Pac-10 is the toughest conference in college basketball. Want proof? The Cougs are still tied for third place (that's right, third place) at 5-4. If four losses are good enough for third place...the Pac-10 is doing something right. The only gimme on the schedule anymore is Oregon State (hopefully I didn't jinx anything).

Second, if you go back two years and look at what WSU was doing it's easy to remember how lucky we are right now. On February 5, 2006 the Cougars were 10-9 overall, 3-7 in the conference. They finished the year 11-17, 4-14.

Third, I took a trip back to my days at Washington State (1999-2003). It was the Paul Graham Era (sorry I had to bring it up). We went to games to watch the other schools and their star players...we never expected WSU to win (and they rarely did). If UCLA, Stanford, or Arizona weren't in town, it wasn't worth wasting your time.

Are you with me? We are lucky to have such a great basketball team. Even if the Cougars lose every game for the rest of the season (which they won't), WSU has taken us on a ride we never believed could happen.

With that said, let's talk about what's coming up on Thursday.

UCLA (20-2, 8-1) is ranked 4th and 5th in the major polls. They're in first place in the Pac-10. And, from what we saw earlier this year in Pauley Pavilion, they're a tough team to beat.

In my mind, there's no better time for them to come to Pullman. The Cougs have to be hungry for a win (they've lost two straight and three of their last four). That desire and a packed Beasley Coliseum could put Wazzu over the top (my fingers are crossed).

Again, the key will be shutting down star freshman Kevin Love. In their first meeting (January 12th), Love scored 27 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. He's been on fire ever since, averaging 22 points and 14 boards over his last six games.

Obviously, it's not just Love who can score. Slowing down their "O" is the biggest task at hand (easier said than done). The Bruins are undefeated this year when scoring 70 or more points.

As for WSU, they need to start making shots. Don't get me wrong, I love the defensive mentality, but Wazzu has shot only %39 over their last two games. Clutch free throws are also "a must."

It's not the end of the world if Washington State doesn't beat UCLA, but how sweet would it be.