Pepperdine vs Washington State Prediction 1/24/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Pepperdine Waves and the Washington State Cougars meet Saturday in college basketball action from Beasley Coliseum in Pullman. Here’s a Pepperdine vs Washington State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Pepperdine vs Washington State pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.

Pepperdine Waves Betting Preview

Pepperdine hasn’t had the greatest year in 2025-26. The Waves opened the season on a rough 5-8 run, beating only Life Pacific, Lincoln University CA, New Orleans, CSU Bakersfield and Rice. After losses to Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s, Santa Clara, Pacific, San Diego, San Francisco and Gonzaga (with a win over Portland) since then, the Waves are 6-15 through 21 games this year.

In the Gonzaga matchup on Wednesday the Waves entered the second half with a 47-29 deficit. Pepperdine didn’t end up getting any closer in the remainder of the game on a 37-31 run and eventually fell on the road 84-60. Leading the scoring in the defeat was Styles Phipps with 13 points, four rebounds and three assists. Aaron Clark added 10 points with four assists and three boards.

Washington State Cougars Betting Preview

Over on the Washington State side, they limped to a 3-8 opening through their first 11 games of the season so they didn’t start out too well either. The Cougars would beat Eastern Washington, Mercer, Portland, LMU and Oregon State in the next six games, but since then they’ve lost to Saint Mary’s, Gonzaga, San Francisco and San Diego. That gives Washington State an 8-13 record so far.

In the San Diego game back on Wednesday, Washington State couldn’t quite keep pace in a road matchup and ended up falling 96-92 by the end. The Cougars were led by Ace Glass with his 29 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while ND Okafor added 21 points with six boards. Rihards Vavers came off the bench for 16 points and seven boards in the defeat as well.

Pepperdine Waves @ Washington State Cougars Betting Trends: January 24, 2026

Why the Washington State Cougars will win

• Pepperdine has lost each of its last six day games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Washington State has won 16 of its last 19 day games at Beasley Coliseum.
• The home team has won the first half in six of Washington State’s last seven games.

Why the Pepperdine Waves will win

• Washington State has lost each of its last four games against Conference opponents.

Pepperdine vs Washington State Prediction

I’ll lean toward Washington State but this one’s a coin flip. The Cougars gave up a ton of offense to San Diego this week: 52 percent shooting from the field and 54 percent (15-of-28) from outside. Washington State shot pretty well themselves though (48 percent) and had a nice day at the line (21-of-25 for 84 percent). That makes four straight losses for the Cougars, with 85 or more points surrendered in each of those.

As for Pepperdine, they shot just 37.9 percent from the field and 13.6 percent (3-of-22) from outside in their loss to a great Gonzaga team. The 15 turnovers and 48-26 deficit in the paint didn’t help either. The Waves have scored fewer than 70 points in eight straight games, a 1-7 run for them.

Andrew Jett's Pick: Washington State Cougars -10.5