Even more than you need to know about WSU vs. UW

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports Mike Hopkins needed to pull his mask down so everyone could see the anguish on his face.The Washington State Cougars look to sweep the regular-season series—the Apple Cup series—from the Washington Huskies in Pullman on Monday night (5 pm PT, Pac-12 Networks). WSU beat UW in Seattle handily just 15 days ago, and both teams will be playing their third game in five days.

The Jan. 31 loss to Wazzu started a five-game losing streak for Washington, but it showed more fight in a 64-61 defeat to UCLA on Saturday. The Cougs are coming off back-to-back weekend splits against the same schedule.

Let’s look at the key players and trends that will impact the Cougs vs.…