Every year, the annual trip to Eastern Washington is a huge benchmark test for the Linfield Wildcats and this year is no different. The Linfield women take on two teams that reside in the top six of the Northwest Conference standings, while on the men's side, the three remaining undefeated teams in the Northwest Conference face off this week.
 
The women take on the Whitworth Pirates on Friday night at 6 p.m. in Spokane, and travel to the ninth-ranked Whitman Blues on Saturday at 4 p.m. in Walla Walla. The men take on the nationally ranked Pirates on Friday at 8 p.m. and challenge the Blues on Saturday at 6 p.m.
 
COVERAGE
The Linfield Sports Network will be on location to provide audio-only coverage of all four games this weekend with Graeme Fineman and Joe Stuart on the call. The host teams will provide video broadcasts as well as live statistics of the four contests.
 
RECORD BOOK START FOR THE MEN
Following two wins at home over Lewis & Clark and Willamette, each by a margin of 13 points this past weekend, Linfield is 6-0 to start conference play. That matches the program's best start in conference play since 2009-10. With the Pirates hosting the Blues on Tuesday night, the Wildcats will enter the weekend as one of just two teams which remain undefeated in conference play.
 
A major reason for the success of the Wildcats is their offensive unit. The 'Cats rank third in the conference and 21st nationally in scoring offense, averaging 87.5 points per game. Linfield is first in the NWC and sixth in the nation in assists, posting an average of 19.1 per game. The Wildcats are shooting 49.3 percent from the field, second-best in the conference behind the Pirates, who are hitting 50.9 percent of their shots from the field.
 
Linfield junior Dempsey Roggenbuck joined the 1,000-point club against the win over Willamette this past weekend. For the season, Roggenbuck is averaging 17 points per game, which is fifth in the NWC. One of the big forces for the high assists numbers for the Wildcats is Tanner Autencio, whose average of 3.8 assists per game is second in the NWC. Grant Gibb is an extremely dangerous threat from outside the three-point line. The senior forward is shooting 47.5 percent on the season, second-highest in the NWC behind Whitman's Andrew Vickers.
 
The Wildcats are 12-3 on the season under seventh-year coach Shanan Rosenberg, equaling the program's best start through 15 games since the 1975-76. That season, the Wildcats finished first in the Northwest Conference and competed in the NAIA Championship Tournament.
 
LINFIELD'S WOMEN ROLLING, TOO
The Wildcats started the Northwest Conference portion of their schedule at 0-2, but have since won four-straight contests, climbing into a tie for third place in the NWC standings with Willamette. Linfield is coming off a pair of home-court victories over Lewis & Clark and Willamette.
 
Boasting the second-highest scoring offense in the conference with an average of 71.5 points per game, the Wildcats are matched this week against two top-three scoring offenses. Whitman leads the way in the NWC at 73 points per game, while Whitworth is third with an average of 70.3 points per game. The three teams are also the NWC's most efficient shooting teams, with each club ranking among the top-three in field goal percentage. The Blues are shooting 43.7 percent, the Wildcats 43.3 percent and the Pirates 42.6 percent.
 
Defensively, the Wildcats restrict their opponents to just 26.5 percent from three-point range, second-lowest in the NWC. Linfield also averages 2.8 blocks per game, which is third-best in the conference.
 
Just 0.2 points per game separate the top two scorers in the Northwest Conference and both play for Linfield. Molly Danielson is averaging NWC-leading 17.7 points per game while Kory Oleson is right behind her with an average of 17.5 points per game. Danielson is also among the top rebounders in the conference with an average of 11.9 rebounds per game, second-most in the NWC.
 
Cassidy Schutz has emerged as another player that opposing defenses must be wary of. The senior guard is averaging 12 points and 2.3 assists per game in her last three outings. She is ninth in the NWC with 3.2 assists per game and Danielson is 10th, averaging 2.5 assists per game. Oleson is among the top shot-blockers in the NWC, averaging 1.1 per game to rank second in the NWC.
 
Under fifth-year head coach Casey Bunn-Wilson, the Wildcats are 10-5 to start the season for the first time since 2005-06.
 
BATTLING THE PIRATES
The Whitworth men are 12-3 to start the season and 6-0 in conference under first-year coach Damion Jablonski. The Pirates are currently ranked No. 20 in the latest D3hoops.com poll. The Pirates allow just 72.1 points per game which is second-lowest in the NWC, while the Wildcats score 87.5 points per game, third-best in the NWC.
 
Whitworth is one of the best shooting teams in the country. The Pirates shoot an NWC-leading 50.9 percent from the field, which is fourth nationally. Their 38.4 three-point percentage is second in the conference.
 
Ben College is the key player to watch for Whitworth. He leads the conference in scoring and free-throw percentage, averaging 23.5 points per game while converting 91 percent from the stripe. He is also a dangerous three-point shooter, averaging 3.1 three-pointers made per game, which is second in the conference.
 
In addition to College, another player to watch for Whitworth is Garrett Hull, who is averaging 10.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in the nine games he's played this season.
 
In the two regular-season meetings a year ago, the Pirates won by a combined margin of four points over the Wildcats. The two teams faced off the in the NWC Tournament as well with the Pirates winning by an 88-69 count.
 
The Whitworth women are 9-6 overall and 2-4 in conference play, which is sixth in the conference under second-year coach Joial Griffith. The Pirates are third in the NWC in scoring (70.3 points per game), field-goal percentage (42.6 percent) and three-point percentage (34.3).
 
A key for the Wildcats on offense will be protecting the ball as the Pirates force 18.2 turnovers per game, while the 'Cats are giving up the ball 14.4 times per game.
 
The leading scorer for the Pirates is Quincy McDeid, who averages 13.2 points per game. Whitworth's top rebounder is Courtney Gray, who averages 5.5 rebounds per game. Gray also contributes 8.4 points per game while shooting 53.1 percent, which is fourth-highest among the conference leaders.
 
The Wildcats swept the Pirates a year ago, including an 80-72 win at the Whitworth Fieldhouse. It was Linfield's first win in Spokane since 2007.
 
LOOKING AT THE BLUES
The Whitman men are 11-4 and 6-0 in Northwest Conference play under 12th-year coach Eric Bridgeland. The Blues are 54-0 in conference games over the last four seasons. The Blues have the third-best scoring offense in the nation, averaging 101.3 points per game and are shooting 39.9 percent from beyond the arc, tops in the NWC.
 
Using their trademark blanket defense, the Blues force 20.5 turnovers per game. The Wildcats commit 14.7 turnovers per game, which is third-lowest in the conference.
 
Containing senior guard Andrew Vickers is one of the keys for the Wildcats. Vickers averages 19.1 points per game, third-most in the conference, and 5.5 rebounds per game. Another key player for the Blues is Robert Colton, who averages 7.4 rebounds per game, which is second in the conference.
 
The Wildcats are looking for their first win over the Blues since the 2010-11 season and first win in Walla Walla since the 2009-10 season. The Blues have won the last 18 meetings, but they prevailed by just five points when the two teams met in Walla Walla last season.
 
The Whitman women suffered their first loss in conference play this past weekend to Pacific and are 13-2 overall and 5-1 in conference play. Ranked No. 12 in the latest D3hoops.com poll and ninth by the WBCA, the Blues own the top scoring offense in the conference with an average of 73 points per game and are most efficient shooting team with a field goal percentage of 43.7 percent.
 
The matchup to watch on Saturday will be the Linfield offense against the Whitman defense. The Wildcats score 71.5 points per game, ranking second in the NWC, while the Blues allow just 57.3 points per game, tops in the conference.
 
Three of the top-four scorers in the conference will be on the court on Saturday. Makana Stone's 15.5 points per game for Whitman stand fourth in the NWC and her 7.8 rebounds per game are also fourth. Mady Burdett is also another top player for the Blues, averaging 13.9 points per game. Kaylie McCracken is sixth in the NWC averaging 6.7 rebounds per game.
 
Linfield is looking for its first win over Whitman since the 2006-07 season, when the Wildcats defeated the Blues 52-48 in Walla Walla on February 3, 2007.