WASHINGTON STATE LOOKS FOR PAC-12 WIN AT USC: 
• The Washington State men's basketball team (8-5, 0-1) remains in Los Angeles to take on USC (9-5, 0-1), as both teams look for their first Pac-12 wins of the season, Sunday, Dec. 31 at 6 p.m. at the Galen Center.
• The game can be seen on ESPN2 as Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play) and Bill Walton (analyst) have the call. 
• All season long, Cougar basketball can be heard on the Cougar IMG Sports Radio Network as the voice of the Cougars, Matt Chazanow will have the call.
• Please see page one of today's notes for the list of affiliates. 
• Live stats are also available at www.wsucougars.com. 

COUGARS VERSUS TROJANS: 
• Washington State and USC are meeting for the 122nd time in the two schools' histories, as the Trojans hold a 73-48 advantage in the all-time series. 
• The Cougars trail the series at USC, 46-15, including a 1-0 Trojan advantage at Inglewood.
• Last season, WSU fell to USC at home, Feb. 4, 2017, 86-77 and at Los Angeles, 87-64, March 1, 2017.
• At USC last season, Robert Franks had a breakout game with a then-career-high 20 points…he added 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
• Franks tied his then-career-high with 29 minutes played and had then-career highs with 8 field goals made on 13 attempts. 
• The Cougars have dropped four-straight meetings with the Trojans and three of the last four at Los Angeles.
• The Cougars' last win against USC was at Los Angeles, March 1, 2015 (70-66).    
• Fourth-year WSU head coach Ernie Kent is 15-16 all-time against USC as head coach at WSU and Oregon.

LAST TIME OUT:
• WSU fell to UCLA, 96-82, in the two teams' Pac-12 openers at Pauley Pavilion, Dec. 29.
• Redshirt freshman, Milan Acquaah had a career high 13 points, 11 of them in the first half.
• Acquaah tied his career high for rebounds with 6, he also did it against Saint Joseph's, Nov. 23.
• Sophomore Carter Skaggs had 17 points on 5-for-8 from 3-point range…all his points came in the second half and he attempted just one shot in the first half.
• He is 15-for-24 (.625) from 3-point range in the last three games.
• Junior Robert Franks led WSU with 20 points and 8 rebounds.
• Franks has scored in double figures in 11 of WSU's 13 games this season and has 6 20-point games this season.
• Franks made his 18th-straight free throw before missing his third of the night, went 3-for-4 from the free throw line.
• Redshirt freshman Arinze Chidom's 8 points were his most since 14 against Idaho State, Nov. 18.
• Sophomore Jeff Pollard scored 12 points, marking his fourth double figure scoring of the season and his career.
• Sophomore Malachi Flynn led WSU with 4 assists and added 9 points on 3 3-pointers.
• With 14 3-pointers, WSU has made 12 or more 3-pointers in nine of their 13 games.
• UCLA's 96 points are a season high for a WSU opponent this season.
• The Cougars were without their leading rebounder, Drick Bernstine, who missed due to injury.

COMEBACK COUGS:
• WSU has trailed at halftime in seven of its games this season, as well as its exhibition game,  and was tied at the half once, coming back from five of them for the wins.
• The Cougars trailed Saint Martin's, 44-41, at the half in exhibition action, Nov. 5.
• They were behind, 42-24, to Texas Southern at halftime in their season opener, Nov. 12.
• Against Seattle U, Nov. 15, the Redhawks led the Cougars, 31-26.
• WSU trailed Saint Joseph's by 14 (38-24) at halftime, after the Hawks used a 23-0 run, Nov. 23.
• The Cougars could not comeback from their 42-25 halftime deficit to UC Davis, Dec. 2, falling 81-67.
• Idaho led WSU, 49-30 a halftime, Dec. 9, as the Cougars went on to lose, 91-64.
• WSU trailed Kansas State by 10, 35-25 at halftime after trailing by as much as 17 in the first half.
• The Cougars led by as many as 8 points before the Wildcats regained the lead for good and the 3-point victory.
• WSU was tied with Bethune-Cookman, 40-40 at the half, Dec. 22.
• The Cougars pulled within two in the second half after trailing by five at halftime to UCLA, Dec. 29, but couldn't pull out the comeback win.
• Washington State trailed by as many as 13 to Saint Martin's, 22 against Texas Southern, 10  against Seattle U, 20 against Saint Joseph's, 6 to Saint Mary's (Nov. 24) and 9 with 8 minutes left to San Diego State (Nov. 26), overcoming all the deficits for victories.  

MORE ON COUGAR COMEBACKS: 
• The Cougars have overcome two 20-point deficits in their regular season games this season, marking the two largest comebacks for WSU since at least the 1992-93 season (research ongoing).
• WSU erased a 22-point first-half deficit to defeat Texas Southern, 86-84, Nov. 12, in WSU's season opener at Beasley Coliseum.
• Junior Robert Franks scored a career-high 25 points, grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds and had his first career double-double. 
• Franks scored just 3 points in the first half and had 22 in the second before fouling out in the second half. 
• At the Wooden Legacy against Saint Joseph's, WSU trailed by 20 points with 3:30 left in the first and was able to come back for the 75-71 victory, Nov. 23 at Fullerton.
• Franks scored 15 of his WSU-high 19 points in the second half, while his classmate Viont'e Daniels had 11 of his 17 in the second period. 
• After Saint Joseph turned the ball over just once in the first half, WSU forced 6 second-half turnovers. 
• Prior to this season, Washington State's largest deficit overcome for a victory since 1992-93  was  also 20 points, Jan. 30, 1993 at California.
• In that game, current WSU assistant coach, Bennie Seltzer scored 20 points and dished out 7 assists, as Cal's Jason Kidd put up a double-double with 11 points and 11 assists. 
• The Cougars' next-largest comeback was 16 points, also at California, two seasons later, March 11, 1995...the 16-point lead occurred with 9:45 to go in the game. 
• In 2009-10 WSU overcame a 15 point USC lead with 17:26 left for a 67-60 victory at Los Angeles. 
• Prior to this season, the largest lead overcome in the Ernie Kent era was 14 done twice in 2014-15, first against Missouri State at the Great Alaska Shootout and then again a 1-point victory over Stanford, Jan. 31, 2015.
• See page four of today's notes for more on the comebacks. 

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A HALF MAKES:
• Washington State is a different team in the second half compared to the first.
• It is averaging 42.7 points per game this season in the second half, compared to just 33.2 in the first.
• On top of that, WSU is shooting .487 (188-386) from the field and .445 (89-200) from 3-point range in the second half, compared to .419 (158-377) from the field and .333 (65-195) from 3-point in the first half. 
• Robert Franks is the team's second-half scoring leader at 10.6, and the first half leading scorer with 7.6 first-half points a game.

COUGS FIRING FROM DOWNTOWN: 
• WSU leads the league and ranks second nationally with 12.1 made 3-pointers per game, right behind William & Mary at 12.2 3-pointers per game.
• The Cougars have made 12 or more 3's in nine of their 13 games this season; 15 3's in the season opener, 12 against Seattle U, 15 again against Idaho State, 16 against Saint Joseph's, 13 against San Diego State, 12 against UC Davis, 12 at UTEP, 15 against Bethune-Cookman and 14 at UCLA...WSU had 11 against Kansas State.
• The WSU record for 3's made in a game by the team is 18 done three times, last, against UTSA, Dec. 6, 2014.
• Last season WSU made 10 or more 3-pointers in a single game just five times, and only once made at least 12 in a game 
• In Washington State's previous 5 seasons, the Cougars made 12 or more 3-pointers in a single game 9 times total, once last season, none in 2015-16, once in 2014-15, five times in 2013-14 and twice in 2012-13.
• If WSU were to continue to shoot at this clip, it would finish with at least 375 3-pointers made...the school record is 240 set during the Klay Thompson era, the 2010-11 season.
• The Cougars also rank third in the Pac-12 and 45th in the country with a .393 3-point field goal percentage.
• Four Cougars rank individually in the top-10 of the Pac-12 for 3-pointers made per game...Malachi Flynn is second in the league and 73rd in the nation (2.85 3fg per game), Carter Skaggs is fifth in the league and 145th nationally (2.54), Robert Franks sixth in the Pac-12 and 164th in the nation (2.46) and Viont'e Daniels is 11th in the confernce and 234th nationally at 2.23 3-pointers a game.

GIVING THE HELPING HAND: 
• Sophomore Malachi Flynn has been a solid ball handler for the Cougars this season.
• He leads the team and ranks seventh in the Pac-12 and 119th in the nation with 4.4 assists per game.
• He has 57 total assists and 23 turnovers in 13 games this season, ranking 65th in the country and fifth in the Pac-12 in assist/turnover ratio with a 2.48 mark. 

LET'S BE FRANK(S): 
• Robert Franks is off to a hot start in his junior season, averaging 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, while shooting .494 from the field and .421 from 3-point range. 
• Last year Franks averaged 6.3 points and had 3.3 rebounds per game...with 237 points, he's just 8 points shy of his total points from his first two seasons (245).
• With 32 3-pointers in 13 games this year, Franks has surpassed his number of 3-pointers made from the 54 games his first two seasons, 25.
• Franks currently ranks ninth in the Pac-12 in scoring and 11th in rebounds per game while he's second in the league with a .865 free throw percentage. 

COUGAR BIG MEN TURNAROUNDS:
• Robert Franks' drastic improvement from his sophomore to junior year mimics similar jumps done by former WSU forwards Brock Motum (2010-13) and Josh Hawkinson (2014-17).
• Motum's jump occurred between his sophomore and junior seasons, going from 7.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, to 18.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game in 2011-12.
• Hawkinson's jump occurred between his freshman and sophomore seasons, going from 1.2 points and 1.5 rebounds per game in 2013-14 to 14.7 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in 2014-15. 
• Motum was named the Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year in 2012 and Hawkinson in 2015.  

BERNSTINE STEPPING UP: 
• In his last four games (Dec. 9 at UTEP, Dec. 16 against IUPUI, Dec. 20 vs. Kansas State, Dec. 22 vs. Bethune-Cookman), graduate transfer, Drick Bernstine has averaged 9.0 points and 10.5 rebounds, along with 3.8 assists.
• His 15 total assists in the last four games are nine more than his 6 in his first 7 games as a Cougar. 
• He's first on the team and ninth in the Pac-12 with 7.6 rebounds and second on the team with a .509 field goal percentage. 
• Bernstine missed WSU's Pac-12 opener at UCLA, Dec. 29 due to a sore knee.

SKAGGS' LONG BALL: 
• Sophomore Carter Skaggs had the half of his career, as he scored all 26 of his points in the second period on 7 3-pointers as WSU defeated Seattle U, 75-59, Nov. 15.
• At one point in the second half, Skaggs accounted for 17-straight WSU points, as he made 7-consecutive 3-pointers in the period. 
• Skaggs was 7-for-8 from 3-point range, the WSU record for 3-pointers made in a game is 9, originally set by current WSU assistant coach, Bennie Seltzer and last done by Derrick Low in 2006-07.
• Skaggs nearly duplicated that performance Dec. 20 against Kansas State as he finished with 24 points on 6-for-10 from 3-point range and 9-for-14 from the field.
• In his young WSU career, Skaggs has scored in double digits four times, including the last three games (Kansas State, Bethune-Cookman and UCLA).
• In those three games, Skaggs is a combined 15-for-24 (.625) from 3-point range.

CLOSING GAMES: 
• In the final five minutes of WSU's eight wins this season, the Cougars have averaged 13.9 points, shooting .525 (32-61) from the field and .640 (16-25) from 3-point range.
• In those wins, WSU has allowed 9.4 points while holding its opponent to .313 (26-83) from the field and .226 (7-31) from 3-point range and forcing 1.6 turnovers per game in that time. 
• In all 13 games this season, Malachi Flynn is 8-for-16 from 3-point range in the final five minutes of games and leads the team with 3.6 points per final five minutes.

SHPREYREGIN GETS SCHOLARSHIP: 
• Former walk-on, senior Steven Shpreyregin was awarded a scholarship by head coach Ernie Kent, Dec. 28.
• He is in his second season with the Cougars after starting his career at Skagit Valley College.

WSU GETS FIRST WIN AGAINST RANKED OPPONENT SINCE 2015-16:
• WSU defeated No. 21 Saint Mary's, 84-79, Friday, Nov. 24 in the semifinals of the Wooden Legacy.
• The win marked the first over an Associated Press Top-25 team since defeating then-No. 25 UCLA, Jan. 3, 2016. 
• The win over No. 21 Saint Mary's marks its highest-ranked victory since defeating then-No. 18 Washington, Jan. 30, 2011.
• The win over Saint Mary's snapped an eight-game losing streak to opponents ranked in the AP Top-25.

COUGARS CROWNED 2017 WOODEN LEGACY CHAMPIONS:
• Malachi Flynn averaged 19.7 points, 4.0 assists per game and shot .500 (12-for-24) from 3-point range as he was named the 2017 Wooden Legacy Most Outstanding Player as WSU captured the tournament championship at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Gym, Nov. 26.
• Robert Franks joined Flynn on the all-tournament team as he averaged 18.7 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting .528 (19-for-36) from the field. 
• WSU came back from a 20-point deficit to defeat Saint John's in the opening round. 
• The Cougs then led at halftime in their next two games to upset both No. 21 Saint Mary's and San Diego State to capture the title.
• Viont'e Daniels chipped in 9.3 ppg on 8-for-13 (.615) from 3-point, while Jeff Pollard averaged 9.0 ppg to go along with .556 (10-for-18) shooting from the field.
• As a team the Cougars shot .497 (87-for-175) from the field and .439 (36-for-82) from 3-point range along with .808 (42-for-52) from the free throw line.

TOP OF THE TOURNAMENT: 
• WSU captured the 2017 Wooden Legacy Championship over Thanksgiving weekend, marking its first tournament win since the 2009 Great Alaska Shootout. 
• Then-WSU sophomore Klay Thompson was named the Great Alaska Shootout Most Outstanding Player after setting a tournament record with 8 3-pointers made on his way to 43 points in the championship game against San Diego. 
• WSU's appearance in Wooden Legacy championship game marked its first appearance in a tournament championship game since falling in the finals of the 2010 Diamond Head Classic.

STRONG START TO SEASON:
• WSU got off to a 6-0 start to the 2017-18 season.
• It marked the Cougars' first 6-0 start since the 2009-10 squad started 6-0.
• That season, Washington State's streak of six-straight wins ended Dec. 2, 2009 of that season at then-No. 17 Gonzaga...this season the streak also ended Dec. 2, this time to UC Davis at Beasley Coliseum. 
• The Cougars went 10-2 in nonconference play that season as they fell to Kansas State the game after playing Gonzaga, Dec. 5. 
• This season's 6-1 start was the best since the 2010-11 squad went 6-1, as they went on to a 10-1 start before losing their second game of the season, Dec. 25 in the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic.
• The Cougars' 6-0 mark in November this season, marks its first undefeated November since going 4-0 in 2015-16.

KENT IN FOURTH YEAR: 
• Veteran head coach and former Fox Sports and Pac-12 Networks basketball analyst was named the 18th head coach in WSU men's basketball history, March 31, 2014.
• Kent came to Pullman with a 325-254 (.561) mark as a head coach, having spent six seasons at the helm for Saint Mary's in Moraga, Calif., and 13 at Oregon.
• In his 13 years at Oregon, Kent compiled a 235-174 (.575) record and a 109-125 (.466) conference mark. 
• His 123 conference wins rank him 15th-best in Pac-12 history (including Pacific-8 and Pacific-10 Conferences). 
• His win, Feb. 18 against Arizona State moved him out of a tie for 15th with former UCLA coach Ben Howland.
• While at Oregon, Kent led the Ducks to seven postseason appearances, including five NCAA Tournament Appearances (2000, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008) as well as a Pac-10 regular-season (2002) and two conference tournament (2003, 2007) titles.
• Kent's first season with the Cougars wasn't much different than his first with the Ducks, as he led Oregon to a 13-14 overall record and 8-10 league mark as Oregon finished sixth in the then-Pacific-10 Conference...he led WSU to a 13-18 overall record and 7-11 league mark.
• WSU's 13 wins in his first season tied him for third-best in Washington State history for wins by a men's basketball coach in his first season…he's tied with Kelvin Sampson (1987-88) and Dick Bennett (2003-04), as both of those were also improvements from the previous season. 
• Kent has 361 career wins, as he got his 350th win Nov. 19 against Montana at the Paradise Jam. 

KENT NAMED TO NCAA COMMITTEE:
• WSU Head Coach Ernie Kent was chosen to serve on the newly created Division I Men's Basketball Competition Committee last season, which reports directly to the Division I Men's Basketball Oversight Committee in an advisory role.
• One student-athlete, two current head coaches, four Division I staff members and three members of the public with significant men's basketball experience form the committee. 
• The committee also has regular communication with the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee and will review student-athlete health and safety, sportsmanship and integrity, game operations and presentation, technology, and statistical trends. 
• The group will develop strategic principles in these areas, subject to the approval of the Men's Basketball Oversight Committee.
• This committee was announced Dec. 2, 2016. 
• The other coach on the committee joining Kent is Bob McKillop of Davidson College.

WSU SIGNS ELLEBY DURING EARLY PERIOD: 
• Charles 'CJ' Elleby (6-6, 195, Forward, Seattle Wash./Cleveland High School) signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball at WSU beginning in the fall of 2018.
• As a junior at Cleveland HS in 2016-17, Elleby averaged 23.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game en route to being named to the All-Metro League team for the third-straight season. 
• As a sophomore, Elleby averaged 16.0 points and 10.0 rebounds while helping lead Cleveland HS to the 3A state tournament. 
• Heading into his senior season, Elleby has scored a total of 1,055 career points. 

FLYNN AND FRANKS SPEND SUMMERS PLAYING BALL:
• Sophomore Malachi Flynn was chosen as one of 28 of the nation's top 19-and-unders and was invited to attend the 2017 USA Basketball Men's U19 World Cup Team training camp, June 18-25 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center at Colorado Springs, Colo. 
• Flynn did not qualify for the team, but spent several days training with team coaches, Kentucky head coach John Calipari, Colorado head coach Tad Boyle and Wake Forest head coach, Danny Manning. 
• Franks spent part of his summer in China as part of the USA Eagles' summer tour.
• Other former Cougars to compete in the China with the USA Eagles include Valentine Izundu (2015), Josh Hawkinson (2014) and DaVonté Lacy (2012).

NEW SEASON, NEW LOOK STAFF: 
• Fourth Year WSU head coach, Ernie Kent, has a new look to his coaching staff for the 2017-18 season.
• With the departure of veteran assistant coaches, Greg Graham and Silvey Dominguez, Kent added former WSU standout and veteran coach, Bennie Seltzer (WSU, 1990-93) and well-known high school coach, Ed Haskins...Haskins' late-brother, Aaron Haskins, played basketball for the Cougars from 1980-83.
• Seltzer most recently served as an assistant coach at Loyola out of Chicago, Ill....prior to that, he was director of player performance at Indiana, head coach at Samford and an assistant coach at Indiana, Marquette and Oklahoma, respectively.
• Haskins came to the Palouse from Seattle where he was the head coach at Garfield HS...he led the team to the 3A State Championship in 2015 and the 4A State Championship in 2014, while being named the Coach of the Year four times.
• Seltzer still holds the WSU career assists record (473) and ranks ninth in scoring (1,423).