QUICK HITS
• NATIONAL RANKINGS:
    • Scoring: Robert Franks, 21st (22.1 ppg).
    • A/TO Ratio: Ahmed Ali, 69th (2.53).
    • Double-Doubles: Robert Franks, 40th (5).
    • Rebounding:  Robert Franks, 113th (7.9); CJ Elleby 145th (7.5).
    • Free Throw Pct: Marvin Cannon, 37th (.886).
    • Assist/Turnover Ratio: Team, 64th (1.25).
    • Assists: Team, 59th (15.9 apg).
    • Scoring: Team, 40th (82.2 ppg).
    • Field Goal Pct: Team, 79th (.473).
    • 3-Ptrs Per Game: Team, 27th (9.8 3fgpg).

• APPROACHING RECORD BOOKS:
    • With 22 points against San Diego, Dec. 22, Robert Franks became the 37th Cougar to reach the 1,000-point plateau...he now has 1,009 career points.
    • With 58 career blocks, Franks ranks 18th in WSU's career record books...six more (62) will put him in a tie for 17th. 
    • With 119 3-pointers, Viont'e Daniels is tied for 19th on WSU's career list and needs just two to move into a tie for 18th.

COUGARS CLOSE OUT NONCONFERENCE PLAY: 
Washington State men's basketball (7-6) looks to snap its three-game losing streak and open Pac-12 play on a high note as it heads to Seattle to take on Washington (9-4), Saturday, Jan. 5 at 7:30 p.m. at Alaska Airlines Arena. 
• The game will be televised on Pac-12 Network as Aaron Goldsmith (play-by-play) and Eldridge Recasner (analyst) have the call. 
• All season long, Cougar basketball can be heard on the Cougar IMG Sports Radio Network with the Voice of the Cougars, Matt Chazanow on 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 HUSKIES: 
• Saturday marks the 288th meeting between Washington and Washington State, as the Huskies hold a 183-104 advantage in the all-time series. 
• Washington leads the series 104-38 at Seattle, although the Cougars have defeated the Huskies in two of the last four games at UW.
• The Huskies swept the season series last year with  a 70-65 victory over the Cougars at Pullman, Jan. 6, followed by an 80-62 win at Seattle, Jan. 28.
• The Cougars swept the season series in 2017 with 79-74 and 79-71 wins at Seattle and Pullman, respectively. 
 • Just two of the last 14 games in the series have been decided by more than 8 points, as each of the last 14 meetings between the Cougars and Huskies have been decided by an average of 6.9 points. 
    • If the only two lopsided wins of that span (UW, 72-49, Feb. 28, 2014 and UW, 80-62, Jan. 28, 2018) are thrown out, the average shrinks to  4.7 points; a two-possession difference.
• Ten of the last 14 meetings have been decided by five points or less.
• UW won seven of those 10 games decided by 5 points or less, claiming the latest five-point win, Jan. 6, 2018 (70-65).
• Third-year WSU head coach Ernie Kent is 13-22 all-time against UW as head coach at WSU and Oregon.

WASHINGTON STATE IN PAC-12 OPENERS:
• WSU is 17-33 all-time in conference openers beginning with the Pacific-8 Conference in 1968-69
• It is 1-6 in Pac-12 openers after the league expanded prior to the 2011-12 season, having gotten its first win last season.
• The Cougars are 3-18 in Pac-8, Pac-10 and Pac-12 conference openers on the road, having snapped its seven-game conference opener losing streak last season with a 79-74 victory over Washington at Seattle, Jan. 1, 2017 before falling at UCLA, Dec. 29, 2017, 96-82, to open league play.
• Prior to the 2016-17 season, its last road conference opening win was also its last conference opening win, Jan. 5, 2008, a 56-52 victory at Washington...WSU was ranked fourth at the time.
• Washington State's last two conference opening victories have come against Washington in Seattle.
• The Cougars are 4-6 against the Huskies in Pac-8, Pac-10 and Pac-12 openers and are 2-3 in those openers played at Seattle.
• The two teams last opened the conference season, Jan. 1, 2017, a 79-74 WSU victory.

HUSKY CONNECTIONS:
•The Cougars have coaches and players connected to the Huskies and/or the Seattle area.
• WSU assistant coach, Bennie Seltzer played for WSU from 1990-93.
• In eight games against Washington from 1990-93, Seltzer averaged 10.2 points per game, as WSU went 3-5 in those games.    
• Second-year WSU assistant coach Ed Haskins came to Pullman from Seattle's Garfield HS where he coached Husky sophomore Jaylen Nowell throughout his career.
• WSU boasts three Washington-natives on this year's squad, all four from the West Side of the state.
• Viont'e Daniels (Federal Way), CJ Elleby (Seattle) and Robert Franks (Vancouver).

ABOUT THE COUGARS:
• WSU ended the nonconference season with a 7-6 record, including a perfect 7-0 at Pullman and 7-1 in home games (WSU played a home game at Spokane Arena against Santa Clara, Dec. 29), a 0-2 mark on the road and 0-3 in neutral-site games. 
• The Cougars have had some bad luck when it comes to health, as they've played nine games without one of its major contributors (Robert Franks - two games missed, Viont'e Daniels - four games missed, Isaiah Wade - three games missed)...those games resulted in five of WSU's six losses.
• The 2018 Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year, senior Robert Franks leads the Cougars this season with a team and Pac-12 best, 22.1 points, ranking 21st in the country.
• Franks is adding a team-high 7.9 rebounds per game, ranking sixth in the conference.
• He's missed two games this season due to injuries, WSU's loss at Seattle U, Nov. 14 and WSU's loss to Santa Clara at Spokane, Dec. 29. 
• Freshman CJ Elleby is the only other Cougar averaging double-figure points with 15.6 points per game, eighth-best in the Pac-12.
• Elleby is adding 7.5 rebounds per game, ranking seventh in the league. 
• Franks is one of five returnees for the Cougars as he's joined by seniors Viont'e Daniels and Davante Cooper and juniors Jeff Pollard and Carter Skaggs.
• Starters from the 2017-18 team, Skaggs and Daniels are averaging 8.9 and 7.7 points, respectively. 
• Daniels missed four games (Dec. 17, 19, 22 and 23) due to a concussion, but leads the team with 4.4 assists per game.
• Elleby is one of seven newcomers to the team.
• Junior college transfers Ahmed Ali and Jervae Robinson have split the point guard duties with Ali having started eight games and Robinson 5.
• Ali is 11th in the Pac-12 with 3.3 assists per game, adding 8.9 points per game. 
•Sophomore junior college transfer, Marvin Cannon has progressed throughout the season, as he is second in the Pac-12 with a .886 (38-for-44) clip from the free throw line.
• He's scored in double figures in three of WSU's last five games, including a career-high 23 against Rider, Dec. 17 and is averaging 6.8 points per game. 
•Junior Isaiah Wade, also a JC-transfer, started the season hot and is still getting back into the flow after missing three games due to an ankle sprain...he's averaging 5.6 points and 3.8 rebounds. 

SHORT HANDED:
• WSU has had one of its top contributors missing from the lineup in nine of its 13 games this season.
• Senior Robert Franks missed WSU's loss at Seattle U, Nov. 14, due to soreness in his foot and its loss to Santa Clara in Spokane, Dec. 29, due to a hip contusion. 
• Junior Isaiah Wade missed three games, games against Delaware State (Nov. 24), CSUN (Nov. 27) and a loss at New Mexico State (Dec. 1).
• Senior Viont'e Daniels has missed WSU's last four games against Rider (Dec. 17), SIUE (Dec. 19), San Diego (Dec. 22) and New Mexico State (Dec. 23) due to a concussion.

PUTTING UP POINTS:
• WSU is leading the league and ranks 40th nationally with 82.2 points per game. 
•The school record for scoring average in a season by a team is 83.5 set in 1995 in 30 games.
• The school record for points in a season is 2,688 set in 33 games in 1992. 
• WSU will play at least 31 games this season...if it continues to average 82.2 points and plays 31 games, it will finish with 2,548 points, 140 off the record. 

COUGS SET FREE THROW RECORD:
• WSU set the school record for free throws made, going 39-for-51 from the free throw line, Dec. 17 against Rider.
• The previous record was 38 against Santa Clara, Dec. 28, 1973.
•The school record for free throw attempts is 55 against Oregon, Feb. 14, 1953.

FRANKS REACHES 1,000-POINT PLATEAU:
• Senior Robert Franks scored his 1,000th career point against San Diego, Dec. 22 at the Las Vegas Classic, becoming the 37th member of the WSU 1,000th-point club. 
• Franks currently has 1,009 points and ranks 36th in the WSU career record books.
• He's averaging 22.1 points per game...if he keeps up that average, he will finish with 1,451 points, ranking ninth in WSU's record books. 

FRANKS AND DANIELS EYE RECORD BOOKS:
• Senior Robert Franks is moving up the scoring record books, as well as the blocks list.
• Franks currently has 58 career blocked shots, ranking 18th in WSU's career record books.
• Viont'e Daniels has made 119 career 3-pointers is tied for 19th on WSU's career list...if he can repeat his 71 made 3-pointers from his junior campaign, Daniels would finish his Cougar career with 172 3s, ranking ninth all-time.

FRANKS NAMED TO JULIUS ERVING WATCH LIST:
• Senior Robert Franks is one of five Pac-12 student-athletes named to the 20-member 2019 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Watch List.
• The list will be cut down to 10 in February and the five finalists will be narrowed down in March, with the winner being announced April 12, 2019.

COUGARS SIGN THREE:
• Daron (Duh-ron) Henson, Ryan Murphy and Nigel John each signed an NLI to join WSU men's basketball next season. 
• Daron Henson (6-7, 210, Small Forward, Pasadena, Calif./Salt Lake CC) is in his first season with Salt Lake Community College after two seasons at Utah State...Henson redshirted his freshman season in 2016-17 before appearing in 33 games, including one start in 2017-18. 
• He averaged 4.3 points and 1.9 rebounds a game for the Aggies as a redshirt freshman. 
• Four games into the 2018-19 season, Henson is averaging 14.0 points while shooting .429 from the field and adding 6.3 rebounds per game. Henson will enter the WSU program as a redshirt junior.
• Ryan Murphy (6-2, 190, Guard, Calabasas, Calif./New Mexico Junior College) is in his first season at New Mexico Junior College where he's averaging 17.2 points per game in six games in the 2018-19 season. 
• Murphy transferred to NMJC from Charlotte where he redshirted as a freshman in 2016-17. He averaged 6.7 points per game in 19 games as a redshirt freshman in 2017-18 before an injury cut his season short at 19 games. 
• He shot .400 (32-for-80) from beyond the arc in 2017-18.
• Nigel John (6-9, 250, Center, Allen Texas/Lakeland Christian Academy) comes to WSU from Lakeland Christian Academy in Texas. 

KENT IN FIFTH 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 127 conference wins rank him 15th-best in Pac-12 history (including Pacific-8 and Pacific-10 Conferences)....needing just five (132) to catch Howard Dallmar of Stanford (1955-75) for 14th. 
• His win, Feb. 18, 2017, 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.
• 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 378 career wins as a head coach.

MARRION PROMOTED TO ASSISTANT COACH: 
• Fifth-year head coach, Ernie Kent, elevated Tim Marrion from coordinator of operations to assistant coach for the 2018-19 season.
• Marrion is currently in his third full-time stint with the WSU men's basketball program, as he returned to his alma mater in September of 2016 to assume the role of coordinator of basketball operations. 
• He previously served on the WSU men's basketball staff as the team's director of player development under then-head coach Ken Bone, during the 2013-14 season. 
• Prior to that, he was the coordinator of operations for Cougar basketball from spring of 2009 until the summer of 2012.
• Kenny Tripp joined the staff as coordinator of operations after one year as an assistant coach for Division II Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2017-18. 
• Prior to his stint with the Roadrunners, Tripp served as a graduate assistant for the men's basketball program at Division II Regis University at Denver, Colo., for two years (2015-17).