vs Southern California (11-3, 3-0) | Sunday, Jan. 1 | Noon PT | Beasley Coliseum (Pullman, Wash.)
  Live Stats | StatBroadcast
  Watch | Pac-12 Network (Greg Heister & Dan Dickau)
  Listen | WSU Learfield Radio Network (Matt Chazanow & Craig Ehlo)

OPENING FIVE
1. Washington State welcomes in the New Year with a midday battle against the USC Trojans. Tipoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. PT from Beasley Coliseum with coverage on the Pac-12 Network, Pac-12 Los Angeles, and Pac-12 Washington. The Cougars have lost 12-straight against the Trojans, with the last two losses by a slim 2-point margin. Early last season USC visited WSU for a 63-31 win in Pullman, Dec. 4, 2021. In the Cougs' return trip, USC took a 62-60 victory. The last WSU win came March 1, 2015 in a 70-66 victory in Los Angeles.
2. Last time out, the Cougars' upset of No. 11/8 UCLA fell short in a 66-67 defeat, Friday evening in Pullman. WSU led for over 35 minutes in the contest, and held the Bruins to season lows in shooting percentage (36.2%) and made field goals (21-of-58). The Bruins took the lead with just 19 seconds remaining as WSU went without a field goal for the final seven minutes of the game. Mouhamed Gueye grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds to go with 18 points for his sixth double-double of the year. DJ Rodman added a season-high 19 points and Jabe Mullins finished with 11.
3. TJ Bamba has emerged as Washington State's leading scorer at 16.0 points per game (eighth in the Pac-12), while shooting an efficient 44.1% from the floor. Bamba's 12-game streak of double-figure scoring ended in Friday's game with UCLA, which stretched back to a career-high 24 points against Boise State, Nov. 12 - the first 20-point game of his career - and back-to-back 20-point games for the first time in his career with 22 points against Northern Kentucky and 20 points vs UNLV.
4. WSU averages 8.1 made 3-point field goals per game, more than all but Arizona in the Pac-12. The Cougs have two players in the Pac-12's top-10 of 3-point shooters. Individually, Jabe Mullins is third in the Pac-12 with a 47.3% (26-of-55) clip from beyond the arc, followed by TJ Bamba at sixth in the Conference with a .413 clip (26-of-63). Against Detroit Mercy, Nov. 25, the Cougars set a school record with 19 made 3s.
5. Mouhamed Gueye has turned into a double-double machine, with six double-doubles this season. The Senegalese sophomore snagged a career-high 18 rebounds against No. 11 UCLA, most by a Coug since Josh Hawkinson tallied 20 against Washington (1/9/2016). Gueye scored a career-high 22 points against Utah State to go with 12 rebounds.

COUGARS VS TROJANS
Washington State welcomes in the New Year with a midday battle against the USC Trojans. Tipoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. PT from Beasley Coliseum with coverage on the Pac-12 Network, Pac-12 Los Angeles, and Pac-12 Washington. The Cougars have lost 12-straight games against the Trojans, with the last two losses by a slim 2-point margin. Early last season, USC visited WSU for a 63-31 win in Pullman, Dec. 4, 2021. In the Cougs' return trip, USC took a 62-60 victory. The last WSU win came March 1, 2015 in a 70-66 victory in Los Angeles and the last WSU win in Pullman was a 76-51 result March, 9, 2013.

LAST TIME OUT – VS UCLA
WSU 66 - UCLA 67 | DEC. 30, 2022 | PULLMAN, WASH.
The Cougars' upset of No. 11/8 UCLA fell short in a 66-67 defeat, Friday evening in Pullman. WSU led for over 35 minutes in the contest, and held the Bruins to season lows in shooting percentage (36.2%) and made field goals (21-of-58). The Bruins took the lead with just 19 seconds remaining as WSU went without a field goal for the final seven minutes of the game. Mouhamed Gueye grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds to go with 18 points for his sixth double-double of the year. DJ Rodman added a season-high 19 points and Jabe Mullins finished with 11.

NEXT UP
WSU travels for a trip to the Arizona schools, beginning Thursday, Jan. 5 in Tempe for a 5 p.m. PT (6 p.m. MST) battle with the Sun Devils. The game will be televised from Desert Financial Arena on Pac-12 Network, Pac-12 Arizona, and Pac-12 Washington. Last season the Cougs split the two-game series with ASU, both programs winning on the road. WSU defeated ASU in a defensive spectacle, 51-29 from Tempe, Dec. 21, 2021. The Devils returned the favor in a narrow 58-55 victory in Pullman, Feb. 12, 2022.

BAMBA'S BACK
TJ Bamba has emerged as Washington State's leading scorer at 16.0 points per game (eighth in the Pac-12), while shooting an efficient 44.1% from the floor. Bamba's 12-game streak of double-figure scoring ended in Friday's game with UCLA, which stretched back to a career-high 24 points against Boise State, Nov. 12 - the first 20-point game of his career - and back-to-back 20-point games for the first time in his career with 22 points against Northern Kentucky and 20 points vs UNLV. He is also shooting well from beyond the arc with 26 made 3-pointers this season on 41.3% shooting (sixth in the Pac-12). Bamba led the Cougs with five rebounds against Prairie View A&M to go along with a team-high 16 points, marking the second time in Bamba's career he has led WSU in scoring and rebounding (March 3, 2022 against Oregon State).

BOMBS AWAY
The Cougars aren't afraid to pull the trigger from deep. As a team, WSU makes 8.1 3-point field goals per game, more than all but Arizona in the Pac-12. Washington State attempts the second-most 3-pointers in the Conference (23.1) and shoots at a 35.3% clip (114-of-323). The Cougs have two players in the Pac-12's top-10 of 3-point shooters. Individually, Jabe Mullins is third in the Pac-12 with a 47.3% (26-of-55) clip from beyond the arc, followed by TJ Bamba at sixth in the Conference with a .413 clip (26-of-63). In the Nov. 25th game against Detroit Mercy, the Cougars set a school record with 19 made from beyond the arc. Jabe Mullins led WSU with six made 3-pointers as the Cougs finished 19-of 29 from downtown. The splash show marked the fourth time under Kyle Smith the Cougs have made 15+ from beyond the arc.

GUEYE TAKING OVER
Sophomore Mouhamed Gueye, a preseason All-Pac-12 selection and All-Freshman honoree last season, has become a double-double machine with six double-doubles this season. Friday night, the Senegalese sophomore snagged a career-high 18 rebounds against No. 11 UCLA, most by a Coug since Josh Hawkinson tallied 20 against Washington (1/9/2016). During the Diamond Head Classic, he tallied two double-doubles over four days in Hawaii, including a season-high 22 points against Utah State. Gueye registered back-to-back double-doubles for the second time this season, after consecutive double-digit performances versus Utah (Dec. 4) and Northern Kentucky (Dec. 7). This season, Gueye has scored in double figures 10 times, with 20 double-digit performances in his young career. He has led WSU in rebounding 11 times this year.

COUGS CREATING SECOND CHANCES
The Cougars have become a prominent offensive rebounding team, leading to second-chance scoring opportunities. Washington State averages 11.2 offensive rebounds per game, and 12.0 in Conference play, which has led to an average of 10.8 second-chance points per game, compared to just 7.6 second-chance ppg for Cougar opponents on 7.5 offensive rebounds per game.

WINNING BIG, LOSING SMALL
Four of the Cougars' five victories this season have come by at least 20+ points. Washington State's smallest margin of victory came against George Washington, Dec. 22, in a 66-64 nailbiter. It was the smallest margin of victory by a WSU team since a 67-65 win over Arizona State, Jan. 29, 2020. Four times this season the Cougars have lost by single digits, including a 1-point defeat to No. 11 UCLA, Dec. 30, the first single-point loss for WSU since an overtime defeat by Colorado, Jan. 8, 2014.

RODMAN RETURNING VETERAN
As the Cougars' veteran senior, Rodman leads the Cougars this season with 16 charges drawn, more than double any teammate. On the offensive glass, Rodman has pulled in 24 offensive rebounds, most by any backcourt Coug, and is second on the team with 5.3 total rebounds per game. The Newport Beach native also leads the Cougars with 14 steals this year. Most recently, Rodman led WSU in scoring for just the second-time in his career with a season-high 19 points against UCLA, Dec. 30. It was the most points against a Pac-12 opponent in Rodman's career. Against Boise State, Nov. 12, Rodman registered a career-high 14 rebounds.

POWELL'S PERFECT PASSING
Junior transfer Justin Powell has been taking care of the rock all season, sitting at seventh in the Conference with a 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio. Powell is averaging 3.2 assists per game, tied for 10th in the Pac-12. The Kentucky native dished out a career-high 12 assists in his WSU debut against Texas State, Nov. 7, the most assists by a Coug in a season opener since assists became an official stat in the 1985-86 season and the most by a WSU player in any game in 13 years, when Reggie Moore tallied 12 assists against Portland State, Dec. 19, 2009. It's also the first double-double with assists since Malachi Flynn dished out 11 assists to go with 11 points against Arizona, Jan. 31, 2018. Twice this season Powell has tallied seven assists without committing a turnover. When he went a perfect 7.0 against Eastern Washington, Nov. 21, he was the first Coug with at least as many assists and no giveaways since Andrej Jakimovski tallied nine assists without a turnover against Cal, Feb. 18, 2021. Powell is also 15th in the Conference as a 3-point shooter at 37.0% (30-of-81). Four times this season Powell has committed zero turnovers.

MULLINS MAGIC
Junior transfer Jabe Mullins wasted no time opening his scoring account at WSU. Mullins scored the opening basket for the Cougs in the season opener against Texas State and never looked back. After a four-game absence with knee injury, he has returned to sit third in the Pac-12 Conference with a 47.3% (26-of-55) 3-point field goal percentage. Against Eastern Washington, Nov. 21, Mullins made eight 3-point field goals - the most by a Coug since Noah Williams had eight vs Stanford on Feb. 20, 2021. It's also the most made 3s by a Pac-12 player this season and tied for the most by a high-major player in Division I. He followed the EWU game with six 3-point FGs against Detroit Mercy, as the Cougs set a school record with 19 made from beyond the arc.

FREQUENT FLYERS
The Cougars have spent plenty of time in the air this year. WSU has made two separate trips to Texas this year, in addition to a trip to Hawaii. Since the start of the season, WSU has flown over 13,797 aeronautical miles.

DOMINATING THE GLASS
Despite the Cougars lack of frontcourt experience, they hold a +6.0 rebounding margin this season (fourth in the Conference). When WSU faced Northern Kentucky, Dec. 7, the Cougs held the Norse to four first-half rebounds and just 12 rebounds in the game. It marked the fewest rebounds by a Washington State opponent since Dec. 29, 1992 when Princeton pulled in seven rebounds. The last time a WSU opponent was held below 20 rebounds was when Idaho State gathered 16 boards in Kennewick, Wash., Dec. 29, 2012. The Cougars finished with a +29 rebounding margin against Northern Kentucky, the largest margin since Nov. 15, 2008 when WSU went +34 (53-19) on the glass against Mississippi Valley State and only the second time in the last 25 years. WSU followed with another dominate rebounding performance against UNLV, limiting the Runnin' Rebels to 20 total boards (five in the first half) and finished with a +13 advantage on the glass.

INJURY BUG BITES EARLY
The Cougs have been short-handed since the start of the season due to injury. Prior to the season starting, the Cougars announced they will be without junior Dishon Jackson or redshirt freshman Myles Rice. Both are out indefinitely due to medical issues. Rice announced publicly in October he has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and is undergoing treatment. Jackson did not disclose his medical issue and asked for privacy. WSU was also without Jakimovski (foot) for the first 10 games of the season, before making his return against George Washington, Dec. 22. Junior transfer Jabe Mullins, one of the hottest shooting guards in the country, missed four games with a knee injury. In addition, Darling, Diongue, Rodman, and Rosario have each missed at least one game at different times due to illness or injury.

ROSARIO'S RETURN
Junior Carlos Rosario made his return for the Cougars in the season opener versus Texas State. It had been 627 days (Feb. 18, 2021) since Rosario last played for Wazzu, having to medically redshirt his sophomore season after playing just seven games his freshman season due to medical issues. In his return to the court, Rosario scored his first-career field goal and finished with a career-high six points and three rebounds.