vs Stanford (5-11, 0-6) | Saturday, Jan. 14 | 5 p.m. PT | Beasley Coliseum (Pullman, Wash.)
  Live Stats | StatBroadcast
  Watch | Pac-12 Network (Greg Heister & PJ Carlesimo)
  Listen | WSU Learfield Radio Network (Matt Chazanow & Craig Ehlo)

OPENING FIVE
1. The Cougars welcome Stanford to Beasley Coliseum for a 5 p.m. tipoff, Saturday, Jan. 14 on Pac-12 Network, Pac-12 Bay Area, and Pac-12 Washington. Stanford holds a 62-84 advantage in the series, but the Cougars hold the 38-31 edge in Pullman. Last year the programs split the series, with the Card winning in Pullman before the Cougs returned the favor at Stanford. Mouhamed Gueye averaged 12.0 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game against Stanford over the two games, including a double-double in California.
2. Last time out, the Cougars defeated Cal, 66-51, Wednesday night at Pullman for their 6th-straight win against the Golden Bears. Mouhamed Gueye and DJ Rodman led the Cougs with 14 points each. The double-digit performance was the 5th-straight for Rodman, who also led WSU in rebounding. Washington State shot 55% from the floor in the second half and finished with 9-made 3-point field goals.
3. The Cougars average 8.9 made 3-point field goals per game, more than any other team in the Pac-12 (10th in Power 6 conferences). Individually, Jabe Mullins is third in the country with a 50.6% (39-of-77) clip from beyond the arc. Mullins has the best 3-point percentage of any player in Power 6 conferences. Against Detroit Mercy, Nov. 25, the Cougars set a school record with 19 made 3s.
4. Mouhamed Gueye has turned into a double-double machine, with seven double-doubles this season. Last Saturday against Arizona, Gueye scored a season-high 24 points to go with 14 rebounds in the WSU win. The Senegalese sophomore snagged a career-high 18 rebounds against No. 11 UCLA, and has led WSU in rebounding 12 times this year. Gueye has grabbed more rebounds than any player in Pac-12 play with 61 total boards and leads the conference on the offensive glass with 26 rebounds.
5. TJ Bamba has emerged as Washington State's leading scorer at 15.1 points per game, ninth in the Conference. Bamba has scored in double figures 13 games this season, including three times with 20+ points. Against Boise State, Nov. 12, Bamba scored a career-high 24 points - the first 20-point game of his career - and back-to-back 20-point games for the first time in his career with 22 pts against Northern Kentucky (Dec. 7) and 20 pts vs UNLV (Dec. 10).

COUGARS VS THE CARDINAL
Washington State welcomes the Cardinal to Beasley Coliseum for a 5 p.m. tipoff, Saturday, Jan. 14 on Pac-12 Network, Pac-12 Bay Area, and Pac-12 Washington. Stanford holds a 62-84 advantage in the series, but the Cougars hold the 38-31 edge in Pullman. Last year the programs split the series, with the Card winning in Pullman before the Cougs returned the favor at Stanford. Mouhamed Gueye averaged 12.0 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game against Stanford over the two games, including a double-double in California.

LAST TIME OUT – VS CALIFORNIA
WSU 66 - CAL 51 | JAN. 11, 2023 | PULLMAN, WASH.
DJ Rodman hit four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points, Mouhamed Gueye also scored 14 points and Washington State beat California 66-51 Wednesday night. Justin Powell added 12 points for Washington State (8-10, 3-4 Pac-12). The Cougars shot 46% (23 of 50) from the field and made 9 of 21 (43%) from 3-point range but hit just 11 of 20 (55%) from the free-throw line.

NEXT UP
WSU returns to the road to face the Pac-12 mountain schools, beginning in Salt Lake City against Utah, Thursday, Jan. 19 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m. PT (7 p.m. MT) with coverage on Pac-12 Mountain and Pac-12 Washington. Earlier this year, the Cougars welcomed the Runnin' Utes to Pullman for a December conference game that finished in a 67-65 overtime loss for WSU. Mouhamed Gueye had a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double performance, while he and TJ Bamba fouled out before overtime.

GUEYE TAKING OVER THE CONFERENCE OF CHAMPIONS
Sophomore Mouhamed Gueye, a preseason All-Pac-12 selection and All-Freshman honoree last season, has become a double-double machine with seven double-doubles this season. In the Cougars' win at No. 5 Arizona, the Senegalese sophomore scored a season-high 24 points (1 shy of his career high) and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds. Dec. 30 against No. 11 UCLA, he snagged a career-high 18 rebounds, most by a Coug since Josh Hawkinson tallied 20 against Washington (1/9/2016). Across seven conference games, including two AP Top-10 teams (UCLA, Arizona), Gueye is averaging 16.4 points per game (3rd in Pac-12) and 8.7 rebounds per game (3rd in Pac-12). Gueye has also grabbed more rebounds than any player in Pac-12 play with 61 boards and leads the conference on the offensive glass with 26 rebounds.

BOMBS AWAY
The Cougars aren't afraid to pull the trigger from deep. As a team, WSU makes 8.9 3-point field goals per game, more than any other team in the Pac-12 and 10th in Power 6 conferences. Individually, Jabe Mullins is third in the country with a 50.6% (39-of-77) clip from beyond the arc. 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.

MULLINS MAGIC
After a four-game absence with minor knee injury, junior transfer Jabe Mullins has returned as one of the country's top 3-point shooters. He currently is third in Division I basketball with a 50.6% (39-of-77) 3-point field goal percentage. Mullins averages 2.79 made 3-point field goals per game, top in the Pac-12 and 47th in the country. Seven times this season he has made 3+ shots from beyond the arc. 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.

RODMAN RETURNING VETERAN
As the Cougars' veteran senior, Rodman leads the Cougars and Division-I with 21 charges drawn, more than double any teammate. On the offensive glass, Rodman has pulled in 33 offensive rebounds, most by any backcourt Coug, and is second on the team with 5.6 total rebounds per game. The Newport Beach native has scored in double figures for five-straight games, including his second-career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds at Arizona State (career-high vs Pac-12 opponent). Rodman also leads the Cougars with 15 steals this year.

TOP-10 TOUGHEST SCHEDULE & TOUGH LUCK
According to the KenPom adjusted strength of schedule, Washington State has played the ninth toughest schedule in the country. Despite an 8-10 record, WSU is ranked 58th in the current KenPom ratings and is the only 8-win program in the top 65. According to the KenPom "luck rating," a measure of the deviation between a team's actual winning percentage and what one would expect from its game-by-game efficiencies, the Cougars are the fourth unluckiest team in Division I this year, sitting at 360 out of 363 ranked programs.

WINNING BIG, LOSING SMALL
Seven of the Cougars' eight victories this season have come by at least 10+ points. Closing out close games is crucial for the Cougs, who lost to Utah, #11 Baylor, UNLV, and #11 UCLA by a combined total of 12 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. Five times this season the Cougars have lost by six points or fewer, 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. The Cougars are 1-5 in two-possession games this season.

POWELL'S PERFECT PASSING
Junior transfer Justin Powell has been taking care of the rock all season, sitting at second in the Conference with a 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio. Powell is averaging 3.1 assists per game, 11th in the Pac-12. He is also fifth in the Conference as a 3-point shooter at 40.2% (41-of-102). Seven times this season Powell has committed zero turnovers. Three times this season Powell has tallied 7+ 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. 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.

BAMBA BRINGS THE BUSINESS
TJ Bamba has emerged as Washington State's leading scorer at 15.1 points per game, ninth in the Pac-12. Bamba has scored in double figures 13 games this season, including three times with 20+ points. Against Boise State, Nov. 12, Bamba scored a career-high 24 points - 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 (Dec. 7) and 20 points versus UNLV (Dec. 10).

COUGS CREATING SECOND CHANCES
The Cougars have become a prominent offensive rebounding team, leading to second-chance scoring opportunities. Washington State averages 11.3 offensive rebounds per game, which has led to an average of 11.6 second-chance points per game, compared to just 8.9 second-chance points per game for Cougar opponents on 8.6 offensive rebounds per game.

GETTING TO THE GLASS
Despite the Cougars lack of frontcourt experience, they hold a +4.3 rebounding margin this season (fifth 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.