at Arizona State (11-3, 2-1) | Thursday, Jan. 5 | 6 p.m. MT | 5 p.m. PT | Desert Financial Arena (Tempe, Ariz.)
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OPENING FIVE
1. Washington State travels to the desert for a road swing beginning Thursday, Jan. 5 at Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz. Tipoff from Desert Financial Arena is scheduled for 6 p.m. MT (5 p.m. PT) with coverage on Pac-12 Network, Pac-12 Arizona, and Pac-12 Washington. Last season the Cougs and Sun Devils split the two-game series with both programs winning on the road. WSU defeated the Sun Devils 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.
2. Last time out, the Cougars defeated Southern California, 81-71, Sunday afternoon, snapping a 12-game losing streak to USC. Five Cougars scored in double figures, led by Jabe Mullins and DJ Rodman with 16 points each. The Cougars had 14 made 3-point field goals, and held the Trojans to 3-of-18 from downtown.
3. TJ Bamba has emerged as Washington State's leading scorer at 15.9 points per game (eighth in the Pac-12), while shooting an efficient 44.2% from the floor. 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 vs UNLV (Dec. 10).
4. WSU averages 8.5 made 3-point field goals per game, more than any other team 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 49.2% (30-of-61) clip from beyond the arc, followed by TJ Bamba at 10th in the Conference with a .397 clip (27-of-68). 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, and has led WSU in rebounding 11 games this year. Gueye scored a season-high 22 points against Utah State to go with 12 rebounds.

COUGARS VS SUN DEVILS
Washington State travels to the desert for a road swing beginning Thursday, Jan. 5 at Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz. Tipoff from Desert Financial Arena is scheduled for 6 p.m. MT (5 p.m. PT) with coverage on Pac-12 Network, Pac-12 Arizona, and Pac-12 Washington. Last season the Cougs and Sun Devils split the two-game series with both programs winning on the road. WSU defeated the Sun Devils 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.

LAST TIME OUT – VS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
WSU 81 - USC 71 | JAN. 1, 2023 | PULLMAN, WASH.
Last time out, the Cougars defeated Southern California, 81-71, Sunday afternoon, snapping a 12-game losing streak to USC. Five Cougars scored in double figures, led by Jabe Mullins and DJ Rodman with 16 points each. The Cougars had 14 made 3-point field goals, and held the Trojans to 3-of-18 from downtown. Justin Powell finished with 15 points, seven assists, and zero turnovers. TJ Bamba added 14 points and Gueye tallied 12.

NEXT UP
The Cougars travel to Tucson, Ariz., for a matchup with No. 5/4 Arizona. The Wildcats welcome WSU to McKale Center in a 2 p.m. PT (3 p.m. MT) matchup televised on Pac-12 Network, Pac-12 Arizona, and Pac-12 Washington. Last season WSU and then-No. 4 Arizona met only once, a 72-60 victory for the Wildcats in Pullman, Feb. 10, 2022.

BAMBA BRINGS THE BUSINESS
TJ Bamba has emerged as Washington State's leading scorer at 15.9 points per game (eighth in the Pac-12), while shooting an efficient 44.2% from the floor. 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 vs UNLV (Dec. 10). He is also shooting well from beyond the arc with 27 made 3-pointers this season on 39.7% shooting (10th in the Pac-12).

BOMBS AWAY
The Cougars aren't afraid to pull the trigger from deep. As a team, WSU makes 8.5 3-point field goals per game, more than any other team in the Pac-12. Washington State attempts the second-most 3-pointers in the Conference (23.5) and shoots at a 36.4% clip (128-of-352). 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 49.2% (30-of-61) clip from beyond the arc, followed by TJ Bamba at 10th in the Conference with a .397 clip (27-of-68). 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. Dec. 30 against No. 11 UCLA, the Senegalese sophomore snagged a career-high 18 rebounds, 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 11 times, with 21 double-digit performances in his young career. He has led WSU in rebounding 11 times this year.

RODMAN RETURNING VETERAN
As the Cougars' veteran senior, Rodman leads the Cougars this season with 17 charges drawn, more than double any teammate. On the offensive glass, Rodman has pulled in 25 offensive rebounds, most by any backcourt Coug, and is second on the team with 5.2 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 back-to-back games against the LA schools, marking the first time in career leading the Cougs in scoring for consecutive games. Against No. 11 UCLA he scored a season-high 19 points, 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 fourth in the Conference with a 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio. Powell is averaging 3.5 assists per game,eighth in the Pac-12. Three times 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. 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. Powell is also 13th in the Conference as a 3-point shooter at 38.6% (34-of-88). Five times this season Powell has committed zero turnovers.

WINNING BIG, LOSING SMALL
Five of the Cougars' six victories this season have come by at least 10+ 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.

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 49.2% (30-of-61) 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.

COUGS CREATING SECOND CHANCES
The Cougars have become a prominent offensive rebounding team, leading to second-chance scoring opportunities. Washington State averages 11.1 offensive rebounds per game, which has led to an average of 11.1 second-chance points per game, compared to just 8.2 second-chance ppg for Cougar opponents on 8.2 offensive rpg.

JAK' IS BACK
Junior forward Andrej Jakimovski has returned to WSU's starting lineup after beginning the season with a foot injury. Since returning, the North Macedonian has progressed to new season highs each of the four games. Against Southern California, Jan. 1, Jakimovski tallied a season-high six points with team-high six rebounds in 28 minutes as a starter.

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 14,817 aeronautical miles and will conclude its road trip to Arizona with over 16,249 miles flown.

DOMINATING THE GLASS
Despite the Cougars lack of frontcourt experience, they hold a +4.7 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.