WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS (9-3) at COLORADO BUFFALOES (10-2)
Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023 // 12 p.m. MT // 11 a.m. PT
Boulder, Colo. // CU Events Center // 11,064
Radio Coverage
Cougar Sports Network // KXLY 920AM
Matt Chazanow & Craig Ehlo
Television Coverage
Pac-12 Network // Mountain // Wash.
Drew Goodman & Earl Watson

OPENING FIVE
1. WSU concludes the first conference road trip and rings in the New Year at the CU Events Center, facing Colorado, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023 at 11 a.m. PT on Pac-12 Network
2. Myles Rice continued an incredible start to his freshman season, the 2-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week is WSU's 2nd-leading scorer at 14.8 ppg, shooting 44.2%, while dishing out 33 assists and grabbing 21 steals
3. The Cougars hold opponents to just 38.2% shooting, top in the Pac-12 and No. 20 in Division-I, offensively WSU shoots the ball at a 46.8% clip, having shot over 50% six times this season
4. Four Cougs are shooting over 50% from the floor, led by WSU bigs Chinyelu (.633), Jones (.581),  and Cluff (.562), with Houinsou shooting 52.7% from the floor and Rice close behind at 47.6%
5. Isaac Jones has stepped into the leading role as WSU's top scorer at 15.3 ppg and top rebounder at 7.5 rpg, which ranks sixth in the Pac-12, while Jones shoots the ball at 58.1%, fifth in the Conference

LAST TIME VS COLORADO
KJ Simpson hit a straight-away 3-pointer in the closing seconds and Colorado beat Washington State 58-55.Andrej Jakimovski hit a 3-pointer and, after J'Vonne Hadley scored in the lane for Colorado, TJ Bamba made back-to-back baskets to give the Cougars a 54-53 lead with 40 seconds to go. Bamba was called for a foul near midcourt and Simpson hit two free throws before Bamba made 1 of 2 from the foul line to make it 55-all with 25 seconds left. Simpson dribbled off some clock before stepping around a screen and hit the winning 3 with 4.8 second left. Bamba led WSU 18 points, 14 in the second half. Jakimovski hit 5 of 7 from the field and finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and two steals.

CURRENT COUGS VS COLORADO
WSU Head Coach Kyle Smith is 2-5 all-time against Colorado,with all seven matchups during his Cougar tenure. The Cougars won at home during the 2021-22 season, and also the final complete sporting event before the COVID pandemic that ended the 2019-20 season in Smith's first year. In addition to four-year veteran Andrej Jakimovski, Jabe Mullins, Kymany Houinsou, and Dylan Darling all played their first career games against the Buffs in last year's loss. Jakimovski has scored in double figures in the last two games against Colorado.

COUGARS VS BUFFS
Washington State concludes the 2023 year with a Sunday, Dec. 31 matchup against Colorado at the CU Events Center in Boulder, Colo. with tipoff at 11 a.m. PT and noon MT. WSU holds a 7-18 all-time record against CU and are 0-12 in games at Boulder. Under Coach Kyle Smith, WSU holds a 2-5 record against the Buffaloes. Only four players on the Cougar roster have faced Colorado and only senior Andrej Jakimovski has faced the Buffs multiple times with double-digit scoring performances in the last two meetings.

LAST TIME OUT // AT UTAH
WSU 58 // UTAH 80 // DEC. 29, 2023 // SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
Gabe Madsen scored all 20 of his points in the second half to lead Utah to an 80-58 victory over Washington State on Friday night in Salt Lake City. Branden Carlson tallied 19 points and eight rebounds for the Utes. Keba Keita added 18 points and 11 boards. Rollie Worster chipped in 11 points and seven assists. Utah shot 60 percent from the field in the second half - 15 of 25, which included going 7 of 11 from 3-point range. Issac Jones led WSU with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Jaylen Wells added 10 points for the Cougars. Wazzu lost its first true road game of the season after giving up 20 points off 13 turnovers.

NEXT UP // HOME VS OREGON STATE
The Cougars return to the friendly confines of Beasley Coliseum to host the first Pac-12 home game of the season. WSU welcomes Oregon State, Thursday, Jan. 4 for an 8 p.m. PT game live on Pac-12 Network. The Cougars are 7-0 at home this season and have won the last three meetings with OSU and the last five matchups in Pullman.

RICE CONTINUES STELLAR START TO FRESHMAN YEAR
Redshirt-freshman Myles Rice, a 2-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, has emerged as WSU's 2nd-leading scorer at 14.8 points per game. Rice has scored in double figures in nine of his first 12 games. The Columbia, S.C. native dished out a career-high seven assists in a Dec. 10 win over Grambling, the most by a Coug this season and also grabbed seven steals in the win, the most by a Coug in four seasons, and one shy of WSU's all-time single-game record. Rice is currently the conference's second-leading freshmen scorer, behind USC's Isaiah Collier, and 14th overall. Rice became the first Cougar to earn the first back-to-back Pac-12 weekly awards since Mouhamed Gueye was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week in the final two weeks of the 2021-22 season.

JONES STEPS INTO LEADING ROLE
Fifth-year senior transfer Isaac Jones has taken a leading role as the Cougars top scorer at 15.3 pgg (13th in Pac-12) and top rebounder with 7.5 rpg (6th in Pac-12). Jones has registered three double-doubles as a Coug, including 12 points and 10 rebounds in the Pac-12 Conference opener at Utah. Jones shoots an efficient 58.1% from the field, ranking fifth in the Pac-12 and 44th nationally. Jones has led the Cougars in rebounding six times.

NONCONFERENCE SUCCESS
WSU concluded the nonconference schedule with nine wins, matching Kyle Smith's most preseason wins during his five years in Pullman. Smith and the Cougs also won nine nonconference games in 2019-20. Washington State completed its entire nonconference schedule without a true road game for the first time since the 2020-21 season.

STIFLING DEFENSE
The Cougars' defense has fit Coach Smith's mold of winning with grit, as WSU ranks No. 1 in the Pac-12 Conference in field goal percentage defense (.382), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.290), and blocks per game (5.5). Wazzu's defensive field goal prowess ranks 20th in the country and  42nd from beyond the arc. The Cougs limit opponents to 63.9 ppg, second in the Pac-12 and 34th nationally.

NATIONAL RIM PROTECTORS
WSU has owned the height advantage through nonconference play, boasting 66 blocks, 5.5 per game, to lead the Pac-12 Conference. The Cougars' average is 19th nationally and the Cougs are ranked No. 17 in the country according to KenPom.com's effective block percentage. True freshman Rueben Chinyelu leads the Coug with 16 rejections. Four Cougs have 11+ blocks each (Chinyelu, Cluff, Houinsou, and Jones). In the Dec. 2 win over Portland State, the Cougs swatted away a season-high 10 shots, marking the first time since March 2022 with 10+ blocks in a single game.

NOT SO FAST...
Fast break points have been hard to come by for Wazzu's opponents with just 60 transition points allowed all season. Wazzu is quick to get back on defense, outscoring opponents in fast break opportunities 10.8 to 5.0 points in transition per game.

GETTING PAINT TOUCHES
Kyle Smith has made it clear the Cougs thrive when everyone on the team gets paint touches. Wazzu has outscored its opponents 454-312 in the key. Against Rhode Island, WSU scored a season-high 52 points in the paint and twice has scored 50+ points in the key. The Cougars are getting just shy of 50% of their scoring from inside the key (37.8 points per game), while holding opponents to an average 26.0 points in the paint per game.

KYMANY THE "FRENCH ARMY KNIFE"
Sophomore Kymany Houinsou does a little bit of everything and has taken over additional guard duties with Yesufu out, dishing out 36 assists. Houinsou enjoyed a double-digit performance in WSU's win over Portland State, his second of the year. Starting the last six games in a point guard role, the Frenchman has averaged 3.3 assists per game, grabbed six steals, blocked eight shots, and grabbed 3.7 rebounds per game, in addition to 44 points scored (7.3 ppg).

WINNING THE GLASS BATTLE
The Cougars have used their height advantage all season, outrebounding opponents in all but one game. On the defensive glass, WSU holds opponents to an average of 8.0 second-chance points per game. In the loss at Utah, Dec. 29, the Cougs grabbed a season-high 51 rebounds, the most in two years. WSU boasts a +9.2 rebounding margin, which ranks 21st nationally, and scores 13.3 second chance points per game.

JAK IS BACK
Senior Andrej Jakimovski returned as the Cougars' only 4-year veteran and entered the season fully healthy for the first time since his freshman year. Jakimovski exploded for a game-high 21 points in the season opener, one shy of his career high. The North Macedonian made his 95th game appearance and started his 55th career game against Santa Clara, Dec. 16, and has scored in double figures five times. He made five 3-pointers for the second time in his career and became the first Coug with five triples in a single game since Justin Powell made five at UCLA last February.

HOMEGROWN ROSTER
The Cougars boast six student-athletes on the 2023-24 roster from the state of Washington, including three former Washington State Players of the Year. Senior Jabe Mullins was named the WIAA 4A Player of the Year in 2020, followed by sophomore Dylan Darling in 2022, and incoming freshman Parker Gerrits last spring.

KYLE STARTING WITH SUCCESS
Kyle Smith is the first head coach in Washington State men's basketball history to finish with a .500+ record in his first four seasons on the Palouse. Tony Bennett posted three-consecutive winning seasons before leaving the program.

TWO COUGS SIGN TO PLAY FOR WAZZU
WSU announced two new Cougars who signed National Letters of Intent to play college basketball in Pullman next fall. Evan Stinson signed as the No. 2 prospect in Washington State, a small forward from Cheney, Washington. Marcus Wilson, a native of Albuquerque, signed as a combo guard currently competing at highly-regarded Bella Vista Prep.

COACH KYLE - KING OF THE PNW
Since arriving on the Palouse prior to the 2019-20 season, WSU Head Coach Kyle Smith has dominated his fellow Pac-12 Pacific Northwest opponents. Against Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington, Coach Smith is a combined 15-5 and defeated all three regional rivals in succession for the first time since 1993-94 under Kelvin Sampson. The Cougars have swept the Huskies, Ducks, and Beavers in Pullman for two-straight seasons and are 6-1 at Beasley Coliseum against Conference PNW opponents under Coach Smith.

TOP HALF OF THE PAC
The Cougars finished fifth in the Pac-12 last season, earning Kyle Smith's highest finish in four seasons at WSU. For the first time since the 2007-08 season, Wazzu finished with back-to-back winning Conference records. Smith is the only coach in Washington State history to post a winning record in the Pac-12 era. It's the first time WSU finished in the top half of the Pac-10/12 back-to-back years since the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons. In the Pac-X Conference era, WSU has posted 14 winning conference records.