WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS (11-5, 2-3) vs #8/8 ARIZONA WILDCATS (12-3, 3-1)
Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024
3 p.m. PT // Pullman, Wash.
Beasley Coliseum  // 11,671
Radio Coverage
Cougar Sports Network // KXLY 920AM
Matt Chazanow & Craig Ehlo
Television Coverage
Pac-12 Network
Greg Heister & Eldridge Recasner

OPENING FIVE
1. WSU hosts No. 8 Arizona, Saturday, Jan. 13 at 3 p.m. PT in the Cougars' first ranked game of the year with television coverage 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 second-leading scorer at 14.4 ppg, shooting 45.2%, while dishing out a team-high 52 assists and grabbing 27 steals
3. The Cougars hold opponents to just 39.9% shooting, top in the Pac-12 and No. 40 in Division-I, while offensively WSU shoots the ball at a 47.3% clip (5th), having shot over 50% seven times this season
4. Isaac Jones has stepped into the leading role as WSU's top scorer at 14.8 ppg (12th in Pac-12) and top rebounder at 7.4 rpg, which ranks fifth in the Pac-12, while Jones shoots the ball at 60.1%, fourth in the Conference
5. Three Cougs are shooting over 50% from the floor, led by WSU bigs Chinyelu (.639), Jones (.601),  and Cluff (.573), with Rice close behind at 45.2%

SERIES HISTORY WITH ARIZONA
Washington State and Arizona first met in December 1959 with the Wildcats holding the all-time advantage 70-18. The teams split the two-game series last season, with WSU knocking off then-No. 5/4 Arizona in the program's first top-5 win on the road. The Wildcats got even with a win in Pullman later in January.

LAST TIME VS ARIZONA
Azuolas Tubelis had 18 points and 12 rebounds and No. 6 Arizona beat Washington State 63-58. Kerr Kriisa added 15 points to help Wildcats split the season series with the Cougars.  Justin Powell and Mouhamed Gueye each scored 15 points for WSU. The Cougars shot 19 of 58 and made just four 3-pointers. Arizona broke out of a scoring slump midway through the second half, scoring on five straight possessions to open a double-digit lead. The Wildcats overcame 16 turnovers and a sub-par shooting night.

CURRENT COUGS VS ARIZONA
WSU Head Coach Kyle Smith is 1-6 against the Wildcats during his tenure on the Palouse. Smith's lone win came in Tucson over then-No. 5/4 Arizona. The Cougs have lost 11 straight at home against UA. All four Cougars from last season appeared in the home loss. Jabe Mullins scored 13 points at Arizona in 2022-23 and Jakimovski scored 15 in a close loss during his freshman season, the only current players to score in double digits against the Wildcats.

COUGARS VS WILDCATS
Washington State returns home to host No. 8 Arizona, Saturday, Jan. 13, at 3 p.m. from Beasley Coliseum. The game, televised by Pac-12 Network, marks the 89th all-time meeting with the Wildcats holding a 70-18 advantage in the series. Last year, the teams split the two-game series, with WSU beating then-No. 5/4 Arizona in Tucson for the program's first AP top-5 road win in school history. Arizona got redemption with a win in Pullman.

LAST TIME OUT // AT SOUTHERN CAL
WSU 72 // USC 64 // JAN. 10, 2024 // LOS ANGELES, CALIF.
Isaac Jones scored 26 points and Washington State held off Southern California 72-64 on Wednesday night, beating the Trojans on the road for the first time since 2015. Jaylen Wells added 17 points for the Cougars (11-5, 2-3 Pac-12). WSU coach Kyle Smith improved to 2-7 against the Trojans, with the other win coming last January in Pullman. Over the final 8 minutes, the Cougars went 14 of 15 from the line while making just four field goals. Neither team led by more than six points in the game until the Cougars score the last nine points of the game.

NEXT UP // TRAVEL TO THE BAY
Washington State returns to the road to play at Stanford, Thursday, Jan. 18, at Maples Pavilion at 8 p.m. PT. WSU has swept the Bay Area road swing each of the last two seasons, and extended its streak to 7-consecutive Pac-12 wins in last February's win at Cal.

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 second-leading scorer at 14.4 points per game. Rice has scored in double figures 12 times this year. Rice is currently the country's 11th-best freshmen scorer and the second-highest-scoring Pac-12 freshmen behind Isaiah Collier. 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. The Columbia, S.C. native dished out a career-high seven assists against Oregon for the second time this year. Rice leads the Cougs with 52 assists and also averages a team-best 1.7 steals per game.

JONES STEPS INTO LEADING ROLE
Fifth-year senior transfer Isaac Jones has taken a leading role as the Cougars leading scorer at 14.8 ppg (12th in Pac-12) and top rebounder with 7.4 rpg (fifth in Pac-12). Most recently, Jones registered his fourth double-doubles as a Coug, scoring 26 points with 11 rebounds in the Cougs' first Conference road win at Southern California. The Washington native finished 12 of 15 at the free throw line in at game, the most made free throws by a Coug in a single game since Isaac Bonton made 11, Nov. 25, 2020 against Texas Southern. Jones shoots an efficient 60.1% from the field, ranking fourth in the Pac-12 and 32nd nationally. Jones has led the Cougars in rebounding eight times.

JAYLEN JOINS THE CLUB
Junior transfer Jaylen Wells scored his first-career points in the Nov. 19 win over Rhode Island. The former Division-II star and All-American finished with 10 points for his first double-digit performance. Since then, Wells has found his form, scoring in double figures five times, including the first double-double of his Division-I career with 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Cougars over UC Riverside. Wells has enjoyed double-digit performances in three of his first four Pac-12 games, including 15 points in the loss to Oregon.

CLUFF CAREER-NIGHT IN CLUTCH
Junior college transfer Oscar Cluff has come to life in Conference play. After 16 points in a loss at Colorado, Cluff led the Cougs with a career-high 20 points  and matched a career-high with team-best eight rebounds against Oregon State. Cluff sits seventh in the Pac-12, just behind Jones, with a 57.3 FG percentage, and blocks one shot per game (11th in Conference).

LIMITED TURNOVERS
The Cougars rank first in the Pac-12 Conference in turnovers per game, averaging 11.0, while WSU ranks last in turnovers forced per game at 10.8. Combined WSU commits the fewest turnovers and forces the fewest turnovers in the league with 21.8 possession turnovers each game.

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 (.399), third in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.319), and No. 1 in blocks per game (5.4). Wazzu's defensive field goal prowess ranks 40th in the country. The Cougs limit opponents to 65.8 ppg, second in the Pac-12 and 59th nationally.

NATIONAL RIM PROTECTORS
WSU has owned the height advantage early into conference play, boasting 86 blocks, 5.4 per game, to lead the Pac-12 Conference. The Cougars' average is 17th nationally and the Cougs are ranked No. 19 in the country according to KenPom.com's effective block percentage. True freshman Rueben Chinyelu leads the Coug with 20 rejections. Five Cougs have 10+ blocks each (Chinyelu, Cluff, Houinsou, Jakimovski, 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 81 transition points allowed all season. Wazzu is quick to get back on defense, outscoring opponents in fast break opportunities 10.1 to 5.1 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 584-424 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 (36.5 points per game), while holding opponents to an average 26.5 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 44 assists. At USC Wednesday night, Houinsou played in his 50th collegiate game. Houinsou enjoyed a double-digit performance in WSU's win over Portland State, his second of the year. Starting the last 10 games in a point guard role, the Frenchman has averaged 2.8 assists per game (28), grabbed seven steals, blocked 11 shots, and grabbed 3.6 rebounds per game, in addition to 51 points scored (5.1 ppg).

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 16-7 and defeated all three regional rivals in back-to-back-to-back succession last year for the first time since 1993-94 under Kelvin Sampson. The Cougars swept the Huskies, Ducks, and Beavers in Pullman for two-straight seasons and are 11-2 at Beasley Coliseum against Conference PNW opponents under Coach Smith.

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, Smith's first season. Washington State completed its entire nonconference schedule without a true road game for the first time since the 2020-21 season.

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 100th game appearance and started his 60th game Saturday against Oregon, and has scored in double figures eight times. Jakimovski dropped 15 points in the win over the Beavers, marking his 33rd double-digit performance of his career.

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 7.8 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 +6.9 rebounding margin, which ranks 31st nationally, and scores 11.9 second chance points per game.

WATTS WORKS INTO LINEUP
True freshman Isaiah Watts had his best game of his young career against Oregon, last Saturday. The West Seattle native finished with a career-high 10 points and matched a career high with three rebounds. Watts  matched a career-high with 21 minutes played in the win over USC, adding his first-career steal and block in Conference play.

SMOOTH SHOOTING
The Cougars have gotten off to a hot start from the floor, shooting above .500 in seven games. The Cougs hold a 6-1 record when shooting above .500 and also shot an eye-watering .652 from beyond the arc in a Nov. 24 win against Utah Tech, the best since making a school record 19 threes (.655) in last fall's win over Detroit Mercy.

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.

MULLINS MAGIC
Senior Jabe Mullins returned for his senior season as the Pac-12 Conference's leading 3-point shooter. Mullins, a former Washington High School State Player of the Year, finished atop the Conference in 2022-23 at 43% from beyond the arc with 55 made triples. In the Dec. 21 nonconference finale against Boise State, Mullins scored a season-high 13 points and made two free throws in the win.

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.

MYLES' MIRACLE RETURN
Redshirt-freshman Myles Rice waited two seasons on the sideline before getting to play his first college basketball game. After redshirting his true freshman year during 2021-22, Rice was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma prior to the 2022-23 season and underwent chemotherapy treatment throughout the academic year. Last spring, Myles received his last chemotherapy treatment and was declared in remission. The Columbia, S.C. native got the starting nod in the season opener and played 29 minutes in the win.

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.

GUEYE HIGHEST COUG DRAFT PICK SINCE KLAY THOMPSON
Sophomore Mouhamed Gueye, an All-Pac-12 First Team selection was drafted in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft at No. 39 by the Charlotte Hornets. Gueye, who led the Pac-12 Conference with 15 double-doubles and grabbed more offensive rebounds than any player in the Pac-12, was traded to the Atlanta Hawks, where he played significant minutes throughout NBA Summer League and made his NBA regular season debut last weekend.

RING THAT BELL, MYLES IS CANCER FREE
On March 9, 2023, Myles Rice received his final chemotherapy treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma. He rung the victory bell at the treatment center in Moscow, Idaho and was declared cancer-free and in remission in June. He received a medical redshirt for this season and entered the 2023-24 season with four years of eligibility, plus a COVID relief exemption.