WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS (9-4) vs OREGON STATE BEAVERS (9-4)
Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024 // 8 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
Ben Creighton & Ernie Kent

OPENING FIVE
1. WSU hosts OSU for the 305th all-time meeting between the programs in the Pac-12 home opener, Thursday, Jan. 4 at 8 p.m. PT inside Beasley Coliseum
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 14.2 ppg, shooting 43.9%, while dishing out 36 assists and grabbing 24 steals
3. The Cougars hold opponents to just 39.0% shooting, top in the Pac-12 and No. 30 in Division-I, offensively WSU shoots the ball at a 46.9% clip, having shot over 50% six times this season
4. Isaac Jones has stepped into the leading role as WSU's top scorer at 15.4 ppg (10th in Pac-12) and top rebounder at 7.5 rpg, which ranks sixth in the Pac-12, while Jones shoots the ball at 60.5%, third in the Conference
5. Three Cougs are shooting over 50% from the floor, led by WSU bigs Chinyelu (.647), Jones (.605),  and Cluff (.565), with Houinsou close behind at 48.4%

SERIES HISTORY WITH OREGON STATE
Oregon State and Washington State have been playing each other in basketball since January 1907, back when Corvallis State Agricultural College tipped off against Washington State College. Since then, the Cougars and Beavers have played 304 times, tied for the 6th-longest series in college basketball history.

LAST TIME VS OREGON STATE
Mouhamed Gueye scored 21 points, DJ Rodman added 18 and Washington State hit eight straight 3-pointers to start the game in an 80-62 victory over Oregon State Feb. 16, 2023. Gueye sank all nine of his shots and added four assists for the Cougars. Rodman made 7 of 12 shots and grabbed four rebounds. TJ Bamba had 14 points and Andrej Jakimovski scored 13 with eight rebounds. Rodman and Jakimovski both made four 3-pointers.

CURRENT COUGS VS OREGON STATE
WSU Head Coach Kyle Smith holds a 5-1 record against the Beavers as a head coach. Andrej Jakimovski is the only Coug with multiple years of experience against the Beavers, having faced OSU five times with four wins and 19 career points against Oregon State. Last year, WSU and OSU met just once, giving Jabe Mullins, Dylan Darling, and Kymany Houinsou their first runout against the Beavers.

COUGARS VS BEAVERS
Washington State begins the new year with the Pac-12 home opener against Oregon State, Thursday, Jan. 4, at 8 p.m. PT from Beasley Coliseum and live on Pac-12 Network. WSU and OSU have one of the longest-running series in college basketball. This week marks the 305th all-time meeting between the Cougs and Beavs, tied for the 6th-longest series in D-I history. Oregon State leads the all-time series 175-129, while WSU owns an 80-62 advantage in Pullman.

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 15-6 and defeated all three regional rivals in back-to-back-to-back 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 10-1 at Beasley Coliseum against Conference PNW opponents under Coach Smith.

LAST TIME OUT // AT COLORADO
WSU 67 // CU 74 // DEC. 31, 2023 // BOULDER, COLO.
KJ Simpson scored a career-high 34 points as Colorado held off a late rally to defeat Washington State 74-67 in Pac-12 play Sunday afternoon in Boulder, Colo. J'Vonne Hadley added 12 points and Eddie Lampkin Jr. had 10 points and six rebounds for the Buffaloes. Andrej Jakimovski led WSU with 19 points and Isaac Jones and Oscar Cluff scored 16 apiece. Jones was 7-of-7 from the field and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. After trailing by 12 points early in the second half, the Cougars cut the deficit to two on five occasions but each time Colorado responded, four times by Simpson. Myles Rice got the Cougars within 65-64 on two free throws with 3:24 remaining. But WSU's next four possessions ended with three turnovers and a blocked shot as the Buffaloes pulled away.

NEXT UP // HOME VS OREGON
The Cougars wraps up the first Conference home series, welcoming Oregon, Saturday, Jan. 6 for a 7 p.m. game on ESPNU. WSU has never lost to Oregon in Pullman under the guidance of Coach Smith, and holds a 4-3 record against the Ducks. The teams have met 304 times dating back to 1908 and will play for the 305th time Saturday, bringing it into a tie with the WSU-OSU series as the 6th-longest series in college basketball history.

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 14.2 points per game. Rice has scored in double figures times to start the year. Rice is currently the conference's second-leading freshmen scorer, behind USC's Isaiah Collier, and the country's 12th-highest scoring freshman. 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 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 also averages 1.85 steals per game, with a team-best 24 total steals this year.

JONES STEPS INTO LEADING ROLE
Fifth-year senior transfer Isaac Jones has taken a leading role as the Cougars top scorer at 15.4 pgg (10th 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 60.5% from the field, ranking third in the Pac-12 and 29th nationally. Jones has led the Cougars in rebounding seven 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, 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.

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 (.390), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.296), and blocks per game (5.5). Wazzu's defensive field goal prowess ranks 30th in the country and  61st from beyond the arc. The Cougs limit opponents to 64.7 ppg, second in the Pac-12 and 45th nationally.

NATIONAL RIM PROTECTORS
WSU has owned the height advantage early into conference play, boasting 71 blocks, 5.5 per game, to lead the Pac-12 Conference. The Cougars' average is 19th nationally and the Cougs are ranked No. 18 in the country according to KenPom.com's effective block percentage. True freshman Rueben Chinyelu leads the Coug with 17 rejections. Four Cougs have 12+ 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 66 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 492-348 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 over of 50% of their scoring from inside the key (37.8 points per game), while holding opponents to an average 26.8 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 a team-high 40 assists. Houinsou enjoyed a double-digit performance in WSU's win over Portland State, his second of the year. Starting the last seven games in a point guard role, the Frenchman has averaged 3.4 assists per game, grabbed six steals, blocked 10 shots, and grabbed 3.7 rebounds per game, in addition to 46 points scored (6.6 ppg).

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 98th game appearance and started his 58th career game at Colorado, Dec. 31, and has scored in double figures six times. Jakimovski dropped 19 points in the loss in Boulder, marking his 32 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 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 +8.3 rebounding margin, which ranks 28th nationally, and scores 13.5 second chance points per game.

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 four 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 enjoyed his first double-digit game of Pac-12 play, scoring 10 points, in the opener at Utah.

COUGS TEASING TOP 50 IN LATEST NET
In the 2023-24 season's NET rankings released by the NCAA, Jan. 2, Washington State checks in at No. 55. The Cougars are the 4th-highest Pac-12 team, ranked behind national No. 4 Arizona, Utah, and Colorado. WSU climbed as high as No. 24 early in nonconference play.

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.

SMOOTH SHOOTING
The Cougars have gotten off to a hot start from the floor, shooting above .500 in six games. The Cougs have won every game 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.

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.

WATTS WORKS INTO LINEUP
True freshman Isaiah Watts had his best game of his young career in a Dec. 6 win over UC Riverside. The West Seattle native finished with a career-high eight points, including a pair of crucial 3-pointers to cap a 23-0 run in the first half. Watts added two dime assists in transition and picked up his first career block. Watts made his first career Pac-12 appearance in the loss at Utah, and grabbed a career-high three rebounds in nine minutes of action at Colorado, Dec. 31.

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.

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