WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS (13-6, 4-4) vs UTAH RUNNIN' UTES (14-5, 5-3)
Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024
7 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
Ted Robinson & Eldridge Recasner

OPENING FIVE
1. WSU hosts Utah for a Wednesday night matchup, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. PT from Beasley Coliseum
2. Myles Rice is the early candidate for Pac-12 Freshman of the Year after dropping a WSU freshman record 35 points at Stanford, last Thursday. Rice is WSU's leading scorer at 15.8 ppg, the Pac-12 freshman leading scorer, and the country's fifth-best scoring freshman
3. The Cougars hold opponents to just 40.1% shooting, top in the Pac-12 and 38th in Division-I, while offensively WSU shoots the ball at a 47.6% clip (4th), having shot over 50% eight times this season
4. Isaac Jones, an ESPN and Naismith National Player of the Week, exploded for 24 points at Stanford, his third-straight game with 24+ points and averages 15.7 ppg, 11th in Pac-12, grabs 7.5 rpg (4th), and shoots 60.3% from the floor (4th in Pac-12 and 25th in D-I)
5. Oscar Cluff registered his first-career double-double in Division-I at Stanford, grabbing 14 rebounds, a season-high for a Coug, and scored 12 points in the win

SERIES HISTORY WITH UTAH
Washington State and Utah met intermittently throughout the 20th century beginning in the 1938-39 season, becoming regular opponents when the Utes joined the Pac-12 prior to the 2011-12 season. The Cougs and Utes have met 36 times, with WSU winning just six times with three victories in Pullman.

LAST TIME VS UTAH
Gabe Madsen scored all 20 of his points in the second half to lead Utah to an 80-58 victory over Wazzu in Salt Lake City. Branden Carlson tallied 19 points and eight rebounds for the Utes. Utah shot 60 percent in the second half. Isaac Jones led Washington State with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Jaylen Wells added 10 points for the Cougars. Washington State lost its first true road game of the season. WSU missed its first six shots from the field before Wells finally broke the ice with 14:51 left in the first half.

CURRENT COUGS VS UTAH
WSU Head Coach Kyle Smith has faced the Runnin' Utes eight times as a head coach and seven times during his tenure in Pullman. Last season, the Cougars dropped both contests to Utah after sweeping the Utes in the 2021-22 season with Smith holding a 3-5 all-time record versus UU and one of two Cougar coaches with multiple wins over Utah (Ken Bone). Isaac Jones recorded his first-career Pac-12 double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the loss at Salt Lake City in December. Rueben Chinyelu grabbed a Pac-12 career-high 10 rebounds and Jaylen Wells added 10 points.

COUGARS VS RUNNIN' UTES
Wednesday night's game marks the 37th all-time meeting between Washington State and Utah, dating back to 1938. The Cougars welcome the Runnin' Utes, Jan. 24 for a 7 p.m. tipoff at Beasley Coliseum with WSU looking for a season split against Utah. Gabe Madsen scored all 20 of his points in the second half to lead Utah to an 80-58 victory over Wazzu in Salt Lake City, Dec. 29. Last season, the Cougars dropped both contests to Utah after sweeping the Utes in the 2021-22 season with Smith holding a 3-5 all-time record versus UU and one of two Cougar coaches with multiple wins over Utah (Ken Bone). Isaac Jones recorded his first-career Pac-12 double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the loss at Salt Lake City in December. Rueben Chinyelu grabbed a Pac-12 career-high 10 rebounds and Jaylen Wells added 10 points.

LAST TIME OUT // AT CALIFORNIA (OT)
WSU 75 // CAL 81 // JAN. 20, 2024 // BERKELEY, CALIF.
Jaylon Tyson tied a career-high with 30 points, Fardaws Aimaq scored 18 points and California led for the duration of overtime to beat Washington State 81-75 in overtime on Saturday. Andrej Jakimovski led WSU) with 20 points, Myles Rice scored 16 points, Jaylen Wells 15 and Isaac Jones 13. Washington State missed seven foul shots (13 for 20) to help seal its fate. Rice buried a 3-pointer following a head fake on a defender as time expired to knot the game at 68 to force overtime. Rice's jumper gave Washington State a 65-58 lead with 2:03 remaining in regulation before Cal went on a 10-0 run with Jaylon Tyson scoring half the points on a 3-pointer and a layup.

NEXT UP // VS COLORADO SATURDAY
The Cougars play their final conference regular season game against Colorado, Saturday, Jan. 27 for the annual Suits & Sneakers game, as part of Coaches vs. Cancer. The Buffs won the December matchup in Boulder, 74-67, playing without Tristan da Silva. Isaac Jones, Oscar Cluff, and Andrej Jakimovski all scored in double figures in the loss, as CU's KJ Simpson scored 34 points in the win.

COUGS CLAIM BOTH WEEKLY CONFERENCE AWARDS
For the first time in Washington State history, the Cougars earned both the Pac-12 Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week honors, Jan. 15, after winning at USC and beating No. 8 Arizona at home. Isaac Jones was named the Pac-12's Player of the Week after a pair of 20-point double-doubles, becoming the first Coug since Noah Williams earned the weekly honor, Feb. 22, 2021. Myles Rice earned his third nod as the top freshman in the Conference, becoming the second-most decorated WSU freshman in history behind Mouhamed Gueye, who earned five Freshman of the Week awards in 2021-22.

MYLES SETS WSU FRESHMAN SCORING RECORD
The 3-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week continued to make a strong case for Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, dropping a WSU freshman single-game record 35 points at Stanford. Rice scored more points than any freshman in the Pac-12 this year, adding eight assists. Rice became just the third freshman in the last 20 years to put up 35 points with eight assists as a freshman, joining Trae Young and Markelle Fultz. Rice finished 15 of 24 from the floor, including 5 of 10 from downtown in the win on The Farm, adding four steals with just two turnovers. Rice's performance is the highest single-game scoring output by a freshman in Power 5 basketball this year.

JONES CLAIMS NATIONAL ACCOLADES
Fifth-year senior transfer Isaac Jones has taken a leading role as the Cougars second-best scorer at 15.7 ppg (11th in Pac-12) and top rebounder with 7.5 rpg (fourth in Pac-12). Two weeks, the Spanaway, Wash., native recorded back-to-back double-doubles with 26 points and 11 rebounds in a win at Southern California, before scoring 24 points with a season-high 13 rebounds in a win over then-No. 8 Arizona. The performance earned Jones several national player of the week awards, including ESPN, Naismith, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and the Pac-12 Conference. Jones recognition as Pac-12 Player of the Week marked the first Cougar honoree since Noah Williams was named the Conference Player of the Week, Feb. 22, 2021. Most recently, Jones scored 13 in the game at Cal, marking his fifth-straight game and seventh time in Pac-12 play in double figures.

ISAAC IS HIM
In his outing at Stanford, Jones picked up his fifth double-doubles as a Coug. Jones shoots the ball at a .603 clip (111 of 184),  fourth in the Pac-12 and 25th nationally. Jones has excelled on the glass and at the free throw line. The fifth-year senior is 75 of 105 at the charity stripe, going 23 of 32 in the last four games. Jones has also led the Cougars in rebounding nine times.

RICE CONTINUES STELLAR START TO FRESHMAN YEAR
Redshirt-freshman Myles Rice has emerged as WSU's leading scorer at 15.8 points per game, the highest scoring freshman in the Pac-12 Conference, and the fifth-highest scoring freshman in the country. Rice has scored in double figures 15 times this year. 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 became the second-most decorated freshman in Cougar history, behind Gueye with five Freshman of the Week awards in 2021-22.

MYLES MIXES IT UP
Myles Rice has shown his skills with the ball, dominating ball control on both the offensive and defensive ends. Rice dished out a career-high eight assists at Stanford and has distributed at least three assists in seven-straight games. The standout freshman leads the Cougs with 68 assists (3.6 apg) and also averages a team-best 1.7 steals per game (33 total).

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 (.401), No. 2 in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.329), and leads the League in blocks per game (5.5). Wazzu's defensive field goal prowess ranks 49th in the country. The Cougs limit opponents to 67.3 ppg, second in the Pac-12 and 75th nationally. In the win over No. 8 Arizona, the Cougs held the Wildcats to their lowest output of the season.

JAYLEN JOINS THE CLUB
Junior transfer Jaylen Wells has found his form midway through his first Division-I season, starting the last four games. Wells has enjoyed double-digit performances in seven of his first eight Pac-12 games, averaging 11.8 points per game in Conference play. The former Division-II star and All-American scored 10 points in a win over Rhode Island to open his WSU account back in November. Since then, Wells has found his form, scoring in double figures 11 times, including the first double-double of his Division-I career with 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Cougars over UC Riverside.

KRYPTONITE KYLE
Kyle Smith is the only head coach to hold Tommy Lloyd's Arizona Wildcats to under 35% field goal shooting on multiple occasions. Arizona has only shot under 35% five times under Lloyd, and WSU is the only school to claim multiple clampdowns against the 'Cats. With the win over then-No. 8 Arizona, WSU claimed wins over a top-10 team in back-to-back seasons since the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. WSU snapped a 14-game home losing streak to U of A and secured wins over Arizona in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons.

NATIONAL RIM PROTECTORS
WSU has owned the height advantage early into conference play, boasting 105 blocks, 5.5 per game, to lead the Pac-12 Conference. The Cougars' average is 13th 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 28 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 108 transition points allowed all season (5.7 per game). Wazzu is quick to get back on defense, outscoring opponents in fast break opportunities 9.3 to 5.7 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 702-522 in the key. Against Stanford, WSU scored a season-high 58 points in the paint and three times has scored 50+ points in the key. The Cougars are getting just shy of 50% of their scoring from inside the key (36.9 points per game), while holding opponents to an average 27.5 points in the paint per game.

CLUFF CLIMBS TO DIVISION-I
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. Most recently, the Australian registered his first career double-double with a WSU single-game season high 14 rebounds and 12 points at Stanford. Cluff sits eighth in the Pac-12, just behind Jones, with a 55.6 FG percentage, and blocks just shy of one shot per game (tied for 11th in Conference).

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 47 assists. At USC, 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.

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 against Oregon, Jan. 6, and has scored in double figures nine times. Jakimovski dropped a team-high 20 points at Cal, marking his third 20+ point game of the season.

WINNING THE GLASS BATTLE
The Cougars have used their height advantage all season, outrebounding opponents in all but three games. On the defensive glass, WSU holds opponents to an average of 8.1 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 +5.3 rebounding margin, which ranks 58th nationally, and scores 11.6 second chance points per game.

WATTS WORKS INTO LINEUP
True freshman Isaiah Watts had his best game of his young career against Oregon, Jan. 6. 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 eight games. The Cougs hold a 7-1 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. With his next appearance, Mulllins will eclipse the century mark and reach 100 career games played in his Division-I career across Saint Mary's and Washington State.

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.