WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS (14-6, 5-4) vs COLORADO BUFFALOES (15-5, 6-3)
Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024
2:02 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 welcomes Colorado for the annual Suits and Sneakers Week as part of Coaches vs Cancer, Saturday, Jan. 27 with tipoff scheduled for 2 p.m.
2. Myles Rice is an early candidate for Pac-12 Freshman of the Year after dropping a WSU freshman record 35 points at Stanford, last week. Rice is WSU's second-best scorer at 15.5 ppg, the Pac-12 freshman leading scorer, and the country's fifth-best scoring freshman
3. The Cougars hold opponents to just 40.2% shooting, top in the Pac-12 and 40th 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, led WSU with 17 points and 10 rebounds, his sixth double-double and tied for second-most in the Conference. Jones averages 15.8 ppg, eighth in Pac-12, grabs 7.7 rpg (fourth), and shoots 58.5% from the floor (fourth)
5. Rueben Chinyelu has turned heads as the best freshman shot-blocker on the west coast, averaging 1.55 bpg and on pace to break the WSU freshman record of 39 blocks

SERIES HISTORY WITH COLORADO
Washington State and Colorado met intermittently throughout the 20th century beginning in the 1952-53 season, becoming regular opponents when the Buffs joined the Pac-12 prior to the 2011-12 season. The Cougs and Buffaloes have met 26 times, with WSU holding a 7-19, having never won in Boulder, Colo. Wazzu holds the advantage in Pullman, 5-4.

LAST TIME AT COLORADO
KJ Simpson scored a career-high 34 points as short-handed Colorado held off a late rally to defeat Washington State 74-67, Dec. 31, in Boulder, Colo. 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.

CURRENT COUGS VS COLORADO
WSU Head Coach Kyle Smith is 2-6 all-time against Colorado,with all eight matchups during his Cougar tenure. The Cougars won at home during the 2021-22 season, and also the final complete college basketball game before the COVID pandemic that ended the 2019-20 season in Smith's first year. In addition to four-year veteran Andrej Jakimovski has scored in double figures in three-straight games against CU, while Isaac Jones and Oscar Cluff also finished in double-figures in the first matchup.

COUGARS VS BUFFS
Saturday's game marks the 27th all-time meeting between Washington State and Colorado, dating back to 1952. The Cougars welcome the Buffaloes, Jan. 24 for a 2 p.m. tipoff at Beasley Coliseum with WSU looking for a season split against Colorado. The Cougs and Buffaloes have met 26 times, with WSU holding a 7-19, having never won in Boulder, Colo. Wazzu holds the advantage in Pullman, 5-4. KJ Simpson scored a career-high 34 points as short-handed Colorado held off a late rally to defeat Washington State 74-67, Dec. 31, in Boulder, Colo. 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.

LAST TIME OUT // VS UTAH
WSU 79 // UTAH 57 // JAN. 24, 2024 // PULLMAN, WASH.
Washington State got back in the win column with a commanding 79-57 win over Utah, Wednesday night in Pullman. Isaac Jones led the way for the Cougars with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Jaylen Wells had another strong scoring performance with 13 points and six rebounds. Wells was held to just two points in the first half, before erupting in the second half scoring 11 points with three 3-pointers. Wells is averaging 13.8 points in his five games as a starter. Andrej Jakimovski added 14 points, while nailing two 3-pointers. Isaiah Watts also had eight points in only nine minutes. He hit a pair of 3-pointers that fueled a 15-2 run by Washington State in the second half and sealed the win for WSU.

NEXT UP // BOEING APPLE CUP IN SEATTLE
Washington State will travel across the state for a rivalry clash with the University of Washington Huskies in the Boeing Apple Cup Series, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. from Alaska Airlines Arena. The meeting will mark the 296th all-time game between the Cougars and Huskies, ninth on a list of the most-played rivalries in Division-I basketball history. While UW holds the overall advantage, 186-109, the Cougars have won six of the last eight with Kyle Smith holding a 6-2 record against the Cougs' in-state rivals.

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, Jan. 18. Rice scored more points than any student-athlete 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 leading scorer at 15.8 ppg (eighth in Pac-12) and top rebounder with 7.7 rpg (fourth in Pac-12). Two weeks ago, 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 honors. 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 led the Cougs with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Utah, his sixth WSU double-double, his sixth-straight game and eighth time in Pac-12 play with 10+ points.

ISAAC IS HIM
In his outing in the win over Utah, Jones picked up his sixth double-doubles as a Coug, tied for second-most in Pac-12. Jones shoots the ball at a .585 clip (117 of 200),  fourth in the Pac-12 and 35th nationally. Jones has excelled on the glass and at the free throw line. The fifth-year senior is 80 of 111 at the charity stripe, going 28 of 38 in the last five games. Jones has also led the Cougars in rebounding 10 times.

RICE CONTINUES STELLAR START TO FRESHMAN YEAR
Redshirt-freshman Myles Rice has emerged as WSU's second-best scorer at 15.5 points per game, the highest scoring freshman in the Pac-12 Conference, and the sixth-highest scoring freshman in the country. Rice has scored in double figures 16 times this year, and seven-straight games. 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.

COUGS SNEAK INTO TOP 50 OF LATEST NCAA EVALUATION TOOL
In the 2023-24 season's NET rankings released by the NCAA, Jan. 26, Washington State checks in at No. 45. The Cougars are the 4th-highest Pac-12 team, ranked behind national No. 4 Arizona, Colorado, and Utah. WSU climbed as high as No. 24 early in nonconference play.

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 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 eight-straight games. The standout freshman leads the Cougs with 74 assists (3.7 apg, 7th in Pac-12) and also averages a team-best 1.7 steals per game (34 total, 5th in Pac-12).

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 (.402), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.320), and leads the League in blocks per game (5.5). Wazzu's defensive field goal prowess ranks 40th in the country (FG defense). The Cougs limit opponents to 66.8 ppg, second in the Pac-12 and 64th nationally. In the win over No. 8 Arizona, the Cougs held the Wildcats to their lowest output of the season, following with the lowest output by Utah (57) and its worst 3-point shooting game of the year (18.2%).

JAYLEN JOINS THE CLUB
Junior transfer Jaylen Wells has found his form midway through his first Division-I season, starting the last five games and averaging 13.8 ppg as a starter. Wells has enjoyed double-digit performances in eight of his first nine Pac-12 games, averaging 11.9 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 12 times, including the first double-double of his Division-I career with 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Cougars over UC Riverside.

NATIONAL RIM PROTECTORS
WSU has owned the height advantage early into conference play, boasting 110 blocks, 5.5 per game, to lead the Pac-12 Conference. The Cougars' average is 14th 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 31 rejections. Four Cougs have 16+ 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.

RUEBEN'S BIG BLOCKS
True freshman Rueben Chinyelu has turned heads on the West Coast with a 7'8" wingspan and one of the best young rim protectors in college basketball. Chinyelu, a native of Nigeria, has 31 blocks, fifth-most by a Cougar freshman, and is on pace to finish as WSU's all-time freshman block leader at 1.55 blocks per game, currently third-best in the Pac-12 Conference.

NOT SO FAST...
Fast break points have been hard to come by for Wazzu's opponents with just 112 transition points allowed all season (5.6 per game). Wazzu is quick to get back on defense, outscoring opponents in fast break opportunities 9.2 to 5.6 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 734-562 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 (36.7 points per game), while holding opponents to an average 28.1 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. More recently, the Australian registered his first career double-double with a WSU single-game season high 14 rebounds and 12 points at Stanford, following with 13 points in the win over Utah. Cluff sits seventh in the Pac-12, just behind Jones, with a 56.1 FG percentage, and blocks just shy of one shot per game (tied for 12th in Conference with Isaac Jones).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 7.9 second-chance points per game. In the game at Utah, Dec. 29, the Cougs grabbed a season-high 51 rebounds, the most in two years. WSU boasts a +5.6 rebounding margin, which ranks 53rd nationally, and scores 12.1 second chance points per game. In the win over Utah, the Cougs outscored the Utes 21-4 on second-chance points, taking advantage of 14 offensive rebounds.

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.

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.

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