WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS (10-4, 1-2) vs OREGON DUCKS (11-3, 3-0)
Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024
7 p.m. PT // Pullman, Wash.
Beasley Coliseum  // 11,671
Radio Coverage
Cougar Sports Network // KXLY 920AM
Matt Chazanow & Craig Ehlo
Television Coverage
ESPNU
Eric Rothman & Dan Dickau

OPENING FIVE
1. WSU hosts Oregon for the 305th all-time meeting between the programs Saturday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. PT inside Beasley Coliseum, the seventh longest series in D-I
2. Isaac Jones has stepped into the leading role as WSU's top scorer at 14.4 ppg (13th in Pac-12) and top rebounder at 7.3 rpg, which ranks seventh in the Pac-12, while Jones shoots the ball at 59.1%, fifth in the Conference
3. The Cougars hold opponents to just 38.8% shooting, top in the Pac-12 and No. 26 in Division-I, offensively WSU shoots the ball at a 46.9% clip, having shot over 50% six times this season
4. 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 14.1 ppg, shooting 43.8%, while dishing out 40 assists and grabbing 24 steals
5. Three Cougs are shooting over 50% from the floor, led by WSU bigs Chinyelu (.648), Jones (.591),  and Cluff (.583), with Houinsou close behind at 48.4%

SERIES HISTORY WITH OREGON
Oregon and Washington State have been playing each other in basketball since February 1908. Since then, the Cougars and Ducks have played 304 times, the 7th-longest series in college basketball history, with Oregon holding a 175-129 advantage.

LAST TIME VS OREGON
Keeshawn Barthelemy and Jermaine Couisnard each scored 17 points and Oregon had a 19-point lead erased before closing on a 7-0 run to beat WSU 75-70 in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals. Fourth-seeded Oregon ended the No. 5 seed Cougs' seven-game winning streak. Washington State trailed by as many as 19 points in the first half but rallied to get within 38-30 at the break. The Cougars opened the second half with a basket by Gueye for his first points of the game. Gueye added a 3-pointer to get within 47-45 with 13:59 left, and Washington State took its first lead of the game with 9:10 remaining on a Bamba 3-pointer.

CURRENT COUGS VS OREGON
WSU Head Coach Kyle Smith holds a 4-3 record against the Ducks as a head coach, all during his Cougar tenure, and a 3-0 record against UO in Pullman. Andrej Jakimovski is the only Coug with multiple years of experience against the Ducks, having faced Oregon five times with three wins and 36 career points against Oregon. Last year, WSU and Oregon met three times, opening the Conference road schedule in Eugene, giving Jabe Mullins, Dylan Darling, and Kymany Houinsou their first runout against the Ducks.    

COUGARS VS DUCKS
Washington State welcomes Oregon to the Palouse for a Saturday evening clash at Beasley Coliseum, Jan. 6, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. PT on ESPNU. WSU and UO have one of the longest-running series in college basketball. This week marks the 305th all-time meeting between the Cougs and Ducks, tied for the 6th-longest series in D-I history. Oregon leads the all-time series 175-129, while WSU owns an 77-60 advantage in Pullman, and holds a 3-game winning streak against the Ducks in Beasley Coliseum.

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 16-6 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 have swept the Huskies, Ducks, and Beavers in Pullman for two-straight seasons and are 11-1 at Beasley Coliseum against Conference PNW opponents under Coach Smith.

LAST TIME OUT // VS OREGON STATE
WSU 65 // OSU 58 // JAN. 4, 2024 // PULLMAN, WASH.
Oscar Cluff scored a career-high 20 points off the bench, Andrej Jakimovski had all 15 of his points in the second half and Washington State defeated Oregon State 65-58 on Thursday night. The Cougars were red-hot after trailing 24-21 at the half, starting 9 of 9 from the floor, hitting 5 of 7 3-pointers, and shooting 70% overall (14 of 20) and made 11 of 14 free throws. Cluff was 8-of-11 shooting and had eight rebounds for his best game with the Cougars. Jakimovski went 4 of 4 behind the arc in the second half. Myles Rice added 12 points and reserve Jaylen Wells added 11. Jordan Pope scored 20 points to lead the Beavers (9-5, 1-2), who were playing their first true road game. KC Ibekwe had 12 points. Wells drilled a 3-pointer to put WSU on top 60-53 with 1:34 to play. Christian Wright quickly countered for the Beavers but Wells then converted a three-point play with 32.4 seconds left that made it 63-56. Jakimovski iced it with two free throws with 7.4 remaining after a Beaver miss. The Beavers never trailed in the first half and were up 16-6, but the Cougars came back with an 11-2 run to get within 18-17 after a three-point play by Cluff.

NEXT UP // SPLIT WEEK BEGINS AT SOUTHERN CAL
Washington State takes a mid-week trip to Los Angeles to face the Trojans of USC, Wednesday, Jan. 10. WSU and USC are scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m. PT on ESPNU. The Cougars will face off with former teammate DJ Rodman, who transferred to Southern Cal after his senior year at WSU, as well as Isaiah Collier, the only freshman outperforming WSU's Myles Rice in the Conference this season.

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 14.1 points per game. Rice has scored in double figures 10 times to start the year. Rice is currently the conference's second-leading freshmen scorer, behind USC's Isaiah Collier, and the country's 15th-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 1.71 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 14.4 pgg (13th in Pac-12) and top rebounder with 7.3 rpg (7th 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 59.1% from the field, ranking fifth in the Pac-12 and 41st nationally. Jones has led the Cougars in rebounding seven times.

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. Cluff sits sixth in the Pac-12, just behind Jones, with a 58.3 FG percentage, and blocks just over one shot per game (12th in Conference).

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 (.388), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.296), and blocks per game (5.6). Wazzu's defensive field goal prowess ranks 26th in the country and  55th from beyond the arc. The Cougs limit opponents to 64.2 ppg, second in the Pac-12 and 35th nationally.

NATIONAL RIM PROTECTORS
WSU has owned the height advantage early into conference play, boasting 78 blocks, 5.6 per game, to lead the Pac-12 Conference. The Cougars' average is 16th 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 19 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 73 transition points allowed all season. Wazzu is quick to get back on defense, outscoring opponents in fast break opportunities 9.9 to 5.2 points in transition per game.

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.

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 516-372 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 (36.9 points per game), while holding opponents to an average 26.6 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 44 assists. Houinsou enjoyed a double-digit performance in WSU's win over Portland State, his second of the year. Starting the last eight games in a point guard role, the Frenchman has averaged 3.5 assists per game (28), grabbed seven steals, blocked 11 shots, and grabbed 3.8 rebounds per game, in addition to 48 points scored (6.0 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 99th game appearance and started his 59th career Conference opener against Oregon State Thursday night, and has scored in double figures seven times. Jakimovski dropped 15 points in the win over the Beavers, marking his 33 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 8.1 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 +7.7 rebounding margin, which ranks 29th nationally, and scores 12.5 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. 5, Washington State checks in at No. 60. 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 w 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.