WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS (16-6, 7-4) at OREGON STATE BEAVERS (11-11, 3-8)
Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024
7 p.m. PT // Corvallis, Ore.
Gill Coliseum // 9,604
Radio Coverage
Cougar Sports Network // KXLY 920AM
Matt Chazanow & Craig Ehlo
Television Coverage
Pac-12 Networks // Washington // Oregon
JB Long & PJ Carlesimo

OPENING FIVE
1. WSU travels to Corvallis, Ore., to play Oregon State, Thursday, Feb. 8, at Gill Coliseum with coverage on Pac-12 Networks
2. Myles Rice is an early candidate for Pac-12 FotY, the reigning and 5-time Freshman of the Week, the Cougs 2nd-leading scorer, the Pac-12's freshman leading scorer, the country's 5th-highest scoring freshman, and WSU's freshman single-game scoring recordholder (35 pts)
3. The Cougars hold opponents to just 40.9% shooting, 2nd in the Pac-12 and top-50 in D-I, while blocking 5.4 shots per game, best in the Pac-12 and 12th in D-I
4. Isaac Jones has tallied seven double-doubles, third most in Pac-12 – Jones scores a team-high 15.8 ppg, 8th in Pac-12, grabs 7.8 rpg (4th), and shoots 58.7% (5th), and is on pace to eclipse 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in just two years of Division-I
5. Rueben Chinyelu with a 7'8" wingspan is the new shotblocker on the west coast, averaging 1.55 bpg (3rd in Pac-12) and on pace to break the WSU freshman record (39)

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 305 times, tied for the 6th-longest series in college basketball history.

LAST TIME VS OREGON STATE
WSU won in close fashion, 65-58, over Oregon State, Jan. 4, in Pullman, picking up its first Pac-12 win of the season. Oscar Cluff had a career night off the bench with a career-high 20 points, as well as grabbing eight rebounds and three blocks. Andrej Jakimovski scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Despite a sluggish first half from both teams, Washington State rallied and got the win. Cluff and Rice combined for 23 points in the second half and Washington State shot 70%.

CURRENT COUGS VS OREGON STATE
WSU Head Coach Kyle Smith holds a 6-1 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 six times with five wins and 34 career points against Oregon State.

COUGARS VS BEAVERS
Washington State visits Corvallis, Ore. to face the Oregon State Beavers in the 306th all-time meeting between the programs, Thursday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. PT at Gill Coliseum. WSU and OSU have one of the longest-running series in college basketball, tied for the 6th-longest series in D-I history. Oregon State leads the all-time series 175-130, while WSU and Coach Smith have had the recent success, winning six of the last seven against the Beavers.

LAST TIME OUT // AT WASHINGTON (OT)
WSU 90 // UW 87 // FEB. 3, 2024 // SEATTLE, WASH.
Isaac Jones scored 20 points, including a dunk in the closing seconds of regulation that forced overtime, Myles Rice scored five of his 18 points in the extra session, and Washington State rallied to beat Washington 90-87 last Saturday night. Jaylen Wells added a career-high 19 points for the Cougars and Oscar Cluff scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half. Washington's Keion Brooks Jr. scored a career-high 35 points, but missed an off-balance 3-point attempt with two seconds left in overtime that could have pulled the Huskies even. Brooks was 12-of-23 shooting and 11 of 13 at the free-throw line. Washington led by as many as 11 in the first half, but Washington State closed the half on an 18-3 run, including the final 13 points, to take a 44-40 lead at the break, and ultimately secure its largest comeback win 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 18-7 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.

A CENTURY'S ACHIEVEMENT
With last Saturday's win in Seattle, the Cougars have won four of the last five games against the Huskies in the Emerald City. The feat marked the third time in the series history when WSU won four of five at Washington. The last time WSU traveled west and picked up as many wins came during a stretch from February 1918 to March 1920, part of a larger 6 of 7 and 7 of 9 streak at the University of Washington.

NEXT UP // OUT TO EUGENE
Washington State stays on the road for a swing through Eugene, Oregon. WSU is scheduled to face the Ducks, Saturday, Feb. 10, at Matthew Knight Arena with tip off scheduled for 2 p.m. PT. The Ducks visited Pullman at the start of January, picking up a 5-point win over the Cougs.

RICE MAKING FRESHMAN HISTORY
Redshirt-freshman Myles Rice has emerged as WSU's second-best scorer at 15.7 points per game, the highest scoring freshman in the Pac-12 Conference, and the fifth-highest scoring freshman in the country. Rice led the Cougs to an overtime win at Washington, finishing with 18 points, five assists, five rebounds, two steals, and only one turnover. The redshirt-freshman has scored 10+ points in nine-straight games and finished the Boeing Apple Cup Series game 50% from the floor, including the game-winning 3-pointer with five points in overtime. The Columbia, S.C., native is re-writing several WSU freshman records, including a 15.7 points per game average, which leads all Pac-12 freshmen and would be second-best all-time by a Coug freshman. Rice now holds a tie with Gueye for the school record in Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors, and just two recognitions shy of the all-time Conference record set by USC's Evan Mobley with seven awards during his 2020-21 freshman season. Myles became the first Cougar in program history to earn back-to-back Pac-12 weekly awards multiple times in a season.

ISAAC IS HIM
In his outing in the win at Washington, Jones scored 20 points for the sixth time this year. Jones shoots the ball at a .587 clip (132 of 225),  fifth in the Pac-12 and 35th nationally. Jones has excelled on the glass and at the free throw line. The fifth-year senior is 83 of 115 at the charity stripe, going 31 of 42 in the last seven games. Jones has also led the Cougars in rebounding 11 times.

MYLES SETS WSU FRESHMAN SCORING RECORD
The 5-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 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 high-major basketball this year.

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.

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 11 times, and five-straight games. Jakimovski dropped a team-high 20 points at Cal, marking his third 20+ point game of the season. Jakimovski has increased his points per game average output by 5.0 ppg since arriving on campus and upped his rebounding average by 1.6 rpg over the same four-year timeframe. Jakimovski has moved into the WSU record books top-10 for career 3-pointers made (161) and 3-pointers attempted (461). Jakimovski also has grabbed 479 career rebounds and is on pace to surpass 500 career rebounds this season.

NEW YEAR SUCCESS
Washington State finished with a 6-2 record in January, marking the first time in 41 years with six Conference wins in the first calendar month. WSU last achieved the feat in 1982-83, wracking up a program-record eight wins in the month, seven Pac-10 victories under the direction of future Hall of Fame Head Coach George Raveling.

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 9 of his last 10 games. The standout freshman leads the Cougs with 81 assists (3.68 apg, 6th in Pac-12, top by a freshman) and moved into ninth all-time by a Cougar freshman in season assists. Rice also averages a team-best 1.68 steals per game (37 total, 5th in Pac-12) and top in the Conference for a freshman. Myles is on pace to finish as the second-highest scoring freshman in WSU history, averaging 15.7 ppg with 345 total points (sixth).

STIFLING DEFENSE
The Cougars' defense has fit Coach Smith's mold of winning with grit, as WSU ranks No. 2 in the Pac-12 Conference in field goal percentage defense (.409) and leads the League in blocks per game (5.4). Wazzu's defensive field goal prowess ranks 49th in the country (FG defense). The Cougs limit opponents to 67.8 ppg, second in the Pac-12. 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 seven games and averaging 15.0 ppg as a starter. Wells has enjoyed double-digit performances in nine-straight games, averaging 13.0 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 14 times, and finished with a career-high 19 points in the win at Washington, Feb. 3.

NATIONAL RIM PROTECTORS
WSU has owned the height advantage early into conference play, boasting 119 blocks, 5.4 per game, to lead the Pac-12 Conference. The Cougars' average is 12th nationally and the Cougs are ranked No. 20 in the country according to KenPom.com's effective block percentage. True freshman Rueben Chinyelu leads the Coug with 34 rejections, and is on pace to break the WSU freshman block record. 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 as one of the best young rim protectors in college basketball. Chinyelu, a native of Nigeria, has 34 blocks, fourth-most by a Cougar freshman, and is on pace to finish as WSU's all-time freshman block leader at 1.5 blocks per game, currently third overall in the Pac-12 Conference. If Chinyelu continues to average over two field goals per game at a similar clip, he will also set the WSU freshman record for field goal percentage. Chinyelu just passed Aron Baynes in single-season freshman rebounding and is ninth in freshman program history.

NOT SO FAST...
Fast break points have been hard to come by for Wazzu's opponents with just 124 transition points allowed all season (5.6 per game). Wazzu is quick to get back on defense, outscoring opponents in fast break opportunities 9.0 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 810-630 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 (36.8 points per game), while holding opponents to an average 28.6 points in the paint per game.

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 7.8 rpg (fourth in Pac-12). In January, 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 20 points in the win at Washington, marking his fourth Conference game with 20+ points and 10th time in Pac-12 play with 10+ points.

WHEN'S THE LAST TIME THE COUGS WERE THIS GOOD?
Kyle Smith has become associated with the most successful coaches to come through the Palouse, including Marv Harshman, George Raveling, Kelvin Sampson, and Tony Bennett. The Cougs are 16-6 for the first time since 2007-08, the last time Wazzu went to the NCAA Tournament, reaching the Sweet 16. The Cougars have clinched back-to-back postseason berths for the first time since the Tony Bennett era (2008 and 2009) and are seeking three-straight postseason appearances for just the second time in program history. The Cougs won seven-straight Pac-12 Conference games to conclude last season for the first time George Raveling in 1983. Smith also put together an 8-game winning streak against the California Golden Bears, the longest winning streak against a Conference opponent since winning eight-straight against Oregon from 1977-80.

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 56.6 FG percentage.

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 52 assists. At USC, Jan. 10, Houinsou played in his 50th collegiate game. At Washington last Saturday, Houinsou sealed the win fo Wazzu with clampdown defense on the final overtime possession.

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 7.6 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 +5.7 rebounding margin, which ranks 41st nationally, and scores 12.3 second chance points per game. In the win over Utah, the Cougs outscored the Utes 21-4 on second-chance points, later beating Colorado with a 16-4 advantage in second-chance, outscoring the Buffs 13-0 in the second half.

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.

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.

COUGS SNEAK INTO TOP 40 OF LATEST NCAA EVALUATION TOOL
In the 2023-24 season's NET rankings released by the NCAA, Feb. 5, Washington State checks in at No. 40. 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.

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. When Mullins checked in against Colorado, he eclipsed 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.

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.

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.

HOME SWEET HOME
Washington State completed its entire nonconference schedule without a true road game. WSU won all seven nonconference games at Beasley Coliseum, while participating in four neutral-site games before kicking off conference play. The scheduling quirk marked the first time since the 2020-21 season that the Cougars did not play a true nonconference road game, and the 9-2 marked the best nonconference record in Coach Smith's tenure on the Palouse.

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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