It has been a while since the WSU men’s basketball team beat Arizona at home, but the 2023–24 season has been a different vibe for head coach Kyle Smith and the boys in crimson. After taking down USC on the road, the Wildcats were just another ‘W’ on the Cougars schedule.
The trio of key starters of Myles Rice, Isaac Jones and Jaylen Wells dominated for the Cougs.
First up: Rice. Rice continues to be the tone-setter for the Cougs. If he is on, the team is. With 18 points, four rebounds and five assists, he had a great all-around performance and proved key in his 37 minutes of game action.
Next up: Game MVP Jones. It has been a somewhat up-and-down season for the fifth-year center from Idaho. Jones barely shot over 50% on the game, but he had a double-double with a team-leading 24 points and 13 rebounds. He parlayed his USC performance with this great performance against a top team to winning national player of the week awards. Avoiding fouling and doing his part of getting an offensive flow, Jones proved paramount to the victory.
Last but not least: Wells. He shot just 4-of-13 and 1-of-6 from deep, but he still had 11 points and seven rebounds. Adding four assists, he played a team-leading 39 minutes and he had a plus/minus of +4 on the game. With stifling personal defense with one block and two steals, Wells is the Swiss army knife that coach Smith is just now getting around to unlocking.
A crowd of 3,564 strong proved to be vital in the victory. Described as “easily the loudest game I’ve seen for basketball” by WSU athletics intern Kevin Travers, a full and robust student section got the team hyped and kept the energy through all 40 minutes.
The WSU student section during the Cougs 73-70 win over Arizona, Jan. 13, in Pullman, Wash.
“We Are Wazzu” is spread across the WSU student section ahead of the Cougs bout with Arizona, Jan. 13, in Pullman, Wash.
Although the best offensive unit in the country, Arizona scored ‘just’ 70 points. While only five points fewer than their season average, the Cougs got several clutch stops and held the Wildcats to shooting just 34.7% from the field and 29.2% from the field.
Smith and the team proved they were a complete team, and one with depth. Rueben Chinyelu had 17 minutes off the bench and finished with six points, five rebounds and three blocks.
Rueben Chinyelu celebrates toward the WSU crowd after a big upset win over Arizona, Jan. 13, in Pullman, Wash.
Center Rueben Chinyelu flexes and yells in celebration after a dunk during an NCAA men’s basketball game against Arizona, Jan. 13, 2024, in Pullman, Wash.
Rueben Chinyelu flexes and yells after a big dunk, Jan. 13, in Pullman, Wash.
The win brings the Cougs to 11-5 overall on the season and despite preseason projects not favoring the team, they are directly in the hunt for a NCAA Tournament bid, something that the team has been a decade-plus removed from.
Arizona is just a step in the hopefully historic season for WSU, but it was a great moment for a team ripe for a run.
Gallery:
