Drake's NCAA Tournament draw is official.The No. 10 seed Bulldogs will take on No. 7 seed Washington State in the first round Thursday night in Omaha.Here's what to know about the Cougars ahead of the big game.Washington State basketball: Record, stats and more Location: Pullman, WashingtonRecord: 24-9Conference: Pac-12 (14-6; finished in second place)NCAA Tournament history: The Cougars do not have an extensive track record in the NCAA Tournament.Washington State finished as the national runner-up in 1941. Since then, the team has made just six NCAA Tournament appearances and only has one trip beyond the second round — a Sweet 16 trip in 2008. The Cougars have not made an appearance since that 2008 run.Drake vs. Washington State men's basketball series resultsDrake and Washington State have played twice before, but we'll forgive you if you don't remember either game.Both matchups occurred within a week of each other in December 1935. Washington State won the first game, 28-27, on Dec. 16, 1935. Drake got revenge on Dec. 21 with a 29-19 win.The two teams have not met since.Washington State players to know: Myles Rice and Isaac JonesWashington State's key players will present different challenges for Drake.Senior forward Isaac Jones and freshman guard Myles Rice are the Cougars' two leading scorers at 15.4 and 15.1 points per game, respectively.Jones is a fifth-year senior who is listed at 6 feet 9 inches and 245 pounds. He's in his first year at Washington State after beginning his career with Wenatchee Valley College. After three years there, he transferred up to Division I and averaged 19.4 points per game at Idaho last season. Jones is also the team's leading rebounder at 7.4 rebounds per game.Rice is listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 180 pounds. He redshirted in 2021-22 and 2022-23 after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. He was in remission as of last summer and cleared to return to action. Rice averages 15.1 points per game to go along with a team-best 3.9 assists per game.Reuniting with Joseph YesufuHe won't take part in the game, but a former Drake star is on the roster at Washington State.Joseph Yesufu, who Drake fans will remember as the bench spark to the Bulldogs' 2020-21 run to the NCAA Tournament, is a team member at Washington State. He suffered an injury and has not played since November.Yesufu primarily came off the bench in his two seasons at Drake but still finished second on the team in scoring average as a sophomore in 2020-21 with 12.8 points per game.He posted a team-high 21 points while playing all 40 minutes in Drake's First Four win over Wichita State during that year's NCAA Tournament.Yesufu transferred to Kansas after that season and won a national title with the Jayhawks in 2022. After two years in Lawrence, he transferred to Washington State. Yesufu has only played six games at his current stop due to injuries.
OMAHA, Neb. — Drake's NCAA Tournament draw is official.
The No. 10 seed Bulldogs will take on No. 7 seed Washington State in the first round Thursday night in Omaha.
Here's what to know about the Cougars ahead of the big game.
Washington State basketball: Record, stats and more
Location: Pullman, Washington
Record: 24-9
Conference: Pac-12 (14-6; finished in second place)
NCAA Tournament history: The Cougars do not have an extensive track record in the NCAA Tournament.
Washington State finished as the national runner-up in 1941. Since then, the team has made just six NCAA Tournament appearances and only has one trip beyond the second round — a Sweet 16 trip in 2008. The Cougars have not made an appearance since that 2008 run.
Drake vs. Washington State men's basketball series results
, but we'll forgive you if you don't remember either game.
Both matchups occurred within a week of each other in December 1935. Washington State won the first game, 28-27, on Dec. 16, 1935. Drake got revenge on Dec. 21 with a 29-19 win.
The two teams have not met since.
Washington State players to know: Myles Rice and Isaac Jones
Washington State's key players will present different challenges for Drake.
Senior forward Isaac Jones and freshman guard Myles Rice are the Cougars' two leading scorers at 15.4 and 15.1 points per game, respectively.
Jones is a fifth-year senior who is listed at 6 feet 9 inches and 245 pounds. He's in his first year at Washington State after beginning his career with Wenatchee Valley College. After three years there, he transferred up to Division I and averaged 19.4 points per game at Idaho last season. Jones is also the team's leading rebounder at 7.4 rebounds per game.
Rice is listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 180 pounds. He redshirted in 2021-22 and 2022-23 after being . He was in remission as of last summer and cleared to return to action.
Rice averages 15.1 points per game to go along with a team-best 3.9 assists per game.
Reuniting with Joseph Yesufu
He won't take part in the game, but a former Drake star is on the roster at Washington State.
Joseph Yesufu, who Drake fans will remember as the bench spark to the Bulldogs' 2020-21 run to the NCAA Tournament, is a team member at Washington State. He suffered an injury and has not played since November.
Yesufu primarily came off the bench in his two seasons at Drake but still finished second on the team in scoring average as a sophomore in 2020-21 with 12.8 points per game.
Sarah Stier
Joseph Yesufu #1 of the Drake Bulldogs drives to the basket in the first round game of the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament against the USC Trojans at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 20, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
He posted a team-high 21 points while playing all 40 minutes in Drake's First Four win over Wichita State during that year's NCAA Tournament.
Yesufu transferred to Kansas after that season and won a national title with the Jayhawks in 2022. After two years in Lawrence, he transferred to Washington State. Yesufu has only played six games at his current stop due to injuries.