Hip contusion to keep Washington State’s Robert Franks out against Colorado, Utah

Beating Colorado and Utah on the road for the first time since both joined the Pac-12 Conference was already going to be a tall task for the Washington State basketball team, but now the Cougars will have to endure two games at altitude without their leading scorer.

Robert Franks, who’s missed each of the last two games with a hip contusion, won’t be in uniform when WSU (7-7, 0-1) takes on Colorado (9-5, 0-2) at the Coors Events Center (6 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Networks).

The senior forward, whose 22.1 points per game lead the Cougars this season, announced on Twitter account the hip injury would keep him out of a third straight contest.

A WSU official confirmed to The Spokesman-Review that Franks didn’t travel with the team this week, meaning he’ll also miss Saturday’s game at Utah (5 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Networks). Nursing the hip contusion, Franks is “staying in Pullman to rehab and get healthy.”

WSU hasn’t won a game Franks has missed this season (Seattle U, Santa Clara, Washington) and the Cougars are still winless in games outside of Pullman, with an 0-7 road record.

Their record in Boulder and Salt Lake City – a combined 0-12 – isn’t any better.

The Cougars have visited the Buffs six times since CU became a Pac-12 member in 2011 and have lost each of those games, by a combined 16 points. WSU is also 0-6 at the Huntsman Center in SLC and lost those six games by an average margin of 16.6 points.