Washington State Cougars men's basketball
| Washington State Cougars men's basketball | ||||
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| University | Washington State University | |||
| Conference | Pac-12 | |||
| Location | Pullman, WA | |||
| Head coach | Ernie Kent (3rd year) | |||
| Arena |
Beasley Coliseum (Capacity: 11,566) |
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| Nickname | Cougars | |||
| Colors | Crimson and Gray |
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| Uniforms | ||||
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| Pre-tournament Premo-Porretta champions | ||||
| 1917 | ||||
| Pre-tournament Helms champions | ||||
| 1917 | ||||
| NCAA Tournament Final Four | ||||
| 1941 | ||||
| NCAA Tournament Elite Eight | ||||
| 1941 | ||||
| NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 1941, 2008 | ||||
| NCAA Tournament appearances | ||||
| 1941, 1980, 1983, 1994, 2007, 2008 | ||||
| Conference regular season champions | ||||
| 1917, 1941 | ||||
The Washington State Cougars men's basketball team represents Washington State University and competes in the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12) of NCAA Division I. The Cougars play their home games at Beasley Coliseum, which has a capacity of 11,566.
Washington State began varsity intercollegiate competition in men's basketball in 1902. The Cougars were retroactively awarded the 1917 National Championship by the Helms Athletic Foundation and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll. The team played to large crowds in the late-1970s when George Raveling was head coach.
For the better part of seven decades, the Cougars were a consistent contender in the Pac-10 and its predecessor, the Pacific Coast Conference. However, after Kelvin Sampson left for Oklahoma in 1994, the program floundered for most of the rest of the 1990s and the early part of the 21st century. However, there was the beginning of a resurgence under coach Dick Bennett. The 2004-05 season saw a large increase in student support as the team finished within a few wins of a .500 record (along with a stunning upset win against eventual Elite Eight team Arizona). Bennett retired at the end of the 2005-06 season and was replaced by his son, Tony. Before becoming head coach, Tony Bennett spent three seasons as an assistant to his father, the last three seasons as head coach before leaving for the University of Virginia.
The Cougars earned a #3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and beat Oral Roberts 70–54 in the first round. The Cougars then lost to Vanderbilt in the second round 78–74 in double overtime. Their final record was 13–5 in the Pac-10 and 26–8 overall, which tied the school record for most wins in a season. During the 2006–07 season, the Cougars swept rival Washington, Arizona, Arizona State, USC, Oregon State, and California. In the tournament, the coaching staff wore a pin saying TAY, which stood for Turn-Around Year. After the season, Coach Tony Bennett received the Naismith Coach of the Year award, the highest honor for a college basketball coach.
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