Photo by Kurt Howard
Isaac Bonton (10 left) of Washington State University goes for a shot while under the defense of Washington's Erik Stevenson (10 right) as Noah Williams (24) of the Cougars looks on in this 2021 photo.
Seven magic number for WSU men
By Tim Clinton
It's seven NCAA tournament appearances and seven NIT appearances and counting for the Washington State University men's basketball team.
The Cougars made the NCAA's March Madness show last in 2024, reaching the second round. They opened with a 66-61 victory over Drake before falling to Iowa State, 67-56.
WSU played in the College Basketball Crown tournament this year and lost to Georgetown in the opening round, 85-82, to finish with a 19-15 overall record.
Other NCAA appearances were earned in 1941, 1980, 1983, 1994, 2007 and 2008.
The first trip in 1941 was the best, with the Cougars shooting their way into the national championship game before coming up short against Wisconsin in a low-scoring affair, 39-34.
They opened with a 48-39 win over Creighton and a 64-53 victory over Arkansas to reach the final.
The next best appearance came in 2008, when WSU made the Sweet 16 level. It opened with a 71-40 rout of Winthrop and a 61-41 win over Notre Dame before taking a 68-47 loss to North Carolina.
Washington State reached the Round of 32 in 1983 and 2007, but lost its openers in 1980's Round of 48 and in the Round of 64 in 1994.
WSU made the NIT in 1992, 1995, 1996, 2009, 2011, 2022 and 2023, with the 1995 and 2022 squads reaching the quarterfinals.
The Cougars' only claim to a national championship came long before the tournaments existed in 1917.
They were awarded the title for that season by the Helms Athletic Foundation in 1957 and by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll in 1995.
WSU also made the College Basketball Invitational in 2012 and reached the three-game Finals Series.
The Cougars defeated San Francisco, 89-75, to open the tournament and won their quarterfinal by a 61-41 score over Wyoming. They took their semifinal over Oregon State, 72-55.
That set up the Finals Series against Pittsburgh.
They opened with a 67-66 win but lost the next two, 57-53, and 71-65 to settle for second.
WSU is currently coached by David Riley and plays its home games at Beasley Coliseum on its Pullman campus. It has a capacity of 12,058.