Washington State Cougars men's basketball

Washington State Cougars men's basketball
Washington State Cougars men's basketball
	2018–19 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team
University	Washington State University
Head coach	Ernie Kent (4th season)
Conference	Pac-12
Location	Pullman, Washington
Arena	Beasley Coliseum ; (Capacity: 11,566)
Nickname	Cougars
Colors	Crimson and Gray;
Uniforms
Pre-tournament Premo-Porretta champions
	1917
Pre-tournament Helms champions
	1917
NCAA Tournament runner-up
	1941
NCAA Tournament Final Four
	1941
NCAA Tournament Elite Eight
	1941
NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen
	2008
NCAA Tournament Round of 32
	1983, 2007, 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 on campus in Pullman at Beasley Coliseum, which has a capacity of 11,566.

History[edit]

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.^[2]^[3] 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. After a dark period in the late 1990s and early 2000s, 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 Arizona, an eventual Elite Eight team). Bennett retired at the end of the 2005-06 season and was replaced by his son, Tony.

Tony Bennett tied the all-time WSU record for wins (26) in two of his three seasons as head coach before leaving for Virginia Cavaliers in 2009. Washington State had recently cancelled a trip to the 2009 Final Four for Bennett and his staff, and was considering dropping chartered recruiting trips which had just been started one year prior at Bennett's request.^[4]

2006-07[edit]

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.

2007-08[edit]

In 2008, the Cougars returned to the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars earned a #4 seed and were matched up against #13 seed Winthrop University. The Cougars dominated in the second half after a 29–29 tie in the first half to finish 71–40, far beyond the 9 point margin they were favored by.^[5]

After two straight victories in the NCAA Tournament, the Cougars headed to the Sweet Sixteen for the second time in school history. In the Sweet Sixteen, Washington State was matched against the #1 overall seed North Carolina. During the first half, both teams seem evenly matched, but North Carolina took control in the second half and won by a score of 68–47.^[6] The Cougars finished the 2007–08 season with a record of 26–9.

Coaches[edit]

John B. Evans (1901–03)
James N. Ashmore (1904–05)
Everett M. Sweeley (1905–07)
John R. Bender (1907–08)
Fred Bohler (1908–26)
Karl Schlademan (1926–28)
Jack Friel (1928–58)
Marv Harshman (1959–71)
Bob Greenwood (1971–72)

George Raveling (1972–83)
Len Stevens (1983–87)
Kelvin Sampson (1987–94)
Kevin Eastman (1994–99)
Paul Graham (1999–2003)
Dick Bennett (2003–06)
Tony Bennett (2006–09)
Ken Bone (2009–14)
Ernie Kent (2014–present)

Head coach Tony Bennett announced that he was leaving for Virginia following the 2008–09 season.^[7] Bennett, who became head coach after his father Dick Bennett's retirement, finished the season with a 17–16 record. In the previous two years, he led the Cougars to consecutive NCAA tournament appearances; father and son coached the Cougars for three seasons each.

Postseason[edit]

NCAA Tournament results[edit]

The Cougars have appeared in six NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 6–6.

Year	Seed	Round	Opponent	Result
1941		Elite Eight Final Four National Championship Game	Creighton Arkansas Wisconsin	W 48–39 W 64–53 L 34–39
1980	#5	Round of 48	#12 Penn	L 55–62
1983	#8	Round of 48 Round of 32	#9 Weber State #1 Virginia	W 62–52 L 49–54
1994	#8	Round of 64	#9 Boston College	L 64–67
2007	#3	Round of 64 Round of 32	#14 Oral Roberts #6 Vanderbilt	W 70–54 L 74–78 ^2OT
2008	#4	Round of 64 Round of 32 Sweet Sixteen	#13 Winthrop #5 Notre Dame #1 North Carolina	W 71–40 W 61–41 L 47–68

NIT results[edit]

The Cougars have appeared in five National Invitation Tournaments (NIT). Their combined record is 7–5.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1992	First Round Quarterfinals	Minnesota New Mexico	W 72–70 L 71–79
1995	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals	Texas Tech Illinois State Canisius	W 94–82 W 83–80 L 80–99
1996	First Round Second Round	Gonzaga Nebraska	W 92–73 L 73–82
2009	First Round	Saint Mary's	L 57–68
2011	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals	Long Beach State Oklahoma State Northwestern Wichita State	W 85–74 W 74–64 W 69–66 ^OT L 44–75

CBI results[edit]

The Cougars have appeared in one College Basketball Invitational (CBI). Their combined record is 4–2.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2012	First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals Game 1 Finals Game 2 Finals Game 3	San Francisco Wyoming Oregon State Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh	W 89–75 W 61–41 W 72–55 W 67–66 L 53–57 L 65–71

Rivalries[edit]

Gonzaga[edit]

Gonzaga University is a Jesuit university in Spokane, about 75 miles (120 km) north of Pullman.^[8] As of the 2013–14 season, Washington State has a 98–50 (.662) lead in the series against the Bulldogs; the series began in 1907 and has most recently been played annually since 2001.^[9] The game in December 2007 marked the first time the two met as ranked teams.^[10] Visiting Washington State was ranked #6 in the AP Poll and won 51–47 over #19 Gonzaga at the McCarthey Athletic Center.^[11]

Idaho[edit]

A non-conference series since 1959, Washington State has played the Idaho Vandals of neighboring Moscow annually since 1906 in a rivalry dubbed the Battle of the Palouse; the U of I is less than eight miles (13 km) east of Pullman. They often met four or five times per season until 1964, reduced to twice a season for the next decade. It has since become an annual event early in the schedule (except for the mid-1990s, when two games per season were played). The continuing rivalry is the oldest in the western United States,^[12] four years older than WSU's series with the Washington Huskies.

The two played the first-ever regular season basketball game in the newly-enclosed Kibbie Dome in January 1976, won by the Cougars.^[13] The rivalry was at its peak in December 1982 when 11,000 were in the same venue for a Saturday night overtime thriller, won by the Vandals.^[14]^[15]^[16]^[17]

Washington State has a 163–110 (.597) lead in the series through December 2017, when Idaho won 91–64 in Moscow, for a third win in four years.^[12] Before that, WSU had won eleven straight and 19 of the previous 21 meetings.^[18]^[19]

Washington[edit]

The University of Washington is located in Seattle, nearly three hundred miles (480 km) west of Pullman. As of 2014, the Washington Huskies have a 177–101 (.637) lead in the series that began in 1910.^[20]

Record vs. Pac-12 opponents[edit]

The Washington State Cougars have the following all-time series records vs. Pac-12 opponents. They lead the series vs. four opponents and are exactly even in one other series.

Opponent	Wins	Losses	Pct.	Streak
Arizona	28	47	.373	Arizona 6
Arizona St.	41	36	.532	ASU 8
California	48	80	.375	Cal 4
Colorado	9	8	.529	Col 1
Oregon	124	167	.426	Oregon 3
Oregon St.	156	137	.527	WSU 1
Stanford	69	71	.493	Stanford
UCLA	42	94	.309	UCLA 3
USC	69	69	.500	WSU 1
Utah	8	7	.533	Utah 1
Washington	101	178	.362	UW 1

Note all-time series includes non-conference matchups.

References[edit]

^ Washington State University Athletics Department Brand Identity Guidelines (PDF). Washington State Cougars. April 18, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
^ List of Helms Champs
^ ESPN, ed. (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York, NY: ESPN Books. p. 534. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
^ Bennett Virginia's New Men's Coach, accessed December 8, 2017
^ The Daily Evergreen Online - News - Local
^ Hansbrough, UNC roll past Wazzu into Elite Eight
^ Virginia to name Bennett coach
^ Kaplan, Ben (December 3, 2012). "Gonzaga and Washington State prepare to meet again". KXLY. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
^ "All-time opponents: Gonzaga", 2014-15 Washington State Basketball, Washington State Cougars, p. 36
^ Geranios, Nicholas K. (December 4, 2007). "Cats and 'Dogs, ranked together: Washington State, Gonzaga meet as Top 25 teams for first time". USA Today. Associated Press. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
^ "No. 6 Washington State Defeats No. 19 Gonzaga, 51-47". wsucougars.com. Associated Press. December 5, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
^ ^a ^b Lawson, Theo (December 6, 2017). "Brayon Blake's 26 points lead hot-shooting Idaho past Washington State for third-largest win in Battle of Palouse". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Retrieved December 9, 2017.
^ Missildine, Harry (January 22, 1976). "Cougars best Idaho before record crowd". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 37.
^ Devlin, Vince (December 3, 1982). "George bristles over '81 UI win". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). p. 19.
^ Killen, John (December 4, 1982). "Idaho vs. WSU". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
^ Devlin, Vince (December 6, 1982). "For Cougs, it was a foul night". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). p. 23.
^ Killen, John (December 5, 1982). "Vandals nip Cougars in OT, 62-58". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
^ "Vandals win!". Idaho Vandals. December 3, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
^ "All-time opponents: Idaho", 2014-15 Washington State Basketball, Washington State Cougars, pp. 36–37
^ "Pac-12 opponents: Washington", 2014-15 Washington State Basketball, Washington State Cougars, p. 34

External links[edit]

Official website

[1] Washington State University Athletics Department Brand Identity Guidelines (PDF). Washington State Cougars. April 18, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2017.

[2] List of Helms Champs

[3] ESPN, ed. (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York, NY: ESPN Books. p. 534. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.

[4] Bennett Virginia's New Men's Coach, accessed December 8, 2017

[5] The Daily Evergreen Online - News - Local

[6] Hansbrough, UNC roll past Wazzu into Elite Eight

[7] Virginia to name Bennett coach

[Gonzaga_and_Washington_State_prepare_to_meet_again-8] Kaplan, Ben (December 3, 2012). "Gonzaga and Washington State prepare to meet again". KXLY. Retrieved December 4, 2014.

[Gonzaga_basketball-9] "All-time opponents: Gonzaga", 2014-15 Washington State Basketball, Washington State Cougars, p. 36

[10] Geranios, Nicholas K. (December 4, 2007). "Cats and 'Dogs, ranked together: Washington State, Gonzaga meet as Top 25 teams for first time". USA Today. Associated Press. Retrieved December 4, 2014.

[11] "No. 6 Washington State Defeats No. 19 Gonzaga, 51-47". wsucougars.com. Associated Press. December 5, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2014.

[hsida-12] Lawson, Theo (December 6, 2017). "Brayon Blake's 26 points lead hot-shooting Idaho past Washington State for third-largest win in Battle of Palouse". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Retrieved December 9, 2017.

[cgbestid-13] Missildine, Harry (January 22, 1976). "Cougars best Idaho before record crowd". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 37.

[brislt-14] Devlin, Vince (December 3, 1982). "George bristles over '81 UI win". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). p. 19.

[jkui82-15] Killen, John (December 4, 1982). "Idaho vs. WSU". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.

[foulnt-16] Devlin, Vince (December 6, 1982). "For Cougs, it was a foul night". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). p. 23.

[cougsnip-17] Killen, John (December 5, 1982). "Vandals nip Cougars in OT, 62-58". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.

[18] "Vandals win!". Idaho Vandals. December 3, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2014.

[Palouse_basketball-19] "All-time opponents: Idaho", 2014-15 Washington State Basketball, Washington State Cougars, pp. 36–37

[20] "Pac-12 opponents: Washington", 2014-15 Washington State Basketball, Washington State Cougars, p. 34

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v t e Washington State Cougars men's basketball
Venues	Bohler Gymnasium (1928–1973) Beasley Coliseum (1973–present)
Rivalries	Idaho Washington
Culture & lore	History Butch T. Cougar
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19
Helms and Premo-Porretta national championship in bold; NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

v t e Washington State University
Located in: Pullman, Washington
Academics	College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences College of Arts and Sciences Carson College of Business Edward R. Murrow College of Communication College of Education Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture Honors College College of Nursing College of Pharmacy College of Veterinary Medicine Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
Athletics	Washington State Cougars Pac-12 Conference Football Martin Stadium Bowl Games Rivalries Apple Cup, Battle of the Palouse Men's basketball Women's basketball Beasley Coliseum Baseball Bailey–Brayton Field Bohler Gymnasium Palouse Ridge Golf Club Butch T. Cougar
Campuses	Pullman (main campus) Everett Spokane Tri-Cities Vancouver Global Campus
Media	The Daily Evergreen KWSU-TV Washington State Magazine Northwest Public Radio Washington State University Press
Student Life	Residence Halls ASWSU Marching Band Fight Song
People	Faculty & Alumni Elson Floyd
Miscellaneous	Jewett Observatory Cougar Gold cheese Reactor Extension Energy Program North–South Ski Bowl Red Brick Roads Gee Creek (Washington) Center to Bridge the Digital Divide Edward R. Murrow Award Washington State Route 270 Bill Chipman Palouse Trail Palouse Global Washington
Founded: 1890

v t e Pac-12 Conference men's basketball
Teams	Arizona Wildcats Arizona State Sun Devils California Golden Bears Colorado Buffaloes Oregon Ducks Oregon State Beavers Stanford Cardinal UCLA Bruins USC Trojans Utah Utes Washington Huskies Washington State Cougars
Championships & awards	Pac-12 Tournament Player of the Year Coach of the Year Defensive Player of the Year Freshman of the Year All-Pac-12 teams
Seasons	1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18