What happens next: A three-part series on the abrupt end to Washington State’s basketball season
UPDATED: Sat., March 28, 2020
Before the season started, Kyle Smith and the data-infatuated assistants on his Washington State coaching staff tried to handicap where the Cougars would land on Ken Pomeroy’s rankings map when 2019-20 campaign finished.
Sports talk from The Spokesman-Review, featuring Larry Weir.
What happens next: A three-part series on the abrupt end to Washington State’s basketball season
UPDATED: Sat., March 28, 2020
Before the season started, Kyle Smith and the data-infatuated assistants on his Washington State coaching staff tried to handicap where the Cougars would land on Ken Pomeroy’s rankings map when 2019-20 campaign finished.
What’s happening: A three-part series on the abrupt end to Washington State’s basketball season
UPDATED: Fri., March 27, 2020
Kyle Smith may not be instructing young adults on the anatomy of pick-and-roll defense right now, but it doesn’t mean the first-year Washington State basketball coach is fully escaping teacher mode in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
What happened: A three-part series on the abrupt end to Washington State’s basketball season
UPDATED: Thu., March 26, 2020
Not until he woke up Thursday morning could Jeff Pollard fully grasp the breadth of the history he and his Washington State teammates had made the night before, beating Colorado 82-68 in the Pac-12 Tournament.
Ten snapshots from Washington State’s memorable 2019-20 basketball season
UPDATED: Fri., March 20, 2020
Washington State and seven of its peers in the Pac-12 didn’t get the closure they desperately wanted when the conference decided last Thursday to cancel the remainder of its tournament in Las Vegas, following the lead of others in the college basketball world amid coronavirus worries.
Pac-12 Tournament canceled due to coronavirus, ending Washington State basketball season
UPDATED: Thu., March 12, 2020
Wednesday’s nightcap between No. 11 Washington State and No. 6 Colorado at T-Mobile Arena was the final game of the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament, after the conference decided to cancel the remainder of the 2020 event due to concerns about the coronavirus illness.
Pac-12 Tournament notes: Washington State, Arizona State to play quarterfinal in barren T-Mobile Arena
Thu., March 12, 2020
Before WSU’s 2019-20 season started, the Cougars staged two closed-door scrimmages against opponents from the Big Sky. Perhaps it’s a positive sign the Cougars did well in both – blowing past eventual Big Sky regular-season champ EWU 96-75 before beating Montana 65-63 – because they’ll encounter a similar situation against ASU in the Pac-12 Tournament.
‘It’s a big moment.’ Washington State leaves no doubt against Colorado, breaking decade-long drought at Pac-12 tournament
UPDATED: Thu., March 12, 2020
The lead already seemed good enough when Jeff Pollard caught the ball down low and slipped an inside bounce pass to Tony Miller, who drove to the basket, cocked his right arm back and punched the ball through the net, putting all 6-foot-8, 262 pounds of Evan Battey on Washington State poster.
CBI canceled due to coronavirus, diminishing Washington State’s chance of postseason berth
UPDATED: Wed., March 11, 2020
Unless Washington State can win four games in Las Vegas, the Cougars’ 2019-20 basketball season will presumably end this week at the Pac-12 Conference Tournament.
Riding 10-game conference tournament skid, Washington State trying to ‘change history’ against Colorado
Wed., March 11, 2020
Kyle Smith was a 39-year-old assistant at Saint Mary’s – three coaching stops and 11 years removed from where he is now – when Washington State last won a game in the Pac-12/10 Conference Tournament.
Pac-12 still moving forward with men’s basketball tournament in Las Vegas without restrictions
Tue., March 10, 2020
A statement from the Pac-12 Conference on Tuesday has reaffirmed that in the wake of concerns surrounding coronavirus, the league will still hold its men’s basketball tournament without interruption this week at T-Mobile Arena.
Washington State’s CJ Elleby earns All-Pac-12 First Team nod; Jervae Robinson also recognized
UPDATED: Mon., March 9, 2020
CJ Elleby picked up where Robert Franks left off at WSU, leading the Cougars in both scoring and rebounding this season. The standout sophomore followed in Franks’ footsteps again on Monday, joining his former teammate to become the second WSU player in as many years to earn All-Pac-12 First Team recognition when the conference announced postseason awards.
No. 11 Washington State to open Pac-12 Tournament against No. 6 Colorado
Sat., March 7, 2020
For the third consecutive year, Washington State will hold the No. 11 seed, take on the No. 6 seed and play in the late game on the opening day of the Pac-12 Tournament at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.