The 2019–20 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team represented
Washington State University
Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant uni ...
during the
2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 5, 2019. The first tournament was the 2K Sports Classic and the season concluded prematurely on March 12, 2020. The 2020 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was sched ...
. The team was led by first-year head coach
Kyle Smith. The Cougars played their home games at the
Beasley Coliseum in
Pullman, Washington
Pullman () is the largest city in Whitman County, located in southeastern Washington within the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. The population was 29,799 at the 2010 census, and estimated to be 34,506 in 2019. Originally founded as Thr ...
as members in the
Pac-12 Conference
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...
. They finished the season 16–16, 6–12 in Pac-12 play to finish in 11th place. They defeated
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
in the first round of the
Pac-12 tournament and were set to face
Arizona State in the quarterfinals before the remainder of the Pac-12 Tournament was cancelled amid the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
. On March 12, all other conference tournaments and postseason tournaments were cancelled, making the Cougars win over Colorado on March 11 the final game to be completed in the 2019–20 basketball season.
Previous season
The
Cougars
The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. ...
finished the
2018–19 season 11–21, 4–14 in
Pac-12 play to finish in 11th place. They lost in the first round of the
Pac-12 tournament to the eventual tournament champion
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...
.
At the conclusion of the season, head coach
Ernie Kent
Ernest Kent (born January 22, 1955)[GoDucks.com E ...](_blank)
was fired.
On March 27, 2019, the school hired former
San Francisco Dons
The San Francisco Dons is the nickname of the athletic teams at the University of San Francisco (USF). The Dons compete in NCAA Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as members of the West Coast Conference (WCC), of ...
head coach Kyle Smith as the new head coach.
Offseason
Departures
Incoming transfers
2019 recruiting class
Roster
Schedule and results
, -
!colspan=9 style=, Non-conference regular season
, -
!colspan=9 style=,
Pac-12 regular season
, -
!colspan=9 style=,
Pac-12 Tournament
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2019-20 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team
Washington State
Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washingto ...
Washington State Cougars men's basketball seasons
Washington State
Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washingto ...
Washington State
Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washingto ...