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Washington State steps into the 2024–25 NCAA men's basketball season as one of the two affiliate members of the West Coast Conference (the other is Oregon State) after the dissolution of the Pac-12 Conference.
The Cougars (25-10, 14-6 Pac-12) finished second in the 2023-24 Pac-12 regular season standings, allowing them to secure an NCAA Tournament bid. Washington State's run was stopped in the second round, losing to Iowa State 67-56.
The 2023–24 NCAA Tournament run also marked the end of Kyle Smith's tenure with the Cougars. Smith's contract wasn't renewed and the program replaced him with former Eastern Washington coach David Riley.
The development also affected the roster, with some of its players enlisting themselves in the transfer portal or having exhausted their collegiate eligibility. The player exodus was so disastrous that sophomore Isaiah Watts was the only player left on the 2023-24 roster.
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Washington State men's basketball 2024–25 season preview
Washington State's biggest games in the upcoming season
Washington State is set to play at least 30 games in the WCC 2024–25 regular season tournament, with 18 of these matches set against conference rivals.
The Cougars are lined up to face Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Portland, Pepperdine, San Diego and Pacific two times in a home-and-away setup. They will only play Loyola Marymount and Oregon State once this season. The team will release its non-conference schedule at a later date.
Cougars' fans will have to mark those home and away games against Gonzaga and Saint Mary's as their biggest games this season, as these games test the team's readiness to compete against the two strongest sides in the WCC last season.
Washington State and Gonzaga have played 120 times since 1949–50, with the Cougars leading the series, 76–44. On the other hand, the Cougars and the Gaels are tied 1-1 in games held during this period.
Top players to watch out for in the 2024-25 season
David Riley will guide a relatively new lineup composed of one holdover, one redshirt freshman, four recruits from high school and seven transfers.
Isaiah Watts is the only holdover from the previous year and is the longest-tenured Cougar among the 13.
He averaged 3.7 points and 0.9 rebounds while shooting 43.5% from the field last season.
Among the four high school commits, only Marcus Wilson is a highly-rated prospect. The six-foot-three combo guard played for Bella Vista Prep in New Mexico and was a McDonald's All-America nominee.
Riley banked heavily on the transfer commitments, snapping up Eastern Washington star Cedric Coward from the portal. The six-foot-six guard averaged 15.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 56.5% from the field.
Coward's teammates, Dane Erikstrup, Ethan Price and LeJuan Watts, also transferred from the Eagles and joined Riley with the Cougars.
Erikstrup tallied 10.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 1.6 apg this past season, while Price normed 12.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 2.2 apg in 52.1% shooting from the field. Watts put up 9.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per outing in Eastern Washington in the 2023–24 season.
Washington State predictions for the 2024-25 season
Washington State might struggle at first with a new conference setting, as they'll be up against teams like Gonzaga and Saint Mary's. Another factor that may cause issues for the Cougars in the long run is their unfamiliarity with each other.
With the majority of the team being transferees and high school recruits, they might encounter growing pains in the first half of the season before getting the right blend of plays down the stretch.
With this situation, it is possible that the Cougars might win 15–18 games this season and won't make the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
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