PULLMAN, Wash. - The Cougar men's basketball team enters the 2021-22 season picked to finish 8th by the Pac-12 media, but, college basketball insiders, such as Jon Rothstein from CBS Sports, believe the Cougars will contend for their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2007-08. Each year under coach Kyle Smith, the Cougars have improved, picking up their first winning season in nearly a decade last year.
When last season ended, the coaching staff diligently worked to bring in new players to improve an already talented roster. In his third year, Coach Smith brought in the highest-ranked recruit since Cougar legend Klay Thompson.