There is a party on the Palouse that feels much more appropriate for football season than it does in March.
At the power conference level, there are few teams that have been around college hoops as long but have as little to show for it as Washington State. The Cougs have made the NCAA Tournament just six times in program history. They haven't been since 2008, when now-Virginia head coach Tony Bennett was patrolling the sidelines.
After going through two coaches in the 10 seasons that followed (with just three winning seasons to show for it), the Cougars have found their guy in head coach Kyle Smith.
WSU's record in Pac-12 play has steadily improved over Smith's five-year tenure, with each season improving or maintaining the previous season's record.
Despite that upward trajectory, there were questions entering this season. The Cougs lost the four leading scorers from last season's team (all four of whom had eligibility remaining). DJ Rodman and TJ Bamba transferred away from Pullman, while Mouhamed Gueye and Justin Powell both turned pro early.
Despite losing a lot, the Cougs came into the 2023-24 season once again an old and experienced team thanks to the transfer portal. There are five seniors on the roster, three of whom are in the rotation, but only one who began his career at WSU: forward Andrej Jakimovski.
"Andrej's really special. To watch him grow up and become the leader, which is amazing coming from North Macedonia," Coach Smith said ahead of senior night. "How this group has really been even-keel is a tribute to him."
Another senior, Isaac Jones, leads the team in points and rebounds (15.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg). Jones, from across the state in Spanaway, began his career at Wenatchee Valley College before spending last season just down the road at Idaho.
While those two seniors have been huge for WSU, the breakout star is a freshman, albeit one who has been through a lot more than your typical first-year player.
Point guard Myles Rice (15.3 ppg, 3.9 apg) is in his first year on the court for the Cougars, but his third year in the program. He spent his initial freshman season as a redshirt, expecting to develop his game and contribute the following season. But before he could help the Cougars chase any wins, he had to defeat a completely different foe: cancer.
While gearing up for the season, Rice underwent medical testing in September 2022 and was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Rice's comeback story is inspirational and has drawn plenty of national attention, but it's truly his play on the court that has put him in the spotlight.
To many's surprise considering the exodus of so many key players, the Cougs didn't miss a beat at first. The team ran through their nonconference schedule posting a 9-2 record.
But then the seemingly inevitable Pac-12 stumble started. Two weeks into conference play, Wazzu found itself 1-3 in the Pac-12, with the lone win coming at home against last-place Oregon State. Were the Cougs going to take a page out of the football program's playbook and Coug' it yet again?
Spoiler alert: They didn't. The Cougars recovered to finish second in Pac-12 play with a 14-6 record. The lone team ahead of them? That would be Arizona... who WSU beat... twice.
By the end of the regular season, the Cougars were 23-8 overall and had cracked the Top 25. It's already easily their best campaign since that 2008 team — one that ultimately made the Sweet Sixteen. And for Smith, it's nice being able to fight from on top for a change.
"I think it's just a new circumstance. We've been the hunters, the underdogs, forever," Smith said with a laugh at a press conference earlier this month. "We're getting some really good punches thrown at us."
Like that 2008 team, this 2024 team has a shot to dance its way deep into the NCAA Tournament bracket. The 7-seed Cougars will get things started in Omaha against the 10-seed Drake Bulldogs on Thursday. It's a challenging spot for WSU, as the Drake campus is just a two-hour drive from Omaha. A first round Cougs win could set up a showdown with 2-seed and Big 12 Tournament Champions Iowa State, who many experts thought deserved a 1-seed.
If they do make a run, the inspirational Rice — who won Pac-12 Freshman of the Year — will be vital. Which is fitting, because the third-year freshman is a lot like the Cougars as a whole. He was punched by cancer, but punched back and knocked it out. His team — as coach Smith says — is a counterpunching squad. They'll take your best shot and throw an even better one right back. ♦