The Washington State Cougars might be one of the most overlooked college basketball programs on the West Coast. Granted, there isn’t a huge demand for last-minute Washington State basketball tickets. But the Cougars are still a member of a power conference, and they’ve made occasional appearances on the national stage. Plus, the Cougars play some of the best teams in the country every year, making it more than worthwhile for fans to get their hands on cheap Washington State basketball tickets.

Once Upon a Time

Nobody will confuse Washington State with a traditional basketball powerhouse. However, the Cougars were something special on the basketball court once upon a time. From 1908 to 1926, the Cougars were led by Fred Bohler, who also served as the school’s athletic director until 1950. He was the coach who led Washington State during the memorable 1916-17 campaign. The Cougars finished the season 25-1 and were retroactively named national champions in addition to winning the Pacific Coast Conference championship.

Every Blue Moon

While success on the basketball court has become a rarity at Washington State, every now and then, the Cougars come out of nowhere to make their presence felt. During his 11-year tenure, head coach George Raveling took Washington State to the NCAA Tournament twice, including 1983, when the Cougars won their first tournament game in more than 40 years.

Current Virginia coach Tony Bennett also had a brief but memorable stint at WSU, leading the Cougars to the Sweet 16 in 2008, the best tournament performance since Washington State was the national runner-up in 1941. More recently, head coach Ken Bone led the Cougars to the NIT semifinals in 2011 and to the finals of the CBI in 2012, giving Washington State a little taste of success and a reason to be optimistic about the future of the program.