Coming off a narrow loss to WCC-leading Santa Clara over the weekend, following a disappointing performance at Oregon State, the Cougs sit at 11–15 with a trip to the Kennel to face Gonzaga tomorrow.
Expectations were all over the place coming into the season with so much roster turnover and so little returning production, but sitting in the bottom half of the WCC still feels underwhelming. Going 4–8 in the 12 games that have been decided by seven points or fewer is the difference between a positive and negative feeling about the season. If that were flipped to 8–4 in those games and the Cougs were sitting at 15–11 right now, I think most people (myself included) would consider that a success.
Let’s take a minute to self-scout this team and see what the numbers say.
WSU (11–15) (6–7 WCC)
Best Wins: vs. St. Thomas (MN) 81–71, vs. Mercer 84–78, vs. Oregon State 81–67
Worst Losses: vs. Idaho 81–83, @ Seattle U 55–69, @ San Diego 92–96
It’s a bit tough when you look back at the schedule and realize the Cougs don’t have a true signature win this season. There are a couple of “good losses,” if such a thing exists — playing Santa Clara down to the wire, battling Saint Mary’s on the road in a building they haven’t lost in all year, and dropping close games to USC and ASU. Add in the missed opportunity at Bradley, and winning just one or two of those could have completely changed how this season feels.
Rankings nationally out of 365 qualifying universities
Offensive Rankings
77.5 PPG (#150) | 47.4% FG (#63) | 9.6 3PT FG (#58) | 37.3% 3PT FG (#30) | 14.0 FT (#228) | 73.7% FT (#128) | 34.9 Reb (#228) | 10.1 Off Reb (#270) | 13.6 Ast (#218) | 13.1 TO (#306)
As has been well chronicled, turnovers have been the biggest pitfall for this group, and that shows up clearly in the numbers with a #306 national ranking in turnovers per game. What’s frustrating is that by field goal and three-point percentage, this team should be better than it has been. The combination of high turnovers and poor rebounding numbers for a roster with this much size leads to fewer shot attempts overall. At a certain point, it doesn’t matter how efficient you are when you rank #287 nationally in field goal attempts. It’s a good thing the Cougs have shooters like Ace Glass and Rihards Vavers — otherwise the record might look even worse.
Defensive Rankings
77.5 Points Allowed (#279) | 46.2% Opp FG (#294) | 8.1 Opp 3PT (#232) | 35.6% Opp 3PT % (#301) | 9.1 Off Reb Allowed (#34) | 31.3 Reb Allowed (#34) | 5.7 STL (#301) | 10.1 TO Forced (#327)
The rebounding numbers are fairly positive for the Cougs, but outside of that, there isn’t much to highlight defensively. A -3 turnover differential is devastating for any team and ranks among the worst in the country. Committing turnovers at a higher rate can come with playing at a faster pace like David Riley’s teams prefer, but the bigger issue is that the Cougs don’t generate many turnovers on the other end. The defense often plays without much pressure on the ball or in passing lanes, and that lack of disruption leads to high opponent field goal percentages and plenty of open looks.
Final Thoughts
This team has been frustrating to watch, mostly because it feels like there is more talent on the roster than the record reflects. A poor record in close games, porous defense, and one of the worst turnover margins in the country have defined the 2025–26 Cougs. Outside of a Cinderella run through the WCC tournament — one of the toughest conference tournament paths in the sport — it will be difficult to view this season as a positive.