Ernie Kent and his WSU Cougars have their work cut out for them this season. The Cougs were placed 12th in the PAC-12 men’s basketball preseason poll after finishing 13-18 and tying for ninth last season.
Kent rolls into his fourth year as coach having lost five of his top six scorers, with sophomore guard Malachi Flynn leading the team with an average of 9.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in his 2016-17 season.
Kent’s record is 35-58 and 14-40 in Pac-12 play since he started in 2014. Kent’s contract has a rollover clause so he will be with WSU until 2022.
2017-18 Pac-12 men’s basketball preseason media poll:
(First-place votes in parenthesis)
1. Arizona (22) – 273
2. USC (1) – 251
3. UCLA – 223
4. Oregon – 203
5. Stanford – 182
6. Arizona State – 182
7. Utah – 129
8. Oregon State – 125
9. Colorado – 112
10. Washington – 71
11. California – 46
12. Washington State – 33