The Cougars fell 78-75 to Saint Mary’s in a Thursday matinee in front of 3,500 elementary school students on Feb. 7, their third-straight defeat. The devastating home loss dropped their overall record to 17-6 and came 10 days after they had cracked the Associated Press Top 25 ranking for the first time since 2012.
But the Cougars haven’t lost since, reeling off six impressive wins, including a 66-64 upset of No. 13 Gonzaga in Spokane to sweep the season series with the Zags for the first time. And now they are back on the NCAA bubble, maybe even inside it, heading into the West Coast Conference Tournament at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.