In his fourth season at Washington State, Ernie Kent believes he’s finally assembled a men’s basketball team that compares favorably to his dominant Oregon squads of more than a decade ago.
During an eight-season span (2000-08), the Ducks won two conference-tournament titles and appeared in five NCAA tournaments — including a trip to the Elite Eight in 2007.
The Cougars didn’t win more than 13 games or finish higher than eighth in the Pac-12 in the previous three seasons while Kent assembled players who can play his up-tempo attack.
Washington State (8-6, 0-2 Pac-12) is by no means a finished product, but at the very least Kent has infused an identity into the Cougars who are the most prolific three-point-shooting team in the country.