WSU men’s hoops to play in inaugural College Basketball Crown tournament

It turns out the Washington State men’s basketball team isn’t quite done playing March basketball.

One day after the Cougars’ women’s team accepted a bid to the WNIT, the WSU men’s squad on Monday was selected to participate in the inaugural College Basketball Crown (CBC) tournament, which runs March 31 through April 6 in Las Vegas.

Washington State will face Georgetown in the first round at 8 p.m. Pacific on March 31 at MGM Grand Garden Arena. The game will be broadcast on FS1.

The 16-team field also includes Arizona State, Boise State, Butler, Cincinnati, Colorado, DePaul, Georgetown, George Washington, Nebraska, Oregon State, Tulane, UCF, USC, Utah and Villanova.

Tickets for The College Basketball Crown are available now via Vivid Seats.

WSU advanced to its fourth consecutive postseason tournament after playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 16 years last season and the NIT in 2022 and 2023.

First-year coach David Riley led the Cougs to a 19-14 record this season, the second-most wins by a first-year coach in program history.

Eastern Washington transfers Cedric Coward, LeJuan Watts, Ethan Price and Dane Erikstrup followed Riley to Pullman and joined Isaiah Watts and Parker Gerrits, the two remaining players from last season's March Madness run, in Pullman.

WSU started the season 13-3 and lost 10 of its last 15 regular season games before beating Loyola Marymount on Day 3 of the WCC Tournament and dropping the quarterfinal to San Francisco.

The CBC gives seniors Price and Erikstrup a chance to extend their college basketball careers one game at a time.