Washington State basketball faces uphill climb in first Pac-12 preseason poll

The Cougars enter a new conference with a rebuilt roster and plenty to prove

Feb 10, 2026; Spokane, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars head coach David Riley. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If you put great stock in preseason polls, there is some good news surrounding the low-riding Washington State Cougars men’s basketball team.

They weren’t picked to finish last in the Pacific-12 Conference media poll released Thursday. Fresno State received that dubious honor.

The bad news: WSU has a ways to go to make up ground on unanimous preseason conference favorite Gonzaga, which garnered all 17 first-place votes by various beat reporters around the league.

Last season, the Cougars finished eighth out of the 12-school West Coast Conference with a 12-20 record - their worst season showing since 2018-19 when they were 11-21 in the old Pac-12.

Coach David Riley completely overhauled the roster, signing just two seniors in Ronnie Harrison (East Texas A&M) and Casey Jones (EWU).

Other key players include sophomore point guard Lazerek Houston (Central Missouri), sophomore forward Tyler Kropp (Northwestern), redshirt junior center Ladji Dembele (UNLV) and off guards Jamari Phillips (Oregon) and Jaylen Harrell (Providence).

“We are a talented team that is still learning how to come together right now,” Riley said.

Ronnie Harrison, Ladji Dembele earn preseason recognition

Something the conference did this season was publish a “Preseason Impact List” - two players from each program that could be considered for in-season or postseason recognition.

For WSU, those two players were Harrison and Dembele.

Harrison is expected to be the team’s leading scorer and rebounder in 2026-27 after averaging 14.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last season at East Texas A&M.

He led the Cougars on Sunday in their final exhibition game at Washington with 23 points and 11 rebounds in the 84-80 win in Seattle.

Dembele leads the team’s three-pronged attack in the post at center, and is expected to be one of the team’s premier interior defenders.

This is a big season for Riley, who is signed through 2030-31. He will certainly be under pressure to put a team on the floor that is competitive in his third season.

WSU opens the season Monday at home against Davidson at Friel Court.

PAC-12 PRESEASON MEN'S BASKETBALL POLL

1. Gonzaga (17 first-place votes)

2. Utah State

3. San Diego State

4. Colorado State

5. Oregon State

6. Boise State

7. Texas State

8. Washington State

9. Fresno State