The 1940–41 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team represented Washington State College for the 1940–41 college basketball season. Led by thirteenth-year head coach Jack Friel, the Cougars were members of the Pacific Coast Conference and played their home games on campus at WSC Gymnasium in Pullman, Washington.
| 1940–41 Washington State Cougars men's basketball | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Pacific Coast Conference |
| Record | 26–6 (13–3 PCC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Home arena | WSC Gymnasium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington State † | 13 | – | 3 | .813 | 26 | – | 6 | .813 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon State | 9 | – | 7 | .563 | 19 | – | 9 | .679 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | 18 | – | 18 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | 12 | – | 13 | .480 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho | 4 | – | 12 | .250 | 14 | – | 15 | .483 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 10 | – | 2 | .833 | 21 | – | 5 | .808 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 6 | – | 6 | .500 | 15 | – | 12 | .556 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USC | 6 | – | 6 | .500 | 15 | – | 10 | .600 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCLA | 2 | – | 10 | .167 | 6 | – | 20 | .231 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † Conference playoff series winner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Cougars were 22–5 overall in the regular season and 13–3 in conference play, first place in Northern division. They met Southern division Stanford in a best-of-three series in Pullman for the PCC title,[2] which the Cougars swept in two games.[3][4][5][6]
Washington State advanced to the eight-team NCAA tournament in Kansas City; they defeated Creighton and Arkansas to advance to the final, but lost to Wisconsin by five points.
This remains the most successful season for Cougar men's basketball; WSU has made six NCAA tournament appearances since (1980, 1983, 1994, 2007, 2008, 2024), and the best result is the Sweet Sixteen in 2008.
Postseason results
edit| Date time, TV |
Opponent | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Coast Conference Playoff Series | |||||||||||
| Fri, March 14 8:00 pm |
Stanford Game One |
W 46–43 | 23–5 |
WSC Gymnasium (5,600) Pullman, Washington | |||||||
| Sat, March 15 8:00 pm |
Stanford Game Two |
W 44–40 | 24–5 |
WSC Gymnasium (5,600) Pullman, Washington | |||||||
| NCAA tournament | |||||||||||
| Fri, March 21* 8:30 pm |
vs. Creighton Quarterfinal |
W 48–39 | 25–5 |
Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri | |||||||
| Sat, March 22* 8:30 pm |
vs. Arkansas Semifinal |
W 64–53 | 26–5 |
Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri | |||||||
| Sat, March 29* 6:30 pm |
vs. Wisconsin Final |
L 34–39 | 26–6 |
Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri | |||||||
*Non-conference game. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Pacific time. | |||||||||||
References
edit- ^ "2017-18 Men's Basketball Media Guide". Pac-12 Conference. p. 72. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ "Stanford team reaches scene". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). March 14, 1941. p. 15.
- ^ "Cougars defeat Stanford, 46-43 in opening tilt". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. March 15, 1941. p. 10.
- ^ Bankson, Rod (March 15, 1941). "Washington State stages great second half rally to defeat Stanford". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 11.
- ^ Bankson, Rod (March 16, 1941). "Washington State wins Pacific Coast Conference basketball crown". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 1, sports.
- ^ "Jack Friel, happiest man in land, gets and gives congratulation after Cougars win Pacific Coast hoop title". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). (photos). March 17, 1941. p. 11.
External links
edit- Sports Reference – Washington State Cougars: 1940–41 basketball season