Cougars will pass on postseason

The Washington State men's basketball team has ruled out a national tournament appearance, a school spokesperson said Saturday.

“It was what Coach (Ken) Bone thought was best for the team,” the spokesperson said.

Bone and players were not available for comment, the spokesperson said. WSU is on spring break.

Despite losing their last four games, and 10 of their last 12, the Cougars (16-15) were considered a candidate for the College Basketball Invitational in particular.

Pacific-10 Conference rival Oregon State won the CBI last season despite entering the tournament with a 13-17 record.

The Cougars, who finished last in the Pac-10 this season with a 6-12 record, dropped an 82-80 overtime decision to Oregon in the first round of the Pac-10 tournament on Wednesday. After the game, Bone said the team would continue practicing in case a tournament invitation was forthcoming.

Washington State, playing a weak nonconference schedule in Bone’s first season as coach, started 6-0 and went into conference play with a 10-2 record. The Cougars earned votes in Top 25 polls early in the season, but the young team played inconsistently and struggled in conference play despite the Pac-10 being widely considered to be relatively weak this season.

Senior forward Nikola Koprivica, a starter in the second half of the season, was the only upperclassman on the team. Bone recently said he hopes and expects everyone else to return, but there has been speculation that one or more little-used reserves might transfer.