The Cougars were 16–14 overall in the regular season and 10–8 in conference play, fifth in the standings.[2] There was no conference tournament yet, which debuted five years later.
Washington State hosted the first two rounds in the West regional of the 48-team NCAA tournament at Beasley Coliseum.[3][4] The highest seeds, conference champions #2 Oregon State and #3 Idaho, had both defeated WSU on the tartan court this season; they advanced and met in the Sweet Sixteen in Provo, Utah.[5]