Photo Gallery: Washington State marches on

Cougars beat Stanford to advance in Pac-12 Tournament.

LAS VEGAS — The Washington State men’s basketball team has never played in the Pac-12 Conference Tournament championship game. The Cougars now stand only one victory away from making their first appearance.

It was WSU 79, Stanford 62 on Thursday at T-Mobile Arena. The Cougars had six players in double figures and cruised to a quarterfinal victory over the Cardinal.

The Cougars are 24-8 this season. WSU plays Colorado on Friday. The winner advances to Saturday’s tournament title game.

‘There will be a laundry list of how many accomplishments this team has had,” Washington State coach Kyle Smith said after the game. “That would be another — we haven't been to the semifinals in five years. To get to the finals would be great… obviously our goal is to win it.”

Stanford fired coach Jerod Haase after the game. His record was 126-127 in eight seasons.

I’ll have full coverage of the Pac-12 Tournament at JohnCanzano.com. Make sure you’re subscribed if you want my work delivered to your email in-box in real time. Photographer Omer Khan was on the scene on Thursday.

His photo gallery is worth your time:

---

I appreciate all who support, subscribe, and share this independent writing endeavor. Please consider a subscription or a gift subscription for a family member or friend:

This is an independent reader-supported project with both free and paid subscriptions. Those who opt for the paid edition are providing vital assistance to bolster my independent coverage and have full access to all of my posts.