1940–41 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team
The 1940–41 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team represented Washington State College for the 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. The Cougars were overall in the regular season and 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, which the Cougars swept in 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 five NCAA Tournament appearances since (1980, 1983, 1994, 2007, 2008), and the best result is the Sweet Sixteen in 2008. Postseason results. ! style=| Pacific Coast Conference Playoff Series ! style=| NCAA Tournament