1981–82 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team

{{short description|American college basketball season}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox NCAA team season

|mode=Basketball

|year=1981–82

|team=Washington State Cougars

|image=

|image_size=150

|conference=Pacific-10

|division=

|short_conf=Pac-10

|CoachRank=

|APRank=

|record=16–14

|conf_record=10–8

|head_coach=George Raveling

|hc_year=10th

|asst_coach1=Len Stevens

|asst_coach2=

|asst_coach3=

|stadium=Beasley Coliseum

|champion=

|bowl=

|bowl_result=

}}

{{1981–82 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball standings}}

The 1981–82 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team represented Washington State University for the 1981–82 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by tenth-year head coach George Raveling, the Cougars were members of the Pacific-10 Conference and played their home games on campus at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, Washington.

The Cougars were {{nowrap|16–14}} overall in the regular season and {{nowrap|10–8}} in conference play, fifth in the standings.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UplfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iTEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5117%2C2507534 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |title=WSU goes down swinging |date=March 7, 1982 |page=10C}} 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.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=n_hLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iO4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6676%2C3248842 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=staff and wire reports |title=UI: To Pullman with a bye |date=March 8, 1982 |page=19}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9OpWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Z_kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7258%2C2024609 |work=Spokane Chronicle |location=(Washington) |title=Pullman: It's Vandal country |date=March 8, 1982 |page=19}} 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.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pvhLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iO4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6111%2C6045848|newspaper=Spokesman-Review|location=Spokane, Washington|title=Idaho: Next stop, Provo|last=Missildine|first=Harry|date=March 15, 1982|page=15}}