With virtually a whole new roster, are the Washington State Cougars going to be one of the worst men’s basketball teams in the newly formed Pac-12 Conference this season?

Could third-year coach David Riley and the crew be better than people think?

Heck, could WSU be a sneaky contender for a conference championship?

“We’ve got a lot of new faces,” Riley said, “so it’s been a really busy preseason for us trying to get into some concepts.”

Forward Ronnie Harrison, a 6-foot-8 transfer from East Texas A&M, and point guard Lazerek Houston, a transfer from NCAA D2 Central Missouri, are expected to lead an all-new starting five for the Cougars in 2026-27.

Because the projected top eight in the rotation are all new, Riley said coaches “simplified a few things to make sure we are able to play together and play hard” once the season started.

That will be under something to watch Monday night.

Two things Riley wants to get from this squad right from the get-go are playing fast and being physical - especially with an undersized trio at center.

Then, it will be interesting to watch the evolution of how well this team plays together. So far, Harrison - who projects to be the team’s scoring engine - has shown a willingness to share the basketball.

To help enhance the get-to-know-you process, Riley said one of the adjustments in the offseason was getting “these guys playing (in live scrimmaging) and understanding what makes each guy tick.”

“You’ve got to put them in pressure situations,” Riley said. “If the first time you really hit adversity is (Nov. 2) when the first game hits, that is a problem.”

Perhaps the best thing to happen to this group was going to New Mexico on Oct. 18 for a first exhibition game and losing, 92-64, in “The Pit” where the offense was sloppy (17 turnovers) and the defense was shoddy (the Lobos shot 57.9 percent from the floor).

“Instead of fighting back with a team mindset, we kind of fought back with an individual mindset,” Riley said. “That goes hand-in-hand with some of our guys who are confident in themselves more than they are in the team structure.”

A week later, the Cougars went to Washington to grab an 84-80 victory at Hec Edmundson Pavilion in Seattle in their final exhibition tune-up before the season.

And while they still have too many turnovers (19), the Cougars had eight steals and five blocked shots, and outrebounded Washington, 40-32.

“At the end of the day, these preseason games are about showing improvement,” Riley said. “From (the New Mexico game) to (the UW game), we played tough and played together.”

Washington State vs. Davidson: Live stream, game time and radio information

Date: Monday, Nov. 2

Tipoff: 6 p.m. PT

Location: Beasley Coliseum | Pullman, Washington

Live stream: Pac-12 YouTube

Radio: 920 AM/100.7 FM (Pullman); 710 AM (Seattle); Cougar Sports Network