Ken Bone has been let go as coach at Washington State, the school announced Tuesday.

Bone, 55, has spent the past five seasons with the Cougars and will leave with an 80-86 mark. He had the unenviable task of following Tony Bennett, who took WSU to two NCAA tournament appearances in his three years in Pullman -- including the Sweet 16 in 2008 -- before leaving for Virginia.

"I appreciate what Ken has done for Cougar basketball, leading us to the postseason twice in the last four years, and I thanked him for his service to WSU," athletic director Bill Moos said in a statement. "But at this point we need to revitalize our fan base, particularly our student body, and position this program to compete for championships."

Bone was in the fifth year of a seven-year contract. His buyout included the remaining $1.7 million from the deal.

Bone, who exits as the Cougars' sixth all-time winningest coach, came from Portland State, where he took the Vikings to two consecutive NCAA tourney appearances.

Moos said Washington State would "begin the process of naming the next head coach immediately."

Washington State was 10-21 this season, 3-15 in Pac-12 play.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.