nonconference schedule
nonconference schedule at Wazzu is a file of 4 stories. The newest of them: “Cougs add Providence guard Harrell, book nonconference date with High Point”, “Cougs and Redhawks to clash at Climate Pledge in December doubleheader”, and “Cougs get Duke in Palm Springs for a November showdown”. Jaylen Harrell is coming to Pullman, and the Cougs just booked a November trip to High Point. David Riley is doing something smart: getting the Cougs back in front of the Seattle crowd. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every nonconference schedule story on Wazzu, newest first.
Cougs add Providence guard Harrell, book nonconference date with High Point
Jaylen Harrell is coming to Pullman, and the Cougs just booked a November trip to High Point. That's two things worth knowing. Harrell is a Providence transfer, a 6-foot-5 guard who only played six games last year before a season-ending injury. Small sample. But before that, he was the top-ranked recruit in Massachusetts, a four-star kid with offers from Alabama, Washington, and a half-dozen other Power 4 schools. He was Gatorade Player of the Year in 2024 and 2025. The talent is real. David Riley is betting on the tape from high school more than the Providence box score, and that feels right. Harrell is the sixth offseason addition, and all of them can score. That's the pattern. Riley is rebuilding the roster from scratch after losing 12 players, including Ace Glass to Vanderbilt and ND Okafor to Ole Miss. Okafor was a starter, an All-WCC honorable mention, and probably the most improved player on last year's team. Losing him hurts. But the new group, including Harrell, Sebastian Akins, RJ Jones, and a bunch of others, tilts toward offense. That's Riley's style. The High Point game is Nov. 7, on the road. That Panthers team just made the NCAA Tournament as a 12-seed and knocked off Wisconsin. Not a gimme. For more on how this roster is coming together, check our story on WSU hoops landing a big body from Northwestern. The Cougs are still building, but the shape is getting clearer. Go Cougs.
Cougs and Redhawks to clash at Climate Pledge in December doubleheader
David Riley is doing something smart: getting the Cougs back in front of the Seattle crowd. On Dec. 19, Wazzu meets Seattle U at Climate Pledge Arena as part of a doubleheader that also features UW and Baylor. That's a good night of hoops in a building that deserves it. This is the third meeting in two seasons between the Cougs and Redhawks. They split last year, Seattle U won 69-55 at home, WSU answered 70-58 in Pullman. Those games had some juice. Riley and Seattle U coach Chris Victor worked together at Eastern Washington, and last season they even ran the same first play. Riley called it funny. He's right. That kind of history makes a mid-December game feel like more than a tune-up. Riley's roster is almost entirely new, 13 newcomers, including transfers from TCU, Wake Forest, UNLV, and Oregon. That's a lot of new faces to gel before conference play. A game like this, in front of Coug fans west of the mountains, is a chance to build something. For more on the schedule and what's ahead, check out our coverage of WSU and Gonzaga closing league play. That one's a Wednesday night showdown worth circling. Go Cougs.
Cougs get Duke in Palm Springs for a November showdown
Washington State basketball is going to get a crack at Duke in Palm Springs this November, and that is not a sentence Coug fans get to read every year. In fact, it's the first time the program has ever scheduled the Blue Devils. David Riley's squad will tip off against Jon Scheyer's loaded roster on Nov. 21 at Acrisure Arena, and the Cougars will be the clear underdog. That's fine. That's when this program has always been most dangerous. Riley is basically building a new team again, 12 newcomers on the roster, and Duke is Duke. They lost Cameron Boozer to the NBA draft, but they return Cayden Boozer and Cameron Foster and added John Blackwell from Wisconsin and Drew Scharnowski from Belmont. They're a national title favorite. The Cougars are still figuring out who they are. This is the kind of game that gets your attention in November. Win or lose, it's a measuring stick. And if you want to remember what it felt like when the Cougs finally broke through after decades of waiting, go read our piece on Jim Walden, who died at 88. He brought the program to its first bowl in 50 years. That same stubborn, underdog pride is what Riley is banking on in Palm Springs. Go Cougs.
After 108 years, Cougs-Huskies hoops goes exhibition only
For the first time since 1917, the Cougs and Huskies won't play a regular-season basketball game. That streak, 301 games, is on pause. Instead, they'll meet for an exhibition in Seattle this October. It feels wrong to type that. Both coaches agreed to a two-year extension after the Pac-12 fell apart, but talks for this season fell through. David Riley wanted to keep it going. Danny Sprinkle said it wasn't that important to him, then later said he'd keep it if it benefitted UW. He's 2-0 in the rivalry, so maybe that colors his view. It colors mine too. This one stings because the game would have been fascinating. The Huskies poached two of Riley's former guys, LeJuan Watts and Steele Venters, out of the portal. Watts played for Riley at WSU last year before bouncing to Texas Tech and then to UW. Venters followed Riley from Eastern Washington to Gonzaga and now to Seattle. That's a lot of subplots for an exhibition. The nonconference slate still has some juice, Duke in Palm Springs, LSU on the road, and Eastern Washington in Spokane. And the athletic department made a smart hire in Tyler Mariucci from Fresno State, a guy who knows how to raise money in a new conference. That matters more than ever. For more on how Cougs are making moves in basketball, check out our piece on Riley's mystery big man, Mohamed Sankhe. Big French kid, 6-10, and the last piece of the roster. Go Cougs.