open
open at Wazzu is a file of 2 stories. The newest of them: “Cougs Tip Off Season at Beasley With Arizona on Deck” and “Cougs learn early: 2026-27 starts in Cali”. The first ball drops at Beasley Coliseum this week, and Arizona is the team standing on the other side of the court. The 2026-27 season starts in California. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every open story on Wazzu, newest first.
Cougs Tip Off Season at Beasley With Arizona on Deck
The first ball drops at Beasley Coliseum this week, and Arizona is the team standing on the other side of the court. That's a real opener for a season that has felt like it was crawling toward tip-off. David Riley's roster vanished again last spring. He rebuilt anyway. That story, which we published earlier this fall, explains what it took to get here. This is the part where we finally get to see what that work looks like under the lights. Arizona is not the same program that rolled through the Palouse a few years ago. New conference, new roster, new everything. That does not make them an easy opener. It makes them a measuring stick. For a WSU team that has spent the offseason answering questions about who is still here, the first game is the only answer that matters. There is no way to know what this team is yet. That is the point. You show up, you watch, you figure it out together. That is what November at Beasley has always been. If you are in Pullman, get to your seat. If you are not, find a stream and pour one out for the old days. The season is here. That is enough. Go Cougs.
Cougs learn early: 2026-27 starts in Cali
The 2026-27 season starts in California. That's what the early schedule says, and it's not a vacation. Washington State's men's basketball team will open next year on the road, playing at Cali. It's a long way from Pullman, but it's also a statement. You don't get to ease into things. You go west, you play a real program, and you find out what you're made of right away. This is the kind of detail that matters when you're following a program that has had to rebuild from scratch more than once. David Riley's roster vanished again. He rebuilt anyway. That's Pullman. If you haven't read that piece yet, it connects directly to why this opening matters. Riley doesn't get to start slow. He gets to start in Cali, with a team that is still taking shape, against a program that won't feel sorry for you. We've seen this team fight. We watched them claw back against SDSU and come up short. We saw them scrap with Utah State and lose in five, but never lose the fight. That fight is the whole point. Starting in Cali isn't a punishment. It's a chance to show that the Cougs are ready to compete, no matter where the tip-off happens. The schedule is what it is. You show up, you play, and you don't make excuses. Go Cougs.