A Quick Look at Washington State Basketball's Non-Conference Slate in 2024

The Cougars have some interesting matchups before WCC play begins.

Keenan Womack | Aug 17, 2024

Mar 21, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; The Washington State Cougars mascot Butch T. Cougar performs in the first half against the Drake Bulldogs in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at CHI Health Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports / Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

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Washington State tips off their regular season against Portland State on November 4th, a matchup that starts of a three-game stretch of very winnable contests for the Cougars, even with their newly revamped roster and coaching staff.

The next two games, taking on Bradley and Idaho at home, lead up to a bigger battle: a neutral-site clash with the Big 10's Iowa Hawkeyes in the Quad Cities Hoops Showdown in Moline, Illinois.

Though they have been in the middle of the pack for the last couple of seasons, Iowa brings back a possible all-conference type of player in Payton Sandfort, who averaged 16.4 points per game last season on 37.9% from deep. It will be a good early-season test for the Cougars as their new pieces adapt to a new system.

Following this game, they play Northern Colorado, proceeding what will be a very interesting matchup against Eastern Washington. The context of this game is what makes it so appealing – former EWU head coach Kyle Smith now leads the Cougars, along with four Eagles transfers in Cedric Coward, Dane Erikstrup, Ethan Price, and LeJuan Watts.

A coach playing his old team is nothing new, but it may be even more fascinating here given the amount of transfers that went with him to Pullman.

The Cougs then enter the Acrisure Invitational in Palm Desert, California, playing against Fresno State in the first game and pending a possible matchup with either SMU or Cal Baptist should they beat the Bulldogs.

After this tournament, which wraps up the November schedule of games, they travel to Reno to face the Nevada Wolfpack, with a five-day turnaround before going to Boise to play a "neutral site" game against the Boise State Broncos.

After then playing Missouri State at home, the Cougars will suit up for a game against their bitter rivals, the Washington Huskies, where they will go on the road and play at Alaska Airlines Arena.

Their last game before conference play starts will be versus Northern Iowa, concluding their non-conference slate with a game against an underrated Panthers team.

Overall, this is a pretty solid group of games before the season really starts against Portland on December 28th – they should be more than battle tested by the time they reach the meat of the WCC schedule.

Published Aug 17, 2024

KEENAN WOMACK

Keenan Womack is a sportswriter native to Dallas, Texas, who has spent the last 12 years in Austin, the home of his alma mater, the University of Texas. Keenan has covered sports for SB Nation, Bleacher Report, Rivals/Orangebloods, a host of his own sites and now, Fan Nation. Focusing on basketball, Keenan was on the beat for the Longhorns hoops team for the last two-and-a-half years before moving on to pursue other opportunities. He is married and lives with his wife close to the Moody Center, so they can continue to catch games together.