DAVIDSON WILDCATS (0-0, 0-0) AT WASHINGTON STATE (0-0, 0-0)
6 p.m., Monday, November 2, 2026 • PAC-12 YouTube
Beasley Coliseum (11,671) • Pullman
COUGS HOST WILDCATS TO OPEN 2026-27 SEASON AT BEASLEY COLISEUM
OPENING TIPS
1. The Washington State men’s basketball program begins its 125th season, tipping off the 2025-26 season, Monday, November 2 against the Davidson Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, Washington. The Cougars are led by third-year head coach David Riley, with two returners and 14 newcomers, including four freshmen and 10 transfers, including four from power four conferences.
2. Monday night’s season opener marks the second all-time meeting between the Cougars and Wildcats, with their first meeting last season on November 7 in Davidson, North Carolina. The Cougars fell to the Wildcats, 69-85 in their first road test last season at John M. Belk Arena.
3. David Riley finished his second season on the Palouse 12-20 overall and 7-11 in the WCC. The Cougars went 9-6 at home and 1-11 on the road. In Riley’s first season on the Palouse in 2024, WSU went 19-15 with a postseason berth to the inaugural College Basketball Crown. The selection marked a third postseason in his first four seasons for Coach Riley, and fourth-consecutive postseason for the Cougs. Riley is seven wins away from 100 career wins as a head coach.
4. Since the start of the 2020-21 season, WSU is 68-27 at home (.716). The Cougs went 11-5 last season when outrebounding their opponent vs 1-15 when losing the board battle.
5. The Cougars returned Dominik Robinson and Dio Blakely after their first season of playing time at WSU in 2025-26.
UP NEXT
The Cougars will hit the road for the first time this season, traveling to High Point, North Carolina to face High Point University, Saturday, November 7. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET and 2 p.m. PT with coverage on ESPN+.
HOME OPENERS
The Cougars are 102-23 all-time in season openers. Wazzu is 63-9 when opening the season at home. In their home opener last season, Washington State lost to the University of Idaho 81-83, snapping their 29-game winning streak in home season openers. It also snapped a 35-season winning streak in the first game of the season at Beasley.
Harrison and Dembele Named to Pac-12 Impact List, Cougs Picked Eighth In Media Poll
Entering the 2026-27 season as a member of the PAC-12 Conference, Washington State forwards Ronnie Harrison and Ladji Dembele were named to the Pac-12 Impact List, the conference office announced. The Cougs were also picked to finish eighth in the Pac-12 Conference Preseason Media poll ahead of the 2026-27 season.
COUGS IN EXHIBITION
Washington State played two exhibition games, both on the road. The Cougars lost 64-92 to preseason Mountain West favorites New Mexico on Oct. 18 at The Pit. 12 Cougs appeared in the game with 10 players playing 10 or more minutes. WSU then faced off against former Pac-12 foe and rival University of Washington on Sunday, Oct. 25. WSU came away from Seattle with the 84-80 win, mounting a 10-point deficit in the first half. Senior, Ronnie Harrison led the team with 23 points and 11 rebounds, recording an individual 10-0 run in the second half to secure the lead. Sophomore, Lazerek Houston went 12-24 from the free throw line and led the team with four assists and 29 minutes played. It was the first time since 2015 the Cougs have played two exhibitions before their home opener.
FRIEL THE HEAT
In Coach Riley’s two seasons with WSU, he is 19-10 (.655) overall at home and 11-7 overall (.611) in conference play at home. Went 9-6 overall at home last season, and 6-3 at Beasley against conference foes. In his five seasons as head coach, has a 50-16 overall record at home (31-6 at Eastern Washington). In home openers under Riley, the Cougars are 1-1 with their lone loss a 81-83 defeat against the Idaho Vandals last season.
NEW LOOK COUGS
WSU returns just two players from the 2025-26 roster, sophomore Dio Blakely and freshman Dominik Robinson. The Cougars have 14 new players wearing the Crimson and Gray this season, 10 transfers, three Academy/Club players and one high school. Five of those transfers come from the Power Four level (Missouri, Northwestern, Oregon, TCU and Wake Forest). Sophomore Dio Blakely played only six minutes of the 6,400 total minutes played by Cougs last season. None of the current players on the WSU roster have made a field goal from beyond the arc for the Cougars.
ROAD WOES
WSU went 1-11 on the road last season, one of 27 schools in the country with one or fewer road wins.
GET AHEAD EARLY, SUSTAIN THE LEAD, SCORE MORE POINTS
Last season, the Cougs went 1-13 when trailing at halftime. WSU also went 2-12 when outscored by their opponent in the second half. When scoring less than 70 points, WSU went 1-13 overall. Recorded a 11-7 record when recording 70+ points. The Cougs failed to record a win when trailing in the final five minutes of the game, going 0-16 in those contests. When having a lower field goal percentage than their opponent, WSU went 1-15 overall.
CONTRACT EXTENSION
WSU announced a one-year extension to David Riley’s existing contract, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. Riley’s contract now runs through the 2030-31 season.
NEW PAC-12 ON THE HORIZON
The revitalized Pac-12 Conference launched July 1, 2026 with a strong slate of men’s basketball programs including Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oregon State, San Diego State, Texas State, and Utah State.
NBA COUGS
Five former Cougs are on NBA rosters: Isaac Jones (Detroit Pistons), Klay Thompson (Miami Heat), Cedric Coward (Memphis Grizzlies), Jaylen Wells (Memphis Grizzlies) and Mouhamed Gueye (Atlanta Hawks). Cedric Coward was named to the All-Rookie First team for the 2025-26 NBA season. Coward averaged 13.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, finishing fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting. Coward was the second straight former Coug to be named to the All-Rookie First team (also: Jaylen Wells, 2024-25). Wells finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2024-25.