Washington Huskies Men's Basketball Team's In-State Rivalry Reportedly Ending
· Yahoo Sports
In the years since the mass realignment, several of the most iconic and longest-running annual rivalry games in the sport have ended due to universities switching conferences.
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The Washington Huskies and Washington State Cougars men's basketball programs are now included in that list.
According to a report on "X" from Greg Woods of the Spokesman-Review, Washington and Washington State won't play one another in men's basketball this upcoming season. Instead, the two sides will compete in an exhibition game in Seattle.
It will be the first time since 1917 that the two teams won't play a regular season game. The two sides used to be mutual members of the Pac-12, but the Huskies moved from the conference to the Big Ten ahead of the 2024-25 academic year.
The mass realignment ahead of the 2024 season has resulted in many of the country's longest-standing rivalries being left up in the air, due to most Power Four schools leading to scheduling lower-tier programs in their non-conference schedule.
The men's basketball game, as well as the other matchups between the two universities, is part of the overall Apple Cup Series, which is awarded to the school who has the most points from head-to-head results at the end of the year.
Washington has played Washington State 173 times all-time. The only team the Huskies have played more than the Cougars is the Oregon Ducks.
The Huskies are 110-63 in the all-time series. They've won the last three matchups, including an 81-69 victory last season Nov. 14, 2025, in Pullman, Wash.
Washington Huskies guard Koren Johnson (0) celebrates after a 74-68 win against the Washington State Cougars on March 7, 2024, at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, Wash. | James Snook/Imagn ImagesWashington is yet to announce its full schedule, including its non-conference slate, for the 2026-27 season. It was not made clear at the time of the report whether the game not happening was due to either side not having an open slot in their schedule or not agreeing on the location for the contest.
Other relevant stories-- The Huskies roster for the 2026-27 season reached capacity after landing guard Harun Zrno in the transfer portal from the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
-- Here's the 15 players who Washington will have for the upcoming season.
-- Washington added an assistant coach to the staff with 25 years of NBA history under his belt.
Washington Huskies Men's Basketball Adds Coach With NBA Experience to StaffHuskies head coach Danny Sprinkle added Charles Klask to the coaching staff the same day the roster reached capacity.-- A four-year player for the Huskies women's basketball team, Hannah Stines, is looking for a fifth year of eligibility after suiting the NCAA under the governing body's new eligibility rules.
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