For the first time in more than a century, Washington and Washington State may not meet in men’s basketball during the regular season.
A report from Greg Woods of the Spokesman-Review on X said the Huskies and Cougars will not play each other in the upcoming season. Instead, the two schools are expected to face off in an exhibition game in Seattle.
If that holds, it would mark the first season without a regular-season meeting between the programs since 1917.
The change comes in the wake of conference realignment that pushed Washington out of the Pac-12 and into the Big Ten ahead of the 2024-25 academic year. That move has already reshaped scheduling across the sport, with many long-running rivalry games now hanging in the balance as Power Four schools fill out their non-conference slates with lower-tier opponents.
Washington and Washington State’s basketball matchup is one piece of the broader Apple Cup Series, which tracks head-to-head results between the two schools and awards the school with the most points at the end of the year.
The rivalry has been a frequent fixture on the schedule. Washington has played Washington State 173 times all-time, which is second only to the Oregon Ducks among Huskies opponents. Washington also owns the series edge at 110-63 and has won the last three meetings.
That includes an 81-69 win last season on Nov. 14, 2025, in Pullman, Wash.
Washington has not yet released its full 2026-27 schedule, including the non-conference portion. The report did not say whether the absence of a regular-season game was caused by a scheduling conflict or by the schools failing to agree on a site for the matchup.
The Huskies’ roster for 2026-27 has already reached capacity after the addition of guard Harun Zrno from Rutgers through the transfer portal. Washington also added an assistant coach with 25 years of NBA experience to its staff.
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