CHENEY, Wash. — The Eastern Washington Eagles will face the Washington State Cougars in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) on Tuesday, March 14 at 8 p.m. in Pullman, Wash., as announced on Sunday evening. The Eagles earned an automatic bid as the Big Sky Conference Regular Season Champions.

It will be a rematch opportunity for the Eagles as they faced the Cougars early this season, with WSU pulling away for an 82-56 win at Spokane Arena on Nov. 21. The Cougars' Jabe Mullins led all scorers with 24 points, anchored by 8-11 from 3-point range, while EWU's Steele Venters put up 20 on 7-for-15 shooting (5-7 3PT).

Eastern went on to finish 22-10 overall and 16-2 in Big Sky play, losing to Northern Arizona in the first round of the Big Sky Men's Basketball Championship tournament in Boise. WSU finished tied for fifth in the Pac-12 with a 17-16 overall record (11-9 conference) while winning 10 of 13 games at home. They lost in the second round of the Pac-12 Tournament to Oregon.

EWU is 2-16 against the Cougars all-time as a Division I program (12-57 overall). They won at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman last season, 76-71 on Nov. 27, 2021, behind a 48-point second half offensive explosion. Several current Eagles played key minutes in the victory, including Ethan Price, Angelo Allegri and Venters, who all started.

It will be the second time EWU has competed in the NIT, with the first coming back in 2003. Eastern played Wyoming that year, losing 71-78. The game was notably delayed two days due to a massive snowstorm that stranded the team in Denver on their way to Laramie, Wyo. At one point, players and staff had to help push their chartered bus out of a snow drift.

Eastern's path to the NIT semifinals and championship in Las Vegas would include a second-round matchup against the winner of Oklahoma State and Youngstown State. They would then face one of Alcorn State, North Texas, Sam Houston State or Santa Clara. The tournament semifinals at Orleans Arena are scheduled for March 28 with the Championship on March 30.

This year also marks the 10th overall postseason appearance in EWU program history and sixth in the last seven seasons, not including the canceled 2020 finish. The Eagles are 1-8 all-time, with their lone win coming versus Pepperdine in the first round of the 2016 College Basketball Invitational.

The EWU at WSU game will be televised on ESPNU. Radio listeners can tune into the Eagle Sports Network on 700 ESPN / 103.5 FM in the Spokane / Cheney area, or via Varsity Network.