Cougars MBB to play in quadruple-header

PULLMAN – The Washington State Cougars will travel to Dallas in December to take part in the second-annual Pac-12 US LBM Coast-to-Coast Challenge, the conference announced on Monday.

The Cougars will face off against Baylor on December 18 at the American Airlines Center, with tip-off tentatively scheduled for 7 p.m.

The last time the two teams met was at the 2010 Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu, where the Cougars defeated the Bears 77-71. WSU holds a 3-1 advantage in all-time meetings against Baylor, their only defeat being a 58-52 loss in 2008 in Pullman.

"Playing Baylor this season gives us an incredible opportunity to see where our program rates against one of the best programs in the country," Washington State Head Coach Kyle Smith said. "Baylor has championship DNA and NBA talent all over their roster. It's a testament to the growth of our program that we are even considered for the event."

The Coast-to-Coast Challenge features four games, two men’s and two women’s. The other men’s game taking place at the American Airlines Center is Stanford taking on Texas, and the two women’s games are USC vs. Texas and Arizona vs. Baylor. The Cougars against Baylor will be the final game of the quadruple-header.

Last season, Baylor earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a 27-7 record and co-ownership of the Big 12 regular season title. The Bears are two years removed from winning a national championship.

Three-quarters of the teams involved qualified for postseason play a year ago - five teams from the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments and the Cougars, who advanced to the semifinals of the NIT.