WSU, EWU match up in NIT

PULLMAN — After both teams finished the regular season with winning records, the Eastern Washington Eagles and the Washington State Cougars will face off in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament on Tuesday. “(The Eagles) are a different team,” WSU Head Coach Kyle Smith said. “I could see it coming a little bit; I’m just glad we caught them when we did there. They were still playing eight, nine guys, still trying to figure out who their rotation was … Our styles are not that different, where we play this year, and the more they play together the more continuity is there. They’re a really smart, really good offensive team.” The Eagles (22-10) finished the regular season as champions of the Big Sky Conference but were upset by Northern Arizona in the quarterfinals of the Big Sky Tournament last week. At one point this season, Eastern had won 18 straight games from Dec. 17 through Feb. 23 and held the nation’s longest winning streak in Division 1 basketball this year.