Washington State Draws Oregon State on Friday to Start NCAA Tournament Play
The NCAA Tournament returns to Eugene this weekend with a regional field that features familiar ex-Pac 12 rivals, a future conference matchup, and two of the Washington State Cougars biggest games in years.
Washington State will open regional play on Friday against Oregon State at PK Park, home of top-seeded Oregon. The Cougars will then continue in the double-elimination regional format against either the Ducks or Yale Bulldogs, depending on the outcome of Friday’s opening games.
The Eugene Regional carries an unusual amount of Pac-12 history. Three schools with previous conference ties are grouped together as college athletics continues to shift through conference realignment. Oregon now competes in the Big Ten after the collapse of the Pac-12, while Oregon State spent the past two baseball seasons competing as an independent before agreeing to officially rejoin the rebuilt Pac-12 next year alongside Washington State. The regional gives the weekend a familiar West Coast feel despite the changing conference landscape.
Washington State enters the tournament after one of the program’s strongest seasons in recent memory. The Cougars secured an automatic NCAA Tournament berth after winning the Mountain West Championship, marking the program’s first NCAA appearance since 2010. Washington State finished the regular season with a 30-26 overall record and placed second in the Mountain West standings with a 15-9 conference record behind only San Diego State. The Cougars then beat San Diego State in a winner take all game sunday to recieve the Mountain West Automatic bid.
Washington State’s opening matchup against Oregon State presents a major challenge for the third seed out of Pullman. The Beavers enter the regional with a 43-12 record and are making their ninth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Beavers and Cougars split their two meetings earlier this season. Oregon State dominated the first matchup with an 18-0 victory, but Washington State responded later in the year with a dramatic 7-6 win, showing the Cougars are capable of competing with one of the nation’s premier programs.
If Washington State advances in the winner’s bracket, the Cougars would likely face another difficult test in Oregon. The Ducks enter postseason play ranked 14th nationally with a 40-16 overall record and are hosting the regional while finishing tied for third in the Big Ten. The other team in the field is Yale, earning the Ivy League’s automatic bid by winning the conference tournament. The Bulldogs enter the NCAA Tournament with a 30-13-1 record and bring momentum after an impressive finish to their season winning seven in a row. While Yale may enter as the least nationally recognized team in the field, the Bulldogs will look to play spoiler in a regional filled with former power conference programs.
For Washington State, the regional represents more than just another postseason appearance. It is another step forward for a program that has battled through conference uncertainty and years away from the national spotlight. Now the Cougars head to Eugene with a conference championship, continued confidence, and a chance to continue one of the program’s most memorable seasons in over a decade.
