Washington State, Idaho reportedly agree to home-and-home hoops series

The Battle of the Palouse rivalry will be staged on the hardwood in each of the next two seasons.

Washington State and Idaho's men's basketball teams have agreed to a home-and-home series, according to a report from college hoops schedule insider Alex Rosinski.

The Cougars are set to host the Vandals at Beasley Coliseum on Nov. 27, and Idaho will welcome WSU to ICCU Arena early in the 2027-28 season.

The historic rivalry game had been contested every year from 1906-2021, making it the oldest continuous college basketball rivalry in the country. But the series' streak ended due to a Pac-12 rule that prohibited its teams from playing teams that were ranked too low in the NCAA's NET over a five-year period - per the former conference's rule, the Vandals weren't ranked highly enough, and the teams failed to come to a scheduling agreement in 2022.

But the Battle of the Palouse was revived in 2023 and has been played in each of the past three seasons, with WSU winning twice and Idaho prevailing 83-81 in Pullman last year. The game hasn't been played in Moscow since 2021 - the Cougs won that game by a series-record margin, 109-61.

WSU leads the series all time with a 168-115 record.

The Cougars are entering their first season in the restructured Pac-12 Conference with an overhauled roster, looking to improve after finishing the 2025-26 season with a 12-20 record. The Vandals won the Big Sky Conference Tournament last season and made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 36 years, but also had to replace most of their roster during the offseason due to transfers and graduation.

Rosinski also reported a few other nonconference scheduling updates for Idaho: The Vandals will visit Arizona State on Dec. 23 and will travel to Nevada on Nov. 18. UI is scheduled to host North Dakota State on Dec. 8.

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