WSU to square off with Duke to kick off Acrisure Series in Palm Springs
PULLMAN - Washington State will take on a blue blood in the opening weeks of the basketball season.
The Cougars will square off with perennial powerhouse Duke on Nov. 21 in the opening game of the Acrisure Series, at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California. It will be the program's first matchup with the Blue Devils.
"Participating in the Acrisure Series is always an honor," WSU coach David Riley said via release. "It presents an incredible opportunity for our program and Cougar nation to represent Washington State on a national stage against the country's top teams. We look forward to a competitive matchup in greater Palm Springs in front of a Crimson crowd."
The Cougars, whose roster next season includes 12 newcomers, will get a Blue Devil team that has also replenished at key positions. Jon Scheyer's team lost star forward Cameron Boozer, widely projected to be a lottery pick in Tuesday's NBA draft, but they return key pieces like guards Cayden Boozer and Cameron Foster, and they've added transfer guard John Blackwell (Wisconsin) and big man Drew Scharnowski (Belmont). After falling in a thriller to UConn in the NCAA Tournament, Duke will be likely favorites for a national championship next season.
It'll be a real test for Riley's bunch, which spent this offseason restocking its entire starting five for the second straight season. The Cougars' new transfers include guards Sebastian Akins (Wake Forest), Jaylen Harrell (Providence), Lazerek Houston (Central Missouri, D-II), RJ Jones (TCU) and Jamari Phillips (Oregon) as well as forwards Ronnie Harrison (East Texas A&M), Ladji Dembele (UNLV), Tyler Kropp (Northwestern) and Fraser Roxburgh (Manhattan).
This game is the sixth known nonconference tilt on the Cougars' 2026-27 schedule. The others are a home game against Davidson (date TBA), a home matchup with Idaho (Nov. 27), a road game against Murray State (Nov. 30), home game against North Dakota State (Dec. 6) and a neutral-site game against Eastern Washington in Spokane (Dec. 22).
Cougars' known nonconference slate
Vs. Davidson, date TBA
Vs. Duke (Palm Springs), Nov. 21
Vs. Idaho, Nov. 27
At Murray State, Nov. 30
Vs. North Dakota State, Dec. 6
Vs. Eastern Washington (Spokane), Dec. 22
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