Northwest Notes Oct. 16, 2024

EWU bringing back men's golf program, dropping men's tennis

CHENEY — After a pair of hiatuses, the men's golf program is returning to Eastern Washington University effective the 2025-26 academic year, the school announced.

The Eagle men’s team made its debut at the NAIA level in the 1960s before playing in NCAA Division II in the 80s. After a 10-year hiatus from 1982 to 1992, the men’s program returned with the addition of the women’s team and went on to play through the 2001-02 academic year. 

“As a regional comprehensive university, we felt it was important to sponsor a sport that strengthens our connection to our community and future prospective students at EWU,” EWU athletic director Tim Collins said. “We have a great opportunity to build a roster featuring student-athletes from the Pacific Northwest and reconnect with our golf alumni as we rebuild the program alongside the women’s team which has been active for 32 years.”

The EWU men’s team will compete in regional tournaments that fulfill NCAA Division I sport sponsorship requirements. 

Eastern will discontinue its men’s tennis program at the varsity level at the end of the 2024-25 school year. Men’s tennis will be reclassified as a club sport starting in 2025-26.

The Eastern women’s tennis team will continue as a varsity and Big Sky Conference member.

EWU will honor the athletic scholarships of current men’s tennis team members through a student-athlete's graduation from Eastern if those student-athletes choose to stay at EWU.

Gonzaga announces men's basketball TV schedule

SPOKANE — The Gonzaga men's basketball team's television schedule for the 2024-25 season, with available game times, were released as the West Coast Conference announced the league’s broadcast schedule Tuesday.

Twelve of the Zags' 31 regular season games this season will be on ESPN or ESPN2, including four at the McCarthey Athletic Center. GU's matchups against UConn and UCLA will be on FOX, while away games at San Diego State, Oregon State, and Santa Clara will be on CBS Sports Network.

Another 11 games will be available regionally on KHQ, including the home exhibition game against Warner Pacific. Those 11 games will be available on ESPN Plus outside of the Spokane area.

The WCC will once again be a featured part of ESPN’s coverage of men’s college basketball, with 14 conference games appearing on ESPN platforms, including four Tuesday telecasts and three Wednesday telecasts. ESPN will feature six total games of the 2025 WCC Basketball Championship, including both the men’s basketball and women's basketball championship games on March 11.

All games that are televised on an ESPN network will also be available on the ESPN App with TV Everywhere credentials. WCC men’s basketball regular season games that are not nationally televised on ESPN or CBS Sports Network, will be available on ESPN+, the leading sports streaming service. Blackout restrictions apply in certain local markets.

Gonzaga's first exhibition against USC on Big Ten Plus is scheduled for 5 p.m., on Oct. 26. The first regular season game against Baylor in the Spokane Arena on Nov. 4 will be on ESPN2 at 8:30 p.m.

GONZAGA SCHEDULE

October

26 — vs. USC (at Palm Desert, Calif.), 5 p.m., Big Ten Plus. 30 — vs. Warner Pacific, 6 p.m., KHQ/ESPN Plus.

November 

4 — vs. Baylor, 8:30 p.m., ESPN2. 10 — vs. Arizona State, 2 p.m., ESPN. 15 — vs. UMass Lowell, 6 p.m., KHQ/ESPN Plus. 18 — at San Diego State, 7 p.m., CBSSN. 20 — vs. Long Beach State, 6 p.m., KHQ/ESPN Plus. 27 — vs. West Virginia (at Paradise Island, Bahamas), 11:30 a.m., ESPN or ESPN2. 28 — vs. Indiana or Louisville, time TBD, ESPN or ESPN2. 29 — vs. TBD, time TBD, ESPN or ESPN2.

December

7 — vs. Kentucky (at Seattle), 7 p.m., ESPN2. 14 — vs. UConn (at New York City), 5 p.m., FOX. 18 — vs. Nichols, 6 p.m., KHQ/ESPN Plus. 21 — vs. Bucknell, 6 p.m., KHQ/ESPN Plus. 28 — vs. UCLA (at Los Angeles), 5 p.m., FOX. 30 — at Pepperdine, 7 p.m., ESPN Plus.

January 

2 — vs. Portland, 6 p.m., KHQ/ESPN Plus. 4 — at Loyola Marymount, 6 p.m., ESPN Plus. 8 — vs. San Diego, 6 p.m., KHQ/ESPN Plus. 11 — vs. Washington State, 6 p.m., KHQ/ESPN Plus. 16 — at Oregon State, 8 p.m., CBSSN. 18 — vs. Santa Clara, 6 p.m., KHQ/ESPN Plus. 25 — at Portland, time TBA, ESPN Plus. 28 — vs. Oregon State, 8 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2.

February

1 — at Saint Mary's, 8 p.m., ESPN. 6 — vs. Loyola Marymount, 6 p.m., KHQ/ESPN Plus. 8 — at Pacific, time TBA, ESPN Plus. 13 — vs. San Francisco, 8 p.m., ESPN. 15 — vs. Pepperdine, 6 p.m., KHQ/ESPN Plus. 19 — at Washington State, 6 p.m., ESPN2. 22 — vs. Saint Mary's, 5 or 7 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2. 25 — at Santa Clara, 8 p.m., CBSSN.

March 

1 — at San Francisco, 8 p.m., ESPN. 6-11 — at WCC tournament.

WSU announces men's basketball tip times

PULLMAN, Wash. – The Washington State men's basketball team will play at least nine nationally-televised games as part of its 2024-25 schedule, the program announced Tuesday. The Cougars announced game times for all home games at Beasley Coliseum and the majority of tipoff times for their away games.

WSU’s nonconference clash with Boise State, Saturday, Dec. 2, will be televised on CBS with tip off scheduled for 1 p.m. PT. The Cougars will appear on national television two additional times in nonconference play, including a neutral-site game with Iowa, Nov. 15, on B1G Network at 5:30 p.m. PT in the John Deere Quad Cities Hoops Showdown. Wazzu heads to Seattle, Wednesday, Dec. 18 to play Washington at 8 p.m. on FS1.

The Cougars will host three national broadcast games in WCC action, including a midweek clash with Gonzaga, Feb. 19, at Beasley Coliseum, on ESPN2. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. 

When Wazzu faces Saint Mary’s, Saturday, Jan. 25, the Cougs and Gaels will tip off at 5 p.m. with coverage on CBS Sports Network. WSU welcomes Santa Clara, Saturday, Feb. 22, for a second CBS Sports Network broadcast at 3 p.m. from Beasley Coliseum.

All of the Cougars’ home games and conference road games which are not selected for national broadcast will stream live on ESPN+. WSU begins the David Riley era Monday, Nov. 4, against Portland State at Beasley Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. as the second half of a Cougar doubleheader with WSU women’s basketball. The Cougs will play again Friday, Nov. 8, at 8 p.m. against the Bradley Braves.

WSU’s weeknight home games against Idaho (Nov. 11), Northern Colorado (Nov. 18), Pacific (Jan. 9), and senior night against San Diego (Feb. 27) will all tip off at 6:30 p.m. The Cougs’ weekend home games against Missouri State (Dec. 14), Portland (Jan. 18), and Pepperdine (Feb. 8) will all tip off at 2 p.m.

The Cougs’ home game with LMU, hosted at Spokane Arena, Dec. 30, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+. Following the Spokane trip, the Cougs will ring in the new year with a WSU basketball doubleheader, Saturday, Jan. 4, hosting San Francisco at 4 p.m. after the WSU women’s game at noon.

WSU SCHEDULE

November

4 — vs. Portland State, 8 p.m., ESPN Plus. 8 — vs. Bradley, 8 p.m., ESPN Plus. 11 — vs. Idaho, 6:30 p.m., ESPN Plus. 15 — vs. Iowa (at Moline, Ill.), 5:30 p.m., B1G Ten Network. 18 — vs. Northern Colorado, 6:30 p.m., ESPN Plus. 21 — vs. Eastern Washington (at Spokane), 6:30 p.m., SWX. 26 — vs. Fresno State (at Palm Desert, Calif.), 9 p.m., TBA. 27 — vs. SMU or Cal Baptist, 6:30 or 9 p.m., TBA. 

December

2 — at Nevada, TBA, TBA. 7 — vs. Boise State (at Idaho Central Arena), 1 p.m., KREM. 14 — vs. Missouri State, 2 p.m., ESPN Plus. 18 — at Washington, 8 p.m., FS1. 21 — vs. Northern Iowa (at Las Vegas), 1 p.m., FloHoops. 28 — at Portland, TBA, ESPN Plus. 30 — vs. Loyola Marymount (at Spokane), 6:30 p.m., ESPN Plus. 

January

4 — vs. San Francisco, 4 p.m., ESPN Plus. 9 — vs. Pacific, 6:30 p.m., ESPN Plus. 11 — at Gonzaga, 6 p.m., KHQ/ESPN Plus. 16 — at San Diego, TBA, ESPN Plus. 18 — vs. Portland, 2 p.m., ESPN Plus. 23 — at Santa Clara, 8 p.m., CBSSN. 25 — vs. Saint Mary's, 5 p.m., CBSSN. 30 — at Pacific, TBA, ESPN Plus.

February

1 — at San Francisco, 7 p.m., ESPN Plus. 6 — at Oregon State, 8 p.m., ESPN2. 8 — vs. Pepperdine, 2 p.m., ESPN Plus. 15 — at Saint Mary's, 7 p.m., ESPN2 or ESPNU. 19 — vs. Gonzaga, 6 p.m., ESPN2. 22 — vs. Santa Clara, 3 p.m., CBSSN. 27 — vs. San Diego, 6:30 p.m., ESPN Plus.

March

1 — at Pepperdine, 7 p.m., ESPN Plus. 6-11 — at WCC tournament.