Cougars Take Off For Illinois And Second Nit Assignment

Washington State’s men’s basketball team will leave from Spokane International Airport at 4:35 this afternoon to begin what it hopes will be an extended trip back East.

The Cougars (17-11) will face Illinois State (20-12) in Normal, Ill., Monday night in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament. Tipoff is set for 5:05 PST at Redbird Arena on the ISU campus.

There will be no television coverage of the game.

The WSU-ISU winner will play either Canisius (19-12) or Bradley (20-9) in a quarterfinal-round game later next week at a time and site to be determined.

It is unlikely the Cougars will have another home game in the tournament. That means they probably will stay on the road until they lose - or until they make it to New York’s Madison Square Garden, where the NIT holds its semifinals and finals.

The semifinals are set for Monday, March 27. The championship game will be played March 29.