Report: Washington State basketball team to face Baylor on Dec. 17 in Dallas

PULLMAN – Washington State’s basketball program continues to make moves to improve its reputation .

The latest addition to the Cougars’ 2022-23 schedule strengthens that argument.

WSU is set to play its most significant nonconference game in years when the Cougars square off with NCAA heavyweight Baylor on Dec. 17 in Dallas. The matchup was first reported Friday by college hoops bracketologist Rocco Miller. Further details haven’t been announced.

Under fourth-year coach Kyle Smith, the Cougars’ ambitions have grown and their competitve standings among power-conference teams is on the rise.

Washington State is hungry for an NCAA Tournament berth after putting together its best season in a decade in 2021-22, claiming 22 wins and advancing to the semifinal round of the NIT.

Scheduling an elite opponent in nonconference play represents a major step forward for a team eager to break into the national conversation. Baylor has qualified for nine of the past 13 NCAA tournaments. The Bears topped Gonzaga to win the national title in 2021 and advanced to the second round of the tournament last season.

Baylor finished the season ranked No. 4 on the AP Top 25 poll and is widely projected to be in the top 10 again this year. WSU most recently faced a top-10 opponent in nonconference play in 2015, when the Cougars lost to No. 3 Oklahoma 88-60 at the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii.