Washington State, Eastern Washington will face off in NIT first-round game on Tuesday

After winning the Big Sky Conference but losing in the opening round of the conference tournament, Eastern Washington’s consolation is a rematch with a familiar foe: the Washington State Cougars.
The Eagles (22-10) and Cougars (17-16) will play at 8 p.m. Tuesday in Pullman in the opening round of the 32-team National Invitation Tournament. The field was announced Sunday evening, soon after the NCAA Tournament bracket.
Last year Washington State advanced to the NIT semifinals, where it lost to Texas A&M.
This will be just the second time Eastern has played in the NIT. The program’s previous appearance came in 2003, when it lost its first game to Wyoming, 78-71.
Presently, this matchup between the regional rivals serves as an in-season rematch after Washington State beat Eastern 82-56 on Nov. 21 in a game played at Spokane Arena.
Last season, Eastern scored a notable victory over the Cougars, 76-71, in Pullman. It was the Eagles’ second victory in the two teams’ all-time series.
This will be the first time the two have played a postseason game against each other.
The Cougars are seeded fourth in their quadrant of the bracket; the winner of Tuesday’s game in Pullman will face the winner of Wednesday’s game between No. 1 Oklahoma State (18-15) and Youngstown State (24-9).
As the Big Sky’s regular-season champion, Eastern Washington was guaranteed a spot in either the NCAA or the NIT. The Eagles lost in the Big Sky Tournament quarterfinals, 81-80, to ninth-seeded Northern Arizona, which won that game on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
Landing in the NIT, then, is a consolation of sorts for the Eagles, who at one point had the longest Division I winning streak in the country at 18 games and started the conference season 16-0 before losing their final two regular-season games.
Montana State, which won the Big Sky Tournament as the No. 2 seed, earned a No. 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will open against No. 3 Kansas State.