​The Washington Huskies men’s basketball team won’t be playing one of their most iconic rivals this season.It was reported earlier in the week that the Huskies wouldn’t be playing the Washington State Cougars in men’s basketball for the first time since 1917, but instead will play each other in an exhibition game.It was not clarified whether the two sides weren’t able to come to terms on a location, if there was a conflict in the dates available or both, but Spokesman-Review reporter Greg Woods said Washington State “wanted” to get the game schedule.And based on another report, another in-state game is off the table for the Huskies. And the latest game off the table doubles as an in-city contest, as well.According to an article from Percy Allen of the Seattle Times, Washington also won’t play the Seattle University Redhawks.This will be the third disruption in the history of the men’s basketball rivalry between the Redhawks and the Huskies. After the two teams played for the first time in 1953, the two didn’t meet again until 1969. After that point, the two sides played in consecutive seasons from ’69-1980, sometimes playing multiple times in a season. The in-city rivals didn’t meet again until 2009 and have played every single season since. Seattle U and Washington has played twice since head coach Danny Sprinkle was hired in his current role ahead of the 2024-25 season.The Redhawks have won both games against the Huskies under Sprinkle. Seattle U won 79-70 on Dec. 23, 2024, and 70-66 on Dec. 19, 2025. It was the first time in the history of the rivalry the Redhawks won two games in a row.Washington is 35-6 in 41 all-time matchups between the two teams.Seattle U knocks off Washington AGAIN 👀 @seattleumbbpic.twitter.com/raoFXmY3xX— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) December 20, 2025The Huskies had to enter a new two-year deal with the Cougars to keep the series going but weren’t able to come to new terms with the Pullman, Wash., based university. There was no clarification if that was a similar case with Seattle University.This is the third in-state rivalry that’s ended during the tenure of Sprinkle. In addition to Washington State and the Redhawks, the team’s rivalry with the Gonzaga Bulldogs also ended.In the modern era of realignment, many in-state or long-running rivalry games have ended due to them being a lose-lose situation for Power Four schools. Often times, in rankings, a win against a team in a lower-level conference won’t hinder end-of-season rankings as much as in-conference ones, whereas losses against non-Power Four schools negatively affect rankings significantly more than victories.There’s no clarification if the impact on rankings (or lack thereof) is the reasoning for the games not being scheduled, but for the first time in over a century, neither Seattle U nor the Cougars will take on UW.JOIN THE CONVERSATION:Remember to join our HUSKIES ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video