Washington State University men’s basketball is back.

The Cougars will lace up their shoes and put on their home uniforms for the first time tonight this season as they match up against the Central Washington Wildcats at Beasley Coliseum in an exhibition game.

Although the 2013-14 season doesn’t officially start for the Cougars until Nov. 8, Head Coach Ken Bone and his players are ready to play in an organized game with a fan base behind them.

Despite a recent scrimmage with Nevada, the Friday match will be the first time the WSU men’s basketball team matches up against an opponent.

Bone plans to push the tempo of the game this year. Expect the Cougars to run the floor. Whether that includes executing more fast break plays or putting pressure on the opponent on defense, the Cougars will get their exercise during games.

“We’re going to play a bit differently this year,” redshirt junior guard Royce Woolridge said. “Since we have so many guards, we’re going to try and play a lot faster, so that will be a little bit of change. It’s going to be a lot different team and style of play than it was last year.”

In a press conference Tuesday, Bone said with the depth of guards on the team, there might be four guards on the floor sometimes.

The Cougars will be strong at defending the post this year compared to last year, Bone said. Iowa State transfer Jordan Railey, who redshirted last season, will not play in the exhibition game, Bone said. Redshirt freshman Que Johnson, who is coming back from a stress fracture, will suit up and play tonight. Bone said Johnson is around 90 percent healthy, but sitting out last season due to academics and injury, Johnson has some catching up to do.

The Cougars have matched up against Central Washington 26 times in the regular season and lead the series 23-3, according to wsucougars.com. However, the last time the two teams faced was in 1994.

The Friday game against Central Washington University will tip off at 8 p.m. and will have no admission fee.