No. 22 Huskies prepping for toughest non-conference test yet in No. 9 Gonzaga
Washington head coach Mike Hopkins doesn’t shy away from difficult non-conference schedules.
Last year, the No. 22 Huskies faced three top-25 teams in Auburn, Gonzaga and Virginia Tech. They didn’t win any of those games, but Hopkins credited the experience with fueling UW’s 12-0 start in conference play and eventual Pac-12 regular season championship.
Despite losing four seniors and four starters, Hopkins took a similar route this season. The Huskies have already beaten No. 18 Baylor and lost to No. 21 Tennessee. On Sunday, the biggest challenge of the non-conference season will arrive at Alaska Airlines Arena from the other side of the state: No. 9 Gonzaga.
“You just want to play top teams ,and it’s such a long season, you’re trying to get really good,” Hopkins said Friday. “To get really good you’ve got to play teams that are really good and challenge you in different ways. This is a game that will help us move forward in terms of our goal, and that’s to win championships. This is a great test for us.”
Gonzaga has won five straight games against the Huskies since 2005-06 season. UW came close to ending the streak last year — overcoming a 14-point deficit in the first half to take the lead early in the second — but the Huskies eventually fell on a last-second jumper from Rui Hachimura.
“There are no moral victories,” Hopkins said of the loss, “but to be able to compete against one of the top programs, you get a chance to measure yourself and know, if you can make a play here, we can be one of the top teams. If we make a play there, we can be one of the top teams. It’s not about Gonzaga or Tennessee or this team, it’s about how can we reach our full potential.”
UW and Gonzaga went through similar transformations this offseason. They both lost four starters and a key sixth man, and they both brought in top-15 2019 recruiting classes. The Huskies’ class, highlighted by five-star recruits Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels, was ranked No. 10 in the country by 247Sports. Gonzaga’s class was ranked 12th and featured four four-stars. The highest-rated of the group — 6-foot-10 center Drew Timme — is averaging 11.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
“When you have a great program like them, they’re just restocking different talent,” Hopkins said, “but the Gonzaga way, the Gonzaga program, the way they play basketball (is) the same.”
UW reached several milestones last season. It secured the first road sweeps in six years. It beat Oregon on the road. It won a conference championship and made the NCAA Tournament. But it still didn’t beat Gonzaga. None of the current players have. And while several of the Huskies have never played against the Bulldogs, they know how big this game is.
As a Sunday match-up in a packed arena quickly approaches, veterans like junior Nahziah Carter are stressing the importance of composure.
“Every game is important,” Carter said. “That’s our biggest challenge (is) making this seem like it’ s just another game. Putting more emphasis in this game than all of our other games … can really start a mental lapse in all of our minds and trying to overwork or over-stress about the game. We just think of it as another game and going out there to play to the best of our abilities and then, I guess we can check off the box.”
For the Huskies, the game against Gonzaga represents an opportunity to test how much they’ve grown over the first eight games of the season. Hopkins sees plenty of room for improvement. UW needs to finish better and start faster. The man-to-man defense needs more time to develop. The 3-point defense is still coming along, too. In between all the areas that need shoring up, Hopkins has seen a young team starting to find its way.
“I feel like we’ve done a good job getting into certain sets,” Hopkins said. “Not necessarily stabilized a rotation, but (we know) the guys that are going to play and impact. I feel good about that. Now, we just have to keep getting better. We’ve got to shoot better, we’ve got to defend the three better. That’s part of the process.”
While Carter also sees room for growth, he’s aware of how far the Huskies have come — particularly offensively. UW has scored at least 75 points in the last three games and has had a different leading scorer every night.
“When the team has the ability to do that, I believe it’s hard to scout,” Carter said. “Usually, when teams and coaches go through a scout, they focus on key players. When you have a new leading scorer every night that maybe you haven’t focused on, then it’s hard to guard the whole team. As we continue to jell together and better, I feel like that’s going to help us in the long run.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2019 at 5:01 PM.
