University of Washington Athletics

UW (11-3, 1-0) at UCLA (10-3, 1-0)
UW continues its LA road swing as it faces UCLA at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday, Dec. 30 at 5 p.m.  The game will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks with Jim Watson and Don MacLean on the call. Additionally fans can tune into KOMO 1000AM and 97.7 FM to hear the official UW radio broadcast from Tony Castricone and Jason Hamilton. This is the first season for UW to open conference play on the road since 2014-15.
 
The Coach
Head Coach Mike Hopkins is in his first year at Washington, and first as a head coach becoming the 19th head coach in UW history. After spending 22 years as an assistant at Syracuse, Hopkins oversaw teams that reached the NCAA Tournament 16 times including the 2003 National Championship, four Final Fours, five Elite Eights and 10 Sweet 16s along with four NIT berths. Syracuse never dipped below a 55.0 percent record while Hopkins was on staff.
 
Quick Hitters
• UW shot 67.3 percent from the field (37-of-55) against USC ... it's highest shooting percentage since at least 2002-03 .. it's the second time UW has shot over 62 percent from the field this season (62.7 percent vs. BCU) and the second time in the last three games
• The Huskies won at USC for the first time since an 80-58 win on March 1, 2012
• Over half of UW's scoring against USC (52 of 88 - 59.1 percent) came in the paint ... it's highest percentage of points in the paint this season for UW and the 52 tie the most this season UW has had in a game
• Starting with the Kansas game, sophomore Sam Timmins has been 20-of-28 from the field, shooting at a 71.4 percent clip with nine blocks. Twelve of his 20 made FGs (60 percent) in that span have come from dunks.
• In his last two games played, Dominic Green is 12 of-16 from 3-point range and has scored 18 pts (BCU) and 16 (USC) pts, in those two outings ... Green did not play vs. Montana (coaches decision) ... in that span he also connected on nine-straight from 3-point range
• UW held USC to just 3-of-20 shooting from 3-point range, it's lowest percentage of the year (.150) ... additionally its the lowest 3FG percentage a UW opponent has had since UW held Stanford to 3-of-21 (.143) in Palo Alto on March 9, 2016
• UW is the only team in the NCAA to record 16 steals and 15 blocks in the same game this season after doing so against BCU .. since the 2011-12 season only one other school has recorded those numbers in a single game ... Syracuse (12/28/2011 - 17 steals, 15 blocks - v. Seton Hall)
• UW's 10 wins in non-conference play tie for the second most since 2005-06 ... UW had 11 wins in 2014-15, 10 in 2006-07 and 10 in 2005-06
• Washington is one of three schools nationally averaging at least 5.7 blocks and 8.9 steals per game joining Syracuse (6.4blks/8.9stls) and Eastern Michigan (5.9blks/10.2stls)
• UW's 67.3 percent shooting from the field against USC is its best in the last 15 years ... additionally, UW's 73.1 shooting is the second half is the second time the Huskies have shot 73 percent or better in the second half this season (73.5 vs. BCU, 25-34).
• Freshman Jaylen Nowell has scored six of his 13 total career threes over the last four games
• Junior Matisse Thybulle currently has 77 career blocks, which is seven shy of cracking the top five on UW's all-time career list (10th - 84, Patrick Femerling, 1996-98)
• UW is outscoring its opponents on average 44.7 to 38.3 in the second half
• Junior Matisse Thybulle is creating scoring on the direct next possession of 65.9 percent (29 of 44) of his 44 steals this year ... over the last two years he is creating scoring on 56.9 percent (62 of 109) of the next possession and for his career he is at 56.7 percent (84 of 148 steals)
• Via Stats Inc., Thybulle is the only player this season to have season highs of 19 points, 7 steals, 5 blocks, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 made FGs from 3 ... and no other Pac-12 player has done it in Stats Inc. data (since 1996-97).
•             UW is shooting 80.3 percent from the FT line in final five minutes of its 14 games and that goes up to 82.6 percent in the final two minutes ... UW has not been that efficient from the FT line during those two spans since at least 2002-03 (stats not kept as well before that)