Thursday, November 9
Seattle, WA
8:00 PM
University of Washington
vs
Northern Kentucky
Washington Hosts Northern Kentucky Thursday Night
November 09, 2023 | Men's Basketball
SEATTLE – Washington continues opening week on Thursday night as Horizon League favorite Northern Kentucky comes to Alaska Airlines Arena.
The game is the second of three home games in a six-day span. Single game tickets for the non-conference slate are on sale now. Northern Kentucky is one of four 2023 NCAA Tournament teams that will visit Hec Ed in the non-conference alone.
Tip-off is slated for 8:00 p.m. A.J. Kanell and P.J. Carlesimo will have the call on the Pac-12 Network while Tony Castricone and Jason Hamilton will call the action on the Husky Sports Network and locally on Sports Radio KJR 950 AM.
The Matchup
Washington will battle NKU for the first time in the team's history. The Huskies enter Thursday's contest 3-2 all time against the Horizon League. The Norse are one of 10 non-conference opponents which made the NCAA Tournament last season. The Huskies aim for a 2-0 start for the second consecutive season and second time since 2019-20.
Last Time Out
The Huskies improved to 6-1 in home openers under Mike Hopkins and 4-3 in season openers with a 91-57 win over Bellarmine. Koren Johnson hit five three-pointers and finished with a career-high 25 points. Keion Brooks Jr. added 22 and the Dawgs shot 62% with 19 assists. The Dawgs improved to 4-1 all-time against the ASUN in the first ever meeting against the Knights. Paul Mulcahy eclipsed 500 assists for his career and finished with 9 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and +40. The Huskies shot over 60% for the first time since Dec. 29, 2017 at USC.
The Returners
UW is one of three Pac-12 teams to return multiple All-Conference honorees, behind only USC. Preseason first-team All-Conference choice Keion Brooks Jr. headlines the core of returners as the leading returning scorer in the entire Pac-12. He averaged 17.7 points and 6.7 rebounds to earn Second Team All-Pac-12 honors. Braxton Meah is back for another season in purple and gold after shooting over 70 percent in 2022-23 to lead the league and set a new single-season Husky record. He was selected to the All-Defensive team after averaging 1.6 blocks per game.
Koren Johnson enters his sophomore season following a stellar freshman campaign in which he racked up 34 steals, which were tied for second on the team. Franck Kepnang adds depth to the frontcourt after missing the majority of the 2022-23 season due to injury.
The Newcomers
Kentucky grad transfer Sahvir Wheeler highlights an experienced group of newcomers. Wheeler twice led the SEC in assists, both times ranking in the top five in the NCAA with over six helpers per game.
Wilhelm Breidenbach (Nebraska), Nate Calmese (Lamar), Anthony Holland (Fresno State) Paul Mulcahy (Rutgers) and Moses Wood (Portland) also arrived in Seattle via the transfer portal. Four-star guard Wesley Yates III headlines the freshman class of four.
Signing Day
Head Coach Mike Hopkins and the Huskies signed four-star guard Casmir Chavis to a letter of intent on National Signing Day Wednesday, the Huskies' first commit in the 2024 class.
2022-23 Highlights
New at Alaska Airlines Arena
New LED lights will not only greatly enhance gameday energy and the fan experience, but the technology also supports UW's focus on sustainability. Complete with instant on/off and color takeover capabilities, new LED lighting will enhance team entrances and create other special moments in the arena.
The Huskies will also be playing on a new surface with a redesigned court.
Follow the Dawgs all season long @UW_MBB on X and Instagram.
The game is the second of three home games in a six-day span. Single game tickets for the non-conference slate are on sale now. Northern Kentucky is one of four 2023 NCAA Tournament teams that will visit Hec Ed in the non-conference alone.
Tip-off is slated for 8:00 p.m. A.J. Kanell and P.J. Carlesimo will have the call on the Pac-12 Network while Tony Castricone and Jason Hamilton will call the action on the Husky Sports Network and locally on Sports Radio KJR 950 AM.
The Matchup
Washington will battle NKU for the first time in the team's history. The Huskies enter Thursday's contest 3-2 all time against the Horizon League. The Norse are one of 10 non-conference opponents which made the NCAA Tournament last season. The Huskies aim for a 2-0 start for the second consecutive season and second time since 2019-20.
Last Time Out
The Huskies improved to 6-1 in home openers under Mike Hopkins and 4-3 in season openers with a 91-57 win over Bellarmine. Koren Johnson hit five three-pointers and finished with a career-high 25 points. Keion Brooks Jr. added 22 and the Dawgs shot 62% with 19 assists. The Dawgs improved to 4-1 all-time against the ASUN in the first ever meeting against the Knights. Paul Mulcahy eclipsed 500 assists for his career and finished with 9 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and +40. The Huskies shot over 60% for the first time since Dec. 29, 2017 at USC.
The Returners
UW is one of three Pac-12 teams to return multiple All-Conference honorees, behind only USC. Preseason first-team All-Conference choice Keion Brooks Jr. headlines the core of returners as the leading returning scorer in the entire Pac-12. He averaged 17.7 points and 6.7 rebounds to earn Second Team All-Pac-12 honors. Braxton Meah is back for another season in purple and gold after shooting over 70 percent in 2022-23 to lead the league and set a new single-season Husky record. He was selected to the All-Defensive team after averaging 1.6 blocks per game.
Koren Johnson enters his sophomore season following a stellar freshman campaign in which he racked up 34 steals, which were tied for second on the team. Franck Kepnang adds depth to the frontcourt after missing the majority of the 2022-23 season due to injury.
The Newcomers
Kentucky grad transfer Sahvir Wheeler highlights an experienced group of newcomers. Wheeler twice led the SEC in assists, both times ranking in the top five in the NCAA with over six helpers per game.
Wilhelm Breidenbach (Nebraska), Nate Calmese (Lamar), Anthony Holland (Fresno State) Paul Mulcahy (Rutgers) and Moses Wood (Portland) also arrived in Seattle via the transfer portal. Four-star guard Wesley Yates III headlines the freshman class of four.
Signing Day
Head Coach Mike Hopkins and the Huskies signed four-star guard Casmir Chavis to a letter of intent on National Signing Day Wednesday, the Huskies' first commit in the 2024 class.
2022-23 Highlights
- The Huskies ranked ninth in the NCAA in blocks per game (5.2).
- Hopkins' defense held opponents to 29.7% three-point shooting, which ranked in the top-15 in the country.
- The Dawgs made 74.9% of their free throws which tied for the second-best single-season mark in team history.
- UW won the Wooden Legacy with wins over Fresno State and Saint Mary's in Anaheim.
New at Alaska Airlines Arena
New LED lights will not only greatly enhance gameday energy and the fan experience, but the technology also supports UW's focus on sustainability. Complete with instant on/off and color takeover capabilities, new LED lighting will enhance team entrances and create other special moments in the arena.
The Huskies will also be playing on a new surface with a redesigned court.
Follow the Dawgs all season long @UW_MBB on X and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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