Friday, December 29
Boulder, CO
6:00 PM
University of Washington
at
Colorado
UW Opens Pac-12 Play Against Mountain Schools
December 27, 2023 | Men's Basketball
BOULDER, Colo. – Washington begins its 2023-24 Pac-12 slate on Friday with a visit to Colorado.
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. Pacific Time on ESPNU with Eric Rothman and Mike O'Donnell on the call. Tony Castricone and Jason Hamilton will call the action on the Husky Sports Network and locally on Sports Radio KJR 950 AM.
The Huskies then travel to Salt Lake City to battle Utah on New Year's Eve. Both of the Huskies' opponents on the opening weekend of Pac-12 play won nine non-conference games.
THE MATCHUP
The Huskies enter Friday's game on a four-game winning streak, the team's longest since 2019. It will be the first true road game outside of the city of Seattle this season. The Huskies lead the all-time series against Colorado, 21-15, and swept the regular-season series last year before falling to the Buffaloes in the Pac-12 quarterfinals. The 36 total games played between UW and CU is the second-fewest for a Pac-12 opponent in Washington history. The Huskies have only faced Utah less among teams on the 2023-24 Pac-12 schedule.
NON-CONFERENCE RECAP
The Huskies won eight non-conference games for second straight season, which equals their most since winning 10 in 2019-20. UW scored at least 74 points in each of its first 10 games in 2023-24 after only reaching the 74-point mark three times in their first 10 games last season. Two of the Huskies' three losses are to top-36 NET teams, both of whom are ranked or receiving votes in the AP Top 25.
LAST TIME OUT
Keion Brooks Jr. had 20 points, Moses Wood scored 17 and Washington rallied late in a 73-66 victory over Eastern Washington on Dec. 21. Wood sank five of six shots with three three-pointers and all four of his free throws, adding six rebounds. Reserve Koren Johnson pitched in with 11 points and three steals, his fourth-straight game in double figures.
TOP DAWGS
Keion Brooks Jr. is one of two Pac-12 players to rank in the league's top-five in points and rebounds. Paul Mulcahy and Sahvir Wheeler both rank in the top-five in the Pac-12 and top-50 in the country in assists per game. Wheeler is the active DI leader in assists (727) and is tied for 96th on the all-time list. Mulcahy ranks 16th (508) among active leaders. The Huskies rank 2nd in the Pac-12 and 25th in the country with 5.3 blocks per game. The team ranked in the top-10 in DI in blocks last season. They are also second in the league and 22nd nationally in fastbreak points.
EXPERIENCED GROUP
The Huskies roster has a combined 7,489 career points which is 10th-most in Division I. The 935 career games played is 13th.
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.
Follow the Dawgs all season long @UW_MBB on X and Instagram.
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. Pacific Time on ESPNU with Eric Rothman and Mike O'Donnell on the call. Tony Castricone and Jason Hamilton will call the action on the Husky Sports Network and locally on Sports Radio KJR 950 AM.
The Huskies then travel to Salt Lake City to battle Utah on New Year's Eve. Both of the Huskies' opponents on the opening weekend of Pac-12 play won nine non-conference games.
THE MATCHUP
The Huskies enter Friday's game on a four-game winning streak, the team's longest since 2019. It will be the first true road game outside of the city of Seattle this season. The Huskies lead the all-time series against Colorado, 21-15, and swept the regular-season series last year before falling to the Buffaloes in the Pac-12 quarterfinals. The 36 total games played between UW and CU is the second-fewest for a Pac-12 opponent in Washington history. The Huskies have only faced Utah less among teams on the 2023-24 Pac-12 schedule.
NON-CONFERENCE RECAP
The Huskies won eight non-conference games for second straight season, which equals their most since winning 10 in 2019-20. UW scored at least 74 points in each of its first 10 games in 2023-24 after only reaching the 74-point mark three times in their first 10 games last season. Two of the Huskies' three losses are to top-36 NET teams, both of whom are ranked or receiving votes in the AP Top 25.
LAST TIME OUT
Keion Brooks Jr. had 20 points, Moses Wood scored 17 and Washington rallied late in a 73-66 victory over Eastern Washington on Dec. 21. Wood sank five of six shots with three three-pointers and all four of his free throws, adding six rebounds. Reserve Koren Johnson pitched in with 11 points and three steals, his fourth-straight game in double figures.
TOP DAWGS
Keion Brooks Jr. is one of two Pac-12 players to rank in the league's top-five in points and rebounds. Paul Mulcahy and Sahvir Wheeler both rank in the top-five in the Pac-12 and top-50 in the country in assists per game. Wheeler is the active DI leader in assists (727) and is tied for 96th on the all-time list. Mulcahy ranks 16th (508) among active leaders. The Huskies rank 2nd in the Pac-12 and 25th in the country with 5.3 blocks per game. The team ranked in the top-10 in DI in blocks last season. They are also second in the league and 22nd nationally in fastbreak points.
EXPERIENCED GROUP
The Huskies roster has a combined 7,489 career points which is 10th-most in Division I. The 935 career games played is 13th.
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.
Follow the Dawgs all season long @UW_MBB on X and Instagram.
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