Thursday, January 4
Seattle, WA
6:00 PM
University of Washington
vs
Oregon
UW Hosts Final Pac-12 Home Opener Thursday Night
January 03, 2024 | Men's Basketball
SEATTLE – Washington (8-5, 0-2 Pac-12) is back at home for its Pac-12 home opener on Thursday against Oregon.
The Huskies begin the new year with two of the longest rivalries in college basketball, starting with a matchup against the Ducks at 6 p.m. at Alaska Airlines Arena. Ted Robinson and Don MacLean will call the game on Pac-12 Networks while Tony Castricone and Jason Hamilton have the call on the Husky Sports Network and in Seattle on Sports Radio KJR 950 AM.
THE MATCHUP
One of the longest active rivalries in college basketball continues Thursday night as Washington meets Oregon for the 314th time. The Huskies-Ducks rivalry is the second-most played series in college basketball history, behind Oregon-Oregon State. The Ducks lead the all-time series, which dates back to 1903, but the Huskies took the lone matchup last year in Seattle, 72-71 on Jamal Bey's game-winning layup in overtime. It was the second-straight win in the series for UW, but only the third in the last 15 meetings. 116 of the Huskies' 192 wins in the series have come at Alaska Airlines Arena.
LAST TIME OUT
Washington stormed out to a torrid first half, but could not contain Branden Carlson and Utah Sunday in a 95-90 defeat. Carlson finished with 34 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and was named Pac-12 Player of the Week. The Husky bench scored 25 of its 41 points in the first half and the team did not commit a turnover in the first half.
NON-CONFERENCE RECAP
The Huskies have 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.
TOP DAWGS
Keion Brooks Jr. is the only Pac-12 player to rank in the league's top-five in points and rebounds. Paul Mulcahy and Sahvir Wheeler combine for over 11.0 assists per game, making UW's backcourt the only such backcourt in the country. Wheeler and Mulcahy both rank in the top-five in the Pac-12 in assists per game. Wheeler is the active DI leader in assists (740) and is T-84th on the all-time list. Mulcahy ranks 16th (510) among active leaders. The Huskies rank 2nd in the Pac-12 and 36th in the country with 4.9 blocks per game. The team ranked in the top-10 in DI in blocks last season. They are also second in the league and 21st nationally in fastbreak points.
EXPERIENCED GROUP
The Husky roster has a combined 7,648 career points which is 10th-most in Division I. The 952 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.
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 Huskies begin the new year with two of the longest rivalries in college basketball, starting with a matchup against the Ducks at 6 p.m. at Alaska Airlines Arena. Ted Robinson and Don MacLean will call the game on Pac-12 Networks while Tony Castricone and Jason Hamilton have the call on the Husky Sports Network and in Seattle on Sports Radio KJR 950 AM.
THE MATCHUP
One of the longest active rivalries in college basketball continues Thursday night as Washington meets Oregon for the 314th time. The Huskies-Ducks rivalry is the second-most played series in college basketball history, behind Oregon-Oregon State. The Ducks lead the all-time series, which dates back to 1903, but the Huskies took the lone matchup last year in Seattle, 72-71 on Jamal Bey's game-winning layup in overtime. It was the second-straight win in the series for UW, but only the third in the last 15 meetings. 116 of the Huskies' 192 wins in the series have come at Alaska Airlines Arena.
LAST TIME OUT
Washington stormed out to a torrid first half, but could not contain Branden Carlson and Utah Sunday in a 95-90 defeat. Carlson finished with 34 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and was named Pac-12 Player of the Week. The Husky bench scored 25 of its 41 points in the first half and the team did not commit a turnover in the first half.
NON-CONFERENCE RECAP
The Huskies have 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.
TOP DAWGS
Keion Brooks Jr. is the only Pac-12 player to rank in the league's top-five in points and rebounds. Paul Mulcahy and Sahvir Wheeler combine for over 11.0 assists per game, making UW's backcourt the only such backcourt in the country. Wheeler and Mulcahy both rank in the top-five in the Pac-12 in assists per game. Wheeler is the active DI leader in assists (740) and is T-84th on the all-time list. Mulcahy ranks 16th (510) among active leaders. The Huskies rank 2nd in the Pac-12 and 36th in the country with 4.9 blocks per game. The team ranked in the top-10 in DI in blocks last season. They are also second in the league and 21st nationally in fastbreak points.
EXPERIENCED GROUP
The Husky roster has a combined 7,648 career points which is 10th-most in Division I. The 952 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.
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.
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