Thursday, February 29
Seattle, WA
7:30 PM
University of Washington
vs
UCLA
Huskies Face UCLA, USC In Final Pac-12 Home Games
February 27, 2024 | Men's Basketball
SEATTLE – Washington (15-13, 7-10 Pac-12) kicks off its final homestand of 2023-24 on Thursday against UCLA at Alaska Airlines Arena.
The Huskies and Bruins tip off at 7:30 p.m. on FS1. Dan Hellie and Casey Jacobsen have the call on TV while Tony Castricone and Jason Hamilton will call the action on the Husky Sports Network and in Seattle on Sports Radio KJR 950-AM.
THE MATCHUP
The Huskies play on Leap Day for the first time since 1996. The Bruins have won the last nine overall meetings and 17 of the last 20. The two teams met on January 14th at Pauley Pavilion, when UCLA snapped a four-game losing streak and 1-4 start to Pac-12 play with a 73-61 win. Two of the Huskies' last three wins in the series have come at Hec Ed.
LAST TIME OUT
Washington slowed down No. 4 Arizona at times, but couldn't pull within nine late in the second half of a 91-75 defeat on Saturday. Koren Johnson led the Huskies with 17 points, a career-high six rebounds and five assists. Nate Calmese scored a season-high 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
TOP DAWGS
Sahvir Wheeler is second among active DI leaders in assists (815) and ranks in the top 50 in DI history. Wheeler and Paul Mulcahy each rank in the top-ten in the Pac-12 in assists per game and combine for the most career assists of any backcourt in the country. Mulcahy ranks 22nd (549) among active leaders. Wheeler is tied with Nate Robinson for 7th on UW's single-season list (159).
NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST:
Keion Brooks Jr. is a top-40 candidate for the USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy and All-America honors. Already a top-ten finalist for the Julius Erving Award for small forward, Brooks is one of two DI players averaging 21.0 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 49% overall (Zach Edey). The last Pac-12 player with those averages was Deandre Ayton. Brooks is in the midst of a career year, shooting 49 percent overall and 37 percent from three-point range. Prior to this season, he had never made more than 30 percent of his threes.
NON-CONFERENCE RECAP
The Huskies won eight non-conference games for second-straight season, which equals their most since winning 10 in 2019-20. The Huskies went 4-2 over teams that made last year's NCAA Tournament. No other Pac-12 team had more such wins during non-conference play. UW is one of four Pac-12 teams to beat a Top-25 non-conference opponent this season (Gonzaga). Two of the Huskies' three losses were to top-35 NET teams (CSU, SDSU).
HIGH-SCORING HUSKIES
The Huskies are averaging 80.8 ppg, the second-most in the Pac-12 and most by a UW team since 2015-16 (83.9). It puts an offense that has scored 90 points five times 32nd in the country. 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 the first 10 games last season. They are also third in the Pac-12 and 25th nationally in fastbreak points.
MISSING THE BIG MAN
UW started the season 7-3 but is 8-10 with big man Franck Kepnang sidelined since.
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 in December, 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 are also playing on a new surface with a redesigned court.
Follow the Dawgs @UW_MBB on X and Instagram.
The Huskies and Bruins tip off at 7:30 p.m. on FS1. Dan Hellie and Casey Jacobsen have the call on TV while Tony Castricone and Jason Hamilton will call the action on the Husky Sports Network and in Seattle on Sports Radio KJR 950-AM.
THE MATCHUP
The Huskies play on Leap Day for the first time since 1996. The Bruins have won the last nine overall meetings and 17 of the last 20. The two teams met on January 14th at Pauley Pavilion, when UCLA snapped a four-game losing streak and 1-4 start to Pac-12 play with a 73-61 win. Two of the Huskies' last three wins in the series have come at Hec Ed.
LAST TIME OUT
Washington slowed down No. 4 Arizona at times, but couldn't pull within nine late in the second half of a 91-75 defeat on Saturday. Koren Johnson led the Huskies with 17 points, a career-high six rebounds and five assists. Nate Calmese scored a season-high 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
TOP DAWGS
Sahvir Wheeler is second among active DI leaders in assists (815) and ranks in the top 50 in DI history. Wheeler and Paul Mulcahy each rank in the top-ten in the Pac-12 in assists per game and combine for the most career assists of any backcourt in the country. Mulcahy ranks 22nd (549) among active leaders. Wheeler is tied with Nate Robinson for 7th on UW's single-season list (159).
NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST:
Keion Brooks Jr. is a top-40 candidate for the USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy and All-America honors. Already a top-ten finalist for the Julius Erving Award for small forward, Brooks is one of two DI players averaging 21.0 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 49% overall (Zach Edey). The last Pac-12 player with those averages was Deandre Ayton. Brooks is in the midst of a career year, shooting 49 percent overall and 37 percent from three-point range. Prior to this season, he had never made more than 30 percent of his threes.
NON-CONFERENCE RECAP
The Huskies won eight non-conference games for second-straight season, which equals their most since winning 10 in 2019-20. The Huskies went 4-2 over teams that made last year's NCAA Tournament. No other Pac-12 team had more such wins during non-conference play. UW is one of four Pac-12 teams to beat a Top-25 non-conference opponent this season (Gonzaga). Two of the Huskies' three losses were to top-35 NET teams (CSU, SDSU).
HIGH-SCORING HUSKIES
The Huskies are averaging 80.8 ppg, the second-most in the Pac-12 and most by a UW team since 2015-16 (83.9). It puts an offense that has scored 90 points five times 32nd in the country. 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 the first 10 games last season. They are also third in the Pac-12 and 25th nationally in fastbreak points.
MISSING THE BIG MAN
UW started the season 7-3 but is 8-10 with big man Franck Kepnang sidelined since.
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 in December, 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 are also playing on a new surface with a redesigned court.
Follow the Dawgs @UW_MBB on X and Instagram.
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