Huskies Travel To Pullman For Boeing Apple Cup Series Finale
March 05, 2024 | Men's Basketball
PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington concludes its regular season with a Boeing Apple Cup Series matchup in eastern Washington Thursday night.
The Huskies (16-14, 8-11 Pac-12) tips off against No. 18 Washington State at 6 p.m. on FS1. Guy Haberman and Dan Dickau will call the action on TV while Tony Castricone and Jason Hamilton will call the action on the Husky Sports Network and in Seattle on Sports Radio 93.3 KJR-FM.
THE MATCHUP
Washington and Washington State are set for their 299th meeting, one shy of becoming the seventh rivalry in college basketball history to hit 300 games. The series dates back to 1910. The Huskies' 187 wins over the Cougars are the fifth-most in any series in DI history. Their 192 wins over Oregon ranks third. Washington seeks its first win in Pullman since 2021 and second since 2019. Now ranked, WSU is the fourth ranked opponent UW will play this season. The Huskies are 1-2 thus far and 0-1 on the road. The Cougars won the prior matchup last month in a back-and-forth affair that ended 90-87 in overtime in Seattle. A win for the Huskies would give them their most Pac-12 road wins in a single season since 2018-19.
PAC-12 SEEDING
The Huskies have a shot at the #5 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament, but would need help. They can be seeded anywhere from #5 to #11 and will have to wait until Saturday to find their draw in next week's championship.
LAST TIME OUT
Koren Johnson led Washington with 21 points, including 4 of 5 three-pointers, in an 82-75 defeat to USC on senior day. Keion Brooks Jr. had his 22nd game with 20 points and Sahvir Wheeler added 10. The Huskies have now made 28 combined three-pointers in the last two games (13 vs USC, 15 vs UCLA) - their most made threes in a two-game span since Feb. 2011.
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 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting 49% overall (Zach Edey). The last Pac-12 player with those averages was Deandre Ayton. Neither aforementioned player shot 39 percent from three-point range. Prior to this season, Brooks had never made more than 28 percent of his threes.
6TH MAN
Koren Johnson leads all Pac-12 bench players in scoring, assists, steals and field goal percentage in league play and ranks top-20 overall in assists and steals. Prior to Thursday's game against UCLA he was averaging 20.0 points and 4.3 assists in a four-game stretch, shooting 53% and 50% from three. That stretch started with a career-high 30 points against Stanford, the most points by a Husky bench player since 2002 and most by an underclassman since David Crisp in 2017. He was 12-18 and made a career-high six three-pointers on ten attempts. Johnson has come off the bench in 26 of 29 games played including all 18 Pac-12 contests.
TOP DAWGS
UW is the only Power-5 team with conference leaders in both points per game and assists per game. Sahvir Wheeler is second among active DI leaders in assists (831) and ranks in the top 40 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 (560) among active leaders. Wheeler recently entered the top-five on UW's single-season list (175).
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 81.0 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 six 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 fourth in the Pac-12 and 34th nationally in fastbreak points.
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 all season long @UW_MBB on X and Instagram.
The Huskies (16-14, 8-11 Pac-12) tips off against No. 18 Washington State at 6 p.m. on FS1. Guy Haberman and Dan Dickau will call the action on TV while Tony Castricone and Jason Hamilton will call the action on the Husky Sports Network and in Seattle on Sports Radio 93.3 KJR-FM.
THE MATCHUP
Washington and Washington State are set for their 299th meeting, one shy of becoming the seventh rivalry in college basketball history to hit 300 games. The series dates back to 1910. The Huskies' 187 wins over the Cougars are the fifth-most in any series in DI history. Their 192 wins over Oregon ranks third. Washington seeks its first win in Pullman since 2021 and second since 2019. Now ranked, WSU is the fourth ranked opponent UW will play this season. The Huskies are 1-2 thus far and 0-1 on the road. The Cougars won the prior matchup last month in a back-and-forth affair that ended 90-87 in overtime in Seattle. A win for the Huskies would give them their most Pac-12 road wins in a single season since 2018-19.
PAC-12 SEEDING
The Huskies have a shot at the #5 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament, but would need help. They can be seeded anywhere from #5 to #11 and will have to wait until Saturday to find their draw in next week's championship.
LAST TIME OUT
Koren Johnson led Washington with 21 points, including 4 of 5 three-pointers, in an 82-75 defeat to USC on senior day. Keion Brooks Jr. had his 22nd game with 20 points and Sahvir Wheeler added 10. The Huskies have now made 28 combined three-pointers in the last two games (13 vs USC, 15 vs UCLA) - their most made threes in a two-game span since Feb. 2011.
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 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting 49% overall (Zach Edey). The last Pac-12 player with those averages was Deandre Ayton. Neither aforementioned player shot 39 percent from three-point range. Prior to this season, Brooks had never made more than 28 percent of his threes.
6TH MAN
Koren Johnson leads all Pac-12 bench players in scoring, assists, steals and field goal percentage in league play and ranks top-20 overall in assists and steals. Prior to Thursday's game against UCLA he was averaging 20.0 points and 4.3 assists in a four-game stretch, shooting 53% and 50% from three. That stretch started with a career-high 30 points against Stanford, the most points by a Husky bench player since 2002 and most by an underclassman since David Crisp in 2017. He was 12-18 and made a career-high six three-pointers on ten attempts. Johnson has come off the bench in 26 of 29 games played including all 18 Pac-12 contests.
TOP DAWGS
UW is the only Power-5 team with conference leaders in both points per game and assists per game. Sahvir Wheeler is second among active DI leaders in assists (831) and ranks in the top 40 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 (560) among active leaders. Wheeler recently entered the top-five on UW's single-season list (175).
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 81.0 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 six 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 fourth in the Pac-12 and 34th nationally in fastbreak points.
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 all season long @UW_MBB on X and Instagram.
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/ Men's BasketballThursday, March 12
Thursday, March 12
Thursday, March 12
Thursday, March 12
