Huskies Provide New Look, Same Old Results Against Stanford

The University of Washington basketball team pulled on throwback uniforms, hoping to look and play like Detlef Schrempf's 1984-85 Huskies.

Black jerseys and shorts.

Bright yellow sneakers.

On Thursday night at Alaska Airlines Arena, they came dressed for success.

When it was over against Stanford, however, these guys in the new threads had reverted to their season-long scruffy look, losing 79-61.

Same old lineup.

Same old result.

Same old, same old.

Maddeningly so, the 11th-place Huskies (4-17 overall, 3-13 Pac-12) refused to go all in on something new.

They just stood there, as if someone had pulled those new shorts down around their ankles, unsure how to respond.

"We took a step back," Husky coach Mike Hopkins said. "Our energy was down. You could feel it."

UW guard Marcus Tsohonis really has to wonder what it will take for him to earn a starting job on his own.

The 6-foot-3 sophomore guard scored a team season-high 29 points and hit a last-second, game-winner to beat WSU on Monday, and ranks as the Huskies' second-leading scorer. Yet he was on the bench when the game began and didn't play until three minutes had passed.

Unfortunately for his team, Tsohonis might come away with more playing time by default.

As the first half came to a close, teammate Erik Stevenson stole the ball and went in for a lay-in right before the buzzer, lifted off the ground awkwardly and missed the uncontested shot.

Stevenson grabbed his left knee as he lay on the floor and had to helped to the locker room. Luckily for him, this appeared to be just a momentary setback. The junior guard and Wichita State transfer returned in the second half and played five minutes before sitting down for good with 11 points, all in the opening half.

Sophomore forward Cole Bajema, the Michigan transfer from little Lynden, Washington, led the UW with 13 points, all coming after the break. It was his first time in double figures in two college seasons. He hit 5 of 8 shots, 3 of 6 from 3-point range.

"My coaches tell me to stay ready," the 6-foot-7 Bajema said. "I just try to provide as much energy as I can, and that's what I did. Just getting more minutes here and there helps my confidence."

Stanford was led by big men Oscar de Silva and Jaiden Delaire, who scored 18 and 15, respectively, while Seattle native Daejon Davis came off the bench for 12 points.

With or without Stevenson, the Huskies stayed close for only the first seven minutes of this match-up before dropping way behind a fifth-place Cardinal team (14-8, 10-6) now scrambling to stay in contention for an NCAA berth.

Trailing 13-11, the UW was outscored 13-2 as the visitors carved up the hosts with precision offensive moves inside. Time and time again, Stanford dropped in easy scores on sharp-cutting, back-door plays fed by pinpoint passes.

The Huskies fell down by 30-15 and 32-17 and looked headed for another blowout. It was coming, only just not yet.

Hopkins' team made things a little more respectable by scoring the final five points of the opening half on Stevenson's short jumper and Jamal Bey's corner 3-pointer to close within 32-22.

It would have been just an eight-point difference but Stevenson blew that tire, causing him to blow the shot at the buzzer and require assistance.

As has often been the case, the Huskies came out with no resistance, no plan, following intermission and quickly dropped behind by 62-36 before 10 minutes had been played.

Things became so dire, Hopkins used sophomore guard RaeQuan Battle and sophomore forward J'Raan Brooks after not playing them for five and four games, respectively, looking for a spark.

These guys together with Bajema made things much more respectable coming down the stretch.

"He's getting more and more confident," Hopkins said of Bajema. "It was good to see him make those 3 3-pointers because he's really a good shooter."

A limited number of fans were allowed in the arena, with these spectators a first for any UW sport since the pandemic began.

It's hard to say whether they'll want to come back. No one on the floor resembled Detlef Schrempf.

Follow Dan Raley of Husky Maven on Twitter: @DanRaley1 and @HuskyMaven

Find Husky Maven on Facebook by searching: HuskyMaven/Sports Illustrated