Husky Basketball Team Gets Swept on Trip Through Michigan

The Wolverines have way too many big guys for the UW to handle.
Michigan guard Roddy Gayle Jr. is defended by Washington  guard Tyree Ihenacho in the first half at Crisler Center.
Michigan guard Roddy Gayle Jr. is defended by Washington guard Tyree Ihenacho in the first half at Crisler Center. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The University of Washington basketball team went 0-for-Michigan. Winless in the Great Lakes State. Humbled and home.

On Sunday in Ann Arbor, the Huskies hung close with the Michigan Wolverines for a half before falling back and suffering a 91-75 loss, their third in a row.

At least Danny Sprinkle's team didn't roll over and get demolished, as it did in a 34-point loss at Michigan State four days earlier in East Lansing.

With Great Osobor enjoying his best half of the season -- scoring 16 of his season-high-tying 23 points over the first 20 minutes -- the UW (10-7 overall, 1-5 Big Ten) hung within five points of 24th-ranked Michigan (13-3, 5-0) until the closing 90 seconds before intermission and the home team took a 48-38 lead.

Osobor, a non-factor against Michigan State, was at his best at times against a gigantic Wolverines' front line that featured a pair of 7-footers in Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin, both active guys who could run the floor and shoot 3-pointers as easily as setting up inside for points.

"Nobody has two 7-footers that kind of deal like that," Sprinkle said.

The 6-foot-8 Osobor battled back as best he could. He scored using his trademark left-handed shot inside, dunked the ball and even dropped in 3-pointers as his team kept battling to make it a competitive game against an exceptional Michigan team. He connected on 10 of 18 shots from the floor and finished with a game-high 11 rebounds.

The Wolverines simply had way too many offensive threats for Sprinkle's guys to handle. Goldin topped the home team with 19 points, one of five players on his team in double figures.

Michigan guard Roddy Gayle Jr. (11) shoots on Washington guard Tyler Harris (8) in the first half at the Crisler Center.
Michigan guard Roddy Gayle Jr. (11) shoots on Washington forward Tyler Harris (8) in the first half at the Crisler Center. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

After halftime, the UW moved no closer than eight points as Michigan continually beat the guys in the purple shirts down the floor.

While the Huskies had trouble enough in defending against the 7-foot Wolf and 7-foot-1 Goldin, who were both starters, it was 6-foot-10 sophomore Sam Walters who came off the bench and finished them off.

With the UW trailing 69-57, Walters dropped in a pair of 3-pointers and two of three free throws to put the Wolverines ahead 77-60 with eight minutes left and it was time to coast. He finished with 12 points.

"It shows us where we have to get to as a program from a physical standpoint," Sprinkle said.


After spending six days in Michigan, the UW will rest up before facing another overly physical and ranked Big Ten opponent when it hosts No. 20 Purdue (13-4, 5-1) on Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. at Alaska Airlines Arena. The Boilermakers haven't played in Seattle since they split a pair of games in December 1967.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington


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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.