Postseason Pursuits Appear Fleeting for UW Basketball Team

Needing a road win more than ever, the University of Washington basketball team finds itself at Northwestern on Saturday night, pitting its near break-even record up against a sub-.500 Big Ten entry.

What this means is the Huskies (11-10 overall, 3-7 conference) are up against it after playing and losing to four top 10 ranked teams, putting their postseason hopes once more in an overly precarious position.

The UW has been to the NCAA Tournament just one time over the past 15 years, splitting a pair of games in 2019 against Utah State and North Carolina with a team built around Jaylen Nowell and Matiise Thybulle and coached by the departed Mike Hopkins.

They have 10 regular-season games remaining, including this Northwestern game, to make any sort of run.

Huskies guard Zoom Diallo (5) drives past Illinois guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) during Thursday night's game. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

"To make the NCAA Tournament, there's no more room for error," coach Danny Sprinkle said before embarking on this two-game Illinois road trip. "We have to play really well. We have to win these games. We have to win these home games against some of the Quad 1 [top tier] teams. You have steal a couple on the road, too."

Realistically, it might be too late for these Huskies to get it done, with their only recourse playing deep in the conference tournament on March 10-15 at the United Center in Chicago.

Huskies head coach Danny Sprinkle, with JJ Mandaquit behind him, encourages his team at Illinois. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

"We've got to make a run," Sprinkle said. "You never know who you're going to play in the Big Ten Tournament, but you have to win probably two games in that tournament, too."

It's almost hard to believe the UW has such a spotty NCAA Tournament involvement over the past decade and a half, repeatedly missing out since Isaiah Thomas ran the show.

The Huskies have had a lot of great players come and go without postseason play, with current NBA veterans and former first-round draft picks Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels the most visible coming to mind.

The UW's NCAA tourney dry spell, covering three coaching staffs now, has been been frustrating for everyone in and around the program. The Huskies would gladly take some March Madness over a repeated quiet and uninvolved month.

"The most important thing is we're still improving," Sprinkle said. "It doen't mater who we play. It's like we control the stuff we need to get better at."

A win at Northwestern would be a good place to start.

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