BIG TEN TEAM PREVIEW #17 WASHINGTON HUSKIES

Washington had a disappointing first season in year one of the Danny Sprinkle era. The Huskies finished with a 13-18 record overall and had a 4-16 record in Big Ten play, which was last in the conference. Washington hired Sprinkle from Utah State, where he was for only one season and had a 28-7 record, making the NCAA tournament. Sprinkle had also been to the NCAA tournament in his last two seasons at Montana State. If he can take Washington back to the tournament this season, it would be the program's first appearance in six seasons.

Projected Lineup:

G Quimari Peterson (Eastern Tennessee State transfer)

G Desmond Claude (USC transfer)

G Wesley Yates III (USC transfer)

F Hannes Steinbach

C Lathan Sommerville (Rutgers transfer)

Washington's new and improved backcourt will be headlined by 6-foot-5 combo guard Desmond Claude. Claude transfers within the conference from USC. He was one of the better scorers in the Big Ten last year, averaging 15.8 points per game. He's also a great facilitator, averaging 4.2 assists per game. Washington also landed another great player from USC through the portal in Wesley Yates III. Yates' freshman season was one of the few positives for USC last year. In his first year of college hoops, he averaged 14.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Yates will likely play the two and the three for the Huskies next year. 6-foot-1 ETSU transfer Quimari Peterson should take over the point guard duties for Washington. Peterson had a phenomenal season at the mid-major level last year. He averaged 19.5 points and 3.7 assists per contest last year. Peterson was also selected as the player of the year in the Southern Conference. Washington's top returner from last year's team is 6-foot-4 shooting guard Zoom Diallo, who should also be a key player in their backcourt picture. Diallo was a four-star recruit in the 2024 class, and he had a good freshman season. He started in 22 of his 31 games and averaged 11.1 points and 2.7 assists per game. With the addition of Yates and Claude, it could mean a smaller role for Diallo this season, though. 6-foot-7 Indiana transfer forward Bryson Tucker is Washington's third transfer that comes from within the conference. Tucker was a very highly regarded recruit in the 2024 class, being ranked as the #30 recruit by 247 Sports. Last year, with the Hoosiers, Tucker averaged 5.4 points and 2.9 rebounds on 37.8% shooting. He'll likely play the two and the three off the bench for Washington this season. Also, watch out for incoming four-star freshman point guard JJ Mandaquit to be another key piece in this new and improved Washington backcourt.

Washington's frontcourt is definitely more of a question than their backcourt. Especially now with the injury of Lipscomb transfer forward Jacob Ognacevic. He suffered a foot injury in practice, which will cause him to miss most of the season. The 6-foot-8 forward was a highly coveted player out of the portal. He won player of the year in the ASUN conference after he averaged 20 points and 8.4 rebounds on the season. Incoming 6-foot-9 international recruit Hannes Steinbach should have an increased role now. Steinbach plays the three and the four, and he comes over from Germany. The 19-year-old is one of the top incoming international forwards. Expect 6-foot-10 Rutgers transfer Lathan Sommerville to be another key player in Washington's frontcourt mix. Sommerville had a solid freshman season last year; he averaged 8.2 points and 4.1 rebounds on the season.

I'm expecting a much better season in year two of the Danny Sprinkle era for Washington. Their backcourt is easily one of the best in the conference. Desmond Claude, Quimari Peterson, and Wesley Yates are an outstanding starting trio, plus they've got Zoom Diallo and Bryson Tucker coming off the bench. If anything is going to hold Washington back next season, it's the frontcourt. They don't really have any proven bigs, but Steinbach and Sommerville are both candidates to have breakout seasons.

Prediction: 9th in Big Ten