As nonconference play comes to an end, UW men’s basketball is demonstrating its mettle.
The myth that some Huskies are old enough to apply for retirement benefits is untrue.
But in contrast to its college peers, the Washington men’s basketball team is downright elderly, a quality that Mike Hopkins feels can be a saving grace during trying times.
“We’re not young enough to be alarmed,” the UW coach chuckled.
The Huskies overcame double-digit deficits in the second half of their last two games to earn hard-fought victories against a couple of in-state rivals. In their previous two games, they were down 16 points against the Seattle Redhawks and behind the Gonzaga Bulldogs by 11.
Although it’s not the best recipe for success, the Huskies (7-3) think that these hard-fought nonconference games will benefit them when the Pac-12 season begins next week and the stakes rise.
Hopkins remarked, “Hopefully we’re not putting ourselves in those positions too often.” “For this team, the challenge is to establish a lead without having to play from behind.
“But it just shows they’re just never-quit guys. They believe that they can win every game that they play. And that just gives you a lot of confidence.”
Hopkins likes to use the word resilient to explain how the Huskies overcame a 59-48 deficit with 14:30 left to beat the then-No. 7 Zags 78-73 for one of the biggest wins in his seven-year UW tenure.
On Sunday, Washington was down 49-33 early in the second half, 66-56 with 10 minutes remaining, and trailed by two points in the final seconds before Sahvir Wheeler tied the score 80-80 with a putback at the buzzer.
The Huskies took their first lead of the game midway through overtime and promptly fell behind 92-87 with 1:22 left. However, UW closed out the extra period with a 5-0 run to force double OT.
Washington never trailed again and did just enough the rest of the way to claim a 100-99 win—its largest comeback since 2017.
“We’ve been in this situation before,” Wheeler said, referencing a 100-97 overtime loss to San Diego State when UW erased a 12-point deficit in the final minutes and missed a potential game-winning free throw with one second left in regulation. “So, a lot of stuff just felt familiar, and we also prepared for this moment.”
In fact, Hopkins intentionally built the Huskies for those moments. In the offseason, he stacked the roster with six transfers.
According to KenPom, UW is the second-most experienced team among the 351 in Division I, averaging 3.5 years per player.
The only rookies in the lineup are second-year sophomores Koren Johnson and Nate Calmese; star freshman Wesley Yates III (foot injury) and Christian King (redshirt) have not appeared in games.
“We have veterans among us,” Wheeler remarked. “We have a ton of guys with a ton of game experience all over the field.”
Paul Mulcahy, a fifth-year guard, has played in 130 games, Wood in 117, Anthony Holland in 122, Keion Brooks Jr. in 120, and Wheeler in 117.
Washington’s starting lineup has participated in 536 contests.
“When you have an older team, there’s less panic,” Hopkins said. “There’s more: ‘How do we execute?’ It’s not just how hard you play, which we do, and we’re gritty. It’s smarter to play.
“Down 16 or down 14, it doesn’t faze them. They’re poised, and they know exactly what to do because they’ve been in those situations before.”
Washington is 3-1 when trailing at halftime.
“What we have to do is not get down 11 and maybe be down four, then win by seven rather than keep these things close,” Hopkins said. “But it just shows that when you have guys who are high-character kids, they believe in each other. They’re winners.”
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