The Husky Haul
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Washington basketball starts the 2019-20 season unranked

By Roman Tomashoff

COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 24: Head coach Mike Hopkins of the Washington Huskies speaks with Nahziah Carter #11 and Jaylen Nowell #5 during their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 24, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 24: Head coach Mike Hopkins of the Washington Huskies speaks with Nahziah Carter #11 and Jaylen Nowell #5 during their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 24, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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After pulling in an incredible recruiting class, Washington basketball will begin the 2019-20 season on the outside looking in

Fielding arguably their most talented team of all time, and after getting their first taste of the NCAA Tournament under Mike Hopkins, Washington basketball is definitely coming into the 2019 season hungry, and they should start the year with a chip on their shoulder.

The Huskies will be coming into the season as the “26th” team, finishing the first poll as the top point-getter in the “others receiving votes” category, behind VCU who is currently ranked 25th.

There are only two Pac-12 teams that made the cut in the first poll, #15 Oregon, and #21 Arizona. Colorado and USC also received votes, so there should be some stiff competition this year, but the Huskies have what it takes to win the Pac-12 once again and receive a top-three seed in the NCAA Tournament. With that being said, let’s get into a few bold predictions for this season.

Hot takes, bold predictions, whatever you want to call them

  1. Isaiah Stewart will not only be named an All-American, but he’ll win the National Freshman of the Year award. Stewart has the ability to average 20 and 10 easily. Along with Jaden McDaniels, the freshman tandem will lead the Huskies to a top 10 national ranking by the end of the season.
  2. McDaniels will also end up as an All-American, and the tandem of Stewart and McDaniels will end up as top five picks, with Stewart going first overall. Not only will they make themselves a lot of money, but the two will lead the Huskies to at the very least a berth in the Elite Eight.
  3. Nahziah Carter is going to finish the season by being named to the All Pac-12 first team, but the most improved player on the team is going to be Jamal Bey, who is probably going to be utilized very similarly to Matisse Thybulle, but has a higher ceiling as a shooter. Bey showed flashes of what he can do last year in the NCAA Tournament, and is going to finish at the very least as an All Pac-12 honorable mention.

This is going to be a very exciting year for the Huskies, and after what has been a relatively disappointing season for the football team so far, a nationally ranked basketball team would bring a lot of excitement to campus, and a deep March Madness run would be a great look for the athletics department as a whole. This is shaping up to be a great season for the Huskies, and Mike Hopkins is on the cusp of building something great.

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