The Husky Haul
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Washington basketball makes its way into the AP Poll

By Roman Tomashoff

ANCHORAGE, AK - NOVEMBER 08: Elijah Hardy #10 and Quade Green #55 of the Washington Huskies celebrate with teammates following their win against the Baylor Bears during the ESPN Armed Forces Classic at Alaska Airlines Center on November 8, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. Washington won 67-64. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
ANCHORAGE, AK - NOVEMBER 08: Elijah Hardy #10 and Quade Green #55 of the Washington Huskies celebrate with teammates following their win against the Baylor Bears during the ESPN Armed Forces Classic at Alaska Airlines Center on November 8, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. Washington won 67-64. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /
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Washington basketball has risen into the AP Poll after their upset win over Baylor on Friday night, and right before a big non-conference week

After Washington basketball was able to spring an incredible come from behind victory against the #16 team in the country, the AP voters rewarded them with a spot in the rankings, slotting the Huskies in at 20th in the country.

The Huskies have a big week coming up, playing Mount St. Mary’s in their home opener on Tuesday, and then traveling to Toronto to take on the Tennessee Volunteers this Saturday. Tennessee is always a pretty highly rated program, and are currently in the “others receiving votes” category of the AP Poll, after being a top 10 team for the majority of the 2018-19 season.

Head coach Mike Hopkins is building a giant, and after reaching his first NCAA Tournament as a head coach last season and pulling off a nice win, it’s time to take the next step. He also has the perfect players in the system this season to make that happen.

Jaden McDaniels and Isaiah Stewart are the perfect one and done talents that are needed to help draw in the national hype and help Hopkins make a deep tournament run. Along with returning players like Nahziah Carter, Hameir Wright, and Jamal Bey, the Huskies are stacked with talent, and they’re starting to stockpile it too.

True freshmen RaeQuan Battle and Marcus Tsohonis didn’t see any time in the first game of the season, and while we might see them a little bit in blowouts every now and again, they’re the perfect kind of players that you want to be grooming, so you aren’t hung out to dry when lottery talents like Stewart and McDaniels leave for the NBA Draft.

This is just the start for the most talented Husky basketball team we’ve seen in a long time, and they have a ceiling that’s as high as any team in the country. With an elite coaching staff, the top two talents in the 2020 NBA Draft, a strong supporting cast, and what looks to be a pretty strong resume, don’t be surprised if the Huskies finish as a top 10 team in the country, and with a number one or number two seed in the 2020 NCAA Tournament.

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