5 most challenging games left ahead for Washington Huskies men’s basketball team

Washington head coach Danny Sprinkle reacts to a play against Washington during the first half at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025.
Washington head coach Danny Sprinkle reacts to a play against Washington during the first half at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Danny Sprinkle and the Washington Huskies haven’t exactly had the most magical season together in their first year in the Big Ten, but that doesn’t mean it’s been all bad. But, uh, there are some very real challenges that lay up ahead on the Washington Husky men’s basketball schedule. The Huskies have had difficulties navigating the Big Ten in their first season and there are some games up ahead that might prove to be very real problems for the Huskies. 

Washington currently sits at 10-10 on the season and UW is 1-8 in Big Ten play. Now, with the remainder of the schedule being Big Ten games, it’s not exactly going to be all fun and games with the, uh, remaining games. Especially when looking at some of the teams that UW is going to face. There are some legitimately terrifying teams left.

Let’s go over the five toughest games left on the 2024-2025 Washington Huskies men’s basketball schedule, ranked from most winnable to most challenging, according to the win percentages provided by ESPN Analytics.

No. 5: Washington Huskies vs. USC Trojans - March 5 in Los Angeles

A road matchup in March while staying on the West Coast, the Washington Huskies and the USC Trojans, two former Pac-12 teams will face off in a game that UW probably won’t come out on top of. According to ESPN Analytics, the Huskies currently have a 22.5 percent chance of being able to beat the Trojans in Los Angeles. 

No. 4: Washington Huskies vs. Iowa Hawkeyes - February 22 in Iowa City

I guess you could say this game is one of the more winnable. If we’re speaking in relative terms, that’s certainly true. But I suspect that beating the Hawkeyes is going to be pretty difficult for the Huskies and ESPN Analytics seems to agree as UW has a 21.4 percent chance of coming out on top of Iowa in Iowa City.

No. 3: Washington Huskies vs. Penn State Nittany Lions - February 15 in State College

Playing at Penn State will make this one difficult. There’s a slightly decent chance of Washington winning, I suppose, but it isn’t exactly all that great! The Huskies are going to have a hard time winning this one even though Penn State hasn’t even been all that impressive of a team this season. But Penn State is 10-2 in home games and ESPN Analytics is giving UW an 18.3 percent chance of beating the Nittany Lions.

No. 2: Washington Huskies vs. Ohio State Buckeyes - February 12 in Columbus

A road game to Columbus to meet up with the Ohio State Buckeyes probably won’t be that much fun for Sprinkle and the Huskies. This is apparently the second most difficult game left for UW this season as ESPN Analytics has Washington with just a 12.2 percent chance of being able to beat Ohio State. That isn’t exactly all that encouraging, to be honest. 

No. 1: Washington Huskies vs. Wisconsin Badgers - February 25 in Madison

This is apparently the toughest game that Washington has left. Another UW. This test against the Badgers is currently the most difficult game for Washington to win as ESPN Analytics is providing UW with a 9.5 percent chance of beating Wisconsin in the Kohl Center. And that seems fair giving that Wisconsin is 11-1 in home games this season.

Schedule