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Danny Sprinkle era of Washington Huskies basketball starts with dominant exhibition win

By Ethan Lee

Jan 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Utah State Aggies head coach Danny Sprinkle looks on during the UNLV Rebels in the first half at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images
Jan 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Utah State Aggies head coach Danny Sprinkle looks on during the UNLV Rebels in the first half at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images / Candice Ward-Imagn Images
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Tuesday evening, the Danny Sprinkle era of Washington Huskies basketball got started as the Huskies hosted, and then definitely overpowered, Western Oregon by a score of 105 to 68. Generally speaking, it’s never a bad thing for a coach to start his tenure by having his team put up over 100 points in an exhibition game.

Now, that said, Sprinkle said postgame that there is still room for improvement, and there is, but it’s worth celebrating the Huskies right now as they’re entering this new era. This nearly 40-point win matters as it marked an exciting start to Sprinkle’s tenure.

Oh, and it also gave us a sneak peak at a roster that has been revamped ahead of a season that will feature a brand new conference and a ton of other changes.

Washington Huskies secure strong win over Western Oregon to start Danny Sprinkle era in Seattle

This was a dominant showing by the Huskies in so many ways. In the paint, Washington made its size advantage very visible as they outscored Western Oregon by a margin of 60 to 18. The Huskies also managed to take advantage of 16 Western Oregon turnovers by scoring 23 points off turnovers. 

Washington did a respectable job of spreading the ball around a bit as a total of seven different Huskies managed to get into double digits scoring. Oh, and Washington outrebounded Western Oregon by a margin of 54 to 32.

That’s not bad.

There’s a lot to be *potentially* excited about here and Washington Husky basketball fans might truly be able to enjoy the product that is delivered on Montlake this season.

Of course, if you’re a little wary about getting heavily emotionally invested into a team that has had its roster overhauled by a new head coach who arrived in Seattle after coaching at a school in another state, I wouldn’t blame you. That story sounds kinda familiar.

But, it’s worth noting that Washington showed some chemistry in this game. There’s always room for improvement, but this game was fun. It’s a shame it was only an exhibition. 

As for what’s next, Washington will open regular season play when the Huskies welcome UC Davis to Alaska Arilines Arena next Tuesday. At the moment, tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. PT.

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