Danny Sprinkle and the Washington Huskies are getting set to hit the road and take on one of the toughest teams in the Big Ten. Thursday evening, Washington will travel on over to East Lansing, Michigan to meet up with Tom Izzo and the No. 16 ranked Michigan State Spartans.
This is, by far, the toughest test that Sprinkle and the Washington men’s basketball team have faced thus far this season. At 10-5 overall and 1-3 in the Big Ten, the rebuilding project is off to a decent start for Sprinkle and the Huskies. But UW will face a juggernaut in a Michigan State team that is 12-2 overall, 3-0 in Big Ten play, and currently rolling on a seven game winning streak.
It’s worth noting that Michigan State is also a perfect 7-0 at home in the Breslin Center, which Sprinkle and the Huskies are getting set to compete in.
During a press conference, when asked how Sprinkle and the Huskies were preparing for the intense atmosphere of Michigan State’s raucous home crowd, the head coach of the Wahsington men’s basketball team noted the definite challenge ahead of them.
Danny Sprinkle notes how Washington Huskies are preparing for Michigan State Spartans intense home court advantage
“We’ll probably do something this week,” Sprinkle said with a chuckle. “We’ll have to probably use our board because they’re not going to hear me or our staff.”
Yeah, I think using the white board to signal calls might be a good idea. Or, well, something. Because if the home crowd at the Breslin Center is loud enough to keep Washington’s players from hearing the Huskies coaching staff, UW will certainly have a hard time in this game.
Unfortunately, Sprinkle seems to think that it’s not just the coaching staff that will struggle to be heard. There’s certainly a possibility that the players on the court will struggle to communicate with one another.
“Even if it’s Zoom or Tyree giving a call, they’re not going to hear it,” Sprinkle explained.
Yeah… That’s not great. I mean, it’s a testament to how impressive Michigan State’s home court advantage is. It’s a statement about how daunting of an environment the Breslin Center can be. But it’s not great for UW’s chances in this game.
“We have to do a good job of getting all five players in a habit of looking over, seeing the call, and then coming down and executing it,” Sprinkle noted.
Here’s to hoping that Washington is able to effectively communicate and is able to challenge the Spartans. We’ve seen some great potential from the Huskies when they’re playing at home. Maybe we’ll see something great on the road at Michigan State?