It was pretty much inevitable that the Washington Huskies would beat the 364th-ranked Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions on opening night of the college basketball season, it was just a matter of by how much and if the Huskies passed the eye test.
Coming into the contest as 34.5-point favorites, Washington covered the spread by taking down Pine Bluff 94-50. As far as how the Huskies looked, they appeared sharp for the most part and showed encouraging balance throughout the lineup.
The Huskies came out the gates strong, but still allowed the lowly Golden Lions to stay within 10 points for the first 12 minutes of the first half. But then the Dawgs stepped on the gas, outscoring UAPB 68-34 the rest of the way. Similarly to Husky football, the offense was firing on all cylinders all game long, and the defense settled in to top gear in the second half.
Freshman forward Hannes Steinbach led the way for the Huskies with 21 points on an excellent 9-of-11 field-goal percentage, including making the only 3-pointer he shot. Steinbach was a threat on all three levels and effectively used his strength and athleticism to generate looks that were impossible to guard. The 6-foot-11 German also secured seven rebounds and dished six assists.
The Dawgs might just have a superstar on their hands.
Wesley Yates III, who transferred back to UW from USC after initially starting his collegiate career with the Huskies, added 14 points while being a menace on defense with three steals. Indiana transfer Bryson Tucker was a swiss army knife from the forward position, leading the game with 10 rebounds while dropping in 12 points for a double-double.
Fellow freshman JJ Mandaquit, a four-star prospect originally from Hawaii, was the orchestrator of Washington's offense as the starting point guard. He led the game with eight assists, which was one more than Pine Bluff had as an entire team. Already playing with an unbelievable feel for the game at a young age, Mandaquit can be the prototypical college guard that leads a team deep into March.
Coach Danny Sprinkle kept to an eight-man rotation despite the blowout, with only three players appearring off the bench. Sophomore returner Zoom Diallo scored 14 points while flying all over the court -- making the sixth man role look perfect for his skillset. East Tennessee State transfer Quimari Peterson did the same, scoring 13 points in his Huskies debut.
Lathan Sommerville, a transfer from Rutgers, was the third man off the bench and looked good taking on the role of a scrappy, defensive-minded big who can back up at the center and power forward positions. He can do a little bit of everything and brings a great physical presence off the bench, as he used his aggressiveness to get to the foul line and shoot a game-high eight free throws.
Washington is still without USC transfer Desmond Claude, who is dealing with an ankle injury. The 6-foot-6 combo guard will likely replace Mandaquit in the starting lineup when he returns, which will significantly improve the Huskies' size, depth, and defensive versatility.
Take the team stats with a grain of salt because of the opponent, but the Huskies dominated on every margin in the game. They shot nearly 50% from the field and 40% from 3-point range, outrebounded the Golden Lions by 21, led in points off turnovers 25-14, and tripled Pine Bluff's points in the paint 36 to 12.
Even though it was a game that just about every Division I program would win, it was still a victory that inspires optimism for what can be the best Washington basketball season in years. The Huskies are now 1-0, and next play against Denver on Thursday night at home.