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Washington vs. Belmont: College basketball game preview, TV schedule

By Tristan Freeman

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 08: Washington Huskies mascot Harry the Husky looks on during the team's first-round game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the USC Trojans at T-Mobile Arena on March 8, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. USC won 78-73. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 08: Washington Huskies mascot Harry the Husky looks on during the team's first-round game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the USC Trojans at T-Mobile Arena on March 8, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. USC won 78-73. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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A new era begins for the Washington Huskies basketball program. Their first game comes against a dangerous mid-major team from the Ohio Valley Conference.

TV schedule: Friday, Nov. 10, Check local listings, 10:00 p.m. ET.

Arena: Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, Washington

This game may not be on everyone’s top-five on the Friday’s opening slate, but this could be one of the more competitive games on the schedule. After a dismal 2-16 conference performance, Lorenzo Romar was fired after over 15 years with the program. He’s been replaced by Mike Hopkins, a former Syracuse assistant for Jim Boeheim.

Despite losing the eventual No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz, the rest of last year’s roster remains intact. That could be both a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. The other double-digit scorers for Washington (Noah Dickerson, Matisse Thybulle, and David Crisp) will once again be the key players for this team.

They take on the Belmont Bruins, who’ve been the powerhouse program for the Ohio Valley Conference over the past decade or so. Like Washington, they’ll also be replacing a 20 point scorer in Evan Bradds. Not just him, the second best player Taylor Barnette graduated as well.

For 99% of mid-majors, that would signal a rebuild. However, head coach Rick Byrd has plenty of weapons remaining with four more guys who averaged between 8-11.3 ppg. Expect junior guard Dylan Windler and senior big man Amanze Egekeze to be the stars of this upcoming campaign for Belmont.

What to look for

Due to Hopkins spending his previous days helping coach Syracuse’s legendary 2-3 zone, how Washington plays defense will be something to watch in this game. The Huskies don’t lack the athletes to play the zone, but these were the same players who couldn’t guard the guy in front of them to save their lives. It may have been due to Romar, but it takes effort and concentration to play the 2-3, something yet to be seen from these current players.

Next: 5 PAC-12 questions for 2017-18

This game is similar to one last season for Washington where they took on the Yale Bulldogs in the opening game. They lost that game, which was the precursor to the disastrous season ahead of them. Belmont should be a good test, but they’ll also be retooling to start the season. It could be a sloppy game, with both programs getting the kinks out, but a close one throughout nonetheless.

Prediction: Washington 88 – Belmont 85