NCAA Basketball: 2018-19 preseason top-25 power rankings

Similar to many other teams on this list, Washington flirted with the NCAA Tournament bubble for most of this past season. In the end, a down season by the Pac-12 turned out to hurt the Huskies as they were unable to secure a bid despite posting a 20-win season. But now, with the majority of key contributors from last season returning for 2018-19, Washington looks poised to take a big leap and not only land an NCAA Tournament appearance but compete for the Pac-12 title.

And a major reason for this will be sophomore guard Jaylen Nowell. A sensational scorer who should only be better this season, Nowell averaged 16.0 points per game as a true freshman last season on fairly solid efficiency numbers: .451/.351/800. Arguably one of the top returning second-year players in the country, Nowell should lead the Huskies in scoring once again this season and he will be surrounded by three superb seniors, one of whom might actually be the best player on the roster.

Leading the way for this group of seniors will be Noah Dickerson, a 6-foot-8 big who excels as a versatile scorer. Over the course of last season, Dickerson averaged 15.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game on 56.9% shooting from the field. Additionally, playmaking guard David Crisp (11.6 ppg, 3.1 apg) and superstar defender Matisse Thybulle (11.2 ppg, 3.0 spg, 1.4 bpg) also return as senior leaders for the Huskies.

These core four will likely be the most important players for Washington and its 2-3 zone this season but they will not be alone as strong contributors. In regards to returning talent, sophomores Nahziah Carter and Hameir Wright could experience breakout seasons this year while wing Dominic Green and big man Sam Timmins will also see their fair amount of playing time.

In terms of incoming recruits, head coach Mike Hopkins landed the No. 40 ranked class in the nation. There may not be a top-100 recruit coming in but a few players may be able to carve out a role right away.