Washington vs. San Diego: College basketball game preview, TV schedule

The nationally ranked Washington Huskies play host to a hungry San Diego Toreros squad on Monday night. Will the Huskies protect their home floor or can San Diego pull an upset?

TV Schedule: Monday, November 12, 11:00p.m. ET, PAC-12 Network

Location: Alaska Airlines Arena, Seattle, Washington

In one of the better games on Monday night, the Washington Huskies play host to the San Diego Toreros in a late-night tilt. Washington enters the contest at 1-1, after an opening night win over Western Kentucky but falling to No 10 Auburn on Friday night. The Huskies are a trendy pick to take down the Pac-12 championship. The Toreros are undefeated at 2-0 after defeating Weber State and UC Davis in the past week. San Diego has their best team and ten years, and expectations are high in the first full season under head coach Sam Scholl. Washington looks to rebound after being soundly defeated by Auburn, while San Diego hopes to pull the upset and remain undefeated.

Washington (1-1)

What makes Washington a potential Pac-12 powerhouse is the returning core for head coach Mike Hopkins. A trio of seniors return, led by 6-8 swingman Noah Dickerson threw down over 15 points per game and grabbed over eight boards last season. David Crisp is a facilitator who averaged 11.6 points and 3.1 assists and Matisse Thybulle is the team’s best defender and averaged 11 points and 1.4 blocks per game. The team’s best player is sophomore guard Jaylen Nowell who averaged 16 points per game as a freshman.

All four contributed in a big way in the 73-55 season-opening win over Western Kentucky. The quartet accounted for all but 14 of the team’s points, led by Dickerson’s 18, 16 of which came in the second half after the Huskies trailed by nine at the break and Nowell’s 17 points, while Crisp added 13 points and seven assists and Thybulle filled the stat sheet in his own way with nine points, six rebounds, and six blocks. The Huskies second game was a marquee game against No. 10 Auburn.

Unfortunately for coach Hopkins and the Huskies, they fell behind early, 12-2, and were never really in the game, falling 88-66. Nowell and forward Nazaiah Carter each had 16 for Washington and Dickerson added 12, but struggled in the first half, picking up three fouls, the last of which was the result of a technical foul after an emphatic dunk. Even though they shot 55% as a team, they only took 45 shots compared to 70 for the Tigers, that in addition to being outrebounded 41-24 and 19-3 on the offensive glass, spelled doom for the Huskies.

San Diego (2-0)

The Toreros are hoping to build on the momentum that has seen them go from a 9-win team to the 20-win plateau last season. Returning four senior starters adds to the excitement, with two Isaiahs, Pineiro and Wright leading the front and backcourts respectively, and Olin Carter III and Tyler Williams give San Diego an experienced three-guard lineup. The foursome amassed 50 points of the team’s 70 per game last season. The Toreros have a challenging non-conference slate, headlined by a tilt with Oregon and this game with Washington.

In the Toreros’ opener, sophomore forward Yahuen Massalski got the start replacing the graduated Cameron Neubauer. Massalski didn’t disappoint, with eight points and 10 rebounds. In the 83-66 win over Weber State, San Diego had four players in double figures, led by Isaiah Pineiro who had 25 points and 12 rebounds. Isaiah Wright and Carter each added 13 points, while Wright grabbed six rebounds and eight assists. In the team’s second game, against UC-Davis, the Toreros were in complete control offensively and defensively in the 76-57 win. San Diego led by five at the half and held the Aggies to just 25 points in the second half. The victors were led by Pineiro and his 28 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, Carter added 16 points and Wright had 10. San Diego had 18 assists on 30 baskets while shooting 50% from the field and holding UC Davis to just 38% and a paltry 13% from beyond the arc.

Key Matchup

The key matchups in this game will be focused on two senior forwards and two sophomore guards. Washington’s 6-8 Noah Dickerson and San Diego’s Isaiah Pineiro is one matchup and Jaylen Nowell and the Toreros’ Isaiah Wright is the other. Dickerson and Pineiro are two of the better power forwards in the west and both have gotten off to good starts in the early going. The guard matchup between Nowell and Wright should be just as good, but coach Hopkins also has the option of putting his 6-5 defensive stopper, Thybulle on Wright to shut down the dynamic guard.

Prediction: This will be a good early test, especially for San Diego, but in the end, I see Washington’s athleticism a bit too much with the Huskies bouncing back and pulling out a 12-15-point win.