NCAA Basketball: Will Gonzaga or Washington be better in 2019-20?

NCAA Basketball: Will Gonzaga or Washington have a better 2019-20 season?

By Andy Patton | Aug 25, 2019

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 22: Head coach Mark Few of the Gonzaga Bulldogs reacts against the Florida State Seminoles during the first half in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional at Staples Center on March 22, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

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COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 22: Head coach Mike Hopkins of the Washington Huskies reacts as they take on the Utah State Aggies during the first half of the game in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Gonzaga and Washington Huskies will forever be linked by their in-state NCAA Basketball rivalry. But who will be better in 2019-20?

The Gonzaga Bulldogs and the University of Washington Huskies set aside their differences and renewed their longstanding in-state NCAA Basketball rivalry a few years ago, after a nearly 10-year hiatus.

The Zags have won each of the matchups since they began playing each other again, although Mike Hopkins’ team certainly gave them a run for their money last year, with star forward Rui Hachimura sinking a game-winner to seal the deal.

Now, each team has lost a significant amount of talent from last year’s roster. Hachimura is gone, as is forward Brandon Clarke and guards Josh Perkins and Zach Norvell, four of GU’s five starters.

The Huskies are heading into this season without Matisse Thybulle and Noah Dickerson, who graduated and guard Jaylen Nowell. That trio helped lead UW into a top-25 ranking and a berth in the NCAA tournament, their first since the 2010-11 season.

So the question now is which of these two pacific northwest powerhouses will be better during the 2019-20 season? The two teams will face off in Seattle on December 8, giving fans a chance to see coach Hopkins and coach Few duke it out in what should be a very entertaining game of basketball.

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