Washington Basketball: Takeaways from dominant win over South Dakota

Washington’s 2-3 zone was great

When Mike Hopkins first came to Washington ahead of the 2017-18 season, he made it clear he was committing to the 2-3 zone as a central part of the Huskies’ new identity and so far it has paid off with a win percentage of 70% during his tenure. It paid off yet again on Monday night.

Hopkins’ modified 2-3 zone, which extends further out to the sidelines to discourage 3-pointers, dismantled the South Dakota offense.

Stanley Umude was the preseason Summit League Player of the Year and Washington held him to 7-for-18 shooting (38.8%) from the field, which included a woeful 1-for-6 effort from the 3-point line. But Umude wasn’t alone in his struggles.

The only player on South Dakota outside of Umude who averages double-digit shot attempts is big man Tyler Hagedorn. Hagedorn shot an incredibly inefficient 4-for-19, including an 0-for-5 effort from 3-point range.

Isaiah Stweart was great on the backline of the 2-3 zone, communicating with his teammates in terms of who was cutting where. The rest of the Huskies’ defenders were solid in this regard but Stewart’s communication was very visible on the broadcast. He was by no means perfect so I don’t want to oversell that point, but Hopkins’ zone defense has certainly helped mask many of the defensive deficiencies that he (and McDaniels) possess.

Overall, in Monday’s win, the Washington basketball 2-3 zone held South Dakota to 55 points (18.8 points below their average), 33.8% shooting from the field, and 13 free throws. This was a convincing, great defensive performance against an elite 3-point shooting team, albeit one a step below the Huskies’ usual competition level. A defensive performance like this bodes well for a team that features two extremely young players as the focal point.