Pac-12 Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2021-22 season

At some point the talent that the Washington Huskies land has to turn into something on the court. Somehow a team that perennially lands McDonald’s All-Americans and future first-round draft picks struggles showcasing that talent. The Huskies finished 4-16 last season after going 5-13 the year prior.

Head coach Mike Hopkins is hoping bringing in fresh blood can solve the complacency and lack of urgency that plagued the Huskies for the last two seasons. The Huskies revamped their roster adding some big pieces in the transfer portal and as they are known to do in recruiting. Daejon Davis, Terrell Brown Jr., PJ Fuller, and Emmit Matthews Jr. return home. Davis and Brown will likely be the starting backcourt for the Huskies.

Davis is hoping a change of scenery helps him put together a season that compares to his skillset after struggling to piece together consistent play for the Stanford Cardinals. Brown decided to transfer from Arizona at the end of last season and looks to continue showcasing his solid off-ball play.

He’s a great passer and rim-attacker and should help Davis find better looks. Matthews may be one of the biggest additions if only to help Hopkins’ surprisingly lackluster defense considering the coach’s history as an assistant at Syracuse. Matthews is a lengthy wing player who has decent ball-handling as well.

For the Huskies to return to the top half of the conference and play in the NCAA tournament, they will need to improve their defense dramatically. They were the 134th ranked defense in the country last year according to KenPom and that haphazard play only compounded a floundering offense. For Hopkins to find the success he has to reinstall the Syracuse 2-3 zone or they’re likely to be fending off the cellar of the conference yet again.