Washington Basketball: Breaking down 2023-24 non-conference schedule
Regular Season Games
In-season tournaments and challenges are not included in this section.
November 6 vs. Bellarmine
Bellarmine pulled a road victory off in their opening game last year, although nobody knew just how bad the Louisville Cardinals were going to be at that point in the season. For the rest of the year, the mighty Knights took a step back from previous success. They return much of their squad from last year, so the Knights should be able to move back into a higher tier of the Atlantic Sun. After leading the team with 12.7 points per game, Third Team All-ASUN guard Garrett Tipton returns for another season.
November 9 vs. Northern Kentucky
Northern Kentucky was a scary mid-major at times last year. The Norse toppled Cincinnati early in the season and marched their way to the NCAA Tournament, where the 16-seed only lost to 1-seed Houston by 11 points. Darrin Horn has a 79-45 record with Northern Kentucky in four seasons. The Norse nabbed a number of impressive transfers and brings back guard Marques Warrick, who finished fourth in the Horizon League last year with 18.8 points per game. He has an inside track for conference Player of the Year honors.
November 12 vs. Nevada
Nevada is one of the scarier opponents on Washington’s non-conference schedule, for what it’s worth. With Jarod Lucas and Kenan Blackshear back for another year, Nevada should again be dangerous in the Mountain West. Steve Alford’s team earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament last year, where the Wolf Pack were trounced by Arizona State.
November 28 vs. UC San Diego
The UC San Diego Tritons are entering the last year of their transition period to Division I, not that they seem inclined to be competing for an NCAA Tournament bid anyways. What makes the Tritons dangerous, however, is Bryce Pope. Last year, the local product averaged a conference-high 38 minutes per game and ranked second in scoring on his way to making the All-Big West Second Team. If the Huskies don’t shut him down, the Tritons will have a chance at an upset.
December 2 vs. Colorado State (in Las Vegas, NV)
Colorado State is coming off a down year, but the Rams remain dangerous under Niko Medved. They’ll also have a geographic advantage here, considering Colorado State’s proximity to Las Vegas versus Seattle. While David Roddy is long gone now, the Rams scored a major coup when Isaiah Stevens decided to return for another season. The superstar averaged 17.9 points per game and 6.7 assists per game – he never scored less than 10 points in a contest and finished fourth in the nation in assists. He’ll be an early favorite for Mountain West Player of the Year.
December 5 vs. Montana State
Montana State made the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row in 2022-23, giving Kansas State a scare in the First Round. As a result of that success, Danny Sprinkle departed for Utah State. The Bobcats brought in Matt Logie from the D2 level as Sprinkle’s replacement. With RaeQuan Battle transferring to West Virginia and several players following Sprinkle to Utah State, Montana State seems destined to take at least a small step back.
December 9 vs. Gonzaga
After getting destroyed by 17 points in Spokane last year, Washington could have a chance to return the favor when the Bulldogs come to town. Gonzaga is the best non-conference team on Washington’s schedule, but the Huskies have the good fortune in hosting Mark Few’s team in what could be a transition year. Sure, Anton Watson and Nolan Hickman are still around, and Ryan Nembhard and Graham Ike are good transfers. But there’s no Drew Timme to be seen. The Bulldogs will be good, maybe even great – just not as great as they’ve been in recent years.
December 17 at Seattle (at Climate Pledge Arena)
While the Redhawks didn’t win the WAC again in Chris Victor’s first year without the interim tag, the team was still in the top tier of the conference. They also gave Washington a bit of a scare on the road, only losing to the Huskies by 11. No team in the WAC has a better returning cast than Seattle, which should again make them a threat for the conference crown. Guard Cameron Tyson returns following an All-WAC First Team season, averaging a second-best 18.6 points per game in the conference.
December 21 vs. Eastern Washington
Washington closes out non-conference play against their regional nemesis, the Eastern Washington Eagles, who nearly won at Texas Tech last year and split a pair of games against Washington State. Eastern Washington started off Big Sky play 16-0 before losing their last three, including a conference tournament loss that relegated them to the NIT. Steele Venters left for Gonzaga. They should still be a top team in the Big Sky.