5. Washington Huskies
Mike Hopkins is yet another coach that flirted with the hot seat last season and was given another shot. He’s gone 19-21 in conference after a disastrous 2019-2021 run that had him sitting at 9-29 those two seasons. Expectations are higher now that he’s landed several impactful transfers and a bonafide recruit in Wesley Yates.
And there is still talent returning with forward Keion Brooks deciding to come back for a fifth season. Brooks averaged 17 points and nearly 7 rebounds in 2022-2023 and will likely be the scoring leader for the team again. He’s joined by another Kentucky transfer Sahvir Wheeler, who may be underrated after his relationship with the Wildcats dissolved last season, playing behind Cason Wallace.
Wheeler battled an ankle injury all season and played in just 21 games. While he was out there, he had the 24th-highest assist rate by qualifying players and averaged 7.7 points and 5.9 dimes per contest. Hopkins also added a perimeter threat in grad transfers Moses Wood (40% career three-point shooter) and utility man Paul Mulcahy. The 6-foot-7 Mulcahy averaged 8.3 points, 4.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game at Rutgers last season.
Mulcahy was a solid defender with the Scarlet Knights but it’s still to be determined how much of that was also aided by the fact that that entire team played solid defense. If he resembles his Rutgers days, he and Wheeler could be a tough matchup for opposing backcourts. Mulcahy will need to be more assertive on offense and hunt his shot more to force teams not to prioritize defending driving lanes and cutting off entry passes to Brooks.
The aforementioned Yates is an intriguing piece to the roster as he could benefit learning behind Wheeler and then offer defensive intensity and attacking off of the bench. Braxton Meah returns with Brooks to make a formidable and solid frontcourt pairing. Meah is a good rim protector and should be aided by the added shooting around him. This season has the potential to have the Huskies back on track to being a tournament team for the first time since 2019.