The preseason outlook for Washington men’s basketball is looking bleak, and the numbers aren’t doing Danny Sprinkle any favors.
Multiple outlets and publications have painted a rough picture for the Huskies heading into the 2026-27 season, continuing a stretch that has been ugly since Washington moved from the old Pac-12 into the Big Ten before the 2024-25 campaign.
Sprinkle was hired before that move to take over the program, but his first two seasons in Seattle have been defined by constant roster turnover. He has had to nearly start over each year, with only four players back from the previous season in his first year, two returning the next, and six back for this season. That churn, along with a long list of injuries last season, has helped drag the team’s results down since the conference switch.
The early returns under Sprinkle have been tough to ignore. In two seasons in the Pacific Northwest, he has a 29-35 overall record and an 11-29 mark against Big Ten competition. That stands in stark contrast to the success he had before arriving at Washington, when his previous stops at Montana State and Utah State produced three straight combined NCAA tournament appearances.
Washington finished 18th in the 18-team Big Ten in 2024-25 and tied for 12th in the conference last year. Any postseason hopes a year ago were tied to an improbable run at the Big Ten tournament, but that push ended in the third round with an 85-82 loss to Wisconsin.
The latest external projections haven’t offered much comfort. The Columbus Dispatch’s media poll ahead of Big Ten media days in October slotted Washington 15th in the league, with only Northwestern, Rutgers and Penn State behind it.
ESPN’s Myron Metcalf took a broader look on Aug. 6 at the ceiling and floor for every Big Ten team, and his outlook for the Huskies was similarly downbeat. Based on the ceiling of each team’s win-loss projection, he placed Washington 14th nationally.
Metcalf said Washington’s ceiling would be a 20-win season and a 10th-place finish in the conference, a result that would still leave the Huskies out of the NCAA tournament for the eighth straight year. He also pegged the floor at 15 wins and a 15th-place finish in the Big Ten, adding that he believes Washington is closer to that lower end than the higher one.
In Other News...
Washington Heads To Purdue With Depth Suddenly Under Pressure
Washingtons trip to Purdue is suddenly carrying a different look, with the Huskies dealing with key absences on both sides of the ball. Defensive tackle Kai McClendon and running back Ansu Sanoe are both listed as out, thinning a depth chart that already figures to be tested in a road game where every available body matters.
The bigger concern may be at quarterback, where Demond Williams Jr. is also likely to miss the game because of a rib injury. If that holds, Washington will have to lean harder on Brian Bonner Jr., Trey Cooley and Ryken Moon in the backfield while sorting out how to manage an offense that may be asked to absorb more than it usually does. [Read more 🡒]
Purdue Just Caught Washington At A Very Interesting Time
Washington heads into its meeting with Purdue in a tricky spot, with the offense still trying to find traction and the running game offering little help as the Huskies chase their first Big Ten win of the season. The quarterback picture only adds to the uncertainty, since Demond Williams Jr. is sidelined with a rib injury and Washington now has to lean on a different option under center at a time when every possession matters.
Elijah Brown is the next man up, and the junior transfer from Stanford brings a little intrigue because he has shown flashes in limited work since arriving in Seattle. Washington has not had much room for error on offense, so his presence changes both the rhythm and the expectations for a unit that has been searching for consistency. For a Huskies team trying to steady itself in conference play, this becomes one of those games where the backup quarterback storyline could shape far more than just the box score. [Read more 🡒]
Washingtons Playoff Path May Have Just Got Much Easier
For a Washington program that has already shown it can reach the College Football Playoff, the next version of the bracket could make the road a little less punishing. The postseason is reportedly moving toward a major expansion beginning in the 2027 season, and if it goes through, the Huskies would be operating in a landscape where one hot year could be enough to put them back in the mix.
What makes the idea so appealing in Seattle is not just the larger field, but the possibility of a format that creates more entry points for teams from the sports top conferences. Washington has twice reached the playoff before, and in a bigger bracket the margin for error should shrink. The final approvals still have to come, but the direction of the sport is clear enough to make future Huskies seasons look a lot more interesting. [Read more 🡒]