Washington head coach Danny Sprinkle didn’t mince words after his team’s 75-66 loss at No. 9 Illinois.
This one stung-not because the Huskies were outclassed, but because they were right there. They hung around for most of the second half, trailing by single digits and keeping things interesting.
But as Sprinkle pointed out, it was the little things-the details-that ended up making the difference.
This wasn’t a blowout. It wasn’t a game where Washington looked overwhelmed by a top-10 team on the road.
In fact, for long stretches, they looked like they belonged. But when you’re facing a squad like Illinois, even the smallest slip-ups can snowball.
And that’s exactly what happened.
The Huskies struggled to keep Illinois off the offensive glass, giving up second-chance points that proved costly. Add in a few untimely turnovers and a cold stretch from beyond the arc, and suddenly a winnable game starts to slip away. Sprinkle highlighted all of it-missed box-outs, inconsistent three-point shooting, and some questionable decision-making that dug them into a deeper hole by halftime.
“We’ve got to be better in the margins,” Sprinkle said postgame. And he’s right.
Against elite teams, the margin for error is razor-thin. One missed rotation, one ill-advised pass, one failed box-out-it all adds up.
What makes this loss even tougher is the quick turnaround. Washington doesn’t have time to dwell on what could’ve been.
They’re heading to north Chicago to face Northwestern in less than 48 hours. That’s life in college basketball-especially in conference play.
You learn fast, or you fall behind.
The Huskies showed enough fight to suggest they’re not far off. But as Sprinkle made clear, effort alone won’t get it done.
Execution matters. And if Washington wants to start flipping these close games into wins, they’ll need to tighten up the fundamentals-fast.