Washington Heads to Evanston for Saturday Night Showdown with Northwestern
After a hard-fought battle in Champaign, the Washington Huskies are right back on the road, this time heading to Evanston for a Saturday night tilt against Northwestern. Tipoff is set for 5:00 p.m.
PT at Welsh-Ryan Arena, with the game airing on the Big Ten Network. For those tuning in on the radio, Tony Castricone and Jason Hamilton will be on the call via 950 KJR-AM.
This marks a rare trip for the Huskies - they haven’t played in Evanston since 1960 - and while Washington leads the all-time series 7-2, they’ve yet to pick up a win on Northwestern’s home court. Still, the Huskies have taken the last four meetings between the programs, including a 76-71 win in Seattle last season.
Huskies Looking to Bounce Back
Washington is coming off a 75-66 loss to No. 9 Illinois on Thursday, a game that saw the Dawgs go toe-to-toe with one of the most physical frontcourts in the country. Despite the loss, there were plenty of bright spots - most notably, the continued emergence of freshman forward Hannes Steinbach and the breakout performance from Zoom Diallo.
Steinbach posted 15 points and 12 rebounds, notching his third straight double-double and fourth in his last five games. He also added a career-high four blocks, showing off his growing presence as a rim protector.
Diallo, meanwhile, dished out a career-best 10 assists to go along with his first career double-double. The freshman guard has been steadily improving, and this performance was another step forward in his development as a floor general.
Wesley Yates III also showed signs of finding his rhythm again, knocking down 3-of-5 from deep and scoring 13 points - his best output since returning from injury on January 14. His shooting was a much-needed boost on a night when the rest of the team went just 3-of-18 from beyond the arc.
Despite being undersized against Illinois, Washington actually outscored the Illini in the paint, 34-28. But second-chance points told a different story - Illinois capitalized on extra opportunities, scoring 20 more second-chance points despite only three more offensive rebounds. That kind of disparity can be a backbreaker, and it’s something the Huskies will look to clean up heading into Saturday.
Steinbach’s Historic Start
Let’s talk about Hannes Steinbach for a moment. The freshman from Germany is putting together one of the most impressive debut seasons in Washington history - and he’s doing it with remarkable consistency.
He leads the Big Ten with 13 double-doubles in just 18 games and is one of only seven players nationwide with that many this season. Among Power Five players, only two others can say the same. He’s also one of just two players in the country with at least five games of 20+ points and 10+ rebounds against Power Five competition.
If he stays on this pace, Steinbach would become the first freshman in Husky history to average a double-double for a season - and just the 19th player to do it in program history dating back to 1947-48. He’s two double-doubles away from breaking Isaiah Stewart’s freshman record of 14, set in 2019-20. And if that wasn’t enough, he’s also the first Husky to record five straight double-doubles since Jon Brockman strung together seven in a row back in 2007-08.
Simply put: Steinbach is doing things we haven’t seen in a long time - or, in some cases, ever.
Diallo’s December Surge
While Steinbach has been grabbing headlines, Zoom Diallo has quietly been carving out his own path. December was a turning point for the Tacoma native, where he averaged 16.0 points and 4.0 assists per game while shooting a blistering 14-of-15 from the free throw line.
His breakout came at the end of the month against Utah, when he dropped a career-high 24 points and handed out seven assists. That performance gave a glimpse of what he’s capable of when he’s aggressive and in rhythm - and his 10-assist showing against Illinois only reinforced that trajectory.
Diallo’s ability to control pace and create for others will be crucial against a Northwestern team that thrives on limiting mistakes.
Scouting Northwestern
The Wildcats come into this one at 10-11 overall and 2-8 in Big Ten play, but they’ve picked up some momentum lately, winning two of their last three against USC and Penn State.
Head coach Chris Collins, now in his 13th season, has built a disciplined, efficient team that leads the nation in both assist-to-turnover ratio (2.18) and fewest turnovers per game (8.4). That kind of ball security makes them tough to rattle - and it puts pressure on opposing defenses to stay sharp for a full 40 minutes.
The offense runs through senior forward Nick Martinelli, who’s leading the nation in scoring at 24.0 points per game. He’s a high-usage, high-efficiency player who leads the Big Ten in field goals made and attempted, and ranks near the top in both free throw attempts and makes. Slowing him down will be priority No. 1 for Washington’s defense.
Junior guard Jayden Reid is another name to watch. He’s fourth in the Big Ten in assists per game and has a top-10 assist-to-turnover ratio. He’s the engine that keeps the Wildcats’ offense humming - if he’s allowed to dictate tempo, things could get tricky.
Road-Tested Dawgs
This is Washington’s third road game in the last four, and it comes in the middle of one of the toughest stretches any team has faced this season. Since January 7, the Huskies have faced five top-12 teams in a 25-day span - something that hasn’t been done since Marquette did it back in 2010-11.
Those five opponents have a combined record of 93-11. That’s not just a gauntlet - that’s a meat grinder.
And yet, the Huskies have shown resilience. They’ve been competitive, they’ve found new contributors, and they’ve continued to grow - especially in the second half of games.
Washington is shooting 48.5% from the field and 36.6% from three after halftime and in overtime, compared to 42.2% and 24.9% in the first half. That’s a sign of a team that adjusts, that doesn’t fold, and that knows how to fight.
What’s at Stake
Saturday’s matchup is more than just a chance to snap a losing streak - it’s an opportunity to build momentum heading into the back half of the season. With Steinbach chasing records, Diallo finding his groove, and Yates rounding back into form, the pieces are there for Washington to put something together.
It won’t be easy - Northwestern doesn’t beat itself, and Welsh-Ryan is no easy place to play. But if the Huskies can bring the same energy they showed in Champaign, clean up the second-chance points, and get another strong showing from their young core, they’ll have a real shot to break a 66-year drought in Evanston.
Let’s see if the Dawgs are ready to flip the script.