Huskies Eye Victory as They Conclude Homestand Against Ranked Rival No. 20 Illinois This Sunday!

SEATTLE – Building on the success from Thursday’s win against No. 24 Maryland, Washington aims to secure its second consecutive victory over a ranked team on Sunday, welcoming No. 20 Illinois at Alaska Airlines Arena at 1 p.m. PT.
 
The contest will be broadcasted on the Big Ten Network and via radio on 93.3 KJR-FM. Access links for live coverage are found on the schedule page at GoHuskies.com and at HuskyStats.com.
 
OPENING TIPS
» UW concludes a seven-game homestand against No. 20 Illinois
» This marks Illinois’s first visit to Seattle since 1927
» The Huskies recently achieved a 75-69 victory Thursday against No. 24 Maryland
» This was UW’s inaugural confrontation with a ranked opponent this season and also its first win within the Big Ten
» The 69 points scored by the Terrapins were the lowest for them this season
» The Dawgs restricted Maryland’s standout Derik Queen to a season-low four points on 1-of-7 FG
» Great Osobor notched his fourth double double of the season with 20 points and 14 rebounds
» Vazoumana Diallo achieved career-highs with 18 points and six assists
» Hitting three three-pointers and sinking all six free throw attempts, DJ Davis’ 17 points marked his third-best scoring game this season
» By successfully converting 18-of-23 free throw attempts, UW surpassed 75% shooting from the line for the second consecutive game, the only two such outings this season
 
ABOUT ILLINOIS
» Illinois is in its eighth campaign under head coach Brad Underwood
» Underwood possesses a record of 153-91 at Illinois
» Underwood has led the Fighting Illini to the NCAA Tournament for four consecutive years, including last season’s Elite Eight appearance
» During Underwood’s tenure, Illinois has clinched two Big Ten Tournament championships, as well as the 2022 Big Ten Regular Season title
» The Illini are currently positioned at No. 20 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 22 in the Associated Press Poll
» Illinois ranks at No. 5 in the NCAA Net Rankings, making them UW’s highest-ranked opponent this season
» As of Sunday, Illinois holds a 10-3 record, with a 2-1 mark in Big Ten contests
» The Illini are coming off a decisive 109-77 victory against No. 9 Oregon on Thursday
» The 32-point victory is the largest margin achieved over an AP top-10 team on the road in men’s college basketball history
» Illinois is sixth nationally in scoring and eighth in scoring margin, being the second-best in the Big Ten in both metrics
» The Fighting Illini rank second in the country for rebounding (45.23), leading in defensive rebounds per game (32.38) and fourth in rebounding margin (12.4)
» Illinois attempts the ninth-highest number of three-point shots in the nation (31.9)
» True freshman Kasparas Jakucionis leads UI in scoring with an average of 16.3 points per game
» The Lithuanian also guides Illinois and ranks fifth in the Big Ten with 5.4 assists per game
» Croatian sophomore Tomislav Ivisic leads UI, ranking third in the Big Ten for rebounding, gathering 9.2 boards per game
 
SERIES HISTORY – ILLINOIS
» Washington has the upper hand in the all-time series with Illinois, leading 4-2
» The two teams have faced each other only three times since 1927 and merely once since the century turned
» UI was the first collegiate challenger UW ever confronted at Hec Edmundson Pavilion
» UW and Illinois contested three matches between December 27-30, 1927 during the inauguration of what was then known as the University of Washington Pavilion, with the Huskies winning 2-of-3 games

IT’S A TERP!

» UW held the advantage during its Star Wars Night matchup with No. 24 Maryland, securing its inaugural Big Ten victory, 75-69

» This was UW’s first encounter with a ranked adversary this season

» The Huskies limited the Terrapins to season lows in points, three-pointers, rebounds, and assists

» It was only the third occasion this season that Maryland was out-rebounded

» UW restricted McDonald’s All-American and five-star recruit Derik Queen to a season-low of four points

» Great Osobor achieved his fourth double double of the season with 20 points and 14 rebounds, marking his second performance over 20 points this season

» Vazoumana Diallo collected career highs with 18 points and six assists, also contributing five rebounds

 

HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES?

» UW celebrated its 300th Apple Cup contest against Washington State, winning 89-73

» Washington featured six players scoring in double figures for the first time since last season’s 100-99 double overtime triumph over Seattle U

» It was UW’s greatest margin of victory over Washington State since 2019

» The 89 points scored by Washington were their highest against WSU since they marked 99 in 2016

» Washington’s 10 three-pointers tied for their most in a match this season

» WSU’s 22 turnovers represented their peak this season and were the highest the Huskies have induced in a game during 2024-25

» After not attempting a single shot in the previous game, DJ Davis hit three three-pointers and 10 free throws to lead UW with a season-high 21 points

 

KEEP ‘EM HONEST

» A crucial factor in UW’s achievements has been the capacity to maintain an open paint area through three-point shooting

» UW is 7-1 when shooting at least 30% from three-point range, while it is 3-3 when shooting below 30%

» The Huskies shoot 35.2% from beyond the arc in victories, compared to 25.9% in defeats

» UW averages 7.0 successful three-pointers in wins, and 5.3 in losses

 

DAMAGE DOWN LOW

» 46.4 percent of Washington’s scoring this season has originated in the paint

» The Huskies record 9-3 when netting at least 30 points in the paint

» UW has tallied 40+ points in the paint on five occasions

» UW has outscored rivals in the paint in 10 contests, including 9 of their 10 victories

» Excluding free throws, Great Osobor has accumulated 125 of 152 (82.2%) of his scoring within the paint

 

ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM

» Vazoumana Diallo has recorded over 10 points on 10 occasions, including in the last six matches

» Diallo’s 36 assists rank as the second most for the Huskies

» The former Tacoma Curtis standout was the highest-rated recruit for UW since the Dawgs signed five-star talents Jaden McDaniels and Isaiah Stewart in 2019

» Diallo was recognized as a consensus four-star prospect by 247Sports, ESPN, On3, and Rivals

» Diallo is Washington’s ninth-ever McDonald’s All-American and the fourth in the past five years, joining Jackson Grant (2021), McDaniels and Stewart (2019)

» The No. 1 rated player in Washington and 2022-23 Washington Gatorade Player of the Year, Diallo was regarded as the no. 3 point guard and no. 43 player nationally by ESPN

STAT STUFFER

» Great Osobor ranks fourth in the Big Ten for rebounds per game (9.1) and steals per game (2.14)

» The senior is positioned 33rd in the country for RPG, and 44th in SPG

» He is the sole athlete nationally within the top-50 for both steals and rebounds

» Osobor has taken 99 free shots, placing 15th in the nation and second in the Big Ten

» In UW’s season-opening victory over UC Davis, Osobor became the first Power-6 athlete to achieve at least 15 points, 17 rebounds, and 6 steals since Blake Griffin in 2008

» Osobor stands as 1-of-4 players measuring 6-8 or taller over the past 20 years to accumulate 6+ steals in 2 games within a season (Corey Brewer, Marcus Dove, Cody Zeller)

» Osobor’s 7 steals against Seattle Pacific marked the highest total by a Husky since Matisse Thybulle recorded 3 games with 7 steals during the 2018-19 campaign

» Osobor is among four players nationwide with several games featuring 6+ steals

» Osobor’s 18 rebounds against UMass Lowell were the most by a Husky since Nate Roberts grabbed 19 against Northern Illinois in 2021

RESTOCKING THE CUPBOARD

» Washington retains only three letterwinners from the previous season

» Wilhelm Breidenbach is the lone returning Husky who played in over 10 games last season

» UW returnees accounted for just 16 games in 2023-24, representing 10 percent of Washington’s overall starts

» UW’s 9.7% returning scoring is the 16th lowest across the nation

MIDSEASON BOOST

» Washington saw an enhancement to its roster with the addition of French forward Dominique Diomande, who is currently awaiting a visa prior to arriving in the US

» Diomande has been anticipated to be a top-50 selection in the NBA Draft according to DraftExpress.com and recognized as one of 11 “Under the Radar Freshmen with NBA Potential” by NBADraftRoom.com

» Diomande participated in 2023-24 for French professional club Blois ADA, primarily with the under-21 team, and has also represented the Ivory Coast internationally

 

MONTLAKE MAGIC

» Over the span of the last 20+ seasons, Washington has a record of 256-89 (.742) at Alaska Airlines Arena

» The Huskies have recorded a home winning record in 18 of those 20 seasons, achieving double-digit home victories 17 times

» UW has maintained at least a .600 home record in 14 of the past 20 years, including each of the last three campaigns

» Washington has secured at least 80% of its home matchups nine times over the last two decades, including reaching 90% or more four times

VET SCHOOL

» Washington athletes have taken part in 948 total collegiate matches

» The Huskies have accumulated 554 career starts

» Four Huskies have reached triple-digit game appearances: Great Osobor (117), DJ Davis (128), Chris Conway (109), and Luis Kortright (114)

» 10 of Washington’s 16 players are upperclassmen

» UW’s roster consists of six seniors and one graduate student

 

DESERT DAWGS TAKE ACRISURE TITLE

» Washington triumphed in the Acrisure Invitational, securing victories over Colorado State (73-67) and Santa Clara (76-69)

» This marks the second MTE championship in the past three seasons for UW, which also claimed the 2022 Wooden Legacy title

» Great Osobor earned the MVP honors for the event, averaging 17.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 3.0 steals

» Tyler Harris led the Dawgs against Colorado State, scoring 24 points on 9-of-13 from the floor, including a career-best five three-pointers

» Prior to Thursday’s victory, Harris had made merely six three-pointers throughout the entire season

» The triumph over CSU ended a three-game losing streak versus the Rams for UW, while the Huskies have defeated Santa Clara in four consecutive encounters

PORTAL HOPPING

» Washington strengthened its team with eight Division 1 players sourced from the transfer portal

» These eight additions via the transfer portal represent the highest number in a single season for UW

» Four Huskies (DJ Davis, Tyree Ihenacho, Luis Kortright, Great Osobor) have transferred twice during their collegiate journeys

» Overall, 10 of UW’s 16 players joined Washington through the transfer portal

» Washington has recruited at least three players via the transfer portal every year for the past four seasons

 

THE GREAT ONE

» Great Osobor has devoted his entire collegiate tenure to UW head coach Danny Sprinkle, following Sprinkle from Montana State and Utah State

» Osobor was recognized as an AP Honorable Mention All-American for 2023-24

» Osobor was similarly acknowledged as the Mountain West Player and Newcomer of the Year

» During his sophomore year at Montana State, Osobor received Big Sky Top-Reserve accolades

» Osobor was featured on the watchlists for both the Karl Malone Award and Wooden Award

» Osobor was given the title of Preseason All-American by CBS’s Jon Rothstein and ESPN’s Jay Bilas

» Osobor was ranked as No. 15 on CBS’ Top 100 and recognized as one of the Best Players Entering the 2024-25 season

» Osobor was chosen as one of 10 athletes for the Preseason All-Big Ten Team

 

FREE MONEY

» DJ Davis topped the nation in free throw percentage during 2023-24 at 95.0 percent

» Davis achieved a perfect free throw percentage in 23 of 27 contests in which he took at least one attempt

» Davis made a career-high 10 free throws on two occasions last season, against SEMO (11/10) and against Texas Tech (11/30)

» Over three years at UC Irvine, Davis shot 86.5 percent from the free throw line, with a notable 90.4 percent as a sophomore

» Davis holds an 88.6 percent career free throw rate

» Davis has executed 100 percent on free throw attempts in a game with a minimum of five attempts 15 times throughout his career

 

A B1G NEW ERA

» Washington kicks off its inaugural season in the Big Ten Conference in 2024-25

» The Big Ten received six selections to the 2024 NCAA Tournament, tied for the third-highest total amongst any conference

» UW was a founding participant in what eventually became the Pac-12 Conference, establishing the Pacific Coast Conference in 1915

» Washington also remained part of the Northwest Intercollegiate Athletic Association until 1925

» Washington’s historical record against current Big Ten member institutions stands at 359-349

» UW is 48-33 against Big Ten rivals excluding Oregon, UCLA, and USC

» Washington has faced 15 of the other 17 Big Ten Members

» UW has yet to encounter Penn State or Rutgers

THE SPRINKLE EFFECT

» Teams in their debut year under Danny Sprinkle have improved their victory totals from the prior year

» Sprinkle-coached teams have achieved an NCAA Tournament invitation for three successive seasons

» Throughout those three years, teams led by Sprinkle have only dropped 11 conference matches

» Sprinkle’s squads have boasted at least three players earning all-conference distinctions in each of the last four seasons

» Sprinkle took a Utah State team that returned a mere nine minutes from the prior year and guided the Aggies to their first-ever outright Mountain West championship

» He was recognized as a finalist for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year for his accomplishments at Utah State

» In his third year at Montana State, Sprinkle propelled the Bobcats to their first NCAA invitation in 26 years

» The following season, Sprinkle’s Montana State recorded a 25-10 mark in 2022-23, secured the Big Sky Tournament title, and earned a second straight NCAA bid

» This marked the first occurrence of Montana State achieving back-to-back 25-win seasons since 1927-29

 

IT FEELS LIKE THE VERY FIRST TIME

» Danny Sprinkle holds the position of the 20th head coach in Washington men’s basketball history

» Since the iconic coach Hec Edmundson took charge on Montlake for the 1920-21 season, eight of UW’s 11 head coaches have achieved winning seasons

» Insix of the 11 campaigns under debut head coaches, UW has achieved a record of .600 or superior

» Washington holds a historical record of 260-187 (.582) under head coaches in their inaugural year

» Since Edmundson’s initial season, debut head coaches at UW have accumulated a record of 198-155 (.561)

 

HUSKY LEGEND RETURNS

» Former Husky star Abdul Gaddy joins Danny Sprinkle‘s inaugural staff at Washington as the director of player development

» Gaddy, a graduate of 2013, served as a two-time captain for the Dawgs

» Gaddy is placed second in Washington’s history with 469 career assists

» Gaddy was nominated for the Bob Cousy Award in 2012

» Gaddy has played professionally in Italy, Latvia, and Germany before competing for four years in the NBA G League

 

SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED

» The 2025 high school recruiting class for Washington features three players ranked in the top-100: Nike Bundalo, JJ Mandaquit, and Courtland Muldrew

» UW’s class is ranked ninth nationally and first in the Big Ten according to On3

» ESPN lists Bundalo as the 25th player in the nation, making him the eighth-highest ranked signee in Washington’s history

» Mandaquit is ranked No. 43 in the country by On3, making him the No. 3 point guard

» Additionally, Muldrew is recognized as a consensus four-star prospect, rated No. 99 by 247Sports

 

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