No. 10 Louisville Next Up For 2-0 Huskies
THE MATCHUP:
Washington (2-0) has its first game of the 2021-22 season against a ranked team on Saturday when the No. 10 Louisville Cardinals (2-1) travel across country to visit the Huskies at Alaska Airlines Arena. Tip will be 2:00 p.m. and all the action will be carried on the Huskies' live stream through the Pac-12 platform and locally on KKNW AM 1150 with Gary Hill calling the action.
Louisville dropped its season opener, 61-59, in overtime against NCAA runner-up Arizona. The Cardinals bounced back with a pair of blowout wins at home over Bellarmine and UT-Martin.
Saturday will be the Huskies first matchup vs. Louisville. Washington is 21-100 all-time against top-10 ranked teams. The Huskies last win was vs No. 8 UCLA, 74-68, on Feb. 23, 2020
NOTABLE:
Tina Langley is the first Husky head coach to win their debut game since Chris Gobrecht in 1985. She joins Gobrecht and Sue Kruszewski (1980) as the only coaches to win their first two games. To date, no first-year Husky head coach has won their first three games ... Haley Van Dyke has recorded double-doubles in each of the first two games of the season after only two career double-doubles in her previous 83 games. Her 13 rebounds on Sunday vs. NAU were a career high ... Nancy Mulkey is second among active D1 players in career blocks (336) and blocks per game (3.05) ... T.T. Watkins must like playing Norther Arizona. On Sunday she equaled her career high with 12 points, matching her total she put up almost three years to the date against the same NAU team ... Missy Peterson distributed seven assists on Sunday vs. NAU, setting a new career high.
• Coach Langley (2-0 at UW/128-61 Overall, 7th season): Langley is in her first year at Washington after leading Rice through its most successful stretch in program history. She became the first Husky coach to win in their debut since UW Hall of Famer Chris Gobrecht did so in 1985. Langley was 126-61 in six seasons with the Owls, a tenure that was capped by winning the 2021 WNIT Championship. Her winning percentage of .674 is the best in program history and includes a 44-4 (.916) record in Conference USA action over the last three seasons, and a 2018-19 Conference USA Coach of the Year honor. Langley led the Owls to three-straight C-USA titles (2019, 2020, 2021) and five-straight 20-win seasons. During the last five years, the Owls have made post-season appearances in the NCAA Tournament (2019), WNIT (2018, 2021-champions) and WBI (2017-champions).
• The Team: The Huskies return two starters from last season's squad, including forward Haley Van Dyke (12.0 ppg and 5.8 rpg), who earned honorable mention on both the All-Pac-12 and All-Pac-12 Defensive teams, and shooting guard Alexis Griggsby (5.7 ppg and team-high 27 3-pt makes). Other upper-classmen returners include Darcy Rees (8.3 ppg and 2.5 rpg), T.T. Watkins (opt out) and Missy Peterson (injury), plus four players who saw action as freshmen (Nia Lowery, Jess Finney, Jayda Noble and Alexis Whitfield). The Huskies will count on three transfers to provide proven experience and leadership from programs that had high-level success in 2021. Nancy Mulkey and Lauren Schwartz followed Langley from Rice, where they were the No. 1 and 2 scorers for the WNIT Champion Owls. Mulkey is preseason All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention and on the Lisa Leslie Watch List. Schwartz provides another deep threat with a versatile offensive arsenal. Trinity Oliver was a starting guard for Baylor and brings a winning pedigree to the Huskies' lineup. UW also welcomes in three freshmen, who also bring unique talents and potential to the table: Olivia Pollerd (Australia U-19 Silver Medalist at FIBA World Cup), Marisa Davis-Jones and Avery VanSickle. Davis-Jones was the Gatorade Arizona State Player of the Year after leading Valley Vista HS to the state title.
• Top-10 Recruiting Class Signed: Tina Langley and her staff amassed an impressive signing day class as announced on Nov. 10. She adds a trio of top-100 rated guards from California: Teagan Brown, Elle Ladine and Hannah Stines. Brown is rated 78th in the ESPNW 100 rankings after averaging 18.5 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 2.9 spg and 3.3 apg at Oak Ridge HS in El Dorado Hills, Calif. Stines is rated 39th by ESPNW and was All-CIF Southern Section, All-State First Team and San Joaquin League POY at Troy HS. Ladine is ranked 52nd by ESPN and helped Pinewood HS to the 2021 CCS Open Division Championship.