The Washington Huskies take on the UCLA Bruins on Wednesday in their first conference basketball game of the season. After winning one of two games at the Acrisure Holiday Classic in Palm Desert, the Huskies are now (5-2) on the year. Danny Sprinkle held a press conference on Monday to discuss the Acrisure Holiday Classic. He also provided an injury update and talked about what his team is doing to prepare for UCLA. These are the main takeaways from Monday’s media briefing.
Washington hopes F Hannes Steinbach will return for the UCLA game
The Huskies struggled against the Colorado Buffaloes on the interior without their two big men. The Buffaloes out-rebounded Washington 42-33. It was the first time the Huskies had been outrebounded in the young season F Hannes Steinbach missed Friday’s game against Colorado, due to an ankle injury. The Huskies had been able to play with a smaller lineup and still crash the glass effectively before playing the Buffaloes. Colorado’s size proved to be too much for Washington to overcome. The Huskies hope Steinbach will be able to return on Wednesday against UCLA:
“He (Hannes Steinbach) does, yeah. I mean, yeah, he does. Like I said, he has a chance. You know we’ll see. We’ll probably know a lot more tomorrow and a lot more Wednesday after shoot-around”, said Sprinkle.
Washington expects to test Hannes Steinbach’s ankle in practice to see if he can play on Wednesday. When the Huskies eventually get Steinbach back, he will be a big boost to their front court. Washington must match UCLA’s physicality on Wednesday on the glass. Having Steinbach back to face the Bruins is crucial for the Huskies, who have had to play with smaller lineups recently.
What Washington learned from facing Colorado
The Huskies struggled with ball movement when facing the Buffaloes last Friday. Washington’s guards fell into Colorado’s trap by relying too much on the dribble and driving to the basket to score. When Huskies’ guards dribbled into the paint, they were unable to shoot over the Buffaloes’ big men. Washington learned the importance of needing to play unselfish basketball after losing to Colorado:
“It’s too easy to take away one guy. And, you know, and that’s where we have to have that’s where we got to share the basketball. We have to make it easier for Wesley too. We got to make it easier for Quimari. Like, we got to set good screens to get those guys shots. We got to be able to drive, and when they’re open, be able to get them the ball. And vice versa, when they’re on the court, they’re opening up driving lanes for Zoom or J.J. or Des, and guys like that. And so it all encompasses each other. But that’s one thing like, you know, I think Wesley made it harder on himself against Colorado, you know, I give them credit. They did a good job walling up at the rim. But then we also took some crazy shots, you know, that are low percentage shots that we can get those at any point in the possession. And so, like I said, not just him, but like everybody, we got to take higher percentage shots”, said Sprinkle.
The Huskies had been reliant on Wesley Yates to be their main scorer with Steinbach out. In the previous three games before Colorado, Yates had scored over 20 points per game. On Friday, Yates scored just nine points. As a team, Washington struggled to pass the ball. In the first half, the Huskies had just two assists on nine made field goals. Their ball movement improved in the second half, with nine assists on 14 made shots. However, after tying the game at 52-52 with 22 points midway through the half, Washington scored just 16 points the rest of the way.
Huskies preparing for a brawl with the Bruins
Both Washington and UCLA are coming into Wednesday’s game off a loss. The Bruins lost 80-72 to Cal back on November 25th. The Huskies are expecting a physical game against UCLA, and anticipate that rebounding will be key to winning the game. Mick Cronin’s teams have always played with an intense and tough style of play:
“It’s going to be a Mick Cronin coached team. Like, they’re going to be as physical as hell. They’re going to make it hard on you. They’re going to guard you. They’re going to take care of the basketball, and they’re going to make you beat them. And if you don’t go beat his team, you can’t, don’t expect them to give it to you. They’re not going to give it to you. Like they’re going to make you earn it. And that’s why I love his coaching style”, said Sprinkle.
The Bruins are averaging 77 points per game and allowing just 63.1 points per game. UCLA is led by 6’9 senior F Tyler Bilodeau, who averages 14.8 points and four rebounds a game. The Bruins also have 6’11 F Xavier Booker and 6’8 F Eric Dailey, who both pull in over five rebounds per game. F Franck Kepnang and F Lathan Sommerville will have to battle UCLA’s big men. Kepnang has averaged almost nine rebounds a game and four blocks per game over his last three contests. Sommerville has been big on the glass for Washington, averaging five rebounds per game over the past three games.
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