We’re going team-by-team across Big Ten men’s basketball to assess where everyone stands and how things could shake out in 2026-27.
Washington is two years in with head coach Danny Sprinkle, and results have been uninspiring. The Huskies entered 2025-26 as a dark horse to contend in the Big Ten, and it never panned out as they finished with a losing record for the second straight season. The program is in a rut, with only one NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 14 postseasons. UW lost a lot from last season’s roster heading into 2026-27.
WHO’S GONE:
- Hannes Steinbach (18.5 PPG) (went to NBA)
- Zoom Diallo (15.7 PPG) (transfer — Kentucky)
- Desmond Claude (13.3 PPG) (exhausted his eligibility)
- Quimari Peterson (9.2 PPG) (exhausted his eligibility)
- Franck Kepnang (6.2 PPG) (transfer — Kentucky)
- Bryson Tucker (5.7 PPG) (entered NBA Draft, went undrafted)
- JJ Mandaquit (5.2 PPG) (transfer — Arizona)
- Courtland Muldrew (3.3 PPG) (transfer — Georgia Tech)
- Jacob Ognacevic (3.1 PPG) (exhausted his eligibility)
- Cristian Nitu (transfer — McNeese State)
WHO’S BACK:
- Wesley Yates III, G, Jr. (12.7 PPG)
- Lathan Sommerville, C, Jr. (4.3 PPG)
- Jasir Rencher, F, So. (3 PPG)
- Nikola Dzepina, F, So. (2.6 PPG)
- Mady Traore, F, R-Fr.
WHO’S NEW:
Transfer portal
- Ryan Beasley, G, Sr. (13.6 PPG at San Francisco)
- LeJuan Watts, F, Sr. (11.8 PPG at Texas Tech)
- Parker Friedrichsen, G, Sr. (10.8 PPG at Davidson)
- Steele Venters, G, fifth-year (5 PPG at Gonzaga)
Freshmen (Rankings from 247Sports)
- Lattimore Ford, F (three-star, No. 186)
- Wini Braga, F (international, unranked)
- Tristan Devers, G (international, unranked)
- Boris Tišma, F (international, unranked)
RETURNING MINUTES: 33.9 percent (per barttorvik.com) (12th in the Big Ten)
Why it will work
If Washington is going to be good in 2026-27, Yates will need to become a primary scoring option. The good news for UW is, that’s definitely possible for the former four-star recruit. He has the talent to fill that role, although his 3-point shooting has to improve from 31.2 percent.
Beasley, Watts, and Friedrichsen are nice pickups from the transfer portal who can be huge players for the Huskies. Beasley averaged four assists per game last year at San Francisco, which will help the team make up for losing Diallo. Watts is at his fourth school in four years, and his production dropped off last season at Texas Tech from what it was at Eastern Washington in 2024-25. Maybe the move back to Washington will help him get back to form. Friedrichsen shot over 40 percent from 3-point range at Davidson last year.
Why it won’t
Steinbach did so much for UW last season, averaging 11.8 rebounds per game along with his 18.5 points per game. It’s always a challenge replacing that type of production. And on the whole, Washington had a more talented roster last year than it looks like it has this coming year. That outlook could change if more guys than expected step up early in the season and look like game-changers. But Sprinkle still needs to prove he can find the right stuff in Seattle and turn the Huskies into winners.
PREVIOUS OUTLOOKS:
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- USC
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- Maryland
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