The Washington Huskies men's basketball team is set to hit the court for the first time in the 2026-27 season in an exhibition game against the Boise State Broncos at 6 p.m. PT on Saturday at ExtraMile Arena in Boise, Idaho.

The game will not be streamed or televised but will be open for fans on-site in Boise. That will make it hard to see how the new-look Huskies will play beyond what's on the box score. Even with the game not counting, it will still be the first chance to get to see how the nine newcomers this offseason will gel with the six returners.

Here's three things to look for in Washington's game against Boise State:

Of the Huskies' six returning players, only one of them was a consistent starter (when healthy) last season: fourth-year shooting guard Wesley Yates III.

Yates averaged 12.7 points on 37.1% shooting from the field (31.2% from 3-point range) across 27 games (25 starts). He also averaged 3.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.3 assists per contest. He missed six matchups due to a broken wrist.

Outside of Yates, there's no public knowledge on who the team's other four starters will be. A prediction from Roundtable Sports predicted San Francisco transfer Ryan Beasley to be the starting point guard, Texas Tech transfer LeJuan Watts on the wing, returning big man Lathan Sommerville at the "four" and Mady Traore as the center. Traore missed all of last season with a foot injury after transferring from Frank Phillips Junior College in Texas.

Dzepina and Sommerville were two players identified by head coach Danny Sprinkle at Big Ten media days as breakout candidates this season.

Dzepina, a 6-foot-11 forward recruited out of Serbia, joined the team late in the winter and struggled to adjust to the team's playbook and offense. He played just 11.1 minutes per game across 14 appearances. He averaged 2.6 points and 1.3 rebounds and shot 30.2% from the field.

The sophomore competed for his native country in the FIBA EuroCup this past summer and looked noticeably stronger and was more efficient shooting and passing.

Sprinkle and UW have seen the benefit of an efficient big man and rebounder with Hannes Steinbach, who led the team in scoring and rebounding last season and is currently with the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA.

If Dzepina's form from this past summer translates to his sophomore season, then he could be a critical part of the roster this season, and how much he plays will be an indication of how much faith Sprinkle and the coaching staff have in him.

Washington only had one commitment from the Class of 2026, three-star wing Lattimore Ford.

To fill out the roster, the Huskies relied on the transfer portal and an international talent pool.

Washington landed two international players who were deemed eligible for this upcoming season: Brazilian forward Wini Braga and Australian guard Tristan Devers.

Braga joined the team late in the offseason after issues getting him enrolled, but has been with the team the last two weeks.

Devers is a combo guard who could be used in either a backup point guard or shooting guard role, whereas Braga has a skill set that has drawn comparisons to Steinbach.

Last year, the Huskies were plagued by a thin bench for the majority of the season due to injury. If Braga and Devers are able to adjust to the college game and the playbook quickly, then the bench should be in a better position to contribute this season than last.