The freshman sensation put up a performance to remember in Wednesday's win over Southern California.
The University of Washington men's basketball team used a dominant second half on Wednesday night to beat the University of Southern California (USC) 91-72 at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.
With the win, the Huskies are back to .500 at 15-15 overall and they improved to 7-12 in Big Ten Conference play. With the Big Ten Tournament looming next week, the Huskies are in position to finish anywhere between 11-13 in the league standings.
We covered the situation heading into the final regular game of the season and the conference tournament here.
Historic Hannes
Freshman Hannes Steinbach continues to be one of the best players in the entire country. The big man from Germany scored 22 points and pulled down an incredible 24 rebounds.
As noted by Washington basketball on social media, that is just the second 20-20 game in the last 50 years of program history.
Steinbach's season at a glance
Averaging 18.3 ppg and 11.6 rebounds per game, Steinbach is angling for the Big Ten Rookie of the Year Award - and he's a candidate for a spot on the league's first-team as well.
He has scored in double-figures each game he's played, a remarkable feat of consistency. He also has double-digit rebounds in all but eight games for the Huskies.
It's unclear at this point what he'll do next season, but if he enters the NBA Draft, he's a potential lottery pick. He was projected to be pick No. 21 (San Antonio Spurs) by ESPN in a November 2025 mock draft. Something tells us he won't make it to No. 21 if he comes out.
Regardless of how long he stays at Washington, he's up there with Brandon Roy and Isiah Thomas as one of the best program players of the 2000s.
Washington Huskies forward Hannes Steinbach (6) shoots the ball against the Southern California Trojans during the first half at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Steven Bisig-Imagn ImagesAlso on campus
--The Washington women earned the No. 8 seed in the conference tournament and will open up play on Thursday morning (9 a.m. PT) against USC. The Trojans beat the Huskies earlier this season. If the Huskies win, they'll advance to the quarterfinal round on Friday.
--The Washington football program has made an interesting new hire on the offensive side of the ball, bringing in former NFL quarterback and longtime assistant Matt Cavanaugh. In a corresponding move, the team has promoted former NFL quarterback J.P. Losman to quarterbacks coach.
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