Preseason Expectations For Washington Huskies Men's Basketball Team Continue

The Washington Huskies women's basketball team will likely be in the thick of the Big Ten title race this season after complete program turnaround under head coach Tina Langley.

The Huskies advanced all the way to the Round of the 32 this past March Madness before ultimately falling by three points in overtime to the TCU Horned Frogs. It was the first time since 2017 Washington advanced to back-to-back NCAA tournaments and the first win for the program since that same year.

It was also the first tournament win for Langley in three berths as a head coach (one with the Rice Owls, two with the Huskies).

On the heels of the best season in nearly a decade for the team, the Huskies made improvements to the roster to not only return but exceed the point they ended last season.

Several publications and outlets have noticed the talent of Washington's additions and returning players, and have the team in its preseason Top 25.

ESPN had the Huskies ranked as the third-best team in the Big Ten (12th overall in the country) in its preseason Top 25.

The Associated Press released its preseason Top 25 rankings Tuesday, which also had UW ranked within the Top 20.

The AP had Washington slotted at 16th in the country, just behind the team that ended its season last year, the Horned Frogs (No. 15), and just ahead of Big Ten rivals, the Minnesota Golden Gophers (No. 17).

ESPN's preseason rankings only had the Southern California (USC) Trojans and Iowa Hawkeyes ranked ahead of the Huskies among Big Ten foes.

The AP had Washington as the fifth highest-ranked team in the Big Ten. The four in-conference teams ahead of the Huskies are: USC (No. 3), the Michigan Wolverines (No. 5), Iowa (No. 10) and the UCLA Bruins (No. 11).

If the Huskies are able to maintain either ranking, they'll be in the thick of the NCAA tournament race at the end of the season, which will mark their third-straight berth to March Madness.

Washington will begin its regular season against the UC San Diego Tritons at 11 a.m. PT on Nov. 2 at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle. The Huskies will play the entirety of their nonconference schedule with the exception of their two games at the Coconut Hoops tournament, in the state of Washington. The only true "away" game they'll have will be against the Washington State Cougars at a to-be-determined time Nov. 17 at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, Wash.