Washington Huskies Head Coach Discusses Matchup vs. Colgate Red Raiders

SEATTLE — The Washington Huskies men's basketball team is set to begin the 2026-27 season in a nonconference game against the Patriot League's Colgate Red Raiders at 7 p.m. PT on Monday at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.

The Huskies won't face a fellow Big Ten team until it plays the No. 21 Southern California (USC) Trojans on Dec. 2 at the Galen Center in Los Angeles.

Washington won't face USC until a month into the regular season, but that doesn't mean that it won't be tested, and that includes its first game of the year against Colgate.

The Red Raiders run a small-ball five-out lineup, with their primary offensive threat in the post being senior 6-foot-9 forward Sam Wright.

Despite playing in the Patriot League, Colgate has been one of the most successful mid-major programs in the last decade. It has made the NCAA tournament five of the last eight years and made it four-straight seasons from 2021-24.

In a news conference Wednesday, UW head coach Danny Sprinkle discussed what the Red Raiders do well and what makes them a team not to overlook for the season-opener.

"Tremendously disciplined team," Sprinkle said Wednesday. "They always shoot the ball really well. They take good shots, they don't beat themselves. ... They got good athletes. ... They can put you in a lot of different predicaments, but one thing you cannot (do is) let them make a bunch of 3s. And then, you have to be able to protect the paint. Because that's where they get you spread out and they do a great job cutting and playing with pace. Defensively, they're just solid. They guard you, they make you score over them. And that's why they've been successful for so long."

Colgate's small-ball lineup might be similar to what the Huskies attempt to implement this season, with an emphasis on creating open shots for shooters, such as eighth-year wing Steele Venters and fourth-year shooting guard Parker Friedrichsen.

Luckily for the Huskies, they'll have assumptive starting point guard and San Francisco transfer, fourth-year player Ryan Beasley, back in the fold for the season-opener. He missed the the team's first two exhibition games, both losses to the Boise State Broncos and Washington State Cougars, respectively.

Beasley will help Washington's offense run smoother and potentially match the offensive output of the Red Raiders.

The Huskies will also have multiple post players, such as third-year Lathan Sommerville and second-year Nikola Dzepina, with size advantages on Wright.