The Washington Huskies men's basketball team wrapped up their nonconference schedule in kind with a 74-65 win against the Utah Utes on Dec. 29.

The Huskies will begin their Big Ten schedule in kind against the Indiana Hoosiers on Jan. 4, which will kick off a gauntlet of five ranked matchups in nine conference games in January.

After the win against Utah, Washington stood with a 9-4 overall record this season and a 1-1 mark in Big Ten play.

With that being said, here's three things I want to see from the Huskies men's basketball team in 2026:

In fairness to Washington, this isn't really something in the team's control.

The Huskies haven't played a game completely healthy the entire season and won't for the rest of the season.

Junior forward Mady Traore has and will miss the entire season with a foot injury, senior forward Jacob Ognacevic isn't expected to return until January and players such as Hannes Steinbach, Desmond Claude, Bryson Tucker and Lathan Sommerville have all been out with respective injuries.

Sophomore guard Wesley Yates III will also miss an undisclosed period of time after undergoing wrist surgery.

When Washington has been healthy (as healthy as it can be), there's been signs of potential for a team that can be competitive in the Big Ten and a potential NCAA Tournament team. 

If the Huskies can gain some semblance of health, they could make some waves in the conference.

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Going into this season, there was an expectation that Washington would be a dangerous 3-point shooting team.

So far this season, that hasn't been the case.

The Huskies rank second-to-last (17th) overall in the Big Ten with a 32.2% 3-point percentage.

As of Dec. 31, Washington has attempted the third-least 3-pointers in the conference this season (85).

It hasn't been a matter of failing to get open looks, it's simply been a matter of 3-pointers not falling for the team.

The Huskies have had opportunities to win all four of their losses this year. If they had an efficient 3-point clip, those games could have looked vastly different.

Beyond the arc could also be where Washington finds the extra facet to its offense that can help be competitive in the Big Ten.

This is less of something I want to see and more something I want to keep happening.

Despite missing three games this season with an ankle sprain, freshman forward Hannes Steinbach has been the Huskies' best player this season.

In 10 games played, Steinbach is averaging 18.1 points per game on 58.6% shooting, pulling in 12 rebounds per game, dishing 2.1 assists per game and blocking one shot per game.

The Huskies will play against the Indiana Hoosiers at 5 p.m. PT on Jan. 4 at Bloomington Hall Assembly in Bloomington, Ind.

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