In seven of their nine losses, the Huskies simply didn’t measure up both literally and figuratively.
Their lack of size, particularly on the front line, was no more obvious than Sunday’s 81-59 loss to North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA tournament when the Tar Heels collected twice as many rebounds (48-24) while outscoring Washington in the paint (38-24) and on second-chance points (17-4).
UW’s size deficiency also played a role in defeats against Auburn, Gonzaga, Virginia Tech, Oregon and Arizona State.
On Wednesday, coach Mike Hopkins expressed his admiration and gratitude for UW’s four departing seniors, but admitted that the veteran team he inherited two years ago didn’t necessarily meet the ideal height requirements of the 2-3 zone defense he brought with him from Syracuse.