Washington head basketball coach Mike Hopkins still remembers looking last season’s non-conference schedule and truly realizing what the Huskies would be facing.
There was Belmont, a team that finished 26-9 and advanced to the Ohio Valley Conference championship game. There was Virginia Tech, who made the NCAA Tournament. There was Kansas. And Gonzaga.
It was enough to make the first-year coach step back and take notice. The opponents were even more concerning because, in Hopkins’ words, UW’s new coaching staff really didn’t know what they had yet.
The Huskies quickly showed them by picking up wins over Belmont and Kansas.