About nine months ago, the Washington athletic department decided to take a new road. In hiring former Syracuse assistant Mike Hopkins, UW set sail for a full rebuild, focused on a new program culture and identity.
The regular season has arrived, and Hopkins and his coaching staff regularly emphasize the importance of day-to-day improvement for their young players. Although the rebuilding efforts are in full effect, Washington still has a regular season to play beginning this week.
Belmont is an underrated mid-major
Belmont has a history of NCAA tournament appearances, most recently as a 15 seed in 2015.