PULLMAN – Washington’s basketball team is no longer buoyed by Markelle Fultz, the top pick of the 2017 NBA Draft, but opponents still can’t expect to beat the Huskies without keeping the Pac-12’s top-scoring freshman guard in check.
UW lost one – Fultz scored 23.3 points per game during his mythical season in Seattle – but gained another in Jaylen Nowell, whose 16.4 points per game lead the Huskies and rank second among Pac-12 rookies, next to Arizona forward DeAndre Ayton.
Nowell’s reached double figures in all but one game this season and UW’s scoring-savvy guard brings his glowing numbers into a rivalry matchup at Beasley Coliseum on Saturday between the Huskies (11-4, 1-1) and the Cougars (8-6, 0-2).