Huskies Reveal Basketball Schedule Compiled for a Rebuild

The UW won't tax itself in the non-conference slate coming off a 5-21 season.

The University of Washington basketball team, in the midst of a major rebuild following a disastrous 5-21 season, announced a 2021-22 schedule that won't tax the Huskies, at least on the non-conference end.

There are no Baylors, Auburns or Tennessees on this slate, though the resumption of the cross-state rivalry with Gonzaga, the NCAA tournament runnerup, was unavoidable.

No, the Huskies will open the season at home against Northern Illinois on November 9 and hope to fatten up their ledger even more against the likes of Texas Southern, Winthrop, Utah Valley and Seattle University, plus a holiday tournament in South Dakota.

The UW and Gonzaga will square off in Spokane on December 12. The Zags, of course, have won 13 of the past 14 meetings and should be as powerful as ever.

The Huskies open conference play at Arizona on December 2, but does not play at Arizona State, which is one of its conference misses. 

They open league play at home against UCLA, a Final Four team that returns largely intact, on December 5, but do not host USC in Seattle, another of its scheduling misses. 

👀 Non-Conference Schedule and Weekly Pac-12 Pairings Set for 2021-22 Husky Men’s Basketball Season

Release: https://t.co/HJD6GAjoqY#TougherTogether pic.twitter.com/rLtllHTgA7

— Washington Men's Basketball (@UW_MBB) August 19, 2021

Giving this Husky team every chance to bounce back, the schedule concludes the regular season with three consecutive home games against, in this order, Washington State, Oregon and Oregon State.

Mike Hopkins had six players leave and enter the transfer portal once last season ended. In his fifth year as coach, he returns starters in guard Jamal Bey and big man Nate Roberts, and well utilized subs in swingman Cole Bajema and post player Riley Sorn.

He welcomes newcomers in point guard Daejon Davis (Stanford), shooting guard Terrell Brown (Arizona), swingman Emmitt Matthews Jr. (West Virginia), forward Samuel Ariyibi (NBA Africa Academy), JC transfer Langston Wilson and touted recruit Jackson Grant, one of four McDonald's Americans to join the Pac-12 this season.

TCU guard P.J. Fuller had announced his intentions to transfer to the UW, but he's not been added to the roster yet. 

The Huskies will open play with an exhibition game against Central Washington at home on November 4. They could add another non-conference outing. Most conference game dates will be finalized at a later time.

Washington Basketball 2021-22 Schedule

Nov. 4 — Central Washington (exhibition)

Nov. 9 — Northern Illinois

Nov. 11 — Texas Southern

Nov. 18 — TBD

Nov. 22 — Crossover Classic (South Dakota State, George Mason, Nevada) at South Dakota

Nov. 23 — Crossover Classic (South Dakota State, George Mason, Nevada) at South Dakota

Nov. 24 — Crossover Classic (South Dakota State, George Mason, Nevada) at South Dakota

Nov. 27 — Winthrop

Dec. 2 — at Arizona

Dec. 5 — UCLA

Dec. 12 — at Gonzaga

Dec. 18 — Seattle University

Dec. 21 — Utah Valley

Dec. 29-Jan. 2 — at Washington State

Jan. 5-9 — at Colorado and Utah

Jan. 12-16 — California and Stanford

Jan. 19-23 — at Oregon and Oregon State

Jan. 26-30 — Colorado and Utah

Feb. 2-6 — at California and Stanford

Feb. 9-13 — Arizona and Arizona State

Feb. 16-20 — at UCLA and USC

Feb. 23-27 — Washington State

March 2-5 — Oregon and Oregon State

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