https://omg10.com/4/10736335
By Stephen Vilardo, SuperWest Sports
METROOral victories don’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, but this season’s Washington men’s basketball team has come close too many times.
Bryson Tucker has missed six games this season, Wesley Yates has missed most of eight games with a broken wrist and is only now starting to return. Lathan Sommerville has only appeared in 11 games.
And now Desmond Claude has stepped away from the team to prioritize his health after dealing with leg injuries.
Despite the lost time, the Huskies have been playing hard.
tThe Huskies have been in some tight spots with some of the cream of the Big Ten.
On Wednesday night, they ran into a buzzsaw in Nebraska, losing 76-66 in Lincoln.
Pinnacle Bank Arena is a tough place to get a win, even with the Huskers struggling, let alone the seventh-ranked team in the country and perhaps the best team in the conference.
The loss pushed the Huskies to 2-6 in Big Ten play this season.
Washington’s average loss in conference games before Wednesday was 9.4 points. If you eliminate the weekend’s loss to 10th-ranked Michigan State, the Dawgs’ other four losses in the league have been by an average of 7.5 points.
That includes an eight-point loss to fourth-ranked Purdue and a 10-point loss to third-ranked Michigan.
Along with the loss at Nebraska last night, four of the six losses UW has experienced in Big Ten play have been against teams currently ranked in the Top 10.
That’s a Killer’s Row of opponents, especially with a depleted squad.
While the results haven’t always been there, this Washington team has improved tremendously over last season’s version. A big reason for that improvement has been the development of Zoom Diallo from its first season to this year.
The Tacoma sophomore has seen his scoring jump from 11.4 to 15.2 points per game.
Much of his improvement can be attributed to the game slowing down for him. He’s a great point guard who can go downhill and make plays. Unlike last season, when his play sometimes seemed forced and out of control, Diallo has found his rhythm.
As Danny Sprinkle noted earlier this season after the Indiana game, “He’s playing under control, making good shots and making good decisions with the basketball this season.”
That controlled approach has paid off, as he’s made over 50% of his shots. His three-point shooting has nearly doubled, as he is hitting 32.5% of his three-pointers.
Diallo also distributes and performs plays for the Huskies. His assists per 100 possessions have increased to 7.6, up from 6.4 a year ago, while his turnovers have decreased by the same metric.
He’s also getting to the foul line more often this season than he did as a rookie. He attempted 96 all season as a freshman and has already attempted 72 in the first 18 games of this season.
That’s four charity attempts per outing, and when he’s there, he connects on 89% of them.
The Huskies are very close to turning the corner, but to turn some of these close losses into big wins, they may need even more production from Diallo.
The final stretch will ease a little for Washington, and the victories will surely follow. As the Huskies get healthier, things should get a little easier too.
Either way, the second year of Danny Sprinkle’s tenure is showing promise, even if the results haven’t been consistent yet.
With Diallo in the fold along with a group of talented freshmen, particularly double-double machine Hannes Steinbach, the Huskies’ time near the bottom of the Big Ten standings is limited.
Now they just need to stay healthy.
writes on various topics for SuperWest sports, including statistics and records, college sports, and motorsports. He also founded and directs the Sports and Entertainment Research Center (SERC).
