Can the Washington Huskies Return to the Tournament?

It’s been six years since the Washington Huskies have made an NCAA Tournament appearance. This year, armed with super-frosh Markelle Fultz, can they end the drought?

The general consensus this year is that the Washington Huskies, with their inexperience and the unexpected losses of Dejounte Murray and Marquese Chriss to the NBA, would finish somewhere in the middle of the Pac-12. But Lorenzo Romar’s crew has some reasons for optimism, even after their opening night loss to Yale that may have wilted some of that optimism already.

First, the Huskies can rely on one of the best college basketball players in the country, Markelle Fultz. Some analysts have Fultz being drafted first overall in next year’s NBA Draft. He has already shown his elite scoring ability, dropping 30 in the Washington Huskies’ loss to Yale. We’ve seen some talented young players come through Romar’s system at Washington, but Fultz might be the best in his career. Fultz also showed some of his versatility in the Yale game, dropping seven dimes and pulling down six rebounds.

Aside from Fultz’s complete set of basketball skills, including outside shooting and perimeter defense, Romar’s crew boasts a few promising sophomores: David Crisp, Matisse Thybulle, and Dominic Green. These three players were in the Huskies’ rotation last year and will be asked to step up even more this year.