Poor outside shooting? Check
Too many defensive mismatches leading to easy opponent baskets? Check.
A big run at the end of the first half to create a lasting cushion? Czech.
A late run to end the game at a 10-point deficit? Czechoslovakia.
Hannes Steinbach and Zoom Diallo putting up impressive stats with little offensive support. It’s Vaclav Havel and the Prague Spring, coming to Lincoln, Nebraska.
Washington’s 76-66 road loss to the undefeated Nebraska Cornhuskers had all the hallmarks of a 2026 Huskies
basketball game. Even the very first possession saw Quimari Peterson brick a three and Steinbach corral an impressive offensive rebound with a putback. It was a microcosm of the game and the weaknesses the Husky team has struggled to overcome throughout the season.
Of course, the game was not all about the UW deficiencies. There’s a reason that Fred Hoiberg’s Huskers are 19-0 and ranked #7 in the country. By contrast to the Dawgs, Nebraska used pick and rolls and dribble penetration to force UW into defensive switches that their playmakers could exploit. They shot 38% on 29 three-point attempts and an outstanding 62% on twos. Pryce Sandfort finished with an efficient 23 points on 13 attempts from the field. Four of the five starters for the Huskers had at least three assists.
The Huskies had some bright spots, as well. As mentioned previously, Diallo and Steinbach were outstanding. Diallo was able to get into the paint with his herky-jerky penetration and it led to 18 points and 6 assists against just a pair of turnovers. Steinbach was relatively quiet int the first half, but added aggression out of the break helped fuel the late UW push and helped him finish with 21 and 12, good for his sixth 20-10 game of the season. Both Franck Kepnang and JJ Mandaquit helped get the offense unstuck when they came off the bench.
In the end, it was not enough to beat another top-15 team and it wasn’t particularly close. Although Nebraska looked like a winnable game for the Huskies at the start of the season, the Huskers have been so much better than projections that it would have been unrealistic to expect a great outcome. Still, it was a reminder of the persistent flaws in Danny Sprinkle’s team- sub-30% three-point shooting, too little resistance on the defensive end, and not enough variety in the offensive attack. In happier news, the schedule softens a bit in the coming weeks. The Huskies will face an Oregon team that is also struggling in conference play, go through one more element of the gauntlet at #11 Illinois, then finish the season with 10 games (6 at home) against teams currently outside the top-25.
