UW Rutgers: The Ultimate Finale

after 4 years of watching mediocre UW men's basketball, my time in the stands has come to an end

On a windy Wednesday night in Seattle, I decided to take the trek to my final UW men’s basketball game ever. It was an exciting game, as I got to see 2 top prospects play in Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper. I also got to spend lots of quality time with friends along the way. Unfortunately, in typical UW Men’s Basketball fashion, the Huskies found a way to rip our heart out despite taking the game to overtime. In this article, I will talk about how the game went, what UW should do next year, and details on NBA draft stock for players like Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey.

THE GAME:

Going into the stands with my roommate Teddy and friend Gabby, I had one certainty: UW Basketball was going to find some way to lose. Even through both teams sucked in Big Ten Play, Rutgers at least had 2 projected top draft picks. Gabby tried to make sure that I stayed positive, by saying it was bad mojo. However, I have seen too much mediocrity in my time at UW. Reality hit me hard.

To my surprise, UW Basketball decided to actually look like a competent team today. They started off the first half well, taking a 6 point lead with 11 minutes to go in the half.

Determined, Rutgers would not give up. They went on a 27-18 run before halftime, taking the lead back on a Jeremiah Williams 3 pointer.

After a short intermission for Simon Says and yapping with the homies, it was time for the second half. The scriptwriters made sure that this was a good one, with both teams trading buckets for most of the half.

Rutgers did take a 5 point lead with 9 minutes to go. However, the Huskies didn’t give up. They eventually went on a 10-6 run to tie this game at 71 with 5 minutes to go.

Now came the fireworks.

First came Dylan Harper powering through the defense to draw an and one.

Next came Osobor drawing a foul and doing the Osobor special(hitting 1/2 shots)

After that, Tyler Harris swished a 3 to take the lead back for the Huskies

Then, Jeremiah Williams hit a one dribble jumper. Rutgers up by 1.

Zoom Diallo knifed through the defense for a tough layup to give the lead back to the home crowd.

Rutgers followed with an easy Dylan Grant dunk to take the 1 point advantage as UW’s defense went AWOL.

Mekhi Mason followed by canning a midrange jumper off 1 dribble to take the lead.

Dylan Harper powered through with another nice rim finish to put the visitors up front.

Great Osobor used his interior touch to give the Huskies a 1 point lead with 30 seconds to go.

Dylan Harper was ready to get the lead back for the Scarlet Knights… or was he?

UW sent an aggressive trap. Harper tried to pass out of it but Tyree Ihenacho deflected the ball. Multiple players make an attempt to corral the ball, but it eventually goes out of bounds. ABSOLUTE ECSTASY!!! THE CROWD WAS SCREAMING!!!

The call was HUSKY BALL!!! All UW had to do was inbound the ball and hit their free throws to get the victory. over Rutgers.

Unfortunately, UW basketball failed this simple test of competency.

Zoom Diallo was struggling to find anyone on the inbound. Desperate, he threw a prayer to Great Osobor that was easily stolen by Jeremiah Williams. All Osobor could do was foul and hope that Williams didn’t make both.

Williams swished the first free throw. You thought he would make the second.

But this game only knew chaos. Williams overshot the second free throw. Both teams went for the rebound. Tyree Ihenacho, trying to corral it, tipped it out of bounds.

RUTGERS BALL.

Rutgers now had 10 seconds to win it. They put the ball in star player Dylan Harper’s hands. He gets a couple of dribble moves and takes a contested shot. AIRBALL.

WE’RE OFF TO OVERTIME BOIS.

Frustrated by the recent events, my roommate Teddy said that we didn’t deserve to win. He was mad about the out-of-bounds turnover by Zoom Diallo and Tyree Ihenacho tipping the ball causing us to go to overtime.

Unfortunately, UW was out of gas by overtime hit. After 2 scoreless minutes, Dylan Harper hit 2 free throws and Rutgers didn’t look back, holding the lead for the rest of the game.

GAME OVER. RUTGERS VICTORY.

UW showed their true colors in the end. Despite teasing their fans with talent throughout the game, they still found a way to lose. The standard is the standard, I say. And that standard is consistent mediocrity.

CONGRATULATION!!! YOU ARE NOW 17TH IN THE BIG 10!!!

If you are asking, I am not planning on going to the Indiana or Oregon home games. This team sucks. It has for years. They don’t deserve my blind loyalty.

STATE OF THE TEAM:

The good news is that I’m not writing this for the UW Daily(love them though). This allows me to be as spicy and unfiltered as I want.

UW Men’s Basketball is currently on hibernation mode. Our team has made 1 March Madness appearance in the last 10 years. And that was back in 2018-2019 when Matisse Thybulle was on the team.

The team has not gone over 17 wins since that season. They are 13-13(with a 4-11 conference record) this year. The standard is the standard. And that standard is consistent, unwavering mediocrity.

One positive is that UW finally fired our head coach Mike Hopkins last year after 7 years(felt like 7 decades) of basketball terrorism. Danny Sprinkle should be better long term, even if this year has had growing pains.

However, Sprinkle won’t have time on this side. UW Basketball fans are getting apathetic with the product. I know that I would’ve gone to a lot more games if our team wasn’t so consistently mid. He will need to get results next year or he could be on the hot seat.

Now, time to move on to the players. Let’s first start off with how I feel about everyone departing:

Great Osobor: All time thief. He’s been OK this year but not worth the $2 million UW gave him.

DJ Davis: Another guy who underwhelmed. Couldn’t adjust his game to the BIG 10.

Tyree Ihenacho: Elite cardio merchant. Also good at blowing layups. Good riddance.

Franck Kepnang: Beast when healthy. Too bad his body couldn’t hold up. Best of luck to him in the pros.

Luis Kortright: Seems like one bad transfer guard wasn’t enough for UW. Kortright was always good for at least 1 brick every time he got minutes. Good riddance.

Wilhelm Breidenbach: My glorious king. Great role player who always played hard despite limited physical talent. Best of luck in the pros.

Now, time to move onto next year.

Honestly, I feel cautiously optimistic about next year. Zoom Diallo and Mekhi Mason are a talented two-way guard duo. Tyler Harris plays well off both of them as an off ball wing. Off the bench, Jase Butler has talent and Christian King can shoot.

However, we still have a long ways to go. First off, Sprinkle needs to find at least 2 bigs. He should emphasize guys who can finish at a high clip and defend the rim to complement our guard duo. Getting a stretch guy wouldn’t hurt either. We just can’t have guys who command lots of post touches like Great Osobor with our dynamic guard duo.

Besides looking for big man upgrades, UW also needs to improve their guard depth and size on the wing. I really want to see Jase Butler and Christian King step up next year. However, we also need a veteran to keep the offense going when Diallo and Mason are on the bench. Sprinkle needs to emphasize size, defense, and shooting on the wings just like he did with Tyler Harris.

I feel like the blueprint is set for success. Sprinkle(and UW NIL) just needs to be more aggressive in getting the right guys from recruiting and the portal. Next year will tell us a lot more about if Sprinkle is the guy long-term.

SCOUTING:

There are 5 guys I have scouting notes on from this game. The first two players will be projected lottery picks Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey on Rutgers. After that, I will talk about the future draft potential of 3 Huskies: Mekhi Mason, Zoom Diallon, and Tyler Harris. For each player, I will go over how they played, explain myfinal verdict on their draft stock, and finally share where I think they get drafted.

THE STUDS:

Dylan Harper: Wow. Dylan Harper is that guy.

34 points. 14 free throw attempts. 41 minutes of domination from start to finish.

The stats showed utter domination and the eye test backed it up. You could tell that Dylan Harper is a man against boys when it comes to college competition. His combination of size, basketball IQ, craftiness, poise, and toughness is extremely rare to see at the lead guard position.

The first thing I must talk about with Dylan Harper is his ability to attack the rim. Even though his 5-10 from 2 point range might not look great, the eye test showed otherwise. He is a matchup nightmare who will find a way to beat any type of defense. tIf you put someone too small on him, he will bully through that player. Someone too big? He can speed around that player. Same size? He will use his craft and skill to outscore him. During the game, Harper showed the ability to finish through many different angles and dribble through tough coverages.

Harper’s rim pressure allows him to dominate a second area of the game: drawing fouls. During the UW game he lived at the free throw line, taking 14 attempts and draining 12 of them. His strong body allows him to draw lots of contact and finish through it, as he converted two and-ones versus Washington. His dribbling ability and change of pace allows him to do well against bigger and stronger players. His form is unorthodox, as it’s a bit low and flat, but works for him. He is a confident free throw shooter who can ice games with his ability from the line. I feel like this shows positive leadership at such a young age.

Dylan Harper also showed lots of positives from beyond the arc. Harper took 8 threes and made 4, which shows confidence from that area of the field. Many of these 3’s were difficult shots, as they were contested, off the dribble, and from NBA range. I will say that his shot form being so flat gives me hesitations if this translates at the next level. I also would like to see improved and more consistent footwork on his shot. You can tell how much he’s improved in this area by just looking at warmups.

I really liked his playmaking as well. He only had 3 assists and 2 turnovers in the UW game, but he saw the floor well. In the pick and roll, he did a good job using hook passes and other nifty deliveries to find rollers and shooters. I really like his timing, as it felt like he did a great job controlling the game. One important thing in this regard is that his teammates aren’t very talented. In an NBA offense, I see his assist numbers potentially doubling.

Finally, Dylan Harper is a plus rebounder for a lead guard. Against UW, he grabbed 5 defensive rebounds, using his size and basketball IQ to high point the ball. This allows him to set the offense, use his passing in transition, and go coast to coast.

Dylan Harper wasn’t perfect though. He could use some improvement in his shot diet, play versus double teams, and defense.

Harper’s shot diet versus UW avoided the midrange and floater areas. With his elite-rim finishing ability, foul drawing, and improving 3 point stroke, this isn’t the biggest issue in the world. Does he not trust his weird shot from midrange yet? However, I worry about how this translates versus bigger and stronger NBA defenses, who a use drop coverage on him. With his basketball IQ and work ethic, I see this improving at the next level.

Against Washington, there were times where he struggled reading traps. Even though he processes the game well, he has athletic limitations. There were times where he made late passes, ignored passes, or threw bad passes because of it. It is important that he almost lost Rutgers the game with the turnover he had against the double team.

Dylan Harper’s didn’t put his best effort defensively versus UW. He was often late to closing out on shooters due to his lack of foot speed. He also struggled with guarding faster guys like Zoom Diallo due to the same issue. While his size and basketball IQ gives him a decent floor, I don’t see him as a huge difference maker on that end.

Verdict: My in-person watch of Dylan Harper verifies the opinion I had of him pre-game. I see his likely NBA outcome as an NBA star thanks to his size, strength, skill, and basketball IQ. His shooting is good enough(75% on 6 FTA, 33% on 5 3PA) where teams should respect him. He has the size and strength to not be hunted on defense in the playoffs. There are some athleticism concerns, but he’s so well rounded that it’s less of a concern. He

Draft Ranking: High Lottery(#2)

Ace Bailey: This was the most Ace Bailey of Ace Bailey games.

Flashes of tough shot making. Check. Catch and shoot flashes? Check. Ill-advised shots? Check. Offensive rebounds? Check. Inability to attack the rim? Check. Concerns about dribble? Check. Not passing the ball much? Check.

This game leaves me at a conundrum with Ace Bailey. It feels like he’s people’s idea of what a good player is instead of actually being a good player. He is very talented, but has a ton of warts. Are people not concerned about his lack of basketball IQ?

It is important to realize context here. Rutgers is an extremely top-heavy team with Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey having to shoulder a huge load. I really wish that Rutgers gave Bailey more off-ball cuts and movement shots, as his size and fluidity makes him tough to stop there. There is a chance a change in role will help him in the NBA.

Ace Bailey showed both his positives and negatives as a shot-maker this game. For the good, we have to start with his self-creation. He flashed here versus Washington as he made an insanely tough turnaround jumper over 2 defenders. He also showed lots of comfort in the floater area, dribbling and using his size/length to get shots over the defender. Finally, he made a nice hook shot on a post isolation after grabbing an offensive rebound.

Unfortunately, Bailey had some struggles in this area as well. One huge issue is that his dribbling(especially north south) is limited due to poor coordination. This led him to settle for some ill-advised shots, whether it as a stare down 3 or contested midrange. On top of that, Bailey’s lack of basketball IQ hurts him offensively. He tends to be a ball stopper instead of scoring through the offense. Finally, his footwork caused him to have a couple of bad misses int eh midrange.

As an off-ball player, Ace Bailey also had flashes. He hit a catch and shoot 3, hit a midrange off a screen action. He showed a quick, fluid release off the ball. Unfortunately, he didn’t get many shots in this area of the game. I am worried about his motor here, as he didn’t spend much time cutting or relocating off ball.

I must also talk about his free throw shooting. His shot looks very quick and fluid to me. However, the results aren’t there, as he went 5-9 versus Washington. This has been a trend all season, where he’s sitting at a measly 68% from the line. I think there might be more touch concerns with him than we think.

I would say the final positive of Ace Bailey’s game is his hustle on the offensive boards, as he grabbed 4 of them in this game. Bailey showed a high motor, constantly battling and winning against players stronger than him. He also did a good job high pointing the ball. I liked what he did after the rebounds as well, as he made a hook shot off one of them.

Unfortunately, there were not many positives from his passing and defense. His lack of basketball IQ severely affects his passing, as he looks for his own shot at his team’s detriment. He made one really bad turnover where he didn’t see a defender and threw it right at him. He is consistently late on making accurate reads to teammates. Perhaps, this area of his game gets unlocked with more on ball reps.

When it came to his defense, getting in foul trouble early was a huge problem for him. He also struggled with positioning. Two bad examples during the game were Tyler Harris powering through him for a floater range shot and Wilhelm Breidenbach sealing him to draw a foul. He also had a habit of floating off his man, which could get exploited by better teams. It’s obvious that Bailey has potential due to his size and athleticism, but he will be a huge work in progress for any team

Verdict: For me, I am not that high on Ace Bailey. The lack of basketball IQ affects his processing on both ends. He also struggles with dribbling and attacking the rim. His jumper is more inonsistent than people think. Finally, he needs to gain strength. He is very much a project who will not be ready to go day 1.

However, I do understand people who disagree. He has some of the best athletic gifts in the class. He flashes the potential of a high level shooter. He has the tools to be an impact defender with time. There’s a chance that Rutgers’ offense didn’t optimize his talent.

There will be 10 different people with 10 different grades on Ace Bailey. He is truly an enigma and everyone will value his skillset differently. I am interested to see how he translates to the pro game.

Draft Ranking: Low Lottery

FUTURE DRAFT GUYS:

Mekhi Mason: Mekhi is that guy. End of story. When he was in the game, he was making an impact, whether it’s a clutch 3 pointer or getting steals on defense.

Mekhi Mason’s standout part of his game was outside shooting, as he went 4 of 7 from 3. He was quick and confident in his stroke off the catch. He did a good job off getting his release off quickly, even on more difficult contested looks.

On defense, Mekhi Mason stood out with his insane activity level and effort. He had 4 steals, which showed up watching live. He was constantly in passing lan. When it came to 1v1 defense, he did a good job using his size, strength, technique, and wingspan to guard whoever was in front of him effectively. One play that stood out was when he forced future NBA stud Dylan Harper to travel by staying in front of him.

I also thought he showed some really nice flashes as a passer. His first nice pass was a full-court dish to Breidenbach in transition. His second nice pass was also to Breidenbach after fooling the defender with a fake-out. On top of these nice passes, he showed good ball security with only one turnover. I hope he gets more ball-handling reps next year, as he has talent in this area.

Finally, Mekhi Mason showed positive ability in the clutch. With 1 minute left in the game, he hit a huge jumper to get the Huskies up by 1. After that, he helped trap Dylan Harper for what should’ve been the game-ending turnover.

The primary one is his offensive scoring package inside the arc. With a combination of limited athleticism and poor dribbling ability, he struggles to generate offense for himself. He tries to use his size and strength to bully smaller players in the post, but it can be very inefficient. He is currently a liability in the half court when not used as a spot up shooter. I also can say that he’s currently very poor at drawing fouls. To make it to the next level, he will need

Another minor issue is his tendency to commit lots of fouls. His effort on defense can cause him to play with reckless abandon on that end. He fouled out before overtime, which definitely hurt the Huskies chances at winning.

Verdict: I feel like Mekhi Mason is a 2026 draft sleeper. Most people see his low point total(9.2) and ignore him. However, his combination of clutch 3 point shooting(40% on 3.9 3PA) tough perimeter defense, strong frame, and secondary playmaking gives him value as a 3 and D off guard in the modern NBA.

I am aware that he has to improve a lot. I want to see him get more on-ball reps so that he can work on his passing and interior scoring. I want to see him take more 3 point jumpers off the dribble. He will need to do all of this while making sure his jumper stays efficient.

I am interested to see what other people think of him.

Draft Ranking: 2026 Two-Way Contract(UDFA)

Zoom Diallo: In the one and done era, you generally assume that a good freshman season means that a player will leave for the draft.

I don’t quite think Zoom is ready for the NBA year. However, I will not discredit the work he’s put in to be the Huskies PG of the future.

Zoom Diallo stood out today with his consistent ability to pressure the rim thanks to his size, first step, quickness, and toughness. When he got to the rim, he showed flashes of diverse finishes around tough competition. I particularly liked his ability to take it coast to coast in transition, which is where he excels right now. He also showed his toughness in this area by finishing an offensive rebound.

Diallo also showed some flashes as a playmaker. I liked how he consistently fed his big men with solid, accurate deliveries in the pick and roll. He also did a good job finding open shooters, especially Mekhi Mason. His rim pressure helps this area of his game, as teams would rather give other player open looks than let him score.

I am also a big fan of Diallo’s game on defense. He showed flashes of dominance in the 1v1 game. Two plays that stood out were him using a chest to force a midrange jumper 1v1 and using his hands to come up with an on-ball block. His strength and motor should make him a solid option guarding fellow 1’s(and maybe some 2’s) at the NBA level.

There were also moments versus Rutgers where Zoom Diallo looked like a freshman. While he gets a lot of rim pressure, he can improve his angles and dribbling. He also doesn’t have the best vertical pop. This showed up during overtime, where he smoked 3 layups in a row. I feel like one way Diallo can help solve this issue is through working on his floater and taking more midranges. I feel like experience will be a key teacher in this regard.

Zoom Diallo also struggled with turnovers last night, as he had 5 of them. Unfortunately, he saved his worst for last. On an inbound play, Diallo didn’t see anyone open and flung a prayer to Great Osobor that got stolen by Rutgers. This play sent the game to overtime, where UW lost. He also got his handle stripped a couple of times.

Finally, I have to talk about his jumper(or lack thereof). He went 0-2 from three, which isn’t surprising when you see his season results. To be fair, one of his jumper was a desperation shot at the end of the game. The bigger red flag was his free throw results. He went 2-4 from the charity stripe, which is especially concerning as a guard. This part of his game will make or break him as a prospect.

Verdict: All discussions with Zoom Diallo begin and end with his 3 point jumper. He is currently sitting at 17% on less than 1 attempt per game. Until he starts taking(and making) them at a high enough rate, he will not be considered a serious NBA prospect. With his free throw percentage at 73%, there is a concern this doesn’t translate. The good news is that 46 from midrange shows some level of touch.

I do think Zoom has NBA level upside though thanks to his rim pressure and playmaking. I like his flashes of midrange shooting and tough defense versus guards as well. I think that he will most likely top out as a backup at the NBA level, unless his 3 point shot is developing faster than expected.

Zoom will most likely not declare for the NBA draft until 2027 or 2028. This is because of how high the standards are for guards getting drafted. He needs to spend as much time refining his weaknesses as possible. Getting some big-time stats would also help his draft stock.

Draft Ranking: 2027/2028 NBA draft second round pick

Tyler Harris: I wasn’t expecting Tyler Harris to be on this scouting list.

I was wrong. A few jumper swishes later, I wanted to share how he helped the Huskies get to overtime against Rutgers.

Tyler Harris’ best part of his game today was his catch and shoot jumper, as he hit 3 of his 5 attempts. Even though his jumper is slow, and high arcing, it still goes in at a high rate this year. He shows good confidence despite the awkwardness of the shot.

Tyler Harris also showed some flashes in other areas offensively. He stepped in and hit a couple of midrange jumpers. He also had a nice drive against Ace Bailey where he finished via floater. He also grabbed 2 offensive rebounds this game.

Harris did not do much to impact other areas of the game. His passing was limited as he didn’t see the floor well. He shows good effort on defense, but his lack of strength hurts him in that regard. He still struggles to get to the rim. He airballed a 3 pointer that was contested due to his slow release.

Verdict: Just like with Zoom Diallo and his 3 point shot, Tyler Harris isn’t a draft relevant prospect until his assist rate gets well over 2%. Feel is highly valued in the NBA and Harris lacks that.

Besides his feel, Harris also really needs to improve his strength. At 190 pounds, he won’t have the ability to guard most NBA wings. Getting stronger will also help him improve his ability to attack the rim off the catch.

No, Harris will not shoot 50%(on 3.2 3PA) from 3 next year. He’s a 71% shooter from the line(on 2.5 attempts) and shot much worse from 3 last year. His form makes his shot mechanics difficult to repeat. I expect anywhere from 35% to 40% on around 3 attempts as the shooting numbers for him.

If you can squint far enough, there’s a solid 3 and D player with Tyler Harris thanks to his size, athleticism, and shot from deep. He just lacks the connective tissue to his game that most teams want from their bench guys. If he can show some development over the next 2 years, I see him as a potential draft guy.

Draft Ranking: 2028 UDFA

Final notes: If you ask why I didn’t scout Great Osobor, it’s because I don’t feel like he has a chance in the NBA. It was also because I was tired to his underperformance for the Huskies.

He’s a 6’8” post dominant big who struggles finishing at the rim. He’s also a tweeter 4/5 defensively due to inconsistent conditioning and poor rim protection. No amount of playmaking or rebounding will change those flaws.

Tyree Ihenacho is the worst offensive guard I’ve ever seen. He had as many points yesterday(0) as your average Joe sitting on the couch. If you needed someone to miss a layup, he’s got you covered.

I pray to the almighty Lord that we actually get a real backup PG this offseason.

I was hoping to scout Zach Martini but he was also a cardio merchant, getting 0 points in his 16 minutes of action. At least he wears a cool jersey number(99).

It definitely felt like some of that late game and overtime drama was manufactured

I can’t actually believe that people are optimistic about this team this year. Their only skills are in the areas of ineptitude and choking lol.

To everyone who made it to the end, thank you so much for reading this monstrosity. This overly passionate UW fan hoping for a good basketball team appreciates it.