Perhaps the biggest surprise of the few undefeated teams left in Week 6 of the 2014-15 college basketball season, the 9 – 0 Washington Huskies are ranked No. 16 with impressive wins over the then-No. 13 San Diego State Aztecs, the Eastern Washington Eagles and the UTEP Miners.
The Huskies face the No. 15 Oklahoma Sooners next in the MGM Grand Showcase game on Saturday, Dec. 20, at 9 PM ET on ESPNU.
Oklahoma has two good wins over the Butler Bulldogs and UCLA Bruins, but lost early to Creighton and was dominated by the Wisconsin Badgers to bring its record to 7 – 2 at this point in the season. The Sooners have looked really good at times and really bad at times, and must string together some very good wins over good opponents if they are to build momentum moving into Big 12 play.
The Sooners’ Buddy Hield has been one of the most impressive guards in the country this season, so it will be interesting to see if Washington’s elite defense can hold him in check. Ryan Spangler has been extremely disappointing this season and has to step up in this game if Oklahoma is to succeed.
However, Washington not only plays great defense, but also spreads the ball around on offense. Four players average double-digit scoring and six players average at least four rebounds, which means that shutting down any one player won’t be enough to stop the Huskies from succeeding. Expect Washington to win this one and enter PAC 12 play undefeated.
Prediction: Washington 68, Oklahoma 59
Taylor Sturm is a Featured Basketball Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.