Great Osobor is off to a fast start.
The preseason all-Big Ten Conference selection leads Washington in scoring (14.8 points per game), rebounding (13 boards per game) and steals (four per game) heading into the Huskies’ game against Alcorn State on Friday in Seattle.
The rest of the Huskies?
Not so much.
Washington (3-1) ranks last in the conference in field-goal percentage (.402), free-throw percentage (.578) and assists per game (11.3). The Huskies are 17th — in an 18-team conference — in scoring (70.8 ppg).
First-year Washington coach Danny Sprinkle vowed to shake things up.
“Our starting lineup is going to change and it might change from half to half,” Sprinkle said. “It might change every game depending on who is playing with energy and giving the team something. But you have to produce if you’re going to be in the game.”
The Huskies outlasted UMass Lowell 74-69 on Sunday as Osobor scored 23 points and grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds. Tyree Ihenacho, Tyler Harris and Zoom Diallo each scored 12 for the Huskies, and Luis Kortright added 10. Harris, Diallo and Kortright all came off the bench.
“Minutes are going to start being distributed by production,” Sprinkle said. “That’s the only way to separate. … Offensively, you better be making the right basketball play. When it’s your turn to knock down a shot, you better knock down a shot. When it’s your turn to make a layup, you better make a layup. And that’s the best way to stay on the court.
“If you’re not doing those things, I got to keep that revolving door until I find some continuity to where somebody who is playing hard takes hold of that spot.”
Washington has been an offensive powerhouse compared with the Braves, who have been outscored by an average of 31.6 points in their five games.
Alcorn State (0-5) is shooting 32.9 percent from the field, which ranks 354th out of 355 teams in Division I — and the Braves commit 16.4 turnovers per game.
The Braves are coming off a 71-48 loss to TCU on Tuesday, when Keionte Cornelius scored a team-high 13 points.
Cornelius and Daniel Braster share the team lead by averaging 7.8 points per game. Jalyke Gaines-Wyatt added 7.4 points per contest and Omari Hamilton contributed 7.0 points per game.
–Field Level Media
