Huskies beat USC behind Hannes Steinbach’s historic night

Published 10:30 am Thursday, March 5, 2026

SEATTLE — It’s been an inconsistent season for the Washington men’s basketball team, but the one thing the Huskies can generally count on is a Hannes Steinbach double-double.

The UW frosh phenom recorded his 19th game of double figures in both points and rebounds during Wednesday’s 91-72 win over USC, surpassing Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger for the most by a Big Ten freshman since the 1996-97 season.

It took Steinbach less than 16 minutes to get there against the Trojans, but there were more records to break for the 6-11 forward from Germany, who finished with 22 points. His 24 rebounds established a new modern-day record (since 1977).

“He was just an animal on the boards,” said Washington head coach Danny Sprinkle, whose team evened its overall record to 15-15 while improving to 7-12 in Big Ten play. “I mean, more so than any other night this year. And it was really fun to watch.”

UW’s home finale — and perhaps Steinbach’s home finale — saw a freshman and sophomore rule the floor on Senior Night. Steinbach made nine of 12 shots and grabbed 12 offensive rebounds. Sophomore guard Zoom Diallo complemented Steinbach’s record night with career highs in both points (26) and rebounds (nine). Just one senior played in the game. Transfer Quimari Peterson scored 13 points while fellow seniors Franck Kepnang and Jacob Ognacevic sat out with injuries.

The Huskies finished the season 2-0 this season against USC, which lost its sixth straight to fall to 18-12, 7-12.

UW trailed by as many as eight points in the first half, which ended with the Trojans leading 43-40. Diallo scored six straight points in the middle of the second half to give Washington the lead for good.

“Zoom, he was phenomenal, man,” Sprinkle said. “I thought he played with great intent and energy.”

Freshman Courtland Muldrew helped turn a nine-point lead into a 19-point blowout by scoring all nine of his points in the final 3:32.

Missing seven players listed as out for the game (Desmond Claude, Jasir Rencher, Bryson Tucker, Mady Traore, JJ Mandaquit, Kepnang and Ognacevic), Sprinkle was down to seven scholarship players. All played at least 12 minutes, with walk-on guard BJ Roy sending the crowd into a frenzy by hitting a late 3 after getting into the game. Muldrew also handed out four assists in his 16 minutes.

“Probably bad coaching on my part, like I should have been playing (Muldrew) over a lot of people earlier (in the season),” Sprinkle said. “You know, I really should. His energy is contagious. Even when he screws up, he’s flying around. He makes stuff happen, and we need that, like this team, we need that spark.”

While others scored in bunches, Steinbach was steady across his 38 minutes of playing time. He seldom forces a shot, and was unaware of his rebound total through the first half, which climbed to 13. His best game of the season came after earning his third Big Ten Freshman of the Week Award.

“Yeah, I think it’s been pretty good so far,” he said. “So yeah, I’m pretty proud of how I played today and also how we responded as a team to the game on Saturday. So, pretty good.”

Peterson was quick to praise his freshman teammate.

“I just saw hustle, heart, competitiveness,” Peterson said. “It’s something that he brings to the table every day. With him leading us like that on the glass — it’s ridiculous. I’m glad to have him as a teammate.”

Steinbach, a likely first-round pick in the NBA if he chooses to enter the draft, was noncommittal about his future. There will likely be no senior night for one of the best freshmen to ever play at Washington. He said he is not yet thinking about what is in store for next year.

Asked if he thought it might be his last game at Hec Ed, Steinbach said, “No, not really.”

“I’m just trying to look forward to the next games,” he continued. “Just focus on what we need to do as a team to win again. So, really didn’t cross my mind yet.”

Washington showed much better defense and ball movement than in Saturday’s blowout home loss to Wisconsin. After the regular-season finale at Oregon on Friday, the Huskies, currently in 11th place out of 18 conference teams, will receive a first-round bye before playing in a March 10 Tournament game.

This story originally appeared at www.emeraldcityspectrum.com.