Washington Huskies vs. South Dakota State Jackrabbits – NCAA WBB Tournament Preview and Thread
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 06: Brynn McGaughy #21 of the Washington Huskies goes up for a shot over Kiki Rice #1 of the UCLA Bruins during the second half of a Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 06, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The UCLA Bruins won the game 78-60. (Photo by Aaron J.
Thornton/Getty Images) | Getty Images In an era of college sports that often demands instant gratification, Tina Langley’s tenure as UW WBB coach has been a slow, steady climb from the bottom of the conference to national competitiveness. Friday’s first-round matchup with South Dakota State in the NCAA Tournament is another important milestone for Langley and the Dawgs as they have the opportunity to notch the school’s first March Madness victory since Kelsey Plum and Mike Neighbors had UW the Final Four and Sweet 16 in 2016-2017. Langley took over a team that went 7-14 (3-13) in a covid-shortened 2021 season.
The team improved in her first year, especially on defense, but the overall record did not reflect a great leap (7-16, 2-12). From that point, Langley’s Dawgs have won 19, 16, 19, and 21 games each season, ascending to their first winning record in conference at 10-8 in an excellent Big 10 group this year. They reached #20 in the AP poll, which is the highest UW has been since Plum.
While they made the First Four of the NCAA Tournament last year, Friday’s game will be the first one in the actual field of 64. UW’s opponent also comes into the game with a lot of history. SDSU has been in the tournament four years in a row and 14 times since joining Division 1 in 2004-2005.
Head Coach Aaron Johnston is an institution for the Jackrabbits. He came to the school as a 23 year-old graduate assistant in 1997. He joined the staff as an assistant for the 1999-2000 season, but by the end of it, he was the interim head coach.
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