Prediction time: National experts expect UW Huskies to make NCAA tournament

With the college basketball season tipping off, it’s time for predictions that are likely to be forgotten or dredged up to ridicule the author.

At any rate, it’s a mixed forecast for the the Huskies, which just missed cracking the Associated Press top 25 rankings.

Several college basketball experts predict Washington will make the Big Dance for a second straight year, but they don’t expect UW will improve upon the No. 9 seed it received in March.

Here’s a sampling of the NCAA tournament forecasts.

Andy Katz at NCAA.com is bullish on the Huskies and filled out a bracket that includes Washington as the No. 6 seed in the West region.

However, ESPN’s bracket guru Joe Lunardi, Jerry Palm at CBS Sports, Kerry Miller at Bleacher Report and SB Nation’s Chris Dobbertean have Washington as a No. 9 seed once again.

NOTES:

— Not sure how this is calculated considering everyone is 0-0, but Washington starts the season at No. 113 on ESPN’s basketball power index.

— ESPN analyst Jay Bilas tabbed Washington at No. 35 on his list of the country’s top 68 teams.

— UW freshmen Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels, Washington State sophomore guard CJ Elleby and Gonzaga senior forward Killian Tillie were named to the 2019-20 John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watch List.