Washington reportedly settles on leading candidate for basketball coach job

The Washington Huskies reportedly have identified their top target to replace Mike Hopkins as head basketball coach.

Washington is targeting Utah State coach Danny Sprinkle to replace Hopkins, according to Percy Allen of the Seattle Times. However, the Huskies will face competition from the likes of Oklahoma State and Vanderbilt, and potentially others.

Sprinkle is one of the hotter available names, especially now that Dusty May has wound up elsewhere. After taking Montana State to the NCAA Tournament twice, he guided Utah State to a 27-6 record in his first season there this year. He guided his team to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, ultimately losing to Purdue on Sunday.

The Huskies fired Hopkins earlier this month after a series of underwhelming seasons. Washington is joining the Big Ten starting next year, so this is certainly a big hire for them in a league that will be even more competitive than ever.