ROSEMONT, Ill. -- As the Huskies spent hours Wednesday morning strolling through Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, stopping for interviews and photographs, there was something familiar about Big Ten basketball media day.
"I definitely feel more comfortable," said senior guard Elle Ladine who came here last year. "I'm less nervous. I know what to expect."
That feels like it could be a motto for Washington women's basketball, which heads into its second Big Ten season saddled with greater expectations and tabbed as a can't-miss NCAA tournament contender.
"I'm super excited for the season to start," junior guard Sayvia Sellers said. "I'm sure we all are. The offseason is long."
Before turning the page on a 2024-25 breakthrough season, UW coach Tina Langley made the Huskies relive the worst moments of the biggest game of their lives that slipped through their fingers in the final seconds.
In their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2017, Washington led Columbia 21-8 after the first quarter and 34-21 at halftime in its First Four matchup last March in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Prosperity didn't last long and inexplicably the Huskies' vaunted perimeter offense turned frigid while they were unable to slow down Lions sharpshooter Riley Weiss who scored 14 of her game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter.
"I thought what we struggled with in that game is something we struggled with in several games that didn't cost us wins and losses," Langley said while still lamenting a bitter 63-60 defeat. "And that was the ability just to control the emotions in the moment and to focus on what we're trying to execute in that moment, and maintaining our confidence and our ability to solve problems quickly.
"And I think we've really grown in that this summer. I'm so excited to see we weren't afraid to look back at that and talk about that through the season. And we've really all become very aware of the way that our mind can give us the strength to execute for all the training that we've done."
Although it's a painful reminder, the Huskies don't want to forget that fateful night on the Carmichael Arena floor when their short-lived NCAA tournament run ended in disappointment.
"I tried to watch some of it, but it was like 'Ughhh. It was so frustrating,'" senior guard Hannah Stines said. "But it just pushed us more. Being there and seeing what it takes and understanding how close you were to going further. It’s a big motivator. Whenever I think of that game, I’m motivated. I want to play again and get back on the court.
"There’s a lot to learn from it. It’s helpful to look back on, but it’s also painful."
Ladine echoed her coach's sentiments.
"The biggest thing I would say that I've learned is staying in the moment, especially in games when you get caught up in March Madness of win or go home," she said. "Kind of just learning to stay in the moment. We're talking about team habits of excellence, so it just doesn't start on the court. It starts in practice.
"We're learning that as a team and starting that now so that when we get there in March, we're kind of just the same. We're not worrying about changing anything."
Personnel wise, the Huskies are not expected to make many changes on a roster that returns four starters (Ladine, Sellers, Stines and Chloe Briggs) from a team that had a 19-14 record and finished 12 in the Big Ten at 9-9.
When asked if she has a starting lineup, Langley said: "I do wish I did, but I don't yet. It's really competitive right now. We're a bit away from (naming starters), but I love that we have that kind of depth, that there's so many people that are strong enough to be in that lineup."
It's difficult to imagine UW not starting Ladine and Sellers, the team's leading returning scorers who averaged 17.0 and 15.3 points respectively last season. Both were chosen to separate All-Big Ten preseason teams by the coaches and media.
Stines, two-year starter, and Briggs, who moved into the starting lineup for the final 13 games last season, paired with Ladine and Sellers to comprise a lethal four-guard quartet that powered UW's perimeter-oriented offense and ranked 13 nationally in three-point shooting percentage (37.0) last season.
Conceivably, freshman forward Brynn McGaughy, Langley's first five-star recruit, and sophomore guard Avery Howell, a USC transfer, could push for a spot in the lineup.
"Avery's doing a tremendous job," Langley said. "I love the way she came into the program. She has this hunger and this incredible work ethic that everyone is familiar with. I thought she also has just a beautiful ability to lead in a way that is inspirational. She also wants really well for all of her teammates, and you can feel that energy and that passion to help people grow."
Langley also heaped praise on McGaughy who plays center in UW's four-guard lineup and has displayed an ability to "shoot, pass and rebound, and just possesses an amazing all-around skill set for someone so young."
Washington returns backup guards Devin Coppinger and Teagan Brown, and reserve forwards Shayla Gillmer and Olivia Anderson.
The Huskies brought in senior center Yulia Grabovskaia, a Michigan transfer, as well as freshmen forward Nina Cain, guard Sienna Harvey and forward Daniella McLean, who is expected to redshirt.
Heading into her sixth season, Langley, who is 61-60 at UW, has the Huskies seemingly poised to make another step toward notoriety.
"For me, building a program is all about continuing to bring in the best of the best when you first arrive," she said. "You're getting used to everything. And I think that each year we've improved in identifying talent and growing our skill sets. I've grown; our staff has grown; our student-athletes have grown.
"I think there's been some moments that I wished I had learned some lessons quicker, but we learn them and then we keep moving on. ... I thought if we'd have learned a few lessons about the way we were playing in games a little quicker, we would have potentially had a little different season, but it was what it needed to be. We had to learn those lessons. And so, I think that's within our control to learn as quickly as possible."
The Huskies are projected to be a No. 7 seed in the 2025 NCAA tournament by ESPN while Her Hoops Stats tabs UW as a No. 10 seed.
Washington, which made a brief one-week appearance in The Associated Press Top 25 poll on Dec. 18, 2023, is expected to return to the national ranking when it debuts next week.
"I'm honestly excited to exceed those expectations," Ladine said. "We're glad that we're getting acknowledged and people are seeing us as a top-25 team (and) we're grateful for that, but we know that the sky's the limit if we focus on our daily thing."