Commentary: Is NCAA Tournament just the start for Washington Huskies women?

SEATTLE – Tina Langley has spent four seasons stacking bricks.

After guiding Rice to a WBI championship, a WNIT championship and two NCAA Tournament bids in a six-year sprint, Langley inherited a rebuild at the University of Washington in 2021. The Husky program had plummeted under previous coach Jody Wynn, who was fired after recording a 38-75 record (11-58 in Pac-12 play) in four forgettable seasons. Though prodigious scorer Kelsey Plum powered UW to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments (including a Final Four) from 2015-17, that momentum had evaporated.

So this return to relevance was never guaranteed. After going 42-46 during her first three seasons in Seattle, Langley’s team took needed strides during the 2024-25 season. A five-game winning streak in late February and early March spring-boarded UW (19-13, 9-9 Big Ten) into the NCAA Tournament, snapping an eight-year drought tied for the longest in team history.

On Thursday, the No. 11 seed Huskies will meet 11th seed Columbia (23-6) in the First Four, with a clash against No. 6 seed West Virginia awaiting the winner. It’s the program’s 20th trip to the NCAA Tournament in 51 tries.

But for the Huskies, is this a starting block or a finish line?

“The people that come to this program, we want to be successful at the highest level,” the fourth-year coach said in a phone interview Monday, providing a mission statement. “So we’re driven to be the best we can be on the basketball court, but we’re also driven to do that outside of the court, in the way we serve and love our community and university.

“So when you have those people in a room and they’re committed to something bigger than themselves, it’s just a foundation. You just keep building on it. You can feel that happening, brick by brick. You could see each piece coming in and building a really solid foundation. I hope the young women and the families and our staff are really proud of what we’ve done. I think we all know it can be special.”

Can it be sustainable?

That’s the bigger question, not if UW – which made 37.3% of its 3-point shots this season, ranking 11th in the nation – can outshoot Columbia.

Ultimately, the answer is all about the bricks. Langley, 51, has proved a consistent recruiter – with classes ranking 14th nationally in 2022, 16th in 2023, 14th in 2024 and 12th in 2025 (via ESPN). UW gradually assembled the guard trio of junior Elle Ladine (17.1 points, 4.9 rebounds per game) junior Hannah Stines (9.8 points, 4.1 rebounds) and sophomore Sayvia Sellers (15.2 points, 3.8 assists), who have propelled UW into postseason play.

Ladine, Stines and Sellers are all eligible to return in the fall, providing a proven foundation. And though graduate student forward Dalayah Daniels’ departure will sting, UW signed incoming freshman forward Brynn McGaughy of State 3A champion Central Valley, the highest-rated recruit in Husky history. Ideally, UW would pair McGaughy (a five-star prospect and ESPN’s No. 21 overall recruit in the 2025 class) with fellow 6-foot-3 forward Oliviyah Edwards, regarded by ESPN as the No. 4 overall prospect in 2026.

Together, McGaughy and Edwards (who hails from Tacoma and stars at Elite Sports Academy) could form a formidable homegrown frontcourt.

But Langley has broader recruiting aspirations as well.

“As we moved into the Big Ten, we were fortunate that we had a young woman that’s traveling across the world, from Australia (in incoming freshman Sienna Harvey),” Langley said. “We have a young lady from Ohio (incoming freshman Bryn Martin). So we continue to recruit and broaden that base, for sure. I think the conference helps with that as well.”

The conference may help in more ways than one. Considering UW’s NET ranking (43) is one spot lower than it was a year ago, the strength of UW’s conference competition may have earned the Huskies an invite to the dance. UW was the 12th of 12 Big Ten teams to earn an invitation, including a pair of former Pac-12 partners and No. 1 seeds in UCLA (30-2) and USC (29-3).

In the future of a robust Big Ten, the Huskies have hurdles to clear. But first: Columbia.

“I really believe that if we can stay focused on what truly matters, and that’s the way we love and care for the people around us, that makes you work. That makes your focus different,” Langley said of her team’s ability to meet this moment. “It’s a great group of young women. The way they come into the film room, the way they come into practice, the way they’re preparing to travel again, they’re very locked in.”

It’s unclear if UW’s best will beat Columbia.

But it’s more important that UW’s best gets even better as Langley continues to build.