For the first time in 310 days, Terrell Brown Jr. played a basketball game at McKale Center โ€” except he wasnโ€™t wearing a since-then-ditched white-and-gray gradient Arizona uniform. He instead suited up for his hometown school, the Washington Huskies, and scored 28 points on 10-for-22 shooting; he also eight rebounds and six assists in Washington's 95-79 loss to No. 8 Arizona.

Brown, a Seattle native and the godson of UA great Jason Terry, played one season for the Wildcats in 2020-21, mostly as a reserve guard. Brown was part of the outflux of players who transferred following the firing of Sean Miller. Brown joined guard James Akinjo (Baylor), guard Jemarl Baker (Fresno State), wing Tibet Gorener (San Jose State), forward Ira Lee (George Washington) and Jordan Brown (Louisiana) as players to leave the UA after last season.

Washington Huskies guard Terrell Brown Jr. (23) gives Arizona Wildcats center Christian Koloko (35) a hug following Arizona's 95-79 win over the Washington Huskies at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz. on Jan. 3rd, 2022.

Brown is the second known former UA player to face Arizona at McKale after playing for the Wildcats, with the other being Laval Lucas Perry when the Lute Olson recruit played for Oakland in 2011-12. Lucas-Perry had 11 points in the 85-73 loss to his former team.

Unlike former Arizona recruits in the past, Brown was welcomed by a number of cheers from Arizona fans when his name was announced during the starting lineup. When Brown attempted free throws, one fan could be heard calling him a โ€œtraitorโ€

โ€œHey, Terrell, you shouldโ€™ve stayed!โ€ the fan shouted.

Brownโ€™s 28 points is the most heโ€™s ever scored at McKale.

A low number

3 โ€”ย Bench points for the Wildcats against Washington, a season-low for the UA. Washington finished the night with 21 bench points.

The man behind the mask

Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner points during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Virginia Tech Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in Blacksburg, Va. (Matt Gentry/The Roanoke Times via AP, Pool)

A nationwide surge in COVID-19 cases has steered some programs to dial back in-person contact and take cautious measures during games. The UA has reverted to Zoom media sessions for coach Tommy Lloyd and players to Zoom sessions.

At Georgia Tech, head coach and former Wildcat Josh Pastner brought back his renowned faceshield for the Yellow Jacketsโ€™ 67-64 loss to Louisville on Sunday. The game was initially scheduled for Saturday, but was shifted to Sunday following "a high number of COVID" cases within the Georgia Tech program, including Pastner.

โ€œI feel like Iโ€™m a healthy young man and I work out and exercise, but I was in no place to get up and down,โ€ Pastner said. โ€œI could see I lost conditioning for my own personal self, so I canโ€™t imagine what it was like for our players.โ€

After a week off from pausing basketball activities, Georgia Tech held one practice in time for its game against Louisville in Atlanta.

โ€œWeโ€™re excited to get out there and play,โ€ Pastner said. โ€œCOVID hit us pretty hard. I was hit pretty hard.โ€

Pastner said his assistant coaches and players will be required to wear face protection on the sidelines.

โ€œSo, weโ€™ll all be masked and all of us โ€” coaches, players not in the game โ€” will be masked. Iโ€™ll have my faceshield that I went to," he said. "Itโ€™s hard for me to coach with a mask, but I sure donโ€™t want COVID again because it hit me hard. And I donโ€™t want anyone else to get it.โ€

Ushers hoist โ€˜Mask Upโ€™ signs at McKale

Fans attending Arizona home games this season are required to wear masks inside buildings on the UA campus โ€” and, yes, that includes McKale Center. Those attending Arizona basketball games must wear masks unless they're actively eating or drinking.

For the first time this season, McKale ushers held up โ€œMask Up Pleaseโ€ signs during Monday's timeout breaks.

A cheap number

$15 โ€”ย With UA students still on holiday break, the Zona Zoo was open to the general public. One fan said their sixth-row ticket behind the basket next to the UA pep band cost just $15.

Sneakers of the game

Arizona Wildcats guard Kerr Kriisa (25) shoots a three-pointer during the first half of the Arizona Wildcats vs the Washington Huskies men's basketball game at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz. on Jan. 3rd, 2022.

Arizona point guard Kerr Kriisa donned pink Kobe 6s โ€” also known as the โ€œThink Pinkโ€ or โ€œKay Yowโ€ shoe, which pays homage to the late Yow, who was a legendary head coach at NC State. Yow died in 2009 from breast cancer.

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Contact sports producer Justin Spears at 573-4312 orย jspears@tucson.com. On Twitter: @JustinESports