Washington's Fultz thought college ball 'was going to be way harder'

Markelle Fultz came to Washington as the nation's seventh-ranked recruit, and has exceeded any expectations in a fabulous freshman season.

The 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 23 points, six rebounds, and six assists per game, and admitted he expected things to be much different in college.

"I thought it was going to be way harder than this," Fultz told Matt Norlander of CBS Sports. "Everybody telling me everyone is a lot stronger and athletic, and that's true, but my scoring ability, it feels the way that it did in high school."

While Fultz has been a star performer, his Huskies are one of the worst major conference programs in the country. Washington sits a dismal 9-16 on the campaign and is 11th in the Pac-12, currently mired in a seven-game losing streak.

Fultz is the unquestioned leader of the team, but isn't one to get in teammates' faces about the losing, instead blocking out the negative and focusing on the positive.

"I've always been the type to do something and not talk about it," Fultz said. "It hasn't really gotten to me. I don't let it come out on the court because I don't want other people to see it ... I am used to failure. In order to be good, you have to fail, so that's the way I look at it."

Barring a shocking win in the Pac-12 tournament, Fultz's college career will likely be over early in March. He's widely-regarded as the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, and while college may not seem too difficult for the athletic freshman, perhaps the professional ranks will offer an appropriate challenge next year.