Washington Huskies Basketball

Washington's roller-coaster season concluded last week, as the team fell to West Virginia 69-56 in the Sweet 16, also halting the Huskies' nine-game winning streak.

The team made an incredible run just to make the NCAA Tournament following a midseason lull that saw them go 7-7 and not receive even a single vote in the Top 25 polls for over two months.

That lull dampened the enthusiasm of a 10-2 start where the Huskies were ranked as high as 10th in the coaches' poll.

The peaks and valleys of Washington's season leave analysts and fans wondering about the true nature of this team and what to expect in the 2010-11 campaign.

The Huskies only lose one player to graduation, but he's an important one. Quincy Pondexter, the team's leading scorer and rebounder this season, finishes his college career as UW's third-leading scorer of all time.

Pondexter's offensive skills will be hard to replace—his leadership even more so.

That said, the Huskies bring back some excellent talent and will boast a veteran-laden team next season.

Isaiah Thomas will return as the Huskies' primary scorer and the prime candidate to take on the role of team leader. Thomas made progress across the board in his sophomore season, with improvements in points, rebounds, assists, and three-point shooting, along with fewer turnovers.

If he can maintain his efficiency while handling an increased workload, there's no reason he can't continue to get better and even challenge for Pac-10 Player-of-the-Year honors in his junior campaign.

Matthew Bryan-Amaning showed great improvement in his junior season and will look to announce himself as an All-Pac-10 candidate in his senior year. He ended this season on a strong note, averaging 11.8 points on 60 percent shooting, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks over his last 14 games.

Point guard Abdul Gaddy struggled throughout his freshman campaign, showing flashes of ability amidst long stretches of ineffectiveness. He certainly has the skills to contribute, but he needs to regain his confidence; coach Lorenzo Romar put his confidence at five or six on a scale of one to 10.

Entering next year with a full season under his belt will undoubtedly lead to greater things from the heralded recruit.

The last returning member of Washington's starting five is Justin Holiday, who played an instrumental role in getting the Huskies' season back on track. Named to the Pac-10 All-Defensive Team, Holiday is the quintessential stat-sheet stuffer, averaging nearly six points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, a steal, and half a block per game.

Holiday flashed his long-range game in the postseason, knocking down five three-pointers in three NCAA Tournament games. If he carries that improved offensive prowess into next season, while also maintaining his excellent defense, Holiday will help make up for the loss of Pondexter.

Another player who can ease the blow of Pondexter's graduation is shooting guard Elston Turner. Known primarily for his proficiency beyond the arc, Turner also displayed the ability to put the ball on the floor and create his own shot. With his strong play in UW's two tourney wins, he is a candidate to step into the starting lineup in his junior season.

Point guard Venoy Overton should continue to wreak havoc off the bench in his senior year. Another member of the Pac-10 All-Defensive Team, Overton plays with unmatched passion and tenacity, which sometimes hurts the team as much as it helps. If he cuts down on his 2.3 turnovers per game and strives for consistency, Overton will greatly enhance Washington's competitiveness.

Guard Scott Suggs will look to work himself back into the rotation after steadily losing playing time over the last six weeks of the season (only 8.7 minutes per game compared to 16.7 in his first 22 games played).

Forward Darnell Gant also fell out of the rotation this season, logging just 11.7 minutes per game compared to 18.3 last year. His production will also prove vital to replacing Pondexter and as a backup to Bryan-Amaning.

Big body Tyreese Breshers will also look to prove his worthiness off the bench. Breshers can provide a few rebounds and blocked shots while he continues to develop. C.J. Wilcox, who redshirted this season, will likely join Clarence Trent and walk-on Brendan Sherrer as they reprise their roles as garbage-time fill-ins.

Trent is now working out with the Husky football team as a defensive end and is likely to change scholarships from basketball to football next fall. Coach Romar said he will keep playing basketball, but it's hard to envision his role changing much with his attention now split between two sports.

As far as new players, forward Desmond Simmons could also be a candidate to make up some of Pondexter's production. However, Husky fans are holding their breath on where forward Terrence Jones will sign. The coveted recruit from Portland played well in the McDonald's All-America game this week and could be UW's next superstar should he choose the school just up I-5.

With this personnel, can Washington find similar success next season? Will Romar finally advance past the Sweet 16? Can the Huskies maintain the consistency shown during their nine-game win streak for an entire season, or at least minimize the lulls?

With three seniors and five juniors on the squad, the Huskies have the experience to carry their late-season success into next year. They'll likely stick with their fast-paced, guard-driven style of play with the personnel they possess, but a big season from Bryan-Amaning could help them against taller teams with strong frontcourt games.

However, the biggest key to the 2010-11 season will be leadership. Someone will need to step into the role held by Pondexter this season, previously held by Jon Brockman and Brandon Roy, as the steadying force that keeps the team confident and disciplined.

Thomas is the best candidate to lead the team on the offensive end, but Holiday could also steer the Huskies' ship with consistency on defense and strong all-around play.

If those two embrace their new roles and keep the team focused, Washington should once again be a favorite to win the Pac-10 title—but this time play like it the entire season.

Game Day Stats:

Date- 7:27 PM ET, March 25, 2010

Arena- Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York

TV- CBS

Front Court:West Virginia's front court is led by the team's top 3 scorers in Da'Sean Butler(17 ppg), Kevin Jones(13 ppg), and Devin Ebanks (12 ppg). Clearly this will pose as a huge problem for Washington's big men but they still have a fighting chance. The big match up in the front court features WVU's Butler and Washington's Quincy Pondexter. Both are oversized guards which a boat load of talent. Whoever wins this match up I think wins the game for their team.

                                                                                Advantage- WEST VIRGINIA

Back Court: How will Darryl Bryant contain the Huskies sophomore phenom Isaiah Thomas? Thomas is averaging 17 points a game to go along with 3 assists. He runs the offense, so if Bryant can at least stall his offensive production and work him on offense he could help the Mountaineers send Washington packing.

                                                                                 Advantage- WASHINGTON

Bottomline: Don't be fooled by the Huskies playing in the Pac 10. This team is red hot and it's March Madness baby! Pondexter and Thomas are playing out of their freaking minds right now so don't be surprised by an upset if they can handle the Mountaineers tough front line. While they are hot, so is West Virginia. Fresh off winning the Big East tournament they came right back to win in the first round and then against an under rated Missouri team in a tough win. Look for the Mountaineers to continue their toughness on the way to the Elite Eight.

Prediction: West Virginia 81 Washington 76

East versus West. Forwards versus guards. Back to the basket power basketball versus open floor, one pass, and shoot breakneck pace.

This is what we’ll get Thursday night in the first game of the East Regional, when the perimeter athleticism of the Washington Huskies squares off against a bruising West Virginia Mountaineer squad.

These two teams couldn’t be any more different—so it stands to reason that whichever team can cover up its warts the best will likely move on to the regional final.

For Washington, the warts start in the frontcourt, where the Huskies lack the size and power to control the backboards and threaten the paint.

Out of Washington’s nine losses this season, they were out-rebounded or played even on the backboards in eight of them. Unfortunately for the Huskies, two of the nine losses came against the USC Trojans, the one team on UW’s schedule that most resembles the Mountaineers.

Like the Mountaineers, the Trojans have shied away from the popular three guard look and have opted to get as much size and athleticism on the floor as possible, playing four forwards and a single guard.

As for the Mountaineers’ wart, they lack the pure guard play that Isiah Thomas and Venoy Overton bring for the Huskies, especially now that Darryl Bryant is injured.

This leaves West Virginia somewhat susceptible to pressure on offense, leading to the occasional turnover, and they’ll struggle to stay in front of the elite quickness of Thomas and Overton on defense.

Against the guard-centric teams the Mountaineers have faced in the Big East Conference—Marquette and then Villanova twice—the Mountaineers are 2-1, but struggled to protect the basketball, averaging 14 turnovers in those three games.

Keys for Washington

1) Pace

The Huskies have a huge advantage in the backcourt with quickness and ball handling so they should be able to dictate the pace on offense.

I’d run "miss or make" if I were Coach Romar. Once West Virginia sets its defense, whether it’s man or zone, Washington is going to have a tougher time finding clean looks, and they’ll rarely get second chance points. In the open floor, their quickness advantage will be magnified.

2) Pack Your Zone Offense

West Virginia’s backcourt of Da'Sean Butler and Joe Mazzulla won’t be able to stay in front of Thomas and Overton, so I’d expect some active zone with man principles or sagging man-to-man from the Mountaineers. Zone and soft-man coverage take advantage of WVU’s size, while minimizing its lack of pure quickness.

3) Stay in Front

As in: Stay in front of the Mountaineer ball handlers and cutters—don’t gamble. WVU makes a living at the foul line because all of its players are big, athletic, and can finish at the rim. If the Mountaineers want to shoot over the top let them, with the exception of Mazzulla and perhaps Butler.

The nightmare scenario for the Huskies is one of Quincy Pondexter or fellow big man Matthew Bryan-Amaning getting in early foul trouble because the Mountaineer drivers or cutters get in the lane and are able to take it right to the chest of the Husky forwards. If one of those two is saddled with foul trouble, the Huskies are done on the backboards and likely done in the game.

Keys for the Mountaineers

1) Take Care of the Basketball

This seems like a no-brainer, but hear me out. In a game that’s likely to be uptempo, both ends of the floor become more interconnected. This means that a turnover not only costs you possession, but, against a team like Washington, it’s going to cost you points.

Additionally, with the advantage that West Virginia has on the offensive glass in this game, a turnover might cost you more than a single possession—it may cost you that second and third chance bucket that offensive rebounding affords you. Simply getting the ball up on the rim is a likely win for the Mountaineers whether it goes in or not.

Anything but a turnover.

2) Keep Overton and Thomas out of the Lane

Washington has too many athletic finishers for the Mountaineers to survive help-and-recover situations that are started by Overton or Thomas blow-bys. So WVU needs to soften its pressure in the man-to-man or switch to zone.

I’d go with a zone that identifies Thomas as the only credible deep shooter and then play everyone else soft until they can prove they can knock down a perimeter shot or two.

3) Run Offense through Butler but Get Him off the ball

If Washington decides to man the Mountaineers that means the 5′10″ Overton or the 5′9″ Thomas will have to tag Da'Sean Butler, who goes 6′4″ with the strength of a power forward.

If I'm Huggins—I take Butler off the ball in half-court possessions, run him through some weak-side screens, and then get him the ball around the bucket. This will force the Huskies to declare help and then Butler, who’s a very good passer, can find open teammates with a double team. Who says your point guard needs the ball?

Also, look for Butler on some 1-4 low looks where he’s got the ball at the top of the key and his four teammates lineup flat along the baseline. Isolation looks like these enable Butler to back down his smaller defender without the fear of a quick double.

Key for Both Teams

Really, there’s one: officiating. A loosely called game that allows the Mountaineers to hand check, dislodge posts, and bang under the rim is a huge advantage to West Virginia and their size.

A tightly called game that makes WVU play honest against Washington’s water bug backcourt likely means the Huskies will live at the foul line.

So with that in mind, it’s important that both coaches work the officials early and often. Don’t be surprised to see both Huggins and Romar get a tech in this game, as this is probably the most important variable going into contest. Each coach knows it, and will work the officials accordingly.

As for a prediction. Tell me who hides their warts the best. If Washington can maintain contact on the backboards, they win. If WVU can keep the turnovers at 10 or under, they probably win.

It’ll be a fun start to an exciting weekend regardless.

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Kevin writes the leading college hoops blog March To March.

Follow him on Twitter: @MarchToMarch

College basketball fans everywhere certainly know about Kentucky's outstanding freshman duo of John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins.

They may also know about Ohio State's Evan Turner, and also Duke's John Scheyer.

However, there is a hidden gem out in the Pacific Northwest, a star that has been working his trade so well for four years for the Washington Huskies, a star so frequently overlooked even by fans of his own team. Of course, I am talking about Husky senior Quincy Pondexter.

Pondexter, a 6'6" senior out of Fresno, has quickly emerged as a fan favorite this season by taking the reigns from Jon Brockman and becoming the leader of the Husky basketball team. He has had huge games all year long for the Pac-10, should really have been the Pac-10's Player of the Year (sorry Jarome Randle, Q-Pon clearly got jobbed), and hit the game-winning shot for Washington over Marquette in the first-round.

He clearly has been UW's MVP this season.

However, for the past few seasons, he has been one of the most underrated players out there, even among Husky fans. Despite his everlasting talent, he was never the go-to-guy for the Dawgs before this year, and almost always played second (or even third) fiddle to his teamates.

As a result, his statistics before this year may not have been as flashy as he hoped, though the talent has always been there.

In the 2006-07 season, it was the all-Washington state duo of Jon Brockman and Spencer Hawes that attracted most of the attention, though the Huskies stumbled upon a disappointing non-postseason year.

In the 2007-08 season, it was Brockman who basically was the go-to-guy for the Huskies, though it was a failure of sorts as Washington fell in the first round of the CBI at home to Valparaiso.

Even in Washington's Pac-10 championship season last year, it was Brockman, who then was in his senior year, and freshman guard Isiah Thomas who enjoyed much of the attention. Once again, Pondexter was overlooked in many aspects.

However, this season has been different. With the loss of two seniors in Brockman and Justin Dentmon, the Huskies looked towards Pondexter for senior leadership, and also to become the go-to-guy he had shown promise in.

And boy has he delivered for the Huskies.

Pondexter enjoyed the 2009-10 season as the leading scorer on a team full of scoring. He has averaged 19.7 points a game, including over seven rebounds. He has had monster games during the season, including a 30-12 outing at home against the Arizona Wildcats, who at that point was a contender for the regular season title, and also a 24-10 outing on the road at Oregon.

He was voted First Team All-Pac-10, and in many people's eyes got robbed out of the Pac-10's Player of the Year.

However, it has been in the NCAA Tournament that Pondexter has shined the brightest, despite scoring 18 points in both games—solid but not spectacular by Pondexter standards. It was Pondexter who hit the game-winning bank shot with just 1.7 seconds left to defeat the Marquette Golden Eagles in the first round of the tournament, a game Pondexter scored 14 of his 18 after the half.

He truly came through in the clutch like winners do.

In fact, it was also Pondexter who had grabbed the offensive rebound which made the game-winning bank shot possible.

In fact, coach Lorenzo Romar considered calling a time-out to draw up a game-winning play, but felt so highly of his senior leader that he let Pondexter make his own game-winning play, his own story-book play.

And he did.

"The fear of it being my last collegiate game ever is what propelled me to play well in the second half. I had to step up...It's one of those storybook shots. I'm just so happy right now, I don't even know what to say," Pondexter told the media after the game.

Also in that game, Pondexter grabbed 11 rebounds, five of which were offensive rebounds—three of which came in the final minutes of the game. His passion was evident easily even from watching from the television; it was also in that game where he broke Dentmon's UW record for appearances.

Pondexter was not as much a factor in UW's second round game against New Mexico, but he didn't need to be. The Huskies simply blew out the Lobos, a game that finished 82-64, and it wasn't even that close.

UW now faces the second-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers on Thursday at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, and the Huskies are now just two games away from making their first Final Four since the 1953 season. It would probably be the way Pondexter would want to cap off an storied career with the Huskies.

It does appear that NBA scouts have noticed Pondexter's special talents, with most draft projection sites projecting Pondexter as a mid-to-late 20s pick. He has proven to have the talent to succeed in the NBA, with his shot improving consistently in his college career, and his superb talent driving the ball to the lane and finishing well.

It seemingly has come around for Pondexter this senior year; he has finally received his due credit from the fanbase, good signs after a strange and up-and-down career with the Huskies.

However, Pondexter is still one of the most underrated college basketball players out there, and certainly deserves to be up there with the Wall's and the Cousins' and the Scheyer's.

For many years, it was the UCLA Bruins that carried the torch as the Pac-10's premier basketball program; after all it had an 88-game winning streak on its resume, as well as 10 national titles under legendary coach John Wooden.

After that, in the 1990s, it was essentially the Arizona Wildcats under Lute Olson who basically were the Pac-10's top program, winning a national title in 1997 as well as playing in multiple Final Fours and reaching the tournament for 25 straight years.

After that, it was again the UCLA Bruins under Ben Howland who took the throne at the top of the conference, reaching three straight Final Fours, albeit no national title.

However, now, despite still having not carried away a national championship and being the kings of CBS' annual One Shining Moment montage, it does appear that the Washington Huskies, under coach Lorenzo Romar, are quickly appearing to be the top dawgs of the Pacific-10 conference.

Granted, the Huskies do not have the allure and tradition that the Bruins, the Wildcats, and other top and elite programs across the country enjoy, and have not gone on a run of per se 10 national titles in 11 years like UCLA did, or a 25-year tournament streak like Arizona has done.

However, over the past few seasons, ever since Romar took the Washington job before the 2002-03 season, the prestige of the Washington program has risen enough to safely consider them the current "kings" of the Pac-10 per se.

Under Romar, the Huskies have had a record of 171-90 overall (84-60 in the conference) and have gone to five NCAA tournaments (including three Sweet 16 appearances, including one as the No. 1 seed in the 2005 tourney, and this year's tourney as a No. 11 seed), and have been a postseason team in six of the eight years.

Under Romar, the Huskies have gone 7-4 in the tournament, and have dramatically changed their image as once a soft program in the shadows of a traditionally more successful football program, to now being the top-draw in the school's athletic program, and also in many ways becoming the top sporting draw in the Seattle-area.

Before Romar's arrival in Seattle in 2002, Washington was a morbid program.

Of course, they had some solid runs like back-to-back tournament bids in 1998 and 1999 under Bob Bender, coming painfully close to reaching the Elite Eight in 1998 after losing a heart-breaker to Connecticut in that tournament. They also had some solid players such as Todd MacCulloch and Detlef Schrempf (who played a good portion of his professional career just down the street with the Seattle Supersonics), but it was still not a program that was even close to the program it is now.

They only had nine tournament appearances, and even with a Final Four appearance in 1953, the Huskies were one of the programs recruits in the West Coast probably least liked to play for.

And then came Romar.

Romar came to the University of Washington just before the 2002-03 season after serving as the coach at both Pepperdine and Saint Louis, appearing in the NIT once with the Waves, and leading Saint Louis to an NCAA Tournament bid once.

However, his success with the Huskies has pretty much dwarfed his previous achievements with those programs, and he now is considered to be one of the top coaches in the nation, at least in my and other observers' books.

He has brought unprecedented success with the Huskies, recruited exceptionally well, and has brought a winning tradition never before seen with the Washington program.

With stars such as Brandon Roy, Nate Robinson, Jon Brockman, Spencer Hawes, and current stars Quincy Pondexter and Isiah Thomas having played their college ball with the Huskies under Romar, the star power is there.

No, the list at this point is not as deep as Arizona's or UCLA's; however, it is a good start for a program that has been increasingly raising its prestige among college basketball fans.

Of course, it does help that the Huskies have basically a top-level recruiting backyard in the Seattle-Tacoma area, which is one of the more overlooked basketball hotbeds in the nation.

The area has produced stars such as Roy, Robinson, former Arizona Wildcat Jason Terry, former Michigan Wolverine Jamal Crawford, and former Oregon Duck Aaron Brooks.

And Romar has used the Western Washington talent to his advantage, landing top stars such as Roy, Robinson, Brockman, Hawes, and current Huskies Thomas, Venoy Overton, and Abdul Gaddy.

Last year, the Huskies seemingly came out of nowhere and earned a 25-8 regular season record, along with the school's first regular season Pac-10 title since 1953.

This run of success came after two down years where the Huskies merely had a CBI first-round loss at home to Valparaiso.

That spectacular season helped the Huskies basketball program to the forefront of the Seattle sports scene, which was reeling with losing team after losing team, and is now a well-supported program locally, just like the football program once was.

The Huskies followed up last season with another solid regular season, but it has been in the NCAA tournament where Washington has done the most damage.

As a No. 11 seed, the Huskies have played their best basketball when it has mattered the most, defeating No. 6-seed Marquette after coming back from a double-digit deficit in the second half on a game-winning shot by Pondexter, and blitzing and blowing out No. 3-seed New Mexico, setting up a Sweet 16 matchup against No. 2-seed and Big East champion West Virginia.

With the current stature of the Husky program, and with the consistently-solid recruiting standard put in place of Romar, and the incredible fan support, and the talent the Huskies always seem to feature on the court, look for the Washington Huskies to emerge as the top program in the Pac-10 for years to come.

As of right now, the run to being a No. 1 seed in the 2005 tournament was probably been the best basketball Husky fans have witnessed. But look for that team, as great as it was, to probably be eclipsed by another Husky team with talent, coaching, and support in the near future.

Under Romar, it's a feat that will be expected from basketball observers along with the fan base.

Of course, the Pac-10 will only improve in the years to come. Arizona State has emerged as a solid program under coach Herb Sendek after a morbid pass—basically a poor man's Washington Huskies story.

Arizona has recruited exceptionally well under new coach Sean Miller, who has replaced legendary coach Lute Olson.

California has transformed into a Pac-10 contending program with Mike Montgomery taking the coaching post in Palo Alto, and Oregon will have a new coach and a new arena...a recipe for success in many cases. And, of course, they also have the Nike money.

Oregon State is on the right track with Craig Robinson. So is Stanford with Johnny Dawkins and also Washington State with Ken Bone, while USC had a solid season with Kevin O'Neill while being dogged with NCAA violations.

So expect the Pac-10 to improve in years to come on a team-by-team basis.

However, with that, expect the Huskies to be the top program in the conference for the near future. With the solid recruiting they enjoy year-after-year, and the coaching they have enjoyed under Romar, and the spectacular support from a devoted fan base, their stature as the top program in the conference should only intensify in the near future.

The majority of the Washington Huskies' season was the same story: win at home, lose on the road, and deal with being undersized.

This of course was mainly due to the departure of Jon Brockman last year, leaving junior Matthew Bryan-Amaning as the primary big-man for the Huskies.

It's fair to say that Amaing underachieved at times this season.  Although he had some decent moves in the post, he had difficulty getting shots to fall.

Fast forward to the Pac-10 tournament. A different number 11 emerged for the Huskies. One with energy, more physicality, and a slightly better post presence. 

Call it a case of peaking at the right time, or call it Bryan-Amaning simply growing into his role.  Either way, he is adding exactly what Washington has needed to make this March Madness run. 

Pouring in 15 points and nine rebounds in the Dawgs' thumping of New Mexico, Bryan-Amaning provided a great complement to senior star Quincy Pondexter and sophomore guard Isaiah Thomas.

Heading into Syracuse to face West Virginia, Amaning will be key for Washington to have a shot. 

Aside from his stats getting better, Bryan-Amaning just seems more comfortable with the ball in his hands. When he meshes with his fellow starters, it's clear that the Huskies are capable of playing a whole lot better than an 11-seed.  

Washington's defense played a large part in the trip to the Sweet 16, and their scrappy style of play made it tough for both Marquette and New Mexico to get into an offensive rhythm at times. West Virginia also thrives on physical play on both sides of the ball, making Bryan-Amaning's presence at both ends important.

To say this game is in the Huskies' favor wouldn't make a whole lot of sense. However, size-wise, it looks about even.

Mountaineer forward Devin Ebanks is 6'9", and will likely match up with Bryan-Amaning who is also listed at 6'9". There are some similarities in the two, but Ebanks won't be easy to contain. He averages three more points and about two more boards than Bryan-Amaning per game. 

The intensity that Bryan-Amaning has been bringing in the last handful of games goes hand-in-hand with the way the Huskies have been playing. If he wants to win his match-up with Ebanks and if Washington wants to win the game, this intensity needs to be pumping for 40 minutes.

Earlier in the year, most people wouldn't view Bryan-Amaning as an X-factor. Pondexter, Thomas, and even Justin Holliday now are usually outshining the big man.

But if Washington wants to continue its run and beat the Mountaineers, Amaning must be incorporated, and he must keep owning the post.

The 2009-2010 season was supposed to be a breakthrough year for the Washington Huskies.

Lorenzo Romar’s program won the Pac-10 title outright for the first time in 50 years last year and was a heavy favorite to repeat the performance.

Washington entering the NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed would have sounded quite low during the preseason.

The regular season, as we all know, did not go according to plan.

Washington struggled away from Bank of America Arena through most of the Pac-10 schedule and ended up needing wins in the Pac-10 tournament to even get a bid.

That makes this Washington team as dangerous as ever.

On paper Washington is a No. 11 seed underdog. On the court Washington has developed into the top-10 caliber team it was expected to be at the beginning of the season. It just took longer than planned, but the players themselves never had self-doubt.

That time it took to grow may just be what is going to push Washington to its first Elite Eight appearance. The country had given up on not just Washington, but the Pac-10 in general.

It was expected to be a down year, but when Washington struggled in conference play, it hurt their national perception. The Huskies played like they could just flip on a switch and play at an elite level, and it did not come to fruition for most of the season.

Washington was forgotten about in the national media. The only discussion the Pac-10 received was if they even deserved more than one bid. Quietly the Huskies went about putting their season back together and finishing strong.

The key for this team was for everyone to fill their roles. The talent has been on the roster all year, but Romar needed guys to step up and fill their role. A guy like Matthew Bryan-Amaning has been huge. Washington is known for its speed and guard play, but with the loss of Jon Brockman, there has been a void for an inside presence.

Bryan-Amaning has stepped up and has been filling that role wonderfully.

The Huskies go nine deep on their bench and are long, athletic, and aggressive. They are going to continue to be a headache of a matchup in the tournament and are playing at a much higher level than a No. 11 seed.

The Sweet 16 matchup against West Virginia is a chance for this team to prove just how far they have come. WVU's style is similar to Southern California’s, albeit much more talented, and the Huskies were 0-2 versus the Trojans this year. The Huskies are going to have to face their Achilles' heel—height—head on and continue to play their game.

Washington is rightfully the underdog in this matchup, but don’t be shocked if we see the Washington Huskies in the 2010 Elite Eight.

One thing is for sure: This team has no doubt they belong right where they are—still playing deep into March Madness.

Half of the spots in the Sweet Sixteen are now taken. For some, it was expected. For others, it could be considered a surprise. But upon close inspection, are there any teams that could be considered a huge surprise?

Butler Bulldogs - They have won 22 games in a row and rolled through conference play undefeated. Their non-conference schedule was tough and although they didn't overwhelm anyone early on, they have played some tough teams. Many writers had this team in, or close to, the top ten in the pre-season polls. Sweet surprise? No.

Tennessee Volunteers - Despite so much turbulence this season the Vols still beat Kansas and Kentucky and were rather unlucky in the seeding process (until Georgetown lost). They absolutely deserve to be here and Bruce Pearl deserves some accolades for keeping this ship afloat. They may not be done, either as they face either Ohio State or Georgia Tech, neither of whom have strong ball handlers to combat Tennessee's pressure defence. Sweet surprise? No.

St. Mary's Gaels - If there is a big surprise it might be the Gaels, but anyone who has seen them this season may not agree. This is a good basketball team, one that caught Villa Nova struggling and took full advantage. Of course, it helps that in a tie game your point guard banks in a thirty-footer. That aside the Baylor Bears are next up and have the size to counter Samhan in the middle and the quickness to match up well with St. Mary's perimeter players. Sweet surprise? Yes.

Baylor Bears - It has been a long time coming for the Bears and they are interested in hanging around for a while. A trendy Final Four pick because of the bracket in which they were placed, Baylor finds itself one game away from a potential showdown with top-seeded Duke - provided the Blue Devils get past Texas A&M, which is debatable. As a 3-seed, you are expected to advance and the Bears have done that after dispatching a solid ODU club. However, the Bears need to elevate their game in a big way to continue the advance. Sweet surprise? No.

Kentucky Wildcats - Mr. Hyde showed up for Wake Forest yesterday. Enough said. The Wildcats are rolling and probably did some internal fist-pumping upon hearing of the demise of Kansas. An Elite Eight showdown is looming with West Virginia (speculating here). Sweet Surprise? Uh, no.

Washington Huskies - If you were asked about the Huskies at the start of the year, you may have said that they were a top 15 or top 20 team, so a trip to the Sweet Sixteen would have been no great leap. After watching them play for 10 or 12 games, they didn't even belong in the tournament. Fortunately, the Huskies have turned it around and are on a roll, winning their ninth in a row by routing the highly-touted Lobos of New Mexico. Another bitter ending for Steve Alford means an opportunity for the Huskies to earn some credit for the much-maligned PAC 10. The draw for the Huskies was very good in terms of match-ups. The talent is there for Washington to play some more. Sweet surprise? No.

Kansas State - Beat a very good offensive team in BYU last night by doing what they do - wear people out. They are deep, they are tough, they have scoring and they love to rebound. A team similar to West Virginia but probably a better shooting team. If they can avoid letdowns (really, who should have letdowns at this time of year?), they are very dangerous, especially since big brother is no longer looking over State's collective shoulders. Sweet surprise? No.

Northern Iowa Panthers - Last but certainly not least, the Panthers stunned overall number one Kansas to advance. The seeding hurt Kansas - not their own but the Panthers seeding. They are veteran group that plays team defence as well as anyone. They have size, depth and good guard play, all of the ingredients necessary to play deep into March. In January, I suggested that they would be a nightmare for someone in March and I'm sure that the Jayhawks and their faithful had fitful sleeps last night. Next up for the Panthers is the winner of Maryland and Michigan State which means they may not be done. Sweet surprise? Yes, but only because it was Kansas.  

A short two months ago on January 23rd, many people gave up on the 2009—2010  Washington Huskies team.

How could the Huskies even think of playing postseason basketball after losing a road game to USC, 87—61?

In many people's minds, the season was over.

I admittedly, was ready to give up, as well. At this point, the Huskies had a record of 12—7 and had lost all five of their road games.It was soon declared that the Huskies would have to literally win the rest of their games to be able to play in the NCAA tournament.

The conference was perceived by many to be a weak conference, whose only bid was going to be the conference tournament champion. Well, the Huskies did not win every game, but since that USC loss they have compiled a 13—2 record and are currently running a nine—game win streak.

Apparently, it just started clicking for the Huskies.

Abdul Gaddy gained the starting spot, providing stability on the perimeter , Matthew Bryan—Amaning finally lived up to his potential and head coach Lorenzo Romar rallied his troops to gain them an automatic bid .

This is the team the Huskies were supposed to be. It took some bad losses to learn their lessons, but the Huskies have performed up their potential and now find themselves in a great position to make some history.

Whatever happens now is icing on the cake. This year's team no longer needs to be compared to Brandon Roy's team in 2006 or Nate Robinson's team in 2005. No, now future Husky teams will be compared to this one.

Not only is this team defined by its trademark fast break and pressure defense basketball, it is defined by its mental toughness. This team did not give up when it could have back in January. They stopped listening to the critics. They ignored the Top 25 rankings. Instead, they focused on what they needed to achieve.

Now the Huskies find themselves to be one of the sixteen remaining teams in the tournament. After seeing Kansas fall to Northern Iowa, there is no reason to count the Huskies out against any opponent. With the Huskies playing up to their full potential, they can compete with any team in the nation.

The Huskies have the best on—ball defender in Venoy Overton. The Huskies also have two of the most explosive scorers in Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas. The Huskies have a plethora of role players that play productive minutes off of the bench.

If there was one comparison to make to previous Romar's teams, it would be the re—discovered, "Husky Swagger," better known as excessive trash-talking, unnecessary dunks and numerous jersey pops...and of course hand salutes to their teammates and Husky fans.

This team is having fun, no doubt in my mind. But, Romar and company know that they can not be satisfied with a two—and—out performance.

This team won't go down without a fight and if anything, they'll probably find themselves dancing by the end of the season.

The Washington Huskies sure didn’t act like a team that was just happy to make the NCAA tournament, coming back from a 15-point deficit to pull off a last second victory over Marquette. They advance to the second round to face No. 3 seed New Mexico.

There are some similarities in this matchup for the Huskies. Once again, they are facing a team that is known for its three-point shooting prowess, and is not overly blessed with height on the inside.

New Mexico will be facing a complete change of styles. Its first-round opponent, Montana, was a half-court set style team.

New Mexico is a balanced team led by Darington Hobson, a 6'7" junior forward who is averaging 15.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per contest.

Hobson isn’t the only threat on the team to score. Four of the five starters average in double figures.

For the regular season, New Mexico had a 9.2 margin of victory and averaged 76 points. Washington had a 8.8 point margin of victory and averaged 79 points. The two are pretty comparable.

The Lobos like to play an up-tempo game, even if it is not as quick as the Huskies. Like the Huskies, they were effective at rebounding during the season, averaging a +1.3 in rebounding margin.

The Lobos had a tough first-round matchup against Montana. The Lobos will need to adjust back to a faster pace, because Montana liked to run a half-court set. This is something New Mexico is fairly used to from teams in the Mountain West.

The Huskies come into this matchup a confident bunch, after Quincy Pondexter hit the game-winning shot with 1.7 seconds left to play.

Pondexter has continued his outstanding play, along with sophomore guard Isaiah Thomas. The performances by players such as Justin Dentmon, Matthew Bryan-Amaning, and the defensive spark plug Venoy Overton have also helped the Huskies become a more solid all-around team.

Washington is peaking at the right time, and players are embracing their roles in the team.

In the first round, Thomas led the team with 17 first-half points. When other players began contributing, he focused on defense, asked for a tougher assignment, and set his teammates up. He ended up with 8 assists to his 19 points.

Having both Thomas and Overton focused on defense is a scary thought for opposing guards.

The Huskies will look to push the ball as usual and attack relentlessly on defense. That attacking energy brought them back into the game against Marquette.

Despite a perception of being a soft West coast team, the Huskies are a scrappy group. Without a large presence in the paint, Washington still notched an impressive +1.2 rebound margin during the regular season.

New Mexico is the No. 3 seed and is expected to win this game. Still, I like the Huskies' chances in this one. Playing another game in California in front of a lot of their own fans certainly doesn’t hurt.

I think the Huskies will take another close one and move on to round three: Washington 82, New Mexico 78.