Sarkisian proves he isn't the right man for the job in 52-17 loss to Arizona

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(3-4,1-3) were blown out by 30+ points for the third time this season under fourth year head coach Steve Sarkisian. The first two times were to the #2 team in the nation but this time was to the Arizona Wildcats(4-3,1-3) who had lost three in a row coming into this game. Sarkisian the offensive "guru" has seen his offense become a disaster this season. While his defense has improved it is still a very poor defense. Sarkisian now falls to 22-23 as a head coach and is 20-23 vs D-1 schools. He is also 4-15 on the road. Sarkisian despite having some talented players on his roster has proven that he isn't the head coach that many had hoped he would be. I was never a supporter of Sarkisian and I've noticed people are finally agreeing with me on him.

Sarkisian has landed some high profile recruits in recent years. Sophomore Kasen Williams who was a five star recruit recorded eight receptions for 80 yards last game. For the season he has 41 receptions for 442 yards with four touchdowns. Another high profile recruit for Sarkisian was tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins who had a career game against Arizona in catching eight passes for 110 yards with a touchdown. For the season he has 37 receptions for 447 yards with three touchdowns.  The problem for the Huskies is their third leading receiver is running back Bishop Sankey who has 15 receptions for 96 yards. Williams was the only wide receiver to catch a pass until Jaydon Mickens caught two in garbage time. For all the talk of the great job of recruiting Sarkisian has done his offensive line is a mess and his skill guys aren't much better.

The running game despite losing Chris Polk and injuries has done well. Bishop Sankey a sophomore four star recruit had 87 yards rushing on 19 carries with a touchdown. His backup true freshman Kendyl Taylor had 47 yards rushing on three carries. Sankey also had six receptions for 32 yards while Taylor had three for 13. On the year Sankey has ran the ball well rushing for 574 yards on 122 carries(4.7 YPC) with seven touchdowns. Taylor has ran for 96 yards on 15 carries(6.4 YPC). Now a proven successful coach would be running the ball more. Keith Price attempted a career high 52 passes last game. Price has 238 pass attempts on the year while Sankey has just 122 carries. The offensive line can run block decent but can't pass block at all. Yet Sarkisian every game avoids running the ball until the second half when the Huskies are by then down by three scores.

Keith Price is struggling. He was 29-52 passing for only 256 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions plus a fumble. Price has turned the ball over 10 times in the last three times. For the year he is 143-238(60.1%) for 1,336 yards(5.6 YPA) with 8 TD's to 8 interceptions. To make matters worse Sarkisian threw Price under the bus after the loss. For Sarkisian he is now 22-23 he has seen his team lose by 30+ points eight times now. Tyrone Willingham lost by 30+ points only six times. Sarkisian has seen his team allow 50+ points six times while Willingham only did that five times. Sarkisian has only four road wins while Willingham has five. Anytime you are being compared to Willingham is bad. When Willingham is better than you in these comparisons speaks volumes for you as a coach.

Instead of blaming the players like what most crappy coaches do Sarkisian should look in the mirror. He was getting blown out with Jake Locker, now he's getting blown out with Keith Price. He was getting blown out with Willingham's guys, now he's getting blown out with his guys. He was getting blown out with Nick Holt, now he's getting blown out with Justin Wilcox. Perhaps instead of blaming all those guys we finally put that blame on Sarkisian where it belongs. Sarkisian isn't the guy to lead the Huskies to a Rose Bowl title he has way too many red flags. If fans want to continue to ignore these red flags then you are quickly becoming in the vast minority. The red flags are obvious that Sarkisian is closer to being Tyrone Willingham than he is Jim Lambright, Rick Neuheisel and especially Don James(the standard). Sarkisian was a bad hire to begin with as he had no head coaching experience. Hopefully after this year the Sarkisian experiment at Montlake is finally over as this team is no better than the team he took over as head coach in 2009. Actually I think this team is worse than 2009.

Elephant in the room for Pac-12 teams

By Kshell

The Pac-12 football season is set to begin in two weeks so I'm sure you are reading a ton of previews on the teams in the conference. What isn't brought up in these previews is the Elephant in the room on these programs. The Elephant in the room saying is when there is something everyone knows about but it is never brought up. Each team in this conference has an elephant in the room. Some teams elephant in the room isn't much while others looms to be pretty large. Some teams have an obvious Elephant in the room to that particular fan base while for some teams this will hopefully wake you up on these teams. I read these previews and I'm frustrated that many tip toe around the Elephant in the room while some may just be oblivious to the Elephant in the room. As usual I'm sure you'll enjoy my Elephant in the room on other teams but disagree with my assessment on your team. Like I did with my last column I'll once again start off the Elephant in the room in the South starting in Alphabetical order just like I did last time.

South Division:

Arizona Wildcats:

Rich Rodriguez isn't a good football coach:

The Arizona Wildcats replaced one lame coach in Mike Stoops in another with Rich Rodriguez. Rodriguez was once a high profile coach when he was at West Virginia where he went 60-26. He left for Michigan where he failed miserably going 15-22 and worse yet was 6-18(.333) in conference games. Arizona didn't struggle last year because of offense they struggled cause they couldn't stop anyone. They went 4-8 last year and lost quarterback Nick Foles to the NFL. Sure Rodriguez will put up points on the board and that will be exciting. Just don't expect him to win many games down in Arizona. If Rodriguez can't win in Michigan which has a ton of great tradition and can recruit well what chance does he have a lower tier Pac-12 school like Arizona? I expect this experiment to crash and burn starting immediately this year.


Arizona State Sun Devils:

Todd Graham had the same record as fired coach Dennis Erickson had last season:

The Arizona State Sun Devils just like their rivals had a rather interesting coaching hire. They hired Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Todd Graham. Graham won at Rice going 7-6 then bounced after one year, then went to Tulsa for four years going 36-17 then bounced to Pittsburgh going 6-6 before leaving to Arizona State. The Sun Devils just fired Dennis Erickson for going 6-6(he would end up 6-7 after losing his lame duck bowl game) yet they hired a guy who went 6-6? Graham even if he does do well has shown he will bail on a team as he has already left two programs after just one season. No matter how much you want to pump this guy up he's a .500 coach in big boy ball and I'm being generous since the Big East is dog shit and easily the worst BCS conference. Face it Sun Devils you whiffed on this hire and once again despite all the potential in the world you'll still be average.


Colorado Buffaloes:

Colorado lost their only explosive piece on offense in Rodney Stewart:

The Colorado Buffaloes were terrible last season in going 3-10 which actually surprised most people in fact. Well now they lost talented running back Rodney Stewart who ran for 854 yards(4.5 YPC) with four touchdowns while also being their second leading receiver with 45 receptions for 571 yards(12.7 YPC). He did lead the team in receptions as well. This is already a terrible team who on paper lost their one stud play maker on offense. There is a very good chance Colorado could actually be worse than they were last season which is a scary thought for Buffaloes fans in Colorado.


Utah Utes:

Jordan Wynn isn't very good while Utah benefited from a weak schedule:

I keep seeing a ton of praise for the Utah Utes and I'm not buying it. You know why I'm not buying it? Cause Utah despite going 8-5 last year was 4-5 in conference. Utah also didn't win a single game in conference against a team with a winning record. They also skipped BOTH Stanford and Oregon which would have been for sure losses. Utah due to recruiting at a Mountain West level doesn't have the athletes to defeat decent to good Pac-12 teams. Another reason they can't because Jordan Wynn isn't that good. In his career he has completed 59.9% of his passes for 4,390 yards(7.4 YPA) which is good for 219.5 YPG with 31 touchdowns to 16 interceptions in 20 games. Those are solid numbers but not good enough in this league. Utah will once again benefit from not facing Oregon or Stanford. They do have to travel to Washington and they do host USC at home. Utah will once again go to a bowl game because they are skipping two of the four best teams in the conference. Just don't be fooled at the end of the year by their inflated record.


USC Trojans:

Lane Kiffin has no pressure wins:

In three seasons as a head coach Lane Kiffin has coached in one bowl game which his team got killed. Now we are to believe this team is going to win the national championship? Kiffin who is 3-5 vs ranked opponents in his career including that shocking win over Oregon in Eugene. USC the one year under Matt Barkley when there was actual preseason expectations they stumbled going 9-4. Also speaking of the Oregon game which USC fan is screaming at me now saying that is a pressure win well yes it is but not really. USC was 17 point underdogs so nobody expected them to win so the pressure was off and then they came out to a 38-14 lead over Oregon. They when the game got tight so did USC as they almost choked the game away finally hanging on 38-35 over Oregon as Oregon missed a game tying field goal to force overtime. Oregon had just had back to back big road games in closing out Husky Stadium then defeating Stanford for the Pac-12 title. This time around when the teams square off Oregon will be ready. Kiffin hasn't had to deal with being the clear cut favorite and it will be interesting to see how he handles a national championship or bust type pressure.


UCLA Bruins:

Jim L. Mora is an unproven head coach:

Jim L. Mora so far has been fired by two NFL jobs and has a career record of 31-33 in the NFL. Now while Mora could turn out to be the next Pete Carroll he could just as easily turn out to be the next Mike Sherman(25-25 at Texas A &M), Dave Wannstedt(42-31 at Pittsburgh), and  Chan Gailey(44-32 at Georgia Tech). All of those coaches had no head coach experience at college before taking over after failing in the NFL. Mora could be a success but he can just as easily be like every other UCLA head coach since Terry Donahue which is be very average. Mora isn't getting off to the best start with his comments about USC, barking at his assistants and kicking his team out of practice. It will be interesting to see what Mora does. One thing is for sure is UCLA fans should enter the Mora era with caution as he isn't proven as a head coach.

North Division:

California Golden Bears:

Jeff Tedford can't succeed without a future NFL pro bowler at Quarterback or Running Back:

Jeff Tedford is entering his 11th season at California and has a 79-48 record. He is only 48-38 in conference play. When he coached Aaron Rodgers in 2003 he went 8-6(5-3) and in 2004 he went 10-2(7-1) finishing the year ranked 9th in the country. In 2005 Marshawn Lynch came to the program where Tedford went 8-4(4-4) then in 2006 went 10-3(7-2) tying for the conference title. Since Rodgers and Lynch have left Tedford is 36-28(21-24). As you can see since he has lost Rodgers and Lynch he is a below .500 coach in conference play. There is nobody on this California roster at Quarterback or Running Back who appears to be a future pro bowler which means the California Golden Bears will once again be destined for another average season in Tedford's 11th season.


Stanford Cardinal:

Stanford is living off the name of two guys Jim Harbaugh and Andrew Luck who are no longer there:

The Stanford Cardinal have been terrific the last two years mainly due to #1 pick overall Andrew Luck at quarterback and the Jim Harbaugh handing the program over to David Shaw. In the two big games last year Stanford lost both games where Shaw appeared over matched in the Oregon game and in the Oklahoma State game he took the ball out of Andrew Luck's hands. Stanford also has a tough stretch after they start off 2-0 they host #1 USC, travel to Washington on a thursday night game, host Arizona then have a road game at Notre Dame, followed up by a weird road game against their rival California in the middle of the year. Stanford could very easily go 1-4 during that stretch with a rookie quarterback, not to mention they also lost David DeCastro who anchored their offensive line. They also lost first-teamers Jonathan Martin to the draft and tight end Cody Fleenor. Stanford lost five of their six first-team all conference guys to the NFL draft. I know most are high on Stanford but they lost their star quarterback, head coach two years ago, star tight end plus their two best offensive lineman. I don't know if any program can reload after that much departure especially a non football powerhouse like Stanford.


Oregon Ducks:

The Willie Lyles storm cloud hanging over Oregon's 2012 season:

Oregon fans don't like talking about it while rival fans do which is the Willie Lyles controversy appears to be coming to a conclusion soon. You can't talk about Oregon football without Lyles name being brought up which may be hurting their recruiting right now. Oregon despite being a top tier program has only eight committments is ranked 38th in the nation and only 5th in the Pac-12. If the penalties are severe should be interesting to see how Oregon handles the controversy. I witnessed it at Washington as the Huskies went to three straight Rose Bowls and were picked to go to a fourth straight. Then probation hit and Don James suddenly left while the Huskies suffered through three straight unthinkable 7-4 seasons. For Oregon to think they can A) survive sanctions, B) Chip Kelly won't flee to the NFL and C) replace Kelly  and maintain this level of excellence is ridiculous.

Oregon has been building this journey for a while. In 1994 they went to the Rose Bowl then following it up with a Cotton Bowl. Then suffered through three average seasons until the Joey Harrington era started where they saw their program rise to the #2 ranking in the nation in 2001. Then from 2002-08 they were a solid program who couldn't get over the hump. Chip Kelly arrives and with USC going on two year bowl ban with Pete Carroll leaving they have dominated the conference. There is no guarantee Chris Peterson would bolt to Oregon like so many fans think it is a for sure thing. Do I think Oregon would fall to Washington status of 0-12? No I don't but I could see them returning to what they were in the Mike Bellotti years where they were a good program. They just weren't a great program under Bellotti so in my opinion the Lyles Elephant in the room is the biggest in the entire conference mainly cause it could take down the team of the conference which right now is Oregon.


Oregon State Beavers:

Mike Riley is an underachiever and the program is in decline:

Mike Riley known as the coach who can do more with less has struggled in recent years. In his 11 years all at Oregon State he is 72-63 and 46-47 which is partly due to his first two years when the program was the worst in the nation. In his second go around he is 64-49 and 44-33 in coference play. Riley in 11 seasons has never had a season where he has lost fewer than four games in a season. Riley has seen the programs win totals drop four consecutive years as the Beavers have lost to the Oregon Ducks four consecutive years. Last year Riley went 3-9 and had an embarrassing loss to Sacramento State at home. In fact under Riley the Beavers have lost 12 games to teams not in a BCS conference which is pathetic for a major conference coach.

There doesn't appear to be hope on the horizon as Oregon State is ranked 75th in the nation in recruiting which puts them last in the conference, last year Oregon State ranked 44th good for 10th in the conference. Riley is driving the Beavers straight into the ditch and most fail to bring this up. I see how Oregon State is expected to make a bowl game even predicted to do better than Washington according to Phil Steele. I'm just not buying it, sure Riley pulls off one or two upsets a year but he has his fair share of bad losses. Two years ago lost at home to a 2-10 Washington State Cougars team giving Paul Wulff his first ever road win. Then last year the loss to Sacramento State at home was inexcusable as a real program would have fired him for that especially for going 3-9. As long as Riley is in Corvallis the Beavers will forever be limited.


Washington Huskies:

  Steve Sarkisian's offense is overrated:

The Huskies offense receives a ton of praise as Steve Sarkisian is labeled the offensive "guru". The offense though is actually overrated and racks up big numbers against crappy teams. Against the three top teams in the conference the Huskies have struggled offensively. Against Stanford all losses they have scored 14 points, 0 points and 21 points. Against Oregon all losses they have yet to score 20 points scoring 19 points, 16 points and 17 points. Against USC where they won twice they scored 16 points, 32 points and 17 points. In the two biggest wins of the Steve Sarkisian era the Huskies defeated #3 USC 16-13 in 2009 and defeated #18 Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl 19-7. Even the signature California win where Polk scored the game winner in 2010 the Huskies won 16-13 no exactly an offensive shootout.

 As you can see the offense struggled, in three years the offense has only came to play one time against a good defense which was an 8-5 USC team on the road in 2010 scoring 32 points. In most of the Huskies big wins it was the defense who came through so this notion that the Huskies just need an average defense then they'll be a BCS team is completely false. They scored 56 points in a bowl loss against Baylor but Baylor's defense was ranked in the 100's not exactly a good defense. This team has no NFL offensive lineman either which means they can't grind out those tough drives. Remember last year against Eastern Washington, Hawaii and California how the game was put in the hands of the defense? It was because the offense couldn't put the game away with a sustained drive. A great offense like the 2000 one chewed up the clock, moved the chains and got the clutch first downs. This is a good offense but it has a long ways to go before it becomes a great offense.


Washington State Cougars:

Cougars went 4-8 last year with a top 10 passing offense in the nation and top 30 offense overall in the nation. Defense was the problem and Leach isn't a defensive coach.

The Cougars are excited to have Mike Leach over the dreadful Paul Wulff. I keep hearing how Air Raid is going get the Cougars back into a bowl game this year as Leach is going to vastly improve that passing offense plus Jeff Tuel is coming back as well. The thing is the Cougars offense was pretty good last year and wasn't the problem. They were top 10 in the nation in passing offense and top 30 in the nation in overall offense. Leach will improve that field but he won't improve what has plagued the Cougars for a while which is their defense. The Cougars defense in nine conference games allowed 311 points(34.6 PPG) with 27 being the fewest which was against Colorado and Arizona State which were both wins. Against teams with a winning record the Cougars went 0-6 last year allowing 227 points(37.8 PPG) showing they aren't ready to hang with the good teams.

The last time the Cougars defeated a team with a winning division-1 record was SMU back in 2009. The last time the Cougars defeated a conference opponent who ended the year with a winning record was all the way back in 2006. The Air Raid offense will put up points but it will also put more pressure on the field as passing teams tend to not use up much time of possession. The Cougars defense which has been dreadful the last couple of years doesn't appear to be any better. Leach is an offensive coach, the defensive players aren't very good. Look for the Cougars to be a better version of what Paul Wulff had them be last year which is eat up the weak teams but struggle to stop anyone in conference.

So when you making your predictions for this upcoming season keep in mind these Elephants in the room for each program. I noticed every fan base chooses to ignore their Elephant in the room and especially the media  who covers their teams. I just like to look at them before I do my predictions as the season is only two weeks away. We'll see how each team handles their Elephant in the room and perhaps make me look dumb by the end of the year. Once again I'm sure most fan bases will like this piece while the homer fans who see no wrong in their team won't like it. For those rational fans out there I hope you enjoy this and hopefully you can at least respect my Elephant in the room on your program while nodding your head reading about the rival schools I had a dig on.

If the Pac-12 was a neighborhood party

By Kshell

With college football just around the corner I figured I would take a fun take at the history of the Pac-12 conference. In this piece I'm pretending what each football program would be like if they represented a real person . I set all 12 teams in a neighborhood as they are all neighbors who have a neighborhood party once a year to see who is doing the best. I'll include the programs history based on how successful this person may or may not be. How good their coach is will represent their wife or if they have a new coach that will represent a girlfriend. How the football program is doing will represent how they are doing in life far as their job, how much money they make, their accessories, etc. Like I said I'll try in a creative way use the past and the present day programs to give you a better idea how each football program looks in our conference. I'll go alphabetical order like I do in my Pac-12 predictions piece starting with the South.

Arizona State:

Arizona State is no longer the new guy on the neighborhood and just like that has been part of this neighborhood for a while when the neighborhood expanded to 10 houses. Arizona State also has the rest of the conference confused as to why he isn't more successful in life and is always single. Arizona State is pretty intelligent so he should be successful in his work life and is in great shape as he is always working out. He is also pretty good looking and the rest of his neighbors view him as a sleeping giant to have the best house and hottest wife. Then at the party the rest of his neighbors noticed that Arizona State is the life of the party. He is the guy who is always tanked and brings the bulk of the alcohol. He is a fun loving guy who simply doesn't give a shit. He is just there to have fun. That is when everyone else realized he is what he is which is a guy who has potential for so much more but won't ever reach that potential.


Arizona:

Arizona moved into the neighborhood same time as Arizona State did. Minus a brief time period in the 1990's Arizona has just been the forgotten man on the neighborhood. He has never been married or even had a pretty girl friend. He has never been successful in his job either. He isn't a loser and his house isn't the worst on the block. That is the thing about Arizona he isn't so bad where his neighbors make fun of him but they are wondering why they invited him to the block in the first place? Then they remembered he brings value outside of the neighborhood. He is good at other stuff that nobody really cares about(basketball, baseball, etc) but still has value. He is the guy who goes around the neighborhood to help clean up, he is always willing to baby sit for you as well. So his value is other areas so the rest of neighborhood tolerates him.


Colorado:

Colorado is new to the neighborhood and currently owns the smallest home on the block. Colorado used to be in another neighborhood where he was very successful. He had the hottest wife and was making six figures at his job. In 1990 he was named most successful man in the city. Then in 1998 his young hot wife left him in the middle of the night and ended up marrying Washington. Colorado still hasn't recovered from that and last year they struggled in their new neighborhood after their last neighborhood was threatening to fold. The fellow neighbors still don't respect Colorado as they know they are a has been. Sure they may have been successful 20 years ago but right now they are left eating the scraps at the party with Oregon State and Washington State. Poor Colorado had they joined this neighborhood 20 years ago they would have fit in nicely instead they are the runt of the neighborhood.


Utah:

Utah like Colorado is new to this Pac-12 neighborhood. Utah had a rough transition their first year but settled in nicely. Utah was in a different neighborhood that was beaten down sure they had the nicest house. They also had the nicest house on one of the worst neighborhoods in town. Utah made good money at his job or so he thought compared to the rest of his neighborhood. He was big fish small pond syndrome. In this past he's had competitions with teams in the Pac-12 and whooped their ass so he figured the transition would be easy. Finally another house was built in the Pac-12 neighborhood and Utah decided to jump all over it. Now with the same wife who was the hottest in her previous neighborhood she is simply good looking in this one. Utah will eventually get adjusted and raise their game up. They need to do some landscaping around the house to improve on it some, with the promotion in their job they will start making more money so they can upgrade their car. Utah will eventually upgrade their house so in a few years they can finally compete. As is they are still one of the better overall guests at the party. Almost everyone respects Utah but they also got a kick out of Utah's struggles that first year proving that you can't just go from a shitty neighborhood to a big time neighborhood without your struggles.


UCLA: 

UCLA has been part of the conference since day one. UCLA is good looking and for a long period of time had a great house with a great job. His problem is he is next door neighbors to USC so no matter how good he does it doesn't seem enough. UCLA has had some woman issues lately too. Remember the wife who left Colorado? Well after Washington chose to divorce her UCLA decided to marry her and she sank him down. So now UCLA is dating a girl who has been lusting after Washington for years. UCLA has what it takes to control this neighborhood but his biggest problem is he is a wimp. He lets his neighbors(particularly USC) walk all over him. When USC wants something of his UCLA just bows down and USC takes whatever he wants. UCLA despite having the best location in the neighborhood and easy access to move up in his job he just can't seem to seal the deal. What it boils down to is UCLA is soft as a person and when you are soft others will walk all over you.


USC:

USC has been part of this neighborhood forever. His grandpa made this neighborhood what it is today, then his dad ruled this neighborhood and someday so will his son. USC is the biggest toughest guy in the room and always has a hot girl friend. USC makes six figures and nobody messes around with USC except for lately. Due to a scandal he had at work back in 2005 he was sentenced to two years in jail plus probation. So other teams in the neighborhood have caught up to USC and gotten some revenge on USC the last two years. USC has a new young girlfriend and is determined to be the most successful person on the block. At the parties USC is seen as arrogant but he knows he can be because he has earned it. He will once in a while give Washington a nod of respect but don't think for one second he will even acknowledge what Oregon has going on at their place. He will act like McKayla Maroney and be very unimpressed. USC knows even while being in jail he was still the most successful person at the southern end of his block. USC is constantly laughing at his next door neighbor UCLA whom he doesn't even consider  a rival. He considers Notre Dame the guy who lives across the city who has been living off his dad and grandpa's generation for a while now. USC is finally out of jail so he is hoping to make up for lost time the past two years.


California:

California is the hippie pot smoking guy on the neighborhood who is care free. California despite such a big house had one of the dumpiest houses on the block, one of the worst cars, wasn't married and had a terrible job. Then after hitting rock bottom he met a girl and fell in love. Early on he enjoyed great success as he got a new job which paid well. In fact only USC was more successful on the block than he was. Now his wife her looks have dropped off a bit, at work people have passed him up, his car isn't so nice anymore. He has returned to be average on the block and worse yet his oldest son who he raised so well has left his company to go work for Washington. Then his son stole some other young up and comers he was recruiting to go work for his company. He has never felt so betrayed by a family member in his life. California tasted success but now is just rolling in mediocrity.


Stanford:

Stanford was the skinny little nerd at the neighborhood party for years. He was the smartest guy at the part something he'd always remind everyone but nobody else cared as he was a slob. His house was messy, he was single, he had no car and his job was terrible. Then very quietly Stanford met this girl and caught a "LUCKy" break. He started to work out and suddenly showed up to the part not only as the smartest guy but also the toughest guy. He was bullying USC at the party which nobody did and USC was backing down. He was also pushing around Washington which he never used to do. The only person who could stand up to Stanford lately is Oregon who has been beating everyone at everything lately. Stanford's young hot girlfriend left him for better opportunities that he couldn't provide. His lucky horseshoe he lost while on a trip to Indianapolis so some are curious how Stanford is going to far without his hot girl friend or his good luck charm. One thing is for sure Stanford isn't that skinny little wimpy nerd that the conference used to take advantage of for years. Stanford will fight back and lately Stanford has been the one taking advantage of others in the conference.


Oregon:

Oregon's family has been part of this neighborhood forever. Oregon was the loser of the block, had a small house, couldn't afford a car, worked at a shitty job, had a long time wife who was average. Then suddenly in the 1990's Oregon realized his distant uncle was the creator of Nike. His uncle who had no kids of his own immediately treated Oregon like a son and named his CEO of Nike. Oregon who used to get picked on by everyone especially Washington is now picking on Washington. After Oregon's long-time loyal wife left him for what she thought was a better guy Oregon would realize he had an uncle. Then after being one of the top guys on the block Oregon met some under the radar girl from the east coast. Nobody knew anything about her and after short time he booted his second wife to the curb for this young hot wife. Oregon has the nicest house on the block, the hottest wife and due to being treated like crap for generations they are obnoxious about their success. USC still doesn't acknoweldge their success and just recently after winning the best roses on the Pac-12/Big 10 block contest Washington is reluctantly giving Oregon credit. Oregon is new rich but there is a storm brewing possibly. There is speculation Oregon could get in trouble and go to jail soon as they may have done some illegal things to get this high. We'll see but for now Oregon has been king of the neighborhood for three straight years and only USC can knock him off that porch this year.


Oregon State:

Oregon State is the nice polite guy at the party who everyone else secretly wonders why they were even invited to the neighborhood to begin with. For over three plus decades Oregon State had the worst house, was living off welfare and was single. He was a loser who everyone else felt sorry for. Then  Oregon State met a sweet girlfriend who brought his life together but she quickly left him. Oregon State then found great success with his new girl. He finally got a kick ass job, improved his ass and his girl friend although a drinker was pretty hot. Just like that Oregon State was one of the more successful guys at the party. Then that girl friend left him so Oregon State decided to get back with his previous girl friend who had left him and they sustained success for a while. Well that girl friend hasn't been working out, letting herself go a little and is bad with money. Just like that Oregon State career isn't going as well so he is having to cut back on his house a little. Oregon State looks around and he is in danger of becoming the least successful person on the block if he isn't careful. He is too loyal to his girlfriend as well even though many are suggesting he can do better.


Washington:

Washington has been part of this block for generations as well. He has always had one of the nicer houses, and a nice job plus beautiful women. He inherited the place from his dad who was the most successful guy on the block from 1977-1992 then suddenly one of his dad's employees below him took out an illegal loan to help finance his house. The other neighbors found out and they flipped punishing his dad for two years which his dad said screw it I'm moving out! Then suddenly his dad passed away unexpected and there was major turmoil for Washington. His uncle came in to right the ship for a while but eventually had to hand it over to Washington who wasn't ready for this responsibility. Washington snatched away Colorado's wife and that was a hit right off the bat Washington was kicking ass at his job, did some improvements to his house and was living the dream. Come to find out his wife was a bit of a gambler and after being tired of being lied to he finally dumped his young attractive wife. He settled on Stanford's ex where he hit rock bottom. He lost his job in 2008, had to file for bankruptcy and even live on welfare for a while. He is now dating someone from the USC family tree one of USC nieces and things have turned around. Washington is working a decent job, his house seems in order but Washington is frustrated because he has to achieve what his dad had achieved for such a long stretch. At one time his dad was the smartest, toughest and most successful guy on the block. Washington is hoping someday he can join that level of USC and Oregon but right now he isn't quite there.


Washington State:

Washington State is always the guy who embarrasses himself at the party by getting too drunk off Busch Light. He is the guy everyone wonders who invited this guy? He insists that he matters but in reality he doesn't. He really enjoys it when his next door neighbor Washington is down in the dumps even though his life isn't going as well. Washington State has been the least successful guy on the block throughout most of their history. He had a stretch from 2001-03 where he turned his life around, his loyalty to his wife paid off as she got smoking hot, he was named ceo of his company and life was looking good for him. Then his loyalty turned to betrayal as his wife left him in the middle of the night. Washington State just ended a bad four year divorce where they hit rock bottom. She gave him bad advice and he has been unemployed for the last four years, living off welfare and everyone on the neighborhood wanted him to move out. Washington State is now dating this weird chick who is obsessed with Pirates, she is controversial and speaks her mind. She also appears to be a good fit for Washington State. Washington State just recently found a job and things could be looking up for Washington State. In a few years Washington State might not be the least successful guy on the block as that title will probably belong to Oregon State at this rate.

Well I hope I didn't offend your fan base in this piece as this was all done in fun. I always imagined what they would look like if they were in a neighborhood together. This was one of the more fun pieces I've done as I usually don't do satire pieces. The Pac-12 neighborhood has gone over some changes in recent memory and we'll see how this post stands up in a few years from now. Some teams have had to work hard to get where they are at, while others seem to always be successful, while some have never tasted success and lastly some have had success but fallen on hard times. I tried to give a historical review of each program in a less than serious context. Should be a fun 2012 season coming up and I can't believe college football is only 15 days away for most programs and for Washington State it is only 13 days away!

Ross & Wroten help Huskies sweep Wildcats 79-70; win fifth straight at home against Wildcats

By Kshell

On senior night Terrence Ross who also might be playing in his final game at home scored a game high 25 points as the Washington Huskies(19-8,12-3) swept the regular season series of the Arizona Wildcats(19-9,10-5) for the first time since 2004. The Huskies have defeated the Wildcats four of five the last two years and have won five years in a row at home against the Wildcats. This was easily the most complete game the Huskies have played all season where their offense at times resembled an NBA all-star game with all the high flying dunks while their defense was stingy. The Huskies controlled the paint, controlled the glass and played smart basketball for a full 40 minutes. Lorenzo Romar improves to 8-2 on senior night home games as Darnell Gant ended his Husky career with a home victory. In the four seasons Gant has been a member of the Huskies they are 64-7(90.1%) at home including 8-0 against the normal powerhouses of the conference Arizona and UCLA. This win also has the Huskies still remain tied for first place but now they are two games up on Oregon and Arizona who are both in fourth place. In the Pac-12 tournament top four seeds get a bye which is so important. Due to Ross scoring 25 and Wroten's 22 the Huskies once again defeated the Wildcats to earn the season sweep.

In the first half the Huskies featured a new starting lineup with this being senior night. Darnell Gant who has started in the past before started in front of redshirt freshman Desmond Simmons. The shocker was Romar rewarded Brendan Sherrer the walk-on over Aziz N'Diaye. The Huskies quickly fell behind to the Wildcats 7-2. After trailing 14-12 the Huskies would go on a 9-0 run highlighted by Aziz N'Diaye getting the steal at mid-court and going down for the jam take a 21-14 lead. On that play Sean Miller received a technical foul which Wilcox sank both free throws. Wroten later on in the half had an alley-oop pass to Ross for the dunk to extend the Huskies lead to 31-20. Solomon Hill would drain a three pointer to pull within 35-30 as the Wildcats were on a 10-4 run. Brendan Lavender would hit a three pointer to pull within 38-35. The Huskies would lead 39-37 as the Wildcats practically erased that 11 point lead ending the half on a 12-4 run.

The Wildcats were fortunate to be trailing by just two points at halftime after falling behind by 11 points. The Wildcats shot 11-30(36.7%) from the field but made four for eight(50.0%) from three pointers and 11-17(64.7%) on free throws. They were led by Kyle Fogg who scored nine points on three for six shooting including a three pointer. Solomon Hill scored seven points on just one for six shooting but had a three pointer with five rebounds. Nick Johnson scored six points on one for three shooting. Brendan Lavender had six points making two of three three pointers. Jessey Perry had six points on three for six shooting. The Huskies meanwhile shot 15-43(34.9%) from the field, 1-12(8.3%) on three pointers and 8-12(66.7%) on free throws. They did outrebound the Wildcats 16-13 with eight offensive rebounds. They were led by Terrence Ross who scored 15 points on 7-13 shooting but was just one for seven on three pointers. Tony Wroten had 10 points on just 3-16 shooting but made four of six free throws. He also had four offensive rebounds. Abdul Gaddy provided six points on two for six shooting including four assists. Aziz N'Diaye scored six points off the bench on three for seven shooting with five rebounds. The Wildcats had survived the Huskies best shot and had all the momentum heading into the second half then Wroten took over.

In the second half after the Wildcats had tied it at 39 the Huskies went on a 6-0 run led by Wroten scoring four points. The Huskies would maintain that six point edge most of the half. The Wildcats had pulled within 56-52 when senior Darnell Gant missed a three pointer but Ross was there for the tip in to extend the lead to 58-52. Leading 60-54 after a Wildcats miss Wroten got the rebound as he headed up court he had a two on one fast break. The defense had closed in on Ross so Wroten put his head down and drove harder going for the dunk and then finally gave Angelo Chol(who chose the Wildcats over the Huskies then smacked talk Wroten on twitter) a facial as he dunked on Chol to give the Huskies a 62-54 lead. The crowd went from going crazy to a nervous silence as Terrence Ross picked up his fourth foul as the Huskies led 62-56. That is when C.J.Wilcox who hadn't attempted a field goal until nine minutes left in the game finally came to the party. Wilcox hit a three pointer to give the Huskies a 66-57 lead. Wilcox again would hit a three pointer to 70-61. After a missed layup Wilcox would tip it in to give the Huskies a 72-61 lead. The Huskies would then cruise to the 79-70 win over the Wildcats making sure the seniors would end their career properly.

The Huskies won 79-70 over the Wildcats. The Wildcats shot 22-56(39.3%) from the field, 6-21(28.6%) from three point range and 20-29(69.0%) on free throws. The Wildcats were led by Nick Johnson who scored 20 points on 6-14 shooting with two three pointers and four assists. Solomon Hill who torched the Huskies last time had just 13 points on 2-7 shooting but made 8-13 free throws and collected 10 rebounds.

For the Huskies they shot 28-67(41.8%) from the field, 3-18(16.7%) from three pointers and 20-30(66.7%) from free throws. The Huskies out rebounded the Wildcats 40-35 with 16 offensive rebounds. The Huskies also had seven blocks to the Wildcats four, eight steals to the Wildcats zero and just seven turnovers to the Wildcats 13. This was a total team effort led by Terrence Ross who scored 25 points on 11-19 shooting with a three pointer. Ross also added five rebounds, a block shot and five steals in possibly his final home game as a Husky. Tony Wroten scored 22 points on 8-22 shooting including six for nine on free throws. Wroten added two assists but nine rebounds including five offensive. C.J. Wilcox scored 11 points on three for five shooting including two three pointers and was three for four at the free throw line. Abdul Gaddy scored nine points on two for eight shooting but was five for six at the free throw line. Gaddy also had six assists to zero turnovers. Aziz N'Diaye making the rare appearance off the bench scored eight points on three for eight shooting but grabbed 12 rebounds. He also had four block shots and a steal as he dominated the paint. Darnell Gant playing his final home game scored just three points on one for five shooting but had four rebounds. He also had a steal and two block shots. This was a huge win from Romar's team over the Wildcats.

This was a big win for the Huskies who have won more conference games than they have the last two years with their 12th conference win. This is also the eighth time in the last nine years the Huskies have won at least 19 games in a season. Heading into the year this team had so much hype and promise despite losing their top three leading scorers along with another key player. The Huskies have really grown up from that 5-5 start that saw them drop four out of five games. Since that terrible the stretch the Huskies are 16-3 playing like the team everyone had hoped for. The home schedule is over as the Huskies went 15-2 this year at home meaning this is the seventh season in the last eight years the Huskies have lost two or fewer home games. The Huskies have a true home court advantage like no other in the Pac-12. The Huskies have now swept the season series from the Oregon State Beavers, Arizona State Sun Devils and now the Arizona Wildcats. The Huskies won a crucial game which keeps them tied for first place in the conference as they try to raise their fourth straight conference championship banner.

Observations:

- Tony Wroten is a special talent and like Ross might have played his final home game for the Huskies. I think Wroten should come back but my opinion much like everyone else doesn't matter. Wroten finished the game with 22 points and nine rebounds on 8-22 shooting. Don't be fooled by Wroten's poor shooting line as most of his misses he follows up with the put-back. Wroten is probably the best guard I've ever seen at following up his own miss with the put-back. Wroten proved who the best point guard on the court was this game and that wasn't Nick Johnson or Josiah Turner who he got the best of in both matchups. Wroten had the game saving block shot down in Tucson and this game had the terrific dunk on Angelo Chol proving that you shouldn't smack talk Wroten on twitter.

Wroten should run away with Pac-12 freshman of the year as well as be selected on the first team Pac-12 team. He should also be first-team all-american all-freshman team as well. Wroten is averaging 16.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 3.5 APG. He is also averaging 2.0 steals per game while shooting 46.5% from the field. He's scored in double figures in 25 of the 27 games he's played in this year. Wroten has surpassed Isaiah Thomas 2008-09 season as best freshman season ever at Washington. Wroten is having a terrific year and if not for teammate Terrence Ross he'd be a strong candidate(still is actually) for Pac-12 player of the year.

- Winning is fun and no team has more fun than the Washington Huskies. The building has a great atmosphere that only the Wildcats can match in this conference. For the second straight game the bench provided the lift for the Huskies outscoring the Wildcats bench 20-10. The Wildcats played just seven guys while the Huskies played 10 guys. As the game wore on the Huskies appeared to be getting stronger as the Huskies simply had more weapons than the Wildcats did. You need stars to carry you throughout the game but every title contending team as a quality bench they can rely on. The Huskies have that as they always have an ace up their sleeve in sixth man C.J. Wilcox who appeared to have broken out of his slump this game.

- This was a weird game for Wilcox as he was passive for the first time in his career. Wilcox normally the gunslinger that he is won't be so passive but he didn't attempt a single field goal until nine minutes left in the game which he missed badly. With the Huskies up only six and Ross sitting on the bench with four fouls someone had to step up. That is when Wilcox took over as he passed up a mid range shot passed to Gaddy who immediately passed to Wilcox in the corner for a wide open three pointer which he drilled. Soon after Wilcox hit another three pointer in the opposite corner. After a missed shot Wilcox tip the ball in to score eight straight points for the Huskies. He would finish with 11 points on three for five shooting while going two for three from three point range.

Wilcox had a long stretch last season where he slumped but snapped out it late in the year. The Huskies are hoping Wilcox can repeat that once again this year. This is the second straight game he has shot over 50.0% which has to make Husky fans happy. After making just one three pointer in the first four games back from injury Wilcox has now made at least two three pointers in four straight games. For the year Wilcox is averaging 13.7 PPG while making 2.2 three pointers a game at a 40.5% clip. Wilcox is capable of more and I think he is about to breakout for a big game anytime now.

- One thing all Romar NCAA tournament teams have in common is they play good defense to great defense. This team early on was terrible defensively and at times acted like they wanted no part of that. Well that mindset has changed in conference play and that was evidence by the Arizona game this Saturday. The Huskies held the Wildcats to 39.3% shooting from the field and 28.6% from three point range. In the second half the Wildcats shot 2-13(15.3%) from three point range. The Huskies outscored the Wildcats 40-33 in the second half as well.

The Huskies out rebounded the Wildcats 40-35 including 16 offensive rebounds. The Huskies also had eight steals to the Wildcats zero and had seven block shots highlighted by four by N'Diaye. N'Diaye was the difference maker on defense in the win with 12 rebounds and four block shots. Solomon Hill who killed the Huskies last game with 28 points and 14 rebounds made just two for seven from field goals. Kyle Fogg was 4-12 shooting including one for six in the second half. The Pac-12's leading three point shooter Brendan Lavender was just two for six from three point range including missing all three in the second half. The defensive intensity for the Huskies was the difference in this game which was led by N'Diaye.

- Aziz N'Diaye who came off the bench so senior Sherrer could start  on senior night. N'Diaye played terrific scoring eight points with a thunderous dunk in the first half. He also grabbed 12 rebounds and had four block shots. For N'Diaye he has improved a lot from last season. I think many rival fans who mocked N'Diaye last year forgot he was only a sophomore coming off major knee surgery where he had to miss the entire previous season. N'Diaye is fully healthy now and it shows. Last year in 35 games N'Diaye scored in double figures just three times all were non conference games. He grabbed double figures rebounds in just six games. He averaged 4.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG and 1.1 blocks in 17.4 minutes per game.

This year in only 25 games so far he has scored in double figures in 10 games(five in conference play). He has grabbed double digit rebounds in seven games. He is averaging 8.3 PPG, 7.7 RPG and 1.2 blocks in 23.7 minutes per game. As you can see N'Diaye is a vastly improved player from last season which is huge for the Huskies. No other team in conference has a seven footer so that is an advantage the Huskies have over every team this season and should have for next season as well.

- There was chants of  "One more year" for Terrence Ross and with good reason. Ross if he did indeed play in his final home game went out with a bang scoring 25 points with five rebounds and five steals. We had always wandered what would happen if Ross finally had a good first half? Well he did this game scoring 15 points on 7-13 shooting. Ross fills up the stat sheet now, is freakishly athletic, can shoot with the best of them and really has no weakness in his game. I stated I felt Wroten should come back well I see no reason for Ross to come back. Ross has showed the scouts more than enough this year to be a lottery pick and a future NBA All-Star.

For the year Ross who will be named first team all Pac-12 has a chance to be the conference player of the year. Ross is averaging 15.6 PPG, 6.8 rebounds per game. He is also averaging 1.2 steals and a full block per game. He is shooting 45.3% from the field, making 1.8 three pointers a game on 35.8% shooting from beyond the arc and making 74.7% from free throws. Ross when he came to Washington was the "other" Terrence as Terrence Jones and him were supposed to both go to Washington. Instead looking back it was the Huskies who got the better Terrence as Jones might have to come back another season. Ross had a great game against the Wildcats as he is averaging 20.5 PPG and 6.0 RPG. He is averaging four steals and two blocks as well. Ross has finally emerged as the go to guy for the Huskies and has embraced that role. If this was his final home game what a way to go out.

- The home career of fifth year senior Darnell Gant is finally over. During Gant's four years at Washington the Huskies went 64-7(90.1%) at home. Gant didn't have a strong game as he scored just three points but he did have good defense with four rebounds, two blocks and a steal. So far in Gant's four years the Huskies are 95-38(.714) which includes a Pac-10 regular season championship, two Pac-10 tournament championships and so far the Huskies are tied for the regular season crown once again. Gant is looking to become the first ever player in this entire University of Washington basketball program to play in four straight NCAA tournaments. Gant has played in 132 out of 133 possible games in his career at Washington. He has started 71 games in his career including three NCAA tournament games and two Pac-10 tournament games. Not bad for a guy who has only scored in double figures in his career 11 times. This season Gant is averaging 7.2 PPG and 4.6 RPG. His career hasn't been flashy but the thing fans will remember most about Gant is when he was part of this team this team won a ton of games.

- For Romar his dominance over the conference continues. Romar improves to 13-10(7-3 at home, 3-7 on road, 3-0 in Pac-10 tournament) all-time against the powerhouse Arizona Wildcats. He is also 11-9 against the UCLA Bruins the other powerhouse in the conference. Romar in his career at Washington is 107-70(.629). You take away his first year where he went just 5-13 in conference play and Romar in the last nine seasons at Washington is 102-57(.641) in conference play. That also doesn't include his 13-5(.722) record in the Pac-10 tournament which is of course against fellow Pac-10 teams. Romar has a winning record against everyone in conference play but the California Golden Bears(10-11 all-time against them). Romar's dominance of the conference is the main defense for the Romar defenders as it should be. He has also pumped up the talent pool at Washington with having seven guys drafted into the NBA including four in the first round. That list will be growing soon with Ross and Wroten as both are destined to be first round picks. That isn't up for date that is just a matter of when. The Huskies have a winning record over Arizona and UCLA during a 10 year stretch which prior to 10 years ago would have been laughed at. That is how much times have changed at the University of Washington.

This was a huge win for the Huskies and what made it bigger is the fact the Huskies defeated the Wildcats and there was no surprise. The Huskies have defeated the Bruins eight straight years at home and now the Wildcats five straight years at home. The Huskies have also won four of their last five against the Wildcats while also winning four in a row against the Bruins. The Huskies taking care of the two traditional powers in the conference has paved their way into proving they are a program that isn't going away anytime soon. The Washington-Arizona rivalry is the best in the conference in my opinion as they have produced the best games during this past decade. This game provided a ton of highlight reel dunks by the Huskies as they took care of business. The Huskies win over Arizona and with California defeating the Oregon Ducks means the Pac-12 race went from five teams going for a title to just three with Washington, California and Colorado. Unfortunately for the Huskies both those teams have defeated the Huskies and there will be no rematch either not in the regular season that is. The Huskies now go on the road to finish out their season as they are just 4-6 on the road but have won four out of five on the road since starting off 0-5. The Huskies sent Gant out with a win now it's time for the Huskies to take care of business on the road. Winners take care of business at home while champions win on the road. We'll find out soon if the Huskies are champions. One thing that we do know is that they are definitely winners as this has been the greatest four year stretch in Huskies basketball history.

Huskies win thriller over Arizona 69-67; first win at Arizona since 2006

By Kshell

With the game on the line the game came down to two five star recruit guards as Josiah Turner of the Arizona Wildcats(14-8,5-4) drove past C.J.Wilcox for the game tying bucket only to see fell five star recruit Tony Wroten of the Washington Huskies(14-7,7-2) block his shot as time expired. That block by Wroten put the Huskies in first place and also clinched their first win at Arizona since 2006. For the Huskies who had blown an 11 point lead due to poor free throw shooting down the stretch this was by far their biggest win of the season. The Huskies-Wildcat rivalry just continues to produce great games as the last three games have been decided by just five points. In front of ESPN gameday and a whiteout by the Wildcats  crowd these young Huskies won a game which saw plenty of momentum changing runs by both teams. This is the type of win that can carry a team throughout the season and even into March Madness. As Lorenzo Romar told reporters after the game "this is a game we lose by 15-20 points just a month ago" meaning this team has grown up right in front of his eyes. This Huskies team overcame bad calls, overcame poor free throw shooting and overcame blowing a large lead to getting the win. Wroten who didn't have his best offensive game still made a difference when his team needed him most.


In the first half featured plenty of runs by both teams. The Huskies began the game up 14-7 as Aziz N'Diaye had scored six points for the Huskies. The Wildcats responded to that with a 10-0 run going up 17-14 as Darnell Gant had a tip in for the Huskies which stopped that run and sparked a run. The Huskies had gone on a 11-3 run to lead 25-20 before the Wildcats ended the half on a 9-2 run to lead 32-29 as Kevin Parron got away with offensive goaltending with a tip dunk at the buzzer to give the Wildcats a three point lead. The Wildcats shot 12-28(42.9%) from the field, three for seven(42.9%) from three point range and made five of eight(62.5%) free throws as they outrebounded the Huskies 19-15. They were led by Junior Solomon Hill who scored nine points on four for five shooting including a three pointer and five rebounds. Parrom scored seven points on two for three shooting but suffered an injury so he didn't return to the game and is out for the season. Freshman guard Joshiah Turner scored eight points on three for four shooting with three rebounds.

For the Huskies they shot 12-30(40.0%) from the field, three for six(50.0%) from three point range but made just two for five(40.0%) on free throws. They were led by N'Diaye scoring eight points on four for six shooting with three rebounds. Tony Wroten scored five points on just one for five shooting but did make a three pointer and both free throws. Terrence Ross scored five points on two for six shooting with a three pointer and four rebounds. The Huskies once again struggled scoring in the first half of a game but were right in it with the Wildcats in a hostile environment.

Despite the momentum shift at the end of the half it was the Huskies who came out in the second half on fire. The Huskies went on a 10-4 run to start the second half takeing a 39-36 lead. After the Huskies already leading 45-42 they went on a 8-2 run which saw C.J. Wilcox hit a three pointer to go up 50-44 and then with two seconds on the shot clock Wroten launched up a desperation three pointer to give the Huskies a 53-44 lead. The Wildcats went on a 4-0 run to cut it to 53-48 which the Huskeis then responded with a 7-1 run going up 60-49 which saw Terrence Ross hit a crucial three pointer. The Huskies would then be up 64-56 with a little over two minutes left in the game. The Wildcats due to the Huskies fouling and missing free throws would go on an 6-0 run to cut the lead to 64-62. Ross would hit a jumper to give the Huskies a 66-62 lead with 45 seconds left. After a Wildcats miss Wroten would make one of two free throws to go up 67-62. After a Wildcats bucket pulled them within 67-64 they fouled Wilcox who was a 91% free throw shooter. Wilcox shooting the one and one missed the front end so the Wildcats took over. Solomon Hill who was red hot all game was somehow open for a three pointer as he drilled the three tying the game at 67-67 as the Wildcats had just gone on a 11-3 run to tie the game. Josiah Turner went for the charge on Wilcox who was inbounded the ball instead was called for the blocking foul sending Wilcox back to the line. This time Wilcox made both free throws giving the Huskies a 69-67 lead with 5.4 seconds left. As Turner took the ball up court the Huskies switched on the screen as Turner blew by Wilcox for the game tying field goal but Wroten blocked his shot. Nick Johnson dunk the block shot as the ball landed to him but it was after the buzzer had clearly sounded as the Huskies won 69-67 due to Wroten's block shot at the end.

For the Wildcats this is the second straight game they have lost to the Huskies at the buzzer. The Wildcats shot 21-50(42.0%) from the field, 4-13(30.8%) from three point range and 21-29(72.4%) from the free throw line. They were led by Solomon Hill who scored a game high 28 points on 9-10 shooting including hitting both three pointers while also making eight for nine at the free throw line. He also grabbed 11 rebounds as well. Senior Jesse Perry scored 13 points on just 3-14 shooting but made 7-10 at the foul line while grabbing a game high 12 rebounds. Josiah Turner scored eight points on three for nine shooting but had the costly foul then had his shot blocked by Wroten. Senior Kyle Fogg scored seven points on two for four shooting all three pointers. Parrom also scored seven points but was lost for the season. For the Wildcats this was the third loss in the Pac-12 by two points or less as they are showing they can't close games down the stretch. This is the first loss for the Wildcats at home to the Huskies since 2006 when Brandon Roy was a senior.

For the Huskies facing an incredible environment this win shows just how far they have matured. The Huskies shot well making 28-63(44.4%) from the field, 6-14(42.9%) from three point range but the game became interesting due to 7-16(43.8%) free throw shooting. The Huskies were led by Tony Wroten who scored 17 points on 5-18 shooting including two for four from three pointers and five for seven on free throws. Wroten also added five rebounds, four assists, a steal and the game saving block. Terrence Ross stepped up with 16 points on 7-12 shooting with two three pointers, seven rebounds, three steals and three block shots. C.J.Wilcox looked fully healthy in scoring 15 points on 6-10 shooting including a three pointer and five rebounds plus the game winning free throws. Aziz N'Diaye scored 12 points on 6-11 shooting with eight rebounds including five offensive. Abdul Gaddy added just two points but did dish out five assists. Desmond Simmons scored three points with four rebounds. Darnell Gant added just two points and four rebounds. While football star Austin Seferian-Jenkins scored just two points with three rebounds in limited action. For the second straight game all eight Husky players who played scored.

This team has came along ways in the past month. This team who started off 0-5 away from home has now won three games in a row on the road. This team just won a close game in a hostile environment when everyone had picked them to lose. There was no panic for the Huskies this game everytime the Wildcats made a run the Huskies would answer right back. For the second straight year at halfway point the Huskies find themselves 7-2 and tied for first place in the conference. The Huskies will return home to host the UCLA Bruins a team they have beaten three straight games and seven in a row at home. Then they take on the USC Trojans a team who is in last place in the conference so the Huskies winners of three in a row and six of their last seven games could go on a run. This young group with only one senior is finally starting to come around. The rest of the Pac-12 had their chance to put the struggling Huskies away but now the Huskies are emerging as the best team in the conference.

Observations:

- This was a really strange game for Tony Wroten who normally shoots such a high percentage. This game he didn't shoot well making just 5-18 shots. Considering he is a poor three point shooter he actually shot well making two for four and he is also a poor free throw shooter yet made five of seven. Wroten despite shooting poorly still scoring 17 points, grabbed five rebounds and had four assists. He did turn the ball over five times which is what he'll do. He did however make the play of the game with the block on Turner to prevent overtime. Wroten despite his struggles appeared to have embraced the environment much like he did earlier in the year at Madison Square Garden.

Wroten just like Isaiah Thomas loves the big moments. This isn't going to be a freshman who struggles in the Pac-12 tournament or hopefully NCAA tournament because of stage fright. Wroten has a chance to be freshman all-american first team and should run away with Pac-12 freshman of the year joining Thomas who did that in 2008-09 season. Wroten for the year is averaging 17.1 ppg, 4.6 RPG, and 3.3 APG. He is also averaging 2.0 steals per game as he currently leads all freshman in scoring amongst the super six conferences. Wroten at this rate is in contention for Pac-12 player of the year as he is putting this program on his back.

- With the win over Arizona down in Arizona there was a little bit of history to be made. Darnell Gant and Abdul Gaddy became the first players to win a road game at every Pac-10 arena(lost to Colorado on the road who is Pac-12 but only played them once) since Jon Brockman, Artem Wallace and Justin Dentmon. Even though neither player had a particulary good game this is still quite a huge accomplishment for the Huskies upperclassman to achieve. With a road win over Oregon State, Washington State this year and Stanford next year Terrence Ross, Aziz N'Diaye and C.J.Wilcox can join them. With a win over Arizona next year Scott Suggs will be able to join that group as well.

- Sometimes in sports you hear the phrase "he is better than what the box score shows" well in this case regarding tight end now basketball player Austin Seferian-Jenkins that is the case. The Huskies are now 3-0 since he has been playing in the games. Seferian-Jenkins is a big strong physical body who racks up hard fouls while rebounding tough. Seferian-Jenkins against Arizona played a season low six minutes while scoring just two points. He did grab three rebounds and had two hard fouls. He was also more productive than four star recruit Angelo Chol who chose Arizona over Washington and many other schools. For the year Seferian-Jenkins in 12.7 minutes per game is averaging just 2.0 PPG but 5.0 RPG. He is also averaging 4.0 fouls a game and makes the other team earn their buckets. He does the little things that doesn't show up like when the Wildcats were going for a dunk he fouled the man hard. The Wildcats player made just one of two free throws which saved the Huskies a point which proved to be pretty big. Seferian-Jenkins also brings a toughness attitude to this team that they were lacking earlier in the year and also allows Lorenzo Romar to play eight quality players instead of throwing a stiff out there. Seferian-Jenkins has made a huge difference on this team even if the numbers say otherwise.

- In big games you need big time performances by your stars. Wroten shined at times but mainly Terrence Ross carried the Huskies once again down the stretch. Ross scored 16 points on 7-12 shooting with two three pointers. He also added seven rebounds with three steals and three blocks. Ross also hit some tough shots in the second half whenever the Wildcats started to take back momentum Ross would give momentum right to the Huskies. Ross minus the Washington State Cougars game has yet to really explode but he is consistently scoring double figures having scored in double figures in every game this year but one. On the other hand in 21 games this year he has scored over 20 points just twice.

For the year Ross is averaging 15.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG with 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. He is shooting well making 44.5% of his field goals, 38.3% of his three pointers while making two full three pointers a game and shooting 72.4% at the free throw line. Ross is having a first team all Pac-12 season just with his talent you feel like he should be doing more. One these days hopefully soon Ross will start doing just more instead of showing you these flashes which he tends to do every game. Ross is the closer though on this team down the stretch there is no doubt about it.

- Lorenzo Romar has had a tough year this year with the expectations of the team while having to replace his three best players from last year and a fourth player who was a key part of the team as well. As I've stated in the last few weeks Romar has had to take a bigger leadership role on this team than he'd like.

 Romar has also handled the addition of football star Seferian-Jenkins into his rotation terrific like he did with Nate Robinson. Unlike Bob Bender who didn't really embrace the football players tyring to play basketball(Charles Frederick was a 4 star recruit in basketball and never left the bench) Romar plays the best guys. The one knock on Romar is his loyalty to older guys and this game really showed that. When Abdul Gaddy picked up his fourth foul and went to the bench the Huskies went on a run. When Gaddy returned the lead had disappeared. Going forward Romar has to sit Gaddy and start Wilcox. Your best five is Wroten at the point, Wilcox at the two, Ross at the three, Simmons at powerforward and N'Diaye at center. Romar now in his 10th year at Washington improves to 12-10(3-0 on neutral, 6-3 at home, 3-7 on road) against the Arizona Wildcats. Arizona has been the dominant team in this conference for a while and really dominated the Huskies. The fact the Huskies have a winning record against them in a 10 year stretch shows how much the Huskies have improved as a program.

This win was huge and especially for Romar. He has seen a team that was young, undisciplined, and at times appeared to care more about twitter than the game they are playing in. Every tournament team in the Romar era has had that gutcheck moment and this team just achieved that. Even the loss to Cal when they really only had six guys the effort was there. The Huskies have three big time players in Wroten, Ross and Wilcox probably the best three man trio they've had since Nate Robinson, Brandon Roy and Will Conroy. When you factor in they also have great big man play in N'Diaye, Simmons, Gant and now Seferian-Jenkins this team can make some noise in the tournament. This win right here will go along ways towards playing in March Madness for the seventh time in the last nine years. For coach Romar this win was huge for his program as he is seeing his team mature right in front of him which should all be credited to his leadership he has shown throughout the season.