Players and coaches will tell you otherwise, but that wasn’t just another conference game. Washington’s 72-64 loss to Oregon on Saturday wasn’t just another defeat they can learn from and move forward.
In their final game of the regular season, the Huskies’ path to the NCAA tournament got about 25 degrees steeper. Barring a trip to the Pac-12 tournament finals, their dancing shoes will likely stay in the closet.
The Huskies (20-11, 10-8 in conference) entered Saturday with the 44th best RPI in the country. Bracketology guru Joe Lunardi, meanwhile, had in them in his “first four out” category.