Try leaving early Friday evening only to reach the team hotel at 2:30 a.m. Saturday in Idaho.
Now watch the two leading scorers get into foul trouble and lose one of them at a critical point the game. Then watch an unheralded bench player keep the team in it only to win it late after once being down by 10 points.
There’s a reason why Mike Hopkins hugged athletic director Jennifer Cohen and about 30 minutes later, said a prayer in Latin when it was over. Washington went through a gauntlet of sorts and came away with a 70-65 win over rival Washington State at the Beasley Coliseum.