The Washington Huskies are currently 19-5 overall and 10-1 in conference. They have had an incredible season thus far and are in full control of winning the Pac-12 regular season title.
But for some reason, they are not ranked in the top 25. Let me reiterate: They are a bleeping 10-1 in a major conference and not ranked. This literally makes no sense. Even if the Pac-12 is having a down year, there is no logical explanation as to why the Dawgs have not cracked the polls.
Nevertheless, I’m here to tell you that this is actually a good thing for UW hoops. After Washington beat the Oregon schools to go to 7-0 in conference it seemed like a sure thing that the Dawgs would make the top 25.
However, they got snubbed again and it only fueled their fire. A week and a half ago Washington took the floor at home against USC and UCLA and absolutely throttled both teams. Even though these programs are currently not playing good basketball, they are still LA schools and never easy to beat. The LA schools are always loaded with athleticism and talent even in their down years. UCLA probably has another Holiday brother hiding on their roster, and USC has Bennie Boatwright, who is an absolute stud.
This past weekend the Dawgs traveled to the desert to play arguably the best two teams in the Pac-12 outside of themselves in Arizona and Arizona State.
If the Huskies were ranked, it would have been easy for them to overlook the upcoming road trip. And you never want to forget about the University of Arizona, or as UW found out ASU either.
Instead, UW was reminded that they are not respected nationally at an extremely crucial part of the season.
For U of A, a win may have propelled them to their 700th tournament appearance in a row; however, the loss most likely leaves them relying on the conference tournament to make the big dance. A weekend sweep for the Huskies may have lifted them to a projected fourth or fifth seed in the NCAA tournament. The Dawgs are currently projected to be a seven through ninth seed (SMH). Either way, the win against Arizona is a huge statement for UW and the rest of the country should take notice. So, to my east coast pollsters out there: Can the Dawgs finally get some love?
In all seriousness, UW grabbing a victory in Tucson is impressive. This is one of the most prestigious wins that UW has had in quite some time, and the rankings snub may have given them the extra boost needed to pull out the victory.
But U of A isn’t the only formidable opponent that the Dawgs played this weekend. ASU has a up-start program led by Bobby Hurley. The Sun Devils showed that they are not the same team that they used to be and a difficult squad to beat on the road.
ASU has talented players such as Luguentz Dort, Remy Martin, and Zylan Cheatham. The Devils are a streaky team that will either light up the gym or build a house made of bricks. When they are shooting the ball well from the field, they are not a fun team to play against. The Huskies found that out this past weekend.
This game turned out to be a trap for UW even with the rankings snub.
Regardless of the loss against ASU, the Dawgs deserve to be in the polls. As much as I love Gonzaga, there is no way you can convince me they are a top-five team and UW is unranked. Even though GU plays a tough non-conference schedule, they still beat up on weak WAC opponents such as Santa Clara, Santa Barbara, and San Diego. I don’t know if those are basketball teams or the names of beaches.
Furthermore, the Huskies only lost to Gonzaga by two points this year and the game was at GU and was before the Dawgs found their rhythm.
In an alternate world, let’s imagine that the University of Kentucky had the exact same record and roster as UW. Even if the SEC was down that year, UK would still be ranked in the top ten nationally.
But the Dawgs are still 10-1 in Pac-12 play and have already solidified themselves as a highly competitive basketball team. They’re not Duke, they’re not Virginia, but they are one hell of a squad and should not be taken lightly.
Seeding Infohttps://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/college/pac-12/university-of-washington/article225556855.html
