The University of Washington is playing like an NCAA Tournament-bound team.
After completing a sweep of Arizona with an 89-84 victory last night, the Huskies might have a better case to sneak into the field of 65.
The victory propelled Washington into sole possession of second place in the Pacific-10 Conference standings at 9-6. UW is 14-10 overall.
"I felt really good after that last game (against Arizona), but we are on a mission right now," Washington guard Brandon Roy said. "I can't get too excited. The mission is to go to the NCAA Tournament. I feel if we finish in second place we should get an automatic bid."
The Huskies, who knocked off Arizona 96-83 Jan. 29 in Seattle, admitted they were helped by UA not having Salim Stoudamire in its lineup because of a suspension.
"We heard during warm-ups that Salim was not playing," Roy said. "I'm, like, 'Salim is not playing?' I think a couple of guys got some smiles on their faces.
"Who are we fooling? Salim is a great player. When a guy like that is not playing, then we have to take advantage of it."
The Huskies have taken advantage of everything after starting 0-5 in conference play. They certainly are making a good case for the NCAA committee to give them strong consideration. The Huskies have won nine of their past 11 games.
Last night's win may be the biggest factor in UW's favor, proving the Huskies can win on the road against a top-25 opponent.
The victory, sealed when Washington scored on its final five possessions of the game, broke a 24-game road losing streak to ranked teams and a string of 13 losses in the state of Arizona.
"For the program this is huge," Washington's Hakeem Rollins said. "We have not gotten a win here, as far as I know, for 20 years. So as far as the program and what we are trying to do, we are in great shape.
"We knew coming out after halftime that we had to come out the more aggressive team or else we were going to have trouble winning. We needed to be scrappy. That is how we beat teams."
The last Huskies' win over a ranked team on the road was an 80-79 overtime triumph over the Wildcats on Feb. 1, 1996.
"I always thought it was just a matter of time when we would figure out how to put it all together," Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said. "Once it started happening it felt OK. Now we are capable of accomplishing a lot."
The Huskies go to Arizona State tomorrow with a great deal of confidence and knowing they have offensive potential in reserve Tre Simmons, who came off the bench to score a career-high 22 points, including four three-pointers, last night.
Nate Robinson, who tore Arizona apart in the first victory for 31, had a quieter, but just as lethal, 18 points this time.
"They could have come and blown us out and showed that they can play without Stoudamire," Robinson said. "But they needed him tonight."
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After completing a sweep of Arizona with an 89-84 victory last night, the Huskies might have a better case to sneak into the field of 65.
The victory propelled Washington into sole possession of second place in the Pacific-10 Conference standings at 9-6. UW is 14-10 overall.
"I felt really good after that last game (against Arizona), but we are on a mission right now," Washington guard Brandon Roy said. "I can't get too excited. The mission is to go to the NCAA Tournament. I feel if we finish in second place we should get an automatic bid."
The Huskies, who knocked off Arizona 96-83 Jan. 29 in Seattle, admitted they were helped by UA not having Salim Stoudamire in its lineup because of a suspension.
"We heard during warm-ups that Salim was not playing," Roy said. "I'm, like, 'Salim is not playing?' I think a couple of guys got some smiles on their faces.
"Who are we fooling? Salim is a great player. When a guy like that is not playing, then we have to take advantage of it."
The Huskies have taken advantage of everything after starting 0-5 in conference play. They certainly are making a good case for the NCAA committee to give them strong consideration. The Huskies have won nine of their past 11 games.
Last night's win may be the biggest factor in UW's favor, proving the Huskies can win on the road against a top-25 opponent.
The victory, sealed when Washington scored on its final five possessions of the game, broke a 24-game road losing streak to ranked teams and a string of 13 losses in the state of Arizona.
"For the program this is huge," Washington's Hakeem Rollins said. "We have not gotten a win here, as far as I know, for 20 years. So as far as the program and what we are trying to do, we are in great shape.
"We knew coming out after halftime that we had to come out the more aggressive team or else we were going to have trouble winning. We needed to be scrappy. That is how we beat teams."
The last Huskies' win over a ranked team on the road was an 80-79 overtime triumph over the Wildcats on Feb. 1, 1996.
"I always thought it was just a matter of time when we would figure out how to put it all together," Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said. "Once it started happening it felt OK. Now we are capable of accomplishing a lot."
The Huskies go to Arizona State tomorrow with a great deal of confidence and knowing they have offensive potential in reserve Tre Simmons, who came off the bench to score a career-high 22 points, including four three-pointers, last night.
Nate Robinson, who tore Arizona apart in the first victory for 31, had a quieter, but just as lethal, 18 points this time.
"They could have come and blown us out and showed that they can play without Stoudamire," Robinson said. "But they needed him tonight."
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