Huskies Might Be the Ones Howling

The chairman of the NCAA tournament selection committee was on his way to Indianapolis to begin four days of intense deliberations, but he already knew what one of the tough topics would be.

Washington.

“It’s one we’re going to have to spend some time on,” said Iowa Athletic Director Bob Bowlsby, the committee chair.

“If you look at the historical factors, there are certain issues. If you look at the body of work of Washington’s season, clearly, they have played some terrific basketball.”

No team in the nation can match Washington’s best claim to fame: The Huskies (17-10) are the only team to beat Stanford, though as many as three teams are about to give it another shot in the Pacific 10 Conference tournament beginning today at Staples Center.

At the same time, 74 teams can best Washington’s Ratings Percentage Index ranking of No. 75, as calculated by Jerry Palm, the noted college sports number-cruncher.

Talk about history: The team with the lowest RPI ever to receive an at-large bid was No. 74 New Mexico in 1999, and it typically takes an RPI in the 40s to have a solid shot.

The Huskies -- whose first-round opponent is UCLA, the only league team to beat them twice -- could do themselves and the committee a favor by going ahead and winning the Pac-10 tournament to claim an automatic bid.

But for now, the U in U-Dub is for Uncertainty.

“We’ve talked about it,” said Coach Lorenzo Romar, the former Pepperdine coach and UCLA assistant. “We’ve talked about it quite a bit, to tell you the truth.

“We just continue to say we don’t know what the committee is going to do, so we need to make it easier for the committee and continue to try to stay focused and not take anything for granted and try to win as many games as possible this week.”

Barring an upset winner in the Pac-10 tournament, Washington is also the Pac-10’s last and best hope for a third NCAA team behind Stanford and Arizona.

Not since 1988 has the Pac-10 been limited to two teams, but Bowlsby and the committee don’t care.

“One thing we don’t spend very much time talking about is what league gets how many teams into the NCAA tournament,” he said.

“It isn’t a matter of whether the Pac-10 gets seven teams or two. It’s a matter of whether the two going in or seven going in are legitimate based on who else might be a candidate.”

In Washington’s favor are 12 victories in its last 14 games -- including the upset of Stanford and a sweep of Arizona -- as a youthful lineup led by sophomores Brandon Roy and Nate Robinson has come of age.

Less impressive: The Huskies lost to Gonzaga by 24 points, to Wyoming by 16 and to Houston by 15 and started 0-5 in the Pac-10.

The Huskies can only hope the images of that upset over Stanford stick in the committee members’ minds -- and aren’t erased by another loss to UCLA.

“It was a big matchup and a lot to play for and certainly the kind of thing that gets the attention of the committee,” Bowlsby said. “But one game doesn’t make a season and one game doesn’t lose a season.”

Here’s a look at the prospects for at-large bids in selected conferences as Sunday’s announcement of the NCAA tournament field approaches:

ATLANTIC COAST

In: Duke, North Carolina State, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech.

Bubble: Maryland, Virginia, Florida State. Maryland (16-11, No. 29 RPI) has lost five of its last 10 but has a good RPI and is probably in. A team in need of a significant ACC tournament surge is Virginia (16-11, No. 51), which beat Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Wake Forest down the stretch but lost to fellow bubble-dwellers Maryland and Florida State. As for the Seminoles (18-12, No. 47), they were 0-8 on the road in the ACC, and there are no home games in the NCAA tournament.

ATLANTIC 10

In: Saint Joseph’s, Dayton.

Bubble: Richmond, Xavier. Richmond (No. 43, 19-11) had a marquee victory over Kansas that was somewhat more impressive earlier in the season. Xavier (No. 53, 20-10) will have to live with suspense unless it upsets Saint Joseph’s in the conference tournament.

BIG EAST

In: Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Syracuse, Providence, Seton Hall, Boston College.

Bubble: Notre Dame. The Irish (17-11, No. 48) are the sort of team that might end up in the conversation about Washington.

BIG TEN

In: Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan State.

Bubble: The winner of the Big Ten tournament quarterfinal involving Michigan (17-10, No. 60) and Iowa (16-11, No. 79) can continue to dream, but it looks to be a long shot.

BIG 12

In: Oklahoma State, Texas, Kansas, Texas Tech.

Bubble: Missouri, Oklahoma, Colorado. Will Missouri (15-12, No. 39) get any favors from the NCAA with a rules-violation case pending? Colorado (18-9, No. 52) had the best Big 12 record of the group at 10-6. Oklahoma (18-9, No. 49) recently lost four in a row and center Jabahri Brown is off the team after being charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession.

BIG WEST

In: Utah State. With a 24-2 record and a No. 35 RPI ranking, Utah State doesn’t have to rely on winning the Big West tournament.

Bubble: None.

CONFERENCE USA

In: Cincinnati, Memphis, Charlotte, Alabama Birmingham, DePaul, Louisville. The bizarre five league co-champions should all get in, and “sixth-place” Louisville did enough early -- beating two No. 1-ranked teams -- to build a No. 22 RPI ranking that should sustain the Cardinals despite a poor finish.

Bubble: None. Marquette’s bubble has burst.

MISSOURI VALLEY

In: Southern Illinois. Northern Iowa stole a bid by winning the conference tournament and automatic berth. But Southern Illinois (25-4, No. 26) has an RPI ranking that makes the Salukis a lock.

Bubble: None.

MOUNTAIN WEST

In: Brigham Young.

Bubble: Air Force, Utah. Air Force (22-5, No. 57), with its Princeton-style offense, won the regular-season title and swept Utah (21-8, No. 44). The Falcons’ RPI, however, is dangerously low.

SOUTHEASTERN

In: Mississippi State, Kentucky, Florida, Vanderbilt, Alabama.

Bubble: Louisiana State, South Carolina. They’re probably both in. But with LSU’s Jaime Lloreda out for the season because of a foot injury -- something the committee can take into consideration -- LSU is no longer completely secure. If LSU (18-9, No. 32) and South Carolina (21-9, No. 45) meet in an SEC quarterfinal, the loser might have to sweat it out Sunday.

WESTERN ATHLETIC

In: Thank goodness for the automatic bid.

Bubble: Nevada, Texas El Paso. Nevada (20-8, No. 37) has a victory over Kansas but lost to Portland and Southern Methodist. UTEP (22-6, No. 46) is a nice story after winning only six games last season -- but is exactly the sort of team that probably shouldn’t get an at-large bid ahead of Washington.

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TIMES’ RANKINGS

ROBYN NORWOOD’S RANKINGS AND COMMENTS:

*--* Rk. School (Rec.) Comment 1 SAINT JOSEPH’S (27-0) Hawks get honorary ranking, but we’re not predicting NCAA title. 2 STANFORD (26-1) Unless Justin Davis comes back strong, trouble might loom. 3 MISSISSIPPI ST. (25-2) Bulldogs can earn No. 1 seeding by winning SEC tournament. 4 DUKE (25-4) Blue Devils will be well-tested by great ACC field. 5 PITTSBURGH (27-3) Panthers trying to repeat as Big East tournament champions. 6 GONZAGA (27-2) That WCC semifinal wasn’t the breeze we expected. 7 KENTUCKY (23-4) A No. 1 seeding seems to be a stretch, but people are talking. 8 OKLAHOMA ST. (24-3) Eddie Sutton did one of his best coaching jobs this season. 9 CONNECTICUT (24-6) Okafor’s back condition is a postseason wild card. 10 GEORGIA TECH (22-8) Yellow Jackets are the latest to defeat Duke. 11 ILLINOIS (22-5) Congratulations to the champions of the not-so-Big Ten. 12 TEXAS (21-6) Loss to Kansas State doesn’t look to be a good postseason omen. 13 N. CAROLINA (18-9) Georgia Tech is a difficult opening game in ACC tournament. 14 N. CAROLINA ST. (19-8) Scooter Sherrill’s ankle is still a concern. 15 WAKE FOREST (19-8) Chris Paul tied Duke’s Luol Deng as ACC’s top freshman. 16 WISCONSIN (21-6) Badgers couldn’t pull off another Big Ten title. 17 CINCINNATI (21-5) Tony Bobbitt says his attitude needs adjusting. 18 KANSAS (20-7) Hard to remember back when Kansas was No. 1. 19 ARIZONA (19-8) Wildcats have loads of talent but somehow it hasn’t meshed. 20 PROVIDENCE (20-7) Friars appear to be limping into the postseason. 21 SYRACUSE (21-6) Strong finish with victories over Pittsburgh, Connecticut. 22 MEMPHIS (21-6) Antonio Burks was Conference USA player of the year. 23 UTAH STATE (25-2) If Aggies are upset in Big West, bubble teams will groan. 24 SO. ILLINOIS (24-4) A good thing for Salukis their RPI ranking is strong despite upset. 25 LOUISVILLE (20-8) Cardinals are looking like upset fodder in NCAA tournament.

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