UW misses out on NCAA tourney
March 11, 2012 by The Seattle Times
SEATTLE — The bubble finally burst for Washington.
Without a miraculous assist from the selection committee, the Huskies’ three-year NCAA tournament run came crashing to a halt Sunday.
Gonzaga was named a No. 7 seed in the Midwest Region and will face No. 10 West Virginia in Pittsburgh on Thursday. A win would send the Zags to a matchup with the winner of No. 2 seed Ohio State and Loyola (Md).
As a consolation prize, Washington will make its first appearance in the NIT since 1997.
The past two years, the Huskies organized a Selection Sunday viewing party for fans and gathered around television sets. As conference tournament champions, they were guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament.
Back then they wondered what seed they would receive. Which opponent would they play? And where would the committee send them?
This time, only one question that mattered: Would Washington get in?
Before Sunday’s selection show the Huskies practiced at Edmundson Pavilion. In private they gathered and watched as the 68 NCAA tournament teams were revealed.
The Huskies (21-10) put their NCAA tournament hopes in jeopardy when they finished the regular season with a 75-69 loss at UCLA. They followed that defeat with a shocking 86-84 setback against Oregon State in the Pac-12 tournament quarterfinals.
Washington has made five NIT trips and posted a 3-5 record.
Romar was a starting point guard for the Huskies in 1980 when they lost 93-73 at UNLV in the opener.
Washington returned in 1982 and beat BYU 66-63 in the first round before falling 69-65 at home to Texas A&M.
In their last appearance, the Huskies lost 67-63 in the first round at Nebraska in 1997. A year earlier, they fell 64-50 in the NIT opener at Michigan State.
Two Pac-12 teams will play in the NCAA tournament. Colorado, which won the conference tournament, is a No. 11 seed and will play No. 6 UNLV in Albuquerque, N.M. California will face South Florida in a play-in game in Dayton, Ohio. The winner will be a No. 12 seed and will play No. 5 Temple in Nashville, Tenn.
Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or [email protected]. On Twitter @percyallen.
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