The Washington Huskies might be in first place in the Pac-12. They might very well win the conference this week with two wins in Los Angeles. But they still are hovering on the bubble to get selected for the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
Washington still lacks a good win on their resume, and they have plenty of tough results. They've lost to Cal, Oregon and Colorado on the road, but their OOC results have all been terribly unfavorable. If not for their narrow wins over Arizona, they might be off the bubble completely.
So what do they need to do to lock up their berth? Andy Glockner of Sports Illustrated filed this report in his latest Bubble Watch.
The Huskies rallied past state rival Wazzu in Pullman, thanks in large part to the Cougars Cougin' in from the free throw line (6-of-20 in the second half). Bottom line: A win's a win and the Huskies are now alone in first place. The profile can't improve as far as quality, so UW needs to sweep in L.A., grab the conference crown by itself and hope that's enough in a weak bubble. They likely will finish 3-8 against the top 100.
GW: Sweep of Arizona??
BL: Home to South Dakota State by 19
Washington wrapping up the conference title would do wonders for the Huskies, because generally teams that win conference titles from the traditional Big Six conferences are hard to dismiss from the tournament. But it might not be a total guarantee for a team lacking big resume wins. Washington might need to at least earn a couple of victories in the tournament to get in as well.
To discuss Washington basketball with Husky fans, go to UW Dawg Pound. To check out bracketology info in general, go to Blogging the Bracket.