The Washington Huskies have been a trendy pick in early NCAA Tournament bracket predictions thus far. The Huskies, the No. 7 seed in the East region, are the hot hand right now after rolling through the Pac-10 Tournament and winning the championship with Isaiah Thomas’ buzzer beater. In the NCAA Tournament, the Huskies are an overwhelming favorite to defeat the Georgia Bulldogs and move on to the round of 32.
We’ve rounded up a variety of predictions to get a better idea of the Huskies’ chances.
We’ll start with the homer pick over at SB Nation Atlanta. Kris Willis thinks the Bulldogs have the inside presence to give the Huskies fits and is calling for an upset.
A lot of people will dismiss my pick of Georgia as being a card carrying Dawg fan. However, it is a reflection of my belief in Mark Fox. I think given the time to prepare, Georgia has the inside-out game needed to be successful in March. So I am going with the Bulldogs in an upset.
Over at SB Nation, Chris Dobbertean disagrees and picks the Huskies. It’s the Isaiah Thomas show and his game-breaking ability should be enough for Washington to move on.
No. 7 Washington over No. 10 Georgia, Isaiah Thomas and the Huskies should make the Bulldogs’ surprise trip a short one.
In the individual game preview, Jason Kirk, of SB Nation Atlanta and SB Nation, goes with the Huskies, as well. Georgia’s inconsistency, and inability to get up for big games, has Kirk worried.
Prediction: Chris Dobbertean has Washington taking care of Georgia in his NCAA Tournament predictions; I’d like to take the Bulldogs in an overtime thriller, but their tendency to crumble under pressure means just getting to the Dance will have to count as their big achievement for the year.
I also chose the Huskies to win. After watching Washington closely this year, I have no doubt if the team that showed up in the Pac-10 Tournament comes through in the NCAA Tournament, there should be no problem. When Washington is on, even with the injuries Lorenzo Romar’s team has had this year, it can play with just about anyone in the country.
For more on the bracket predictions, check out the rest of our NCAA Tournament predictions StoryStream. Grab a printable bracket and get to work filling out your own while you’re at it. To break down the bracket with Washington fans, be sure to stop by SB Nation’s UW Dawg Pound.