Washington Huskies Hurt Their NCAA Tournament Chances With Loss To UCLA

The Washington Huskies didn't just open the door for the California Golden Bears to possibly share in the Pac-12 regular season title and grab the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Pac-12 tournament by losing to the UCLA Bruins on Saturday afternoon, but they also may have hurt their chances at making it into the 2012 NCAA tournament later in March.

The Huskies were considered a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament and were a sleeper to make it in, but their loss on Saturday may have sealed them out unless they win the conference tournament. CBSSports.com's Jeff Borzello lists Washington as one of the teams that may have popped their tournament bubble.

If the Huskies had won the outright Pac-12 title, it would be a heck of a chip heading into Selection Sunday. However, after their loss at UCLA on Saturday, it's likely they will need to share the championship with California. The resume on its own is far from impressive. The Huskies have yet to beat an NCAA tournament team and 18 of their 21 wins are from the sub-100 region. The computer profile isn't awful, but Saturday's loss gives them a sub-100 loss. They need to reach the title game, at the very least.

The Huskies can possibly make it in if they perform well in the Pac-12 tournament, but that's still no guarantee. This one loss could cost them more than most others this season.

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