Pac-10: Huskies struggling to stay competitive

Edmundson Pavilion, all of a sudden, went from VIP lounge to corner dive, with just about anyone walking into this one-time Seattle hot spot, putting his feet up and belching loudly.

Next was Lorenzo Romar, a charming and upwardly mobile guy who seemed to have all of the answers and be the life of the Pac-10 party, publicly questioning himself and making others wonder.

And, by the way, what became of the greatest recruiting class ever, you know, the one headlined by 7-footer Spencer Hawes and considered five stars by just about everyone with a Web site in his basement?

This has been the fate of Washington basketball this season, a program that seemed to be nose-diving as urgently as it had risen from the ashes under Romar, a former Huskies point guard turned coaching savior.

Most disturbing were three consecutive defeats in the UW’s normally impenetrable arena, including a pair of 14-point setbacks that were even more one-sided than that, with USC pinning a 73-59 loss on the hapless home team last Thursday.

Stuck in ninth place in the conference standings, the Huskies’ season appeared to be totally in the tank before another unexpected development took place on Sunday: They climbed back on their feet, traded blows with league-leader UCLA and emerged a courageous 71-61 winner.

Such is the overly competitive nature and unpredictability of the current Pac-10 race, where the league’s most surprising outcome so far is bottom-feeder Washington putting aside its doubts and slapping around the mighty Bruins, who still feel confident about making a third consecutive Final Four appearance.

“I just think our manhood was questioned,” Romar said. “Our guys collectively said enough of that.”

A second-division finish was projected for Washington when Hawes, the featured piece of a four-man recruiting class, didn’t return for his sophomore season. He chose NBA early entry and became the 10th player drafted overall, selected by the Sacramento Kings. Hawes wasn’t the only one who left town, with noted outside shooters Phil Nelson and Adrian Oliver each wanting more of a featured role and transferring out, Nelson to Portland State after last season and Oliver to San Jose State last December.

Their mass exodus left the Huskies relatively thin on offense, with junior forward Jon Brockman and senior guard Ryan Appleby the only surefire scoring threats. Once opposing teams figured that out and redesigned their defenses to concentrate on those two players, the losses started piling up for the UW, even inside Edmundson Pavilion.

In their previous four seasons, the Huskies had posted 11-3, 15-0, 17-2 and 17-2 home records in this gym, making their cozy, noisy homecourt usually a miserable stop for the other Pac-10 members.

Displaying cracks in that armor, Romar’s latest guys have an 11-5 home record – almost as many defeats over four months as they stockpiled in those aforementioned four years.

“There are things that have happened to the program that haven’t happened to us in four or five years,” Romar said following the disheartening USC setback. “Three consecutive home losses, double-digit losses. Those are things that have staggered us.”

The sixth-year coach took it a step farther by putting all the blame on himself for his team’s shortcomings. He suggested that he hadn’t used his players properly. His leadership lately hadn’t inspired enough confidence in his guys, or at least that’s how he viewed it.

“There are some who need more of an opportunity and some who have been given too much of an opportunity,” Romar said. “In that mix, maybe that has our guys confused a little bit. They’re not playing with as much confidence. I lay it on me for not pushing the right buttons.”

Enter UCLA (21-3 overall, 9-2 Pac-10), a top-five team in the national rankings that was fully capable of tossing the last shovel of dirt on the coffin. The Bruins, however, picked this moment to show up shorthanded and a little disinterested and suffer their worst loss of the season.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, a talented and hard-working forward, wasn’t available, left home with his left ankle encased in a protective boot, missing his fourth game in the past 11 because of assorted injuries.

Kevin Love, UCLA’s prized freshman center, had little impact in Seattle, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, both below his season averages, as the Huskies’ Artem Wallace gave a determined defensive effort.

Most glaring, Darren Collison, the Bruins’ prized point guard, completely went in the tank. The junior playmaker was limited to a season-low three points, committed eight turnovers, shot just 1-for-8 from the floor and drew a technical for trading words with Washington freshman Venoy Overton.

“They were more physical,” UCLA coach Ben Howland remarked. “They outrebounded us. They did a better job of really playing physical and playing tough. It just goes to show you that anybody can beat anybody on any given night in this conference, and that is a classic example of it right there. They outplayed us.”

While the Bruins expect this outing to be a momentary blip, Washington (13-11, 4-7) hopes somehow to rescue a season of despair, though it might be too late. Wasted have been the Herculean efforts of All-Pac-10 forward Jon Brockman, who came up with 12 points and 17 rebounds against the Bruins. A realistic outcome is a second consecutive season without postseason play.

Despair really set in when the Huskies entered a four-game homestand and dropped the first three games. Fans were shocked. The team was left with a four-game losing streak, squandering their best opportunity to move up the standings. Brockman made that clear in the aftermath of the UCLA victory.

“It’s great to enjoy this win,” he said. “But at the same time we should all feel horrible and sick and stupid for the way we played the last four games.”

If the Huskies can gain any late momentum, they might be a team to fear in what should be an-up-for-grabs Pac-10 Tournament, maybe earn an NIT bid , or at the very least have everyone poised for next season, when offensive reinforcements should turn up in the incoming recruiting class.

For now, eight teams – everyone except Washington and Oregon State – remain in contention for the Pac-10’s expected six or seven NCAA Tournament berths.

Stanford (20-3, 9-2) has hung with the Bruins and shares first place, avoiding the losing-streak pratfalls that have set everyone else back at times. Twin Lopez 7-footers continue to throw everyone else off.

Washington State (18-5, 6-5) and USC (15-8, 6-5) share third place, but the Trojans are in trouble after losing starting guard Daniel Hackett, possibly for the rest of the season, with a back injury.

“We’ve struggled winning without him,” said Trojans coach Tim Floyd, who had to wait at the season’s outset for Hackett to overcome a broken jaw. “He’s our most passionate player.”

Arizona State (15-7, 5-5) and Arizona (15-8, 5-5) are tied for fifth place, with the Sun Devils recently completing their first season sweep of their state rival in 13 seasons. The Wildcats have their own health troubles, losing point guard Nic Wise for as much as a month after he had arthroscopic knee surgery.

“It’s a blow to us,” said Arizona interim coach Kevin O’Neill, whose biggest fear has been a lack of depth. “He’s the only true point guard we have on the roster.”

California (14-8, 5-6) and Oregon (14-9, 5-6) share seventh place and are both on the thin side with bench help, but capable of beating anyone in the league.

Oregon State (6-17, 0-11) led both Stanford and California on the team’s most recent road trip but couldn’t turn these efforts into victories.

Beavers interim coach Kevin Mouton has tried his best to foster a positive environment, noting how a coaching peer had suggested to him that this team had given up on the season, something Mouton argues vigorously against.

“Our guys have not quit,” he insisted. “They practice hard and play hard. After the Cal game, we had emotional guys in our locker room, tears basically. That tells me those guys have not quit.”

Back in Seattle, the Hawes-less Huskies are saying the same stuff, only they have a UCLA carcass to hold up as proof. Romar’s team is attempting to restore a once prominent program to previous levels, if not survive a league as rugged as any nationwide.

“The Pac-10 is as advertised,” Romar said. “The best thing to predict is it will be unpredictable.”

So far, the Huskies’ 10-point victory over UCLA is the best indicator.

Rising Team: Stanford

While everyone else continues to pound on each other, with no other Pac-10 team currently sporting anything longer than a one-game win streak, the Cardinal have captured seven consecutive victories following a sweep of the Oregon schools. Stanford relied on a different Lopez brother, Robin, to lead it in scoring against Oregon, with the normally defensive-minded twin supplying 15 points in a 72-43 pasting of the Ducks. His brother, Brook, had topped the team in the six previous games.

Falling Team: Oregon State

The Beavers’ losing streak has now reached 13, including all 11 Pac-10 games they’ve played. No one has lost all 18 conference outings in the 30 seasons since there was league expansion to 10 teams. Prior to that, while aligned as the Pac-8, the 1976 USC and 1972 Oregon teams were the only ones to shoot blanks, each posting 0-14 records in league play. “Oregon State is going to beat somebody,” Oregon coach Ernie Kent predicted.

Player of the Week: Jeff Pendergraph, F, Arizona State

The junior forward picked a perfect spot to be at his best, supplying a career-high 29 points with eight rebounds and a blocked shot to lead the Sun Devils to a 59-54 victory at Arizona and their first season sweep of their state rivals in 13 seasons. Pendergraph connected on 12 of 16 shots, increasing his league-leading field-goal percentage to 61.3 Pendergraph’s previous high game was 27 points against Idaho in December.

Freshman of the Week: Jerryd Bayless, G, Arizona

This Phoenix-area guard missed the first game against Arizona State with a sore knee. Nothing was wrong with his knee, elbow, wrist or any other appendage in the rematch, as Bayless unleashed record-tying 39 points against the Sun Devils. His total matched the most by a Pac-10 freshman in a league, tying USC’s Cliff Robinson, who had 39 against California in 1978, and falling two shy of the overall freshman scoring total, 41 by UCLA’s Don MacLean against North Texas in 1988.

Stats of the Week:

0 for 3: Artem Wallace’s latest free-throw-shooting difficulties coming last Sunday against UCLA, with this unresolved problem dropping the Washington junior forward to an even more dismal 21.9 percent (7 for 32) for the season.

4 of 6: Freshmen make up four of the Pac-10 top six scorers, a group that includes USC’s O.J. Mayo (second, 20.2 ppg), Arizona’s Jerryd Bayless (third, 20.0), Arizona State’s James Harden (fifth, 18.1) and UCLA’s Kevin Love (sixth, 17.5).

18 for 31: Oregon’s school-record 3-point shooting display at California, topped by Tajuan Porter’s 7-for-11 binge.

22-6: The early deficit Arizona State overcame to win at Arizona.

28-26: That’s the collective home record for the Pac-10, where nothing is sacred in terms of homecourt advantage.

They Said It

“Now is the time.” – Washington State coach Tony Bennett penned that simple yet direct message on a grease board in the locker room prior to his team’s game with USC and then walked out without another word. Thus inspired, the Cougars responded with a 74-50 victory.

Key Upcoming Games

Thursday, Feb. 14
Washington at Oregon, 5:30 p.m. PT
The Pit Crew, Oregon’s overenthusiastic and sometimes downright insulting student section, awaits the final appearance of Ryan Appleby, possibly its second least favorite opposing player behind UCLA center and Oregon native Kevin Love. The Huskies guard drew the ire of the home fans last season when he refused to shake the conciliatory hand extended by Oregon’s Aaron Brooks, who had elbowed Appleby in the face in the 2006 Pac-10 Tournament and drawn multiple suspensions for the flagrant action. The Ducks lost the first meeting in Seattle, 78-70.

Stanford at Arizona State, 8:30 p.m. MT
These might be the league’s two hottest teams as league play resumes, with the Sun Devils finishing off a sweep of Arizona and the Cardinal going unbeaten for more than a month now. In the first meeting, Stanford took an impressive 67-52 win at home with Brook Lopez providing an impressive double-double performance, 19 points and 16 rebounds.

Saturday, Feb. 16
Washington at Oregon State, 4 p.m. PT
In hosting the Pac-10’s ninth-place team, this might be the Beavers’ best chance at picking up a conference victory this season. They’ve had success at home at the Huskies’ expense before, winning two of their past three meetings in Corvallis. Washington won this season’s first match-up at home a month ago, 83-74, a defeat that cost Oregon State coach Jay John his job the following day. Not much has changed since the change at the top, with the Beavers dropping five consecutive games under the leadership of interim coach Kevin Mouton.

Sunday, Feb. 17
UCLA at USC, 7 p.m. PT
It’s the rematch, the Mayo-Love replay, the city championship and a game that gets Los Angeles all excited. Yet no one figured these two teams each would be coming off their worst loss of the season the second time around, with the Trojans trying to shake off a 24-point pasting at Washington State and the Bruins hoping to forget a 10-point defeat at Washington. Round one marked Davon Jefferson’s coming out party, as the USC freshman forward dropped 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a 72-63 upset at Pauley Pavilion.

Dan Raley has covered the Washington Huskies and the Pac-10 for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer for nearly three decades.

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