SEATTLE — Tonight’s game against Oklahoma State has a bit of special meaning for Washington, in part because of the Huskies past, and in part because of their future.
The past comes into play because of what happened when the two teams met last season in Stillwater. A young team playing its first true road game, Washington fell behind as the Cowboys heated up from long distance, and the Huskies never recovered. The result was a 96-71 loss, the Huskies worst of the season and third worst since 2003.
Tonight Washington gets a crack at revenge when it hosts Oklahoma State in an 8 p.m. game that is part of the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series.
“It’s important for me,” senior guard Justin Dentmon said when asked if the team was thinking about payback. “That was the worst I’ve ever been beat in college, so I’m just looking forward to coming out and showing them what a different team we are and what kind of team we can be if we all have our heads on straight.”
Revenge aside, the Huskies need a win tonight to boost their 2008-2009 resume for postseason consideration. Washington was blown out by Kansas and lost a close game against Florida last week, meaning this is their last shot at a non-conference win over a big-name opponent before Pac-10 play opens in January.
“They’re a great team and this will be basically our last test against a real, real good team,” said freshman guard Isaiah Thomas.
But while a win over the 5-2 Cowboys would be big for the Huskies, Washington coach Lorenzo Romar cautioned that people shouldn’t put too much emphasis on the game. When asked about this being an important game for the Huskies, he mentioned a non-conference game against then 12th-ranked LSU in December of 2006. The Huskies won that game, but went on to an 8-10 Pac-10 record and missed the NCAA tournament.
“That night we looked pretty good, but we didn’t end the season the way we would have liked to, so one game doesn’t mean much to me,” he said.
It means a lot to the players however, who would love nothing more than to bolster their resume and get a little payback all in one night.
“They thumped us,” senior forward Jon Brockman said. “They started hitting threes and we didn’t have any answer for it, and they kept building their lead throughout the game. It’s just going to be good to play them again, good to play them at home. They had a great crowd when we were there, a whole lot of orange, and I’m hoping to see a whole lot of purple here for them.”
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more on UW sports, check out the Huskies blog at heraldnet.com /huskiesblog
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