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Washington Huskies’ Ten Best Tournament Wins Of The Romar Era

By James Silberman

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The Washington Huskies are once again absent from the NCAA Tournament. With a ridiculously talented 2015 recruiting class set to rejuvinate the program, and most of the current roster returning, next year might be the year. In the meantime. here is a great list of good times to reminisce to.

10) Isaiah and the Huskies take down the Dawgs in the NCAA Tournament

9) Will Conroy sparks the beginning of an era

8) 2010 Pac-10 Championship and ensuing impromptu dunk contest

7) Huskies get their revenge on the Cardinal

6) UW runs New Mexico’s Sweet 16 hopes into the ground

4) 2006 Second Round Comeback Against Defending National Runner-Ups

3) UW outlasts Klay’s 43 and hang on for 89-87 win

2) Cold-Blooded Champions

1) Quincy Pondexter’s winner completes epic NCAA Tournament comeback

5) 2005 Pac-12 Championship Comeback Against Arizona

The 2004-05 Washington Huskies set the bar at which all future UW squads will be judged off of. They made a lot of history for the UW, including the school’s first Pac-10 Tournament Championship.

After going into the break down 41-33, the Huskies played the Wildcats even, trading buckets throughout the second half. I’m not sure what exactly was said by Coach Lorenzo Romar, or maybe one of the team leaders, at the 5:12 mark, but something changed at that moment as the Huskies (who were trailing 70-64) would outscore Arizona 19-4 from that point on. Following a pair of free throws made by Bobby Jones to tie the game at 70, a layup by Channing Frye gave Arizona the lead back.

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However, that was the last lead Arizona would hold as well as the last point they would score. The Frye bucket was followed by a three-pointer from Will Conroy giving the Dawgs a 73-72 lead with 2:15 left to play. Nate Robinson would then finish off the Wildcats with six points in the final minutes with Tre Simmons also adding a pair of free throws.

Typically, when the other team’s leading scorer scores more than twice as much as anyone on your team, you aren’t going to win that game. When you’re trailing the eighth-ranked team in the country by six, you usually don’t win that game.  When the other team shoots a higher percentage from the field, three-point line and free-throw line, you will have a hard time keeping up. But the Huskies were the exception in this case winning the game despite Salim Stoudamire‘s 37 on 12-20 shooting and 7-13 from three.

According to the GoHuskies.com release, the Huskies actually encouraged Stoudamire to take the shots, and played mind-games with the rest of the Wildcats.

“You got to keep telling the other guys [Stoudamire] doesn’t want to pass you the ball, and that’s what we did,” said Robinson, a sly smile on his face. “A couple whispers … it kills the other team’s confidence.”

Hey, whatever works right?

The win was a historic victory and officially signaled the arrival of the Washington Huskies to the national scene under Lorenzo Romar.

Relive the rest of the Washington Huskies’ top ten tournament wins under Coach Romar!

*All of the above photos are from USA Today Sports.

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