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March Madness arrives; Huskies set their sights on Big Dance

By David Solano

Washington guard David Crisp drives to the basket against California guard Paris Austin (3) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

By David Solano

SEATTLE — Students at the University of Washington told KIRO 7 they’re still trying to shake off what happened against the Golden Bears on Thursday in Berkeley, California.

"Pretty disappointing,” said UW student Hari Kaushik. “They're (California) a weak team with six wins now."

The Huskies lost to Cal, but still clinched the Pac-12 regular-season title because Arizona State and Oregon State lost their games.

"There's still the Pac-12 tournament to play," said Kaushik.

In 2012, the Huskies were the No. 1 seed in the Pac-12 tournament but lost to Oregon State in the quarterfinals. That year, UW became the first team in college basketball's modern era to win a regular-season conference title and not receive an NCAA Tournament invite.

"The Pac-12 has been kind of disrespected for a while," said Kaushik.

But Husky Nation has a lot of respect for what the Dawgs have been able to accomplish on the basketball court and football field, too.

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UW football and UW men's basketball won outright regular season-conference championships in the same academic year for the first time in school history.

"Oh, that was incredible," said Mary Grace Erbin, who has been following the Huskies for years.

"You can't really ask for anything better than two Pac-12 championships that way,” said UW student Alexander Rogers.

With Selection Sunday just around the corner, the focus for the Huskies is split between finishing the regular season on a high note and trying to get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011.

"It would mean a lot for the young guys, who weren't nationally recognized, showing that teamwork is a really big part of being a successful basketball team. That's what the Husky mentality is all about: being a Dawg," said UW student Alejandro Diaz.

As the Dawgs try to get back on track against Stanford in California on Sunday, Huskies head coach Mike Hopkins is all smiles after picking up a $40,000 bonus for winning the Pac-12 regular-season title on Thursday.

Cox Media Group

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