Led by the smallest of men, Washington has reached the highest of heights.
On Sunday, one day after outdueling Arizona for their firstPac-10 Conference tournament title, the Huskies topped themselves when they earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament’s Albuquerque regional.
The driving force in the Huskies’ up-tempo offense is the unlikeliest of superstars: Nate Robinson, a 5-foot-9-inch dynamo who averages 16.7 points and almost five assists per game.
And while the Huskies flew under the national radar for much of the season, they boosted their RPI with a succession of victories over several NCAA tournament perennials: Utah, Alabama, Oklahoma and North Carolina State, plus conference rivals Stanford and Arizona.
Washington’s tallest starter is 6-8 junior forward Mike Jensen, and some consider the Huskies too small to go far in the tournament. But the Huskies are deep, with coach Lorenzo Romar employing a nine-man rotation.
So who can derail Washington in this region? Despite Sunday’s loss to Duke in the ACC tournament final, Georgia Tech appears to have regained the swagger it developed last season in reaching the NCAA tournament final. Louisville, with its trifecta of Francisco Garcia, Ellis Myles and Larry O’Bannon, can beat anyone. Gonzaga, led by immensely talented senior forward Ronny Turiaf (16.1 points, 9.3 rebounds), already has beaten the Huskies this season. Ninth-seeded Pittsburgh has Chevon Troutman and Chris Taft combining for more than 28 points and 15 rebounds per game.
The most dangerous team, though, is Wake Forest, which had been considered a lock for a No. 1 seed until its loss to N.C. State in the ACC tournament. Demon Deacons point guard Chris Paul is a first-team All-American, and 290-pound center Eric Williams complements him.
Who’s hot: Almost everybody. But Georgia Tech, after a year of wildly erratic play, are clicking. B.J. Elder’s hamstring is finally healed, Luke Schenscher is playing with confidence and Chicago native Will Bynum can take over a game.
Who’s not: Jamie Dixon’s Pitt squad has stumbled down the stretch, but don’t count the Panthers out if junior point guard Carl Krauser can get the ball to Troutman and Taft.
Long shot: Gonzaga. It is hard to consider the third-seeded Bulldogs underdogs, but while Paul and Co. will draw the attention, Gonzaga could derail the Demon Deacons’ dream season.
Prediction: Wake Forest over Washington.
First-round games
at Boise, Idaho, Thursday, Saturday
WASHINGTON
1. Record: 27-5, 14-4 in Pacific-10.
RPI: 3.
Location: Seattle.
Coach: Lorenzo Romar.
Record against tournament field: 9-4.
Road record: 6-5.
Record in last 10: 8-2.
Impressive victories: Nov. 25, Utah, 78-71; Nov. 27, Alabama, 79-76; Feb. 26, Arizona, 93-85.
Disturbing defeats: Dec. 1, at Gonzaga, 99-87; Jan. 8, at UCLA, 95-86; Feb. 13, at Oregon State, 90-73.
Top players: G Nate Robinson, jr. (16.7 ppg); F Tre Simmons, sr. (16.3 ppg); G Will Conroy, sr. (9.2 ppg).
Skinny: Since dropping their first five Pac-10 games of the 2003-04 season, the run-and-gun Huskies have lost only five of their next 31 league games.
Little-known fact: Coach Lorenzo Romar is only the second former Husky to return and coach his alma mater, joining Lynn Nance.
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MONTANA
16. Record: 18-12, 9-5 in Big Sky.
RPI: 158.
Location: Missoula.
Coach: Larry Krystkowiak.
Record against tournament field: 0-2.
Road record: 4-10.
Record in last 10: 8-2.
Impressive victory: Nov. 30, Cal State Northridge, 90-80.
Disturbing defeats: Dec. 18, at UC Santa Barbara, 55-46; Jan. 15, Montana State, 62-60; Feb. 17, at Sacramento State, 83-80.
Top players: F Kamarr Davis, sr. (14.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg); G Kevin Criswell, jr. (12.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg); F Matt Dlouhy, soph. (9.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg).
Skinny: The Grizzlies are making their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2002, when they lost to Oregon 81-62 in the first round of the Midwest Regional.
Little-known fact: Krystkowiak, the Grizzlies’ all-time leading scorer, is the school’s only former player whose number is retired.
PACIFIC
8. Record: 26-3, 18-0 in Big West.
RPI: 22.
Location: Stockton, Calif.
Coach: Bob Thompson.
Record against tournament field: 4-2.
Road record: 13-1.
Record in last 10: 9-1.
Impressive victories: Dec. 11, at Nevada, 72-69; Dec. 21, at Fresno State, 88-77; Feb. 20, Texas-El Paso, 73-66.
Disturbing defeat: Dec. 18, San Francisco, 67-64.
Top players: F Christian Maraker, sr. (13.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 51.9 FG%); C Guillaume Yango, sr. (13.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 30 blocks); G David Doubley, sr. (12.2 ppg, 4.0 apg, 42.7% 3-pt FG).
Skinny: With Illinois’ loss March 6, the big and deep Tigers had the nation’s longest winning streak at a school-record 22 games before falling to Utah State in the conference tournament final. Maraker, Yango and forward Tyler Newton are an imposing front line.
Little-known fact: Pacific’s home arena, the Spanos Center, is named after Alex Spanos, the owner of the San Diego Chargers and a Stockton resident.
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PITTSBURGH
9. Record: 20-8, 10-6 in Big East.
RPI: 36.
Location: Pittsburgh.
Coach: Jamie Dixon.
Record against tournament field: 4-6.
Road record: 6-3.
Record in last 10: 5-5.
Impressive victories: Jan. 22, at Connecticut, 76-66; Feb. 14, at Syracuse, 68-64; Feb. 28, at Boston College, 72-50.
Disturbing defeats: Jan. 2, Bucknell, 69-66; Jan. 18, at St. John’s, 65-62; March 10, Villanova, 67-58.
Top players: G Carl Krauser, jr. (15.6 ppg, 5.9 apg); F Chevon Troutman, sr. (15.1 ppg, 8.0 rpg); F Chris Taft, soph. (13.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg).
Skinny: Physical defense is a major attribute. To advance in the tournament, the Panthers must hit three-pointers to loosen up defenders’ sagging defense.
Little-known fact: The Panthers overcame 17-point deficits to defeat Connecticut and Syracuse.
at Nashville, Friday, Sunday
LOUISVILLE
4. Record: 29-4, 14-2 in Conference USA.
RPI: 12.
Location: Louisville.
Coach: Rick Pitino.
Record against tournament field: 8-2.
Road record: 11-1.
Record in last 10: 9-1.
Impressive victories: Dec. 11, at Florida, 74-40; Jan. 15, at Cincinnati, 69-66; Jan. 26, Marquette, 99-53.
Disturbing defeats: Jan. 5, at Houston, 70-67; Feb. 9, Memphis, 85-68.
Top players: G Franciso Garcia, jr. (15.4 ppg, 3.9 apg); G Taquan Dean, jr. (14.2 ppg); F Ellis Myles, sr. (9.3 rpg).
Skinny: Coach Rick Pitino’s team won its first Conference USA title in its last season in the league. Next year the Cardinals will be in the Big East.
Little-known fact: This was the last Conference USA tournament for the Cardinals.
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LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE
13. Record: 20-10, 11-4 in Sun Belt.
RPI: 47.
Location: Lafayette.
Coach: Robert Lee.
Record against tournament field: 1-4.
Road record: 5-9.
Record in last 10: 7-3.
Impressive victories: Jan. 5, Southern Illinois, 63-61; March 8, Denver, 88-69.
Disturbing defeat: Jan. 2, at Vanderbilt, 71-44.
Top players: G Tiras Wade, jr. (20.4 ppg); F Brian Hamilton, sr. (13.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg); G Dwayne Mitchell, jr. (10.6 ppg, 3.5 apg).
Skinny: Louisiana-Lafayette picked up its fifth Sun Belt championship, tying Western Kentucky for the most in league history. Robert Lee became the first rookie coach to lead the Cajuns to the NCAAs.
Little-known fact: UL-Lafayette is probably the only university in the world with its own swamp.
GEORGIA TECH
5. Record: 19-11, 8-8 in Atlantic Coast.
RPI: 27.
Location: Atlanta.
Coach: Paul Hewitt.
Record against tournament field: 2-9.
Road record: 4-6.
Record in last 10: 7-3.
Impressive victories: Jan. 27, Wake Forest, 102-101; Feb. 26, at Miami, 76-72.
Disturbing defeats: Jan. 22, Virginia Tech, 70-69; Feb. 13, N.C. State, 53-51.
Top players: G Jarrett Jack, jr. (15.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 4.6 apg); C Luke Schenscher, jr. (10.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg).
Skinny: Last year’s run to the championship game created high expectations this season, and the Yellow Jackets have come up short. An inconsistent Georgia Tech won back-to-back conference games just once.
Little-known fact: Buzz is the name of the Yellow Jacket mascot for Georgia Tech.
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GEORGE WASHINGTON
12. Record: 22-7, 11-5 in Atlantic 10.
RPI: 56.
Location: Washington, D.C.
Coach: Karl Hobbs.
Record against tournament field: 1-2.
Road record: 8-4.
Record in last 10: 8-2.
Impressive victories: Dec. 4, Michigan State, 96-83; Dec. 5, Maryland, 101-92; Feb. 5, at Temple, 74-58.
Disturbing defeats: Jan. 25, Xavier, 66-65; Feb. 23, at Xavier, 81-62; March 1, St. Joseph’s, 71-56.
Top players: G T.J. Thompson, sr. (13.8 ppg, 2.9 apg); G. J.R. Pinnock, soph. (13.5 ppg); F Pops Mensah-Bonsu, jr. (12.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.6 bpg).
Skinny: The Colonials were the most athletic team in the Atlantic 10, but they were a little lost at times when they weren’t able to run and dunk at will.
Little-known fact: The Colonials’ highest ranking ever was No. 7 in 1954. They finished that season 23-3.
First-round games
at Cleveland, Friday, Sunday
WAKE FOREST
2. Record: 26-5, 12-3 in Atlantic Coast.
RPI: 7.
Location: Winston-Salem, N.C.
Coach: Skip Prosser.
Record against tournament field: 10-4.
Road record: 8-4.
Record in last 10: 8-2.
Impressive victories: Nov. 26, Arizona, 63-60; Jan. 15, North Carolina, 95-82; Feb. 2, Duke 92-89.
Disturbing defeat: Jan. 18, at Florida State, 91-83.
Top players: G Chris Paul, soph. (14.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 6.6 apg); C Eric Williams, jr. (16.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg).
Skinny: With Paul running the show, the Demon Deacons can score (85.4 ppg.) They also can give points up. In each of their four regular-season losses, they allowed more than 90 points.
Little-known fact: The late Brian Piccolo, former Bear and inspiration for the movie “Brian’s Song,” was an alumnus of Wake Forest.
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CHATTANOOGA
15. Record: 20-10, 10-6 in Big South.
RPI: 135.
Location: Chattanooga, Tenn.
Coach: John Shulman.
Record against tournament field: 0-1.
Road record: 7-7.
Record in last 10: 7-3.
Impressive victory: Dec. 5, at Tennessee, 69-68.
Disturbing defeats: Dec. 30, Birmingham-Southern, 64-59; Feb. 5, Elon, 62-59.
Top players: F Mindaugas Katelynas, sr. (12.0 ppg, 9.1 rpg); F Chris Brown, sr. (11.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg); G Casey Long, soph. (9.6 ppg, 80.0 FT%).
Skinny: The Mocs were the surprise winners of the Southern Conference. They are athletic and prefer an up-tempo style. This also is a solid rebounding team (plus-11.3 margin per game), but the schedule was weak.
Little-known fact: This is a big week for Chattanooga. Not only is the school in the NCAA tourney, but the committee searching for a new chancellor is scheduled to finish its eight interviews this week.
WEST VIRGINIA
7. Record: 21-10, 8-8 in Big East.
RPI: 34.
Location: Morgantown.
Coach: John Beilein.
Record against tournament field: 4-6.
Road record: 6-5.
Record in last 10: 7-3.
Impressive victories: Feb. 23, at Pittsburgh, 70-66; March 10, Boston College, 78-72; March 11, Villanova, 78-76.
Disturbing defeats: Jan. 5, at Villanova, 84-46; Feb. 12, at Georgetown, 67-60; March 5, at Seton Hall, 66-63.
Top players: F Tyrone Salley, sr. (12.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg); G Mike Gansey, jr. (11.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg); C Kevin Pittsnogle, jr. (11.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg).
Skinny: An excellent showing in the Big East tournament pushed the Mountaineers into the NCAAs. Their 1-3-1 defense, spread offense and three-point shooters make them a difficult tournament foe.
Little-known fact: The Mountaineers’ 10-0 start was their best since the Jerry West team of 1959-60.
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CREIGHTON
10. Record: 23-10, 11-7 in Missouri Valley.
RPI: 44.
Location: Omaha, Neb.
Coach: Dana Altman.
Record against tournament field: 2-2.
Road record: 7-5.
Record in last 10: 9-1.
Impressive victories: Nov. 23, at Missouri, 78-54; Nov. 24, Ohio State, 65-62 (OT); Dec. 11, at Nebraska, 50-48.
Disturbing defeats: Dec. 31, at San Diego, 82-70; Jan. 12, at Indiana State, 74-72.
Top players: G Nate Funk, jr. (17.6 ppg); G Johnny Mathies, jr. (11.6 ppg); G Tyler McKinney, sr. (5.4 apg).
Skinny: Coach Dana Altman’s teams showed improvement as the season went on and finished strong. The Bluejays, led by Funk, made 265 three-pointers this year on 41.5 shooting.
Little-known fact: The Bluejays are the first Missouri Valley team to have won 20 games for seven straight years.
at Tucson, Ariz., Thursday, Saturday
GONZAGA
3. Record: 25-4, 12-2 in West Coast.
RPI: 10.
Location: Spokane, Wash.
Coach: Mark Few.
Record against tournament field: 4-2.
Road record: 6-3.
Record in last 10: 10-0.
Impressive victories: Dec. 1, Washington, 99-87; Dec. 19, Georgia Tech, 85-73; Dec. 28, Oklahoma State, 78-75.
Disturbing defeats: Dec. 30, at Missouri, 63-61; Jan. 20, at San Francisco, 73-70.
Top players: F Adam Morrison, soph. (18.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg); F Ronny Turiaf, sr. (16.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 54 blocks); C J.P. Batista, jr. (12.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg); G Derek Raivio, soph. (13.5 ppg, 4.9 apg, 47.8 3-pt%).
Skinny: The Bulldogs have not made it past the second round the last two seasons but are peaking at the right time. Morrison has emerged as a big-time scorer, and Turiaf and Batista are tough to handle in the post.
Little-known fact: Of course John Stockton went there, but so did Bing Crosby.
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WINTHROP
14. Record: 27-5, 16-1 in Big South.
RPI: 82.
Location: Rock Hill, S.C.
Coach: Gregg Marshall.
Record against tournament field: 0-0.
Road record: 9-4.
Record in last 10: 10-0.
Impressive victory: Nov. 30, at Providence, 60-54.
Disturbing defeat: Jan. 5, at Coastal Carolina, 76-68.
Top players: G Torrell Martin, soph. (12.8 ppg, 42.2 3-pt%); G James Shuler, jr. (12.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg); F/C Craig Bradshaw, soph. (8.0 ppg, 43.7 3-pt FG%).
Skinny: The Eagles, making their fifth NCAA appearance in seven years, won the Big South tourney title after also winning the league’s regular-season crown. They come in with an 18-game winning streak, but they’re small and have little shot at an NCAA win unless their opponent shoots abysmally.
Little-known fact: Consumers Digest rated Winthrop among the nation’s top 50 “Best Value” public universities for 2004.
TEXAS TECH
6. Record: 20-11, 10-6 in Big 12.
RPI: 28.
Location: Lubbock.
Coach: Bob Knight.
Record against tournament field: 6-7.
Road record: 5-5.
Record in last 10: 6-4.
Impressive victories: Feb. 5, at Oklahoma, 88-81; Feb. 14, Kansas, 80-79 (2OT); Feb. 22, Texas, 69-65.
Disturbing defeats: Feb. 12, at Iowa State, 81-68; Feb. 26, at Texas A&M, 85-63.
Top players: G Ronald Ross, sr. (16.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg); G Jarrius Jackson, soph. (15.0 ppg, 3.6 apg); G Martin Zeno, fr. (13.2 ppg).
Skinny: The Red Raiders earned the No. 4 seed in the Big 12 tournament, highest in school history. They depend heavily on Ross, who scored in double figures in all but two games, and their offense, which averaged a league-best 78.7 points.
Little-known fact: Ross was a walk-on as a freshman and averaged just 3.1 points and 1.1 rebounds that season.
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UCLA
11. Record: 18-10, 11-7 in Pacific-10.
RPI: 38.
Location: Los Angeles.
Coach: Ben Howland.
Record against tournament field: 1-7.
Road record: 6-5.
Record in last 10: 6-4.
Impressive victories: Jan. 8, Washington, 95-86; Feb. 10, Arizona State, 95-76; Feb. 27, at Notre Dame, 75-65.
Disturbing defeats: Jan. 20, Stanford, 75-64; Jan. 22, California, 64-51; Feb. 20, at Stanford, 78-65.
Top players: F Dijon Thompson, sr. (18.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg); G Jordan Farmar, fr. (13.6 ppg, 5.3 apg); G Arron Afflalo, fr. (11.0 ppg).
Skinny: With three freshman starters, including point guard Farmar, the Bruins have been late bloomers. But the leader has been the senior, Thompson, who nearly doubled his rebounding production from a year ago.
Little-known fact: This is the third time UCLA has started two freshman guards since 1980 (In 1979-80, Michael Holton and Rod Foster; in 1997-98, Earl Watson and Baron Davis).
