Life doesn’t always offer many opportunities for do-overs, but college basketball does.
On Saturday afternoon, in front of a “whiteout” crowd and possibly the first sellout of the season at Alaska Airlines Arena, the suddenly resurgent Washington men’s basketball team will get a chance to atone for several past transgressions and foibles.
The Huskies’ much-anticipated rematch against No. 6 Arizona, which airs 2:30 p.m. on Fox, offers the home team a chance to reignite their flickering NCAA tournament hopes and re-engage with a restless fan base that’s voiced displeasure with the direction of the program.
Embattled coach Mike Hopkins knows better than anyone what a win against Arizona (18-3, 7-3 Pac-12) would mean to Washington (13-9, 5-6), which has won four of its past five games.
“The games that I have been a part of here that have been sellouts or close to sellouts, it’s one of the toughest places to play in the country,” Hopkins said. “That’s what is exciting. I want our players to have an opportunity to feel that. You get to go play against a great opponent. That’s what any competitor and any championship person wants to play against. They want that opportunity.”
The last time Washington beat an Associated Press top-25 ranked team, 10,000 delirious fans packed Hec Ed and UW students stormed the court to hoist Husky hero Dominic Green on their shoulders after he drained a dagger three-pointer at the buzzer to beat then-No. 9 Arizona 78-75 on Feb. 3, 2018.
Since then, the Huskies have lost 14 games to ranked opponents, including an embarrassing 74-49 defeat at home to then-No. 11 UCLA on Jan. 1.
“I was sick as the coach here with the performance that we had against USC and UCLA because of our fans,” Hopkins said. “That’s why we do it. This just gives you another great opportunity. We want to show that these kids are working hard and they can play.
“Our fans, we want them to have those moments of seeing these guys perform and how much work they’ve put in.”
Aside from a string of star performances from newcomer Keion Brooks Jr. and three gutsy overtime wins, including a nonconference road victory against Saint Mary’s to claim the Wooden Legacy title, Washington’s season has been defined by a five-game losing streak that threatened to undermine its postseason aspirations.
Seemingly, the Huskies rebounded from the midseason malaise, and they can thank the Wildcats for helping them find the elixir to their troubles.
“The way we played them, controlled the game and lost it at the end let us know that we can play with anybody,” Brooks said following a 70-67 loss against Arizona at McKale Center on Jan. 5. “You hate to play the woulda, coulda, shoulda game, but we definitely had our chances that night for sure. Just couldn’t finish it.”
In their first meeting, UW, which led Arizona for nearly 29 minutes, was up 14 points in the first half and seven points with 12 minutes left. That’s when the Wildcats seized control and surged ahead 68-61 in the final minute.
The Huskies pulled within three points at the end and had a chance to send the game into overtime, but Brooks missed a three-pointer with five seconds left.
“I’m looking forward to the next time we face them,” Brooks said. “Hell, we all are. … Of course, every game is different, but if we can play like that, then I like our chances at our place.”
However, beating the Wildcats hasn’t been easy for the Huskies recently. Washington is 3-15 against Arizona since 2012 and has lost six in a row.
Junior forward Azuolas Tubelis, who leads the Pac-12 in scoring (19.8 points per game) and rebounds (9.6), powers a potent Wildcats offense that’s first in the conference and 12th in the nation while averaging 83.3 points.
In their first matchup, Tubelis finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds while center Oumar Ballo had 15 points and forward Pelle Larsson chipped in 12.
“We hang our hat on defense and it’s got to be at a high level,” Hopkins said. “Arizona has the best interior team in the country. They got a point guard that’s fearless in Kerr Krissa. … They weren’t shooting the ball great in league, but they made nine 3s against us. They’re a tough team.”
Arizona, which has won three straight games, is averaging just 60.5 points in its last two outings.
“We’re going to have to have our A game and hopefully we don’t have 22 turnovers,” Hopkins said referring to UW’s turnovers in Thursday’s 69-66 overtime win against Arizona State. “We can limit those and if we can do that, then we should be able to put ourselves in position to win the game.”