UW men heating up entering Pac-12 tournament

By Percy Allen / The Seattle Times

After the University of Washington men’s basketball team pulled off a 69-63 upset at Arizona on Saturday night, the teams face each other again Wednesday with UW’s postseason life hanging in the balance.

The Huskies (15-16, 5-13 in Pac-12 play) are the No. 12 seed in the Pac-12 tournament. They face the fifth-seeded Wildcats (20-11, 10-8) in a first-round matchup at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. A loss and the Huskies’ season is likely over.

Arizona, which beat Washington 75-72 at Alaska Airlines Arena on Jan.30, has lost four of its past five games.

The Huskies, meanwhile, enter the postseason with momentum after winning three of their last four regular-season games and sweeping Arizona and Arizona State on the road for the first time since 2012.

It’s impossible to prove, but Washington arguably is the most dangerous last-place team in the country. Here are three reasons why.

1. No clear favorites

The Huskies enter the tournament coming off two of their best games of the season. That would seem to bode well in a wide-open Pac-12 tournament that has no clear favorites.

By virtue of winning the league’s regular-season title, defending Pac-12 tournament champion Oregon is the No. 1 seed followed in order by UCLA, Arizona State and USC. In seven games against those teams, Washington led 483-469 in scoring, but finished with a 2-5 record. The Huskies lost four of those games by six points or fewer and they crushed USC 72-40 on Jan. 4.

Arizona, which relies heavily on three talented freshmen (Zeke Nnaji, Nico Mannion and Josh Green), certainly appeared vulnerable Saturday while shooting 35.1% from the field and committing 18 turnovers.

If the Huskies upset the Wildcats in the Pac-12 tournament opener, they would face USC in the quarterfinals. The Trojans beat the Huskies 62-56 on Feb. 13 in Los Angeles.

Washington is a 50-1 longshot to win the league tourney, according to Las Vegas oddsmakers.

2. McDaniels delivers

In a game that included five projected NBA first-round draft picks, Washington’s Jaden McDaniels was the best of the one-and-done prospects on the court. After an up-and-down season, the freshman star is playing some of his best basketball of the season.

Against Arizona, McDaniels tallied a game-high 20 points and shot 7-of-14 from the floor, including two 3-pointers. He also had six rebounds, three blocks, an assist, a steal and only one turnover in 32 minutes.

In Washington’s previous game against Arizona, McDaniels committed a technical foul that proved costly.

This time he kept his cool in a heated environment, avoided dust-ups with disgruntled Wildcats and drained two free throws after Arizona’s Christian Koloko was assessed a technical foul.

3. Poised under pressure

Washington led by 17 points (40-23) early in the second half and appeared headed toward a blowout win when the offense went cold and Arizona rallied. The Wildcats outscored the Huskies 32-19 over the next 15 minutes to cut the difference to 59-55 with 3:55 remaining.

Too often this season, UW wilted in the closing minutes of tight games.

But this time, Jamal Bey, who shoots 25.7% on 3-pointers, drilled a long jumper behind the arc at the 3:29 mark. On the next offensive trip, McDaniels drained a 3-pointer that essentially put the game away and gave Washington a 65-55 lead with 2:45 remaining.

Bey, who finished with 12 points, scored seven of the final 10 points for the Huskies, including four at the free-throw line in the final minute.

In Washington’s previous game — a 90-83 win at Arizona State — the Huskies led 73-72 in the final four minutes when McDaniels and Nahziah Carter knocked down clutch 3-pointers. Bey finished that game with six free throws in the last 1:11.

Several factors help explain the Huskies’ new-found ability to win close games, but their free-throw performance looms largest. Before last week’s trip, Washington lost 78-74 to Washington State while converting 23 of 38 foul shots.

In the past two games, UW has converted 34 of 39 free throws.