A New Year and a New Result

Could it be that Seattle actually has a winning team to cheer for? Perhaps, after the Huskies routed Wazzu 68-48 in Pullman Saturday night in the Pac-10 opener for both schools. UW is now 10-3, although this is the team's best win of the season. 

The numbers don't lie: Washington shot 48 percent from the field, while holding WSU to 41 percent. They outrebounded the Cougars 36-20 and even did something they hardly ever do: they made their free throws. They did it without a big game from Jon Brockman, while freshman Isaiah Thomas handled himself well, with 19 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Granted, this isn't the same WSU club of the last few years, but the Cougars still have some pieces left over from their previous NCAA Tournament runs. And breaking a 7-game series losing streak to your rival on the road is nothing to sneeze at.  

UW has played better since a close loss to Florida (which followed a blowout to Kansas) and the Huskies might just be what we thought they were: a potential 20-win, NCAA-caliber basketball team. After the city's horrendous sports year in '08, at least one Seattle team is creating sports hope in '09.