Fan: Washington Huskies Beat Georgia in NCAA Tournament

After a buzzer-beating overtime win in the Pac-10 tournament, the Washington Huskies went on to face the Georgia Bulldogs in their first match of the NCAA tournament.

Right from the tipoff it looked like the two teams were in for a fast and physical battle. It was apparent early on that the Huskies were not afraid to shoot the ball, having twice the shot attempts as the Bulldogs; Washington rebounding also looked particularly strong early in the game. Optimism slightly slipped as Georgia caught up with accuracy, going on a 9-0 run. It was painful to see the Huskies go over seven minutes without a field goal, but they weren't letting the Bulldogs get too far out in front.

It became obvious that the game would be an emotional rollercoaster throughout; Washington came right back to take the lead, give it up, and tie it right as the first half came to a close at 28-28. The Husky defense helped weather out the shooting slump; if they could tighten up their shooting, Washington could easily pull away in the second half.

The game appeared to settle down shortly into the second, as Washington crept to an 8 point lead. Fouls kept stopping the game, which I think hinders the Huskies' overall style of play. It wasn't a major complaint at that time, however, as they seemed to be in good shape. Some back and forth action pushed the Husky lead to 10 points, but I wasn't going to start celebrating yet; luck could easily turn around if Georgia had another run like in the first half.

For every point the Bulldogs would score, Washington would immediately answer back. It looked to be an all-around effort from the Husky team, as everyone except Terrence Ross had scored. Most of the players were also pulling strong defensive numbers. On the Bulldog side, none of their bench players had any points.

With a few minutes remaining in the game, Georgia was able to slightly close the gap and come within 6 points. The foul game started with under a minute remaining, and it created an intense and almost nervous atmosphere. Georgia crept to within 5 points. And then 3 points. Isaiah Thomas, the star performer for Washington, put the Huskies back up by 5 points before a Bulldog 3 point shot put the game back within their reach. With fists clenched, I watched C.J. Wilcox make one free throw and miss the second. Georgia got the rebound and made it down the court with to attempt a shot.

Flashbacks of last-second tying shots by the Huskies came as the ball went up. Such luck would not follow the Bulldogs, as the 3 point jumper was missed and Husky fans everywhere let out a cheer of relief and celebration.

The Washington Huskies came away with a well-rounded win of 68-65 to advance in the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, the Huskies would fall to the North Carolina Tar Heels in the next round by a score of 86-83, putting an end to their season.