The last time the men's basketball team traveled to Seattle, the Wildcats barely escaped the Evergreen State unscathed.
Last year, in front of a record home crowd, the Huskies certainly didn't play like a team with a 3-7 record in the Pacific 10 Conference. Casting aside the dubious distinction of having been beaten seven straight times by the Wildcats, Washington took an unsuspecting No. 2 Arizona squad to overtime, only to lose late on a Salim Stoudamire 3-pointer.
Tonight, Arizona heads back to Seattle, looking to fend off a Huskies squad eager to bite once again.
Arizona head coach Lute Olson knows not to take the Huskies lightly and said he expects Lorenzo Romar's squad to put up a fight similar to the one it gave the Wildcats last season.
"We had nothing but problems with them last year up there," Olson said. "I'm sure it's going to be a battle."
A year later, both squads find themselves in similar positions on opposite ends of the Pac-10. After starting the Pac-10 schedule 0-5, the Huskies (7-8, 2-5 Pac-10) are owners of a two-game winning streak, having beaten rivals Washington State and Oregon State on the road. Had it not been for Dijon Thompson's game-sealing free throws late in overtime, the Huskies may have beaten UCLA to come into tonight's game as winners of three of their past four.
The Huskies' struggles in the Pac-10 come as a surprise to Olson, who said he sees a young Husky squad with enough athleticism and energy to cause any team problems. Arizona sophomore Andre Iguodala echoed his coach's thoughts.
"We know that every team is going to play us like it's their biggest game of the year," Iguodala said. "If we don't play our game, we know they can come out and beat us."
Iguodala said that the team cannot afford to look ahead to next week's Stanford rematch, despite the dismal records posted by this week's opponents, the Washington schools.
Like Arizona, Washington relies on its sophomores for an offensive spark. Led by Nate Robinson, Washington will rely to its athleticism against the Wildcats. Robinson, a 5-foot-9 guard and Washington's leading scorer in his first year, joined Arizona forwards Hassan Adams and Iguodala on the Pac-10's all-freshman team last season.
According to Arizona power forward Adams, the Wildcats will need to stick with the formula that has worked in Arizona's last three games: ball control and defensive pressure.
"Don't let them dictate the game," Adams said. "We just need to play our style."
Since its last loss, Arizona's style has been to focus on its defense, which is communicating better and applying more pressure on the ball handler, Olson said. In the process, the Wildcats are eliminating the pass to the post, forcing their opponents to the perimeter.
The Hall of Fame coach said he sees continued improvement in his younger players.
"It's a lot better than it was a couple of weeks ago," Olson said of his squad's ability to slow opposing teams down. "Defense is always something that is going to take a little bit longer with younger players."
When Arizona takes the floor tonight and Saturday, it shouldn't have to overcome much of a home-court advantage. Washington and Washington State rank last in the Pac-10 in home attendance. While the Wildcats have sold out all eight games this season in McKale Center, the Huskies and Cougars have not even come close to filling their respective arenas, each averaging about 3,000 fans per game.
"Going into an environment like Pullman, where you can actually hear the ball bounce, is not an environment we are used to," Olson said.