Huskies’ NCAA tournament prospects tenuous as season enters its final stretch

The bracketologists aren’t yet declaring the Washington Huskies’ NCAA tournament hopes extinguished. But if they don’t win at home this week against California and Stanford, that’s probably going to change.

Of the NCAA tournament projections provided by ESPN, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated and USA Today, only USA Today has the Huskies in the field -- and that outlet puts UW in as the very last team to make it. ESPN projects the Huskies as one of the last four teams to miss out, as does CBS. Washington’s RPI currently sits at 62, which ranks eighth among Pac-12 teams.

I would imagine all of that might change, though, after this weekend. If the Huskies sweep California (23rd in RPI) and Stanford (75th in RPI), their stock will improve enough to think they’re probably an NCAA tournament team. But if they split or get swept, their profile will diminish even further than it already has during this three-game losing streak.

This story was originally published February 16, 2016 at 6:37 PM with the headline "Huskies’ NCAA tournament prospects tenuous as season enters its final stretch."