University of Washington Official Athletic Site - Men's Basketball
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Men's basketball playing in the "Sweet 16."
March 16,1998
NCAA Tournament -- East Regional Semifinal (Third round)
Greensboro Coliseum (23,733); Greensboro, N.C.
Thurs., Mar. 19 -- #1 North Carolina vs. #4 Michigan State, 7:39 pm EST
#11 Washington vs. #2 Connecticut, 9:59 pm EST
Sat., Mar. 21 -- East Regional Final, 6:00 pm EST
Sat., Mar. 28 -- NCAA Final Four Semifinals, San Antonio, Texas
Making their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1984, the 11th-seeded Washington Huskies (20-9) continue their improbable NCAA Tournament run on Thursday, March 19 against No. 2 seed and sixth-ranked Huskies of Connecticut (31-4). The Huskies square off at 9:59 p.m. Eastern Time (6:59 p.m. PST) at the Greensboro Coliseum in North Carolina. This East Regional semifinal matchup is the first ever meeting between Washington and Connecticut. The winner meets the North Carolina/Michigan State victor on Saturday, March 21 at 6 p.m. EST (3 p.m PST) for the right to advance to the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas. Washington won its first NCAA Tournament game in 14 years, a 69-68 victory over 23rd-ranked Xavier on March 12. The UW earned a berth in the Sweet 16 with an 81-66 second-round triumph over Richmond on Saturday. The winning Husky squad meets Washington, which participated in the NIT each of the last two years, last appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 1986. The win over Xavier halted a three-game NCAA losing streak for Washington which suffered a 72-70 first-round setback against Michigan State during 1986 in its last Tournament appearance. Washington had the longest absence from NCAA play among Pac-10 schools. Not only had every other Pac-10 school participated since the Huskies last berth, but 209 different NCAA schools played in the Tournament since the Huskies last participated in 1986.
Frequent Flyers: While their final basketball standing is still in doubt, the Washington Huskies are the undisputed NCAA cross country champions. Rather than remaining on the East Coast, making the four-hour trip from Washington, D.C. to Greensboro, the Huskies returned from D.C. on Sunday in order to spend Monday on campus for final Winter Quarter exams which take place this week at Washington. They arrive in Greensboro on Tuesday at 7:57 p.m. EST, after leaving Seattle at 7:45 a.m. EST and connecting in Cincinnati. Next week is spring break at Washington, so they would travel directly from Greensboro to San Antonio, Texas if they win the East Regional and earn the Final Four berth.
Television / Radio: NCAA Tournament games will be televised on CBS (KIRO, ch. 7 in Seattle). All airing decisions are made by CBS Sports. All Washington men's basketball games are broadcast live on KOMO Radio (AM 1000) and its affiliates by play-by-play announcer Bob Rondeau.
Probable Husky Starting Lineup:
Washington Huskies (20-9, 11-7 in Pacific-10 Conference)
Pos-No. Name Hgt. Wgt. Yr. Hometown Pts Rebs
F - 42 Thalo Green 6-6 215 RS-Fr. Salem, Ore. 5.4 2.6
C - 50 Todd MacCulloch 7-0 280 Jr. Winnipeg, Manitoba 18.6 9.7
G - 4 Deon Luton 6-4 200 So. Del City, Okla. 15.3 2.3
G - 5 Jan Wooten 5-10 185 Sr. Elizabeth, N.J. 5.8 2.3
G - 24 Donald Watts 6-4 200 Jr. Kirkland, Wash. 16.7 3.8
If Washington Wins . . .
The UW reached the Elite Eight for the fifth time in history, the first since 1953.
Coach Bob Bender improves his all-time head coaching record to 129-128.
The Huskies improve their all-time NCAA Tournament record to 11-9.
Steady Improvement: Washington's overall and Pac-10 records have improved each year under fifth-year Coach Bob Bender. The 20 wins this year guarantee that the streak will continue, marking the third time in Husky history the season record has improved in four consecutive seasons. The UW improved over four straight seasons from 1941 to 1944 and from 1950 to 1953.
Year Overall Pac-10(Place) Non-Conf.
1994 5-22 3-15 (9th) 2-7
1995 10-17 6-12 (7th,tie) 4-5
1996 16-12 9-9 (5th,tie) 7-3
1997 17-11 10-8 (6th) 7-3
1998 20-9 11-7 (4th) 9-2
The Connecticut Series:
> This will be the first ever meeting between Connecticut and Washington.
The two schools have two common opponents this season. UConn defeated Arizona State (82-61) and Stanford (76-56). Washington split two games with Arizona State and was swept in two games with Stanford.
Washington has an 8-2 all-time record against Big East Conference members, having played Miami (3-0), Pittsburgh (2-0), Providence (1-0), West Virginia (1-0), Notre Dame (1-1) and Villanova (0-1).
12th-year Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun has never coached against the UW.
Fifth-year Husky Coach Bob Bender has never met Connecticut or Calhoun.
Dog Fight: Washington plays its first ever game against a similarly nicknamed opponent. Washington is a veritable NCAA Tournament mutt compared with the postseason pedigree of Connecutict which makes its fifth trip to the Sweet 16 during the 1990s. Connecticut has been to the NCAAs six times since the last UW berth in 1986. The UW competes in the round of 16 for the first time since 1984, the fifth time overall.
UW vs. the Field: The Huskies played seven teams from the 64-team NCAA field this season, registering a combined 3-7 record in those games. The Huskies defeated No. 14 seed Richmond (E) on Saturday following a first-round victory against No. 6 seed Xavier (E) on March 12. They were swept by No. 1 seed Arizona (W) and No. 3 Stanford (MW) while splitting a pair of games with No. 6 UCLA (S). Washington lost in two meetings with non-conference foes that qualified for the NCAAs, against No. 8 seed Oklahoma State (S) and No. 12 South Alabama (W).
UW in the NCAA: In its ninth NCAA Tournament, Washington has a 10-9 all-time record in tourney play. The Huskies' previous two trips to the Tournament resulted in quick, first-round exits. They lost 72-70 to Michigan State on Mar. 13, 1986 in Dayton, Ohio and 66-58 to Kentucky on Mar. 14, 1985 in Salt Lake City Utah. The last extended run into the NCAA Tournament was in 1984 when the Huskies defeated Nevada-Reno and Duke before losing to Dayton in the Sweet 16. The UW reached the final eight four times (1943, 1948, 1951, 1953), finishing third in 1953 in its only Final Four berth.
Fantastic Finish: Washington is in the midst of its season-best five-game winning streak. The UW won seven of its last nine games, ending the regular season with a three-game streak to earn an at-large NCAA Tournament invitation. Perhaps none of the season-ending triumphs was more important than a 95-94 upset of 18th-ranked UCLA on March 1 in Seattle. The strong finish secured fourth place in the Pac-10 standings, the school's best finish since a third-place showing in 1987.
Pac-10 Pride: For the second straight season, the Pacific-10 Conference has four teams in the Sweet 16, more than any other league. Arizona, Stanford and UCLA, which reached the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year, are joined by Washington. Two of the last three national champions have come from the Pac-10 (UCLA in 1995, Arizona in 1997).
Doing it with Defense: Washington was dazed and confused in Berkeley on Feb. 21 after an 84-67 defeat at California seemingly devastated its NCAA dreams. The Huskies had lost five of seven games, leaving them with a 15-9 record. They gave up 89.0 points per game to those seven opponents who collectively shot 51 percent from the field and 49 percent from 3-point range. During the next two practices in Seattle (Mon., Feb. 23 & Tues., Feb. 24) Coach Bob Bender kept the first-team on defense the entire time against the second unit. The result -- Washington reeled off its current five-game winning streak, surrendering 20 fewer points (69.0). The last five opponents shot only 41 percent, 29 percent from 3-pont range. In NCAA Tournament play, the Huskies held Xavier without a field goal over the final 7:42. They held Richmond without a field goal for 7:26 during a 15-3 second-half run. The chart below details Washington's terrific turnaround from their low point in Berkeley to the high of Washington, D.C.
Period (UW Record) UW Opp UW FG %: OppFG %: UW3PT %: Opp.3pt %:
Previous 7 Games (2-5) 77.6 89.0 44.8 %: 51.4 %: 28.4 %: 49.0 %:
Last 5 Games (5-0) 81.2 69.0 54.2 %: 40.8 %: 42.4 %: 29.1 %:
Close Calls: Thursday's win over 23rd-ranked Xavier was the third one-point victory for Washington which has not lost a one-point outing this season. The Huskies, who defeated the Musketeers 69-68, also registered one-point decisions against 18th-ranked UCLA (95-94) and Oregon (62-61). Washington has been effective in close games this year, posting a 6-1 record in games decided by three or fewer points. The UW is 8-1 in contests with a final margin of eight or fewer points. The average margin of Husky wins this year is 10.3 points while their defeats average 16.0 points.
Notable: Washington last advanced to the Sweet 16 in 1984 with an 80-78 second-round win over a Duke team that had current Husky head coach Bob Bender as an assistant . . . The Huskies have an 18-0 record this season in games when they post a better field goal percentage than the opposition, including both NCAA Tournament games. UW outshot Xavier (54%:-38%:) and Richmond (52%:-40%:). Last year's Washington team was 15-0 when outshooting opponents. The Huskies won the last 35 games in which their field goal percentage was superior, dating to a loss at Stanford on Feb. 24, 1996 . . . Todd MacCulloch increased his season scoring total to 539 points last week to become the 19th player in Husky history to total 500 points in a single season . . . MacCulloch (18.6), Donald Watts (16.7) and Deon Luton (15.3) account for 64-percent (50.6) of the team's offense (78.8) and are the second-highest scoring trio in Husky history, trailing only the 1972 group of Steve Hawes (21.7), Charles Dudley (16.5) and Louie Nelson (15.1) who averaged 53.3 points . . . Seven of Washington's nine defeats this year came to teams that are competing in the NCAA Tournament and five of those opponents were ranked in the Top-10 at the time of the game . . . Washington's current 78.8-point scoring pace is the school's highest since the 1976 squad averaged 80.2 points per game . . . Deon Luton has accounted for over half of the team's 3-pointers, hitting 74 of Washington's 145 treys . . . The UW is 16-1 in games it led at halftime.
Shuffled Starters: Washington won its last five games since red-shirt freshman forward Thalo Green was inserted into the starting lineup. That marked only the third different lineup for the Huskies as the previous unit had opened 18 straight games. The 6-6 Green replaced 7-1 Patrick Femerling on Feb. 26 against USC and tallied a career-high 11 points in his collegiate starting debut. Green increased that career-best output to 12 points on March 1 against UCLA and also scored 12 at Washington State in the regular-season finale. Green averaged 10.0 points on 58-percent shooting (19-33) in his five starts, improving on his reserve totals of 4.5 points and 52-percent (47-90).
Mistaken Identity: Todd MacCulloch worked as a volunteer at the Final Four in Seattle in April of 1995 and had autograph requests from spectators who mistook him for former 7-foot Oklahoma State center Bryant "Big Country" Reeves. "I'd take it as a compliment if my game is ever compared to his," MacCulloch remarked during the 1995 Final Four.
Century Club: Todd MacCulloch has 1,183 career points to rank No. 16 among all-time Huskies. On Feb. 5 at Arizona, he scored his 1000th point to become the 25th player in Washington history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
Provincial Playboy: A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada, Todd MacCulloch probably never dreamed his travels in the United States would take him to Playboy magazine headquarters in Chicago. He was selected as a 1998 Playboy All-American and joined nine other players and Coach Lute Olson in a photo shoot for the December 1997 issue. The other Playboy All-Americans are: Mike Bibby (Arizona), Zendon Hamilton (St. John's), Drew Hansen (Utah, scholar/athlete), Raef LaFrentz (Kansas), B.J. McKie (South Carolina), Paul Pierce (Kansas), Miles Simon (Arizona), Kenny Thomas (New Mexico) and Robert Traylor (Michigan). "It's kind of scary. You don't buy that magazine to look at someone like me," MacCulloch exclaimed of his apperance in Playboy. Featured on the cover was another Canuck, the 1995 Miss Canada.
Big Mac: Junior 7-foot center Todd MacCulloch was named to the first-team All-Pac-10 squad, ranking sixth among Pac-10 scorers (18.6 ppg) and second in rebounding (9.7 rpg). He currently has 539 points this season and is the 19th player in Washington history to reach the 500-point plateau in a single season. MacCulloch led the nation in field goal shooting last season at 67.6 percent (163-241). He currently ranks first again, shooting 65.3 percent (218-of-334) from the field. MacCulloch outplayed 7-foot-3 Brad "Big Continent" Millard of Saint Mary's in the season opener, amassing 20 points and 14 rebounds to 11 points and six boards for Millard. MacCulloch amassed 31 points and 18 rebounds in an NCAA second-round game against Richmond on March 14. That was MacCulloch's fourth 30-point outing this season, the sixth of his career. He had a career-best 38 points last year at James Madison, the eighth-highest scoring game in Husky history and the most since Chris Welp had 40 against UCLA in 1986. MacCulloch hit the game-winning layup as time expired at Portland this year (Dec. 3) to cap a 33-point performance. Against Arizona State on Jan. 8, MacCulloch amassed 30 points and a career-high 21 rebounds. He is one of only three players to register two 20-rebound performances during a Washington career. MacCulloch had 31 points and 15 rebounds at Oregon. He has 23career double-doubles with 14 of them coming this season. MacCulloch was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week on Dec. 1 and Jan. 19. He is the fourth Husky to earn multiple Pac-10 weekly honors. MacCulloch joins Chris Welp as the only Huskies honored twice in the same season by the conference. Welp, who garnered three career Pac-10 weekly awards, won twice in 1986.
Climbing the Charts: Todd MacCulloch recorded his sixth career 30-point game in the second-round NCAA Tournament game on March 14 with 31 points against Richmond. Only two other players have had as many as six 30-point performances during a Washington career. All-Time Washington 30-Point Game Leaders: 1-Bob Houbregs (1951-53) 13. 2 (tie)-Todd MacCulloch and Steve Hawes (1970-72) 6.
Players of the Week: Washington players were honored on three occasions this year as Pac-10 Player of the Week for the first time ever. Junior guard Donald Watts garnered a Pac-10 Player of the Week award for the first time on Feb. 16 after combining for 49 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals in Washington's home sweep of the Oregon schools. Todd MacCulloch was twice named Player of the Week, on Dec. 1 and Jan. 19. MacCulloch joins Chris Welp as the only Huskies honored twice in the same season by the conference. Welp, who garnered three career Pac-10 weekly awards, won twice in 1986. Mark Sanford and Detlef Schrempf join MacCulloch and Welp as the only other Huskies to win conference honors twice during their career.
Wonderful Watts: Junior Donald Watts, an honorable mention All-Pac-10 selection, has drastically raised his level of play, ranking second on the team with 16.7 points per game. That figure has nearly doubled last season's average of 8.9 points. He reached the 20-point plateau on 12 occasions after entering the season with a career-high of 19 points. Watts is shooting 48.2 percent from the field (149-309) after hitting 22- and 36-percent, respectively during his first two years. Watts led the team with an 18.4-point average during Pac-10 play. He led all Pac-10 players with 9.2 free throw attempts per game in conference outings, including a 16-for-20 effort on against Oregon State (Feb. 12). Watts electrified the Husky home crowd with his late-game heroics during the season opener. He swished a 3-pointer at the buzzer with two opponents closely guarding him to force overtime against Saint Mary's. In the extra session, Watts hit the game-winning trey from the top of the key with 28.3 seconds remaining in the regular-season opener. He has twice tallied a career-high 28 points, against Arizona and California. Watts leads the team with 103 assists. His 484 total points are 160 more than the 324 he scored in his first two seasons combined. He is the son of former NBA standout Don "Slick" Watts.
Road Warriors: The NCAA Tournament is the first neutral site competition this year for the Huskies who have played well on the road with an 8-7 record away from Seattle. Washington registered a 6-7 record on opponents arenas, including a 4-5 Pac-10 mark. The last time a Husky team posted more road wins was in 1986 with six Pac-10 and nine overall triumphs. Todd MacCulloch has sparked Washington's road success, posting better numbers in hostile arenas than at Edmundson Pavilion. MacCulloch shoots 66 percent, averaging 20.0 points and 10.5 rebounds away from Seattle (road & neutral site games) compared with 64 percent, 17.1 points and 8.9 boards at home.
Dan the Man: Beginning in February, honorable mention All-Pac-10 Freshman point guard Dan Dickau has seen more playing time. He averages over 11 minutes per game during the last 12 outings after playing just 6.9 minutes the first 17 games of the season. Dickau responded to the increased minutes by hitting 13-of-20 shots (65%:) from 3-point range over the last 12 games. Dickau tallied 56 of his 105 points during the last 12 games, including 10 at eighth-ranked UCLA and a career-high 12 at No. 4 Arizona. He had 11 points in the Huskies' first meeting with Arizona. All three of Dickau's double-figure scoring games came against top-10 ranked opponents. He hit 4-of-6 shots from 3-point range Feb. 5 at Arizona after entering the game shooting 5-of-12 on treys. He averaged 4.8 points on 48-percent shooting in conference play, improving from 2.2 points on 36-percent shooting in non-conference games. Dickau is an avid fan of former NBA standout "Pistol" Pete Maravich. He owns every Maravich basketball card.
This is the Army Mr. Femerling: During the summer of 1996, Patrick Femerling performed his mandatory military service as a German citizen. He spent a 10-week tour of duty with the German Army. Fermerling briefly went through manuevers in his sneakers because no size-16 army boots were available.
Femerling's Foreign Tour: Junior forward Patrick Femerling missed four early-season games while playing with the German National Team. The 7-foot-1 center/forward registered eight points, six rebounds and four blocks in the opener against Saint Mary's before immediately leaving en route to Dusseldorf, Germany. He participated for the Germans in three qualifying games for the 1999 European Championships. The European Championhips are a critical part of Germany's process to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympic Games. Femerling previously participated with the German Nationals in exhibition games during the summer of 1996 against Lithuania and Yugoslavia. He was joined on the German National Team by 7-foot center Chris Welp who played at Washington from 1984 to 1987 and amassed a school-record 2,073 career points. The German nationals defeated Bulgaria and Belgium, but lost to Slovenia. Femerling rejoined the team Dec. 7 and scored 13 points with five rebounds at Brigham Young on Dec. 9. He was supposed to return for the Dec. 6 game at Oklahoma State, but a concussion suffered in the final game for Germany prevented him from making his scheduled flight from Europe. Femerling averages 5.6 points per game on 47-percent shooting for the Huskies. He ranks second on the team, averaging 6.3 rebounds with four double-digit rebounding performances.
Husky Highlights: Patrick Femerling blocked three shots in the Xavier game to tie the Washington record in NCAA Tournament play established by fellow German Chris Welp on March 14, 1985 against Kentucky. Femerling moved into the No. 3 spot on the UW career blocks list with 81 . . . Donald Watts and Deon Luton lead the team with 25 double-digit point performances while Todd MacCulloch has 23. Those three each have more double-figure scoring games than all of the other players combined (22) . . . Todd MacCulloch ranks second among all-time Huskies with 95 career blocks, well shy of the UW record of 186 set by Chris Welp (1984-87) . . . Patrick Femerling converted 20 of his 26 free throw attempts during the last nine games, including one string of 12 consecutive successful shots. Prior to the last nine games, Femerling was shooting only 54 percent (29-54) from the line . . . Fifth-year Coach Bob Bender ranks fourth among all-time Washington coaches with 68 victories. On Feb. 12 he posted his 62nd win and moved past Andy Russo (1986-89) into the No. 4 spot. Bender's overall Husky record is 67-71. He will be in the No. 4 spot for a long time as the third position is held by Tippy Dye (1951-59) who recorded 156 victories . . . Todd MacCulloch (13), Donald Watts (10) and Deon Luton (7) are the only players to lead the Huskies in scoring during a game this season.
Road Accomodations: Washington Media Relations staff Jim Daves and Dan Lepse will travel with the team and be available to handle any media requests. They will be staying with the team in Greensboro, N.C. at the Park Lane at Four Seasons-Phone: (336) 294-4565.
Torrid Five-Game Shooting Streak: Washington in in the midst of its season-best five-game winning streak, its longest since 1996. The UW won its last five games on the strength of fantastic field goal shooting. The Huskies hit 54-percent (149-275) of their shots during the current five-game winning streak, including 43-percent (25-59) from 3-point range. On the defensive end, the Huskies are limiting opponents to 41-percent shooting (129-316) over the last five outings, 29-percent (25-86) from beyond the arc. The drastic shooting differential has helped the Huskies average 8.12 points per game while holding their last five foes to a 69.0-point average.
Frustrating February: The current five-game streak, which began with the final game of February, reversed a downward trend of Husky shooting. Prior to the USC game on Feb. 26, February was a difficult month for the Huskies who lost four of the first six games. Following their final game of January, which included the first 18 games of the season, Washington was shooting 49.5 percent from the field. The UW topped the 50-percent plateau in their final four games of January, averaging 53 percent from the field. The Huskies failed to shoot 50 percent in any of the first six February outings and were held below 40 percent in two Bay Area games. Washington was shooting only 43.1 percent (154-357) during the month entering the February finale against USC, including 29 percent of their treys.
Hot Shots: Despite the February shooting woes, the Huskies are converting 48.9 percent of their shots as a team, the best mark by a UW team since 1989. Three players are shooting 50 percent. Todd MacCulloch, who led the nation last season at 67.6 percent, leads the current squad at 65.3 percent followed by Thalo Green (53.7%:) and Chris Walcott (53.0%:). Washington was the nation's seventh-most improved field goal shooting squad in 1997, converting 48.3-percent of its shots as a unit to rank second in the Pac-10. That figure was a 4.72%: improvement from the 1996 season. The 1996 Huskies ranked seventh among Pac-10 teams (43.6 percent) after ranking last in 1995 (41.7) and 1994 (40.8). Last year's team shot better than any UW unit since 1989 (49.2%:). Washington won 13 of 14 games this season when shooting better than 50 percent from the field and has an 18-0 record when outshooting the opposition from the field.
Shootin' Luton: Sophomore Deon Luton was an honorable mention All-Pac-10 selection. He has accounted for over half (74-of-145) of Washington's 3-pointers. Luton converted 5-of-7 treys in the NCAA second-round win over Richmond. He had three 3-pointers and hit a 17-foot jumper with 11 seconds remaining that proved to be the game-winning basket in the first-round against Xavier. All of Luton's exploits are tournament records for Washington which has is participating in its first NCAA Tournament since the implemention of the 3-point line. Luton fired a school single-game record seven 3-pointers at USC on Jan. 29, eclipsing the standard of six established by Greg Hill in 1986. He became the school single-season 3-point leader with three treys against Xavier and now has 74 this year. That total surpasses the previous school single-seson standard of 68 established by Greg Hill in 1987. Luton already ranks second among all-time Huskies with 100 career 3-pointers. The school career record is 119 set by Eldridge Recasner (1987-90). Luton has seven 20-point performances, including a career-high 31-point outburst at USC. He ranks third on the team with 73 assists, more than doubling his total of 31 assists from last season. Luton is tied for the team lead with 24 double-figure games and led all UW scorers in seven games this season. Luton would like to play USC more often as he averaged 26.5 points while hitting 65-percent (11-of-17) on 3-pointers against the Trojans compared with 14.5 points and 38 percent (63-181) against all other opponents.
Streak Shooter: Deon Luton has proven to be a streaky shooter who halted a seven-game slump with a 22-point performance on Feb. 26 against USC that included 4-for-5 shooting on 3-pointers. His season can be summarized in stretches of games where he either excels or struggles (see chart below). The USC outing on Feb. 26 signalled a return toward a stellar nine-game stretch during the middle of the season during which he averaged 20.2 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the field and 47 percent from 3-point range.
Period (UW Record) Pts(Avg) FG Percent 3-Pntrs(Avg) 3-Point Percent
First 8 Games (6-2) 89 (11.1) 27%: (28-104) 16 (2.0) 30%: (16-53)
Middle 9 Games (7-2) 182 (20.2) 50%: (69-137) 31 (3.4) 47%: (31-66)
Previous 7 Games (2-5) 93 (13.3) 34%: (32-94) 12 (1.7) 25%: (12-48)
Last 5 Outings (5-0) 80 (16.0) 47%: (31-66) 15 (3.0) 48%: (15-31)
Last Game: Washington 81, Richmond 66, NCAA Second round (Mar. 14, 1998; Washington D.C.) - Todd MacCulloch amassed 31 points and 18 rebounds, helping 11th-seeded Washington advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1984 with an 81-66 victory over No. 14 seed Richmond at the MCI Center. The UW registered its first 20-win season since 1987. The Spiders were within 31-29 before Washington scored five striaght points for a 36-29 halftime advantage. MacCulloch scored 17 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half, including nine in a row, as the Huskies claimed a 64-48 advantage with 9:56 left in the game. Richmond rallied to within 64-55 with 8:34 remaining, but failed to score a field goal for the next 7:26 in a 15-3 UW run. Deon Luton hit 5-of-7 attempts from 3-point range to finish with 18 points for the Huskies. Jarod Stevenson scored 21 points to lead the Spiders who also got 10 from Eric Poole and Jonathan Baker.
NCAA First-Round Game: Washington 69, #23 Xavier 68, (Mar. 12, 1998; Washington D.C.) - Deon Luton capped a 17-point performance with the game-winning basket in 11th-seeded Washington's 69-68 first-round NCAA Tournament upset of No. 6 seed Xavier at the MCI Center. The win was Washington's first in NCAA Tournament play since 1984 and marked the first UW appearance in the NCAAs since 1986. It was the fourth straight victory for the Huskies who also halted a three-game NCAA Tournament losing streak. Gary Lumpkin converted two free throws with 42.5 seconds left in the game to give the Musketeers a 68-67 edge. Luton answered with a 17-foot jumper from the left side with 11.2 seconds remaining to cap the scoring. Xavier had two potential game-winning tries at the end, but Lumpkin missed and T.J. Johnson had a shot under the basket blocked. Washington overcame a shaky 26-turnover, 10-for-21 (48%:) free throw effort with solid shooting and stellar defense. The Huskies shot 54-percent while limiting Xavier to 38 percent. The Musketeers went without a field goal over the final 7:42. UW's largest lead was a 38-30 halftime advantage while Xavier led twice by as many as five points. Donald Watts matched Luton's 17 points and Todd MacCulloch chipped in 16 points and eight rebounds. Five Musketeers tallied double-figure points led by Darnell Williams and reserve James Posey who each had 17. Lumpkin and Torraye Braggs scored 12 points apiece and Lenny Brown had 10.
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: Michigan State 72, Washington 70 (March 13, 1986; Dayton, Ohio) - Scott Skiles scored 31 points and converted two free throws inside the final minute for Michigan State which shot 68 percent in the second half of its 72-70 victory over Washington during the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Greg Hill fueled an 8-0 run with six consecutive points, helping the Huskies to a 36-26 halftime advantage. The Spartans picked up the tempo in the second half paced by Darryl Johnson who scored 14 of his 22 points after intermission. Vernon Carr scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half. Washington kept close to the Spartans on the strength of 22 points and nine rebounds from Chris Welp. But Skiles was too much, finishing with 7 assists and three steals. Skiles played all 40 minutes, shooting 7-of-7 from the line with 19 second-half points. Hill scored 14 points while Shag Williams had 16 points.
Legendary Coach to Travel: Legendary Washington coach Marv Harshman will be among the Huskies' traveling party to Greensboro. Harshman, 80, coached at Washington from 1971 to 1985 and capped his career with back-to-back Pac-10 championships in 1984 and 1985. He guided the Huskies to three NCAA Tournament appearances (1976, '84, '85), including each of his final two seasons. His 246 victories rank second among all-time Husky coaches. A 1984 National Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, Harshman amassed 654 career victories to rank 20th among all-time NCAA coaches. His most memorable triumphs was a 103-81 win over UCLA on Feb. 22, 1975 that was the final career defeat for Coach John Wooden whose Bruins won the next eight games and his 10th NCAA title.
Washington Player Briefs As of March 16, 1998): UW Career / Season High Totals Listed
Bryan Brown 6-3, 225, Freshman, Mercer Island, Wash. Points 3 Rebounds 2
# 32 Walk-on; Played 14 games; Mercer Island HS team won '97 state AAA title; MVP of state tourney; Father, "Downtown" Fred Brown, was a Seattle Sonic (1972-84); Brother, Terik, plays at Oregon
Greg Clark 6-6, 220, Sophomore, La Mesa, Calif.
Transfer from Long Beach State who will red-shirt; Injured and did not play as a freshman for the 49ers; Brother of Detroit Tigers 1B Tony Clark; A first-team 1996 Best in the West recruit
Dan Dickau 6-0, 170, Freshman, Vancouver, Wash. Points 12 Rebounds 3
# 12 Hit 13-of-20 treys during last 12 games; Had career-high 12 points at Arizona; Prairie HS team lost in state AAA semifinals to Brown's Mercer Island team; Collects Pete Maravich memorabilia
Patrick Femerling 7-1, 255, Junior, Dusseldorf, Germany Points 17 / 13 Rebounds 12 / 12
# 22 Double-double (11/12) vs. ASU; Missed 4 games playing with German Nationals; Had 13 points at BYU in his return; Toured with Germany in 1996, played vs. Arvydas Sabonis & Vlade Divac
Thalo Green 6-6, 215, RS-Freshman, Salem, Ore. Points 12 / 12 Rebounds 8 / 8
# 42 Started last 5 games, all wins; Career-hi 12 points twice; Has 7 double-figure scoring games; Injury red-shirt in 1997; The 1996 Oregon Prep Player of the Year from state champ South Salem HS
Michael Johnson 6-4, 195, Freshman, Seattle, Wash. Points 11 Rebounds 7
# 23 Had 10 points vs. Boise State; Grabbed 7 boards against WSU; All-time top state prep scorer for large schools with 2,271 career points; No. 14 Best in the West recruit; Scored 27.1 ppg as a senior
Deon Luton 6-4, 200, Sophomore, Del City, Okla. Points 31 / 31 Rebounds 6 / 6
# 4 Career-hi 31 points at USC; Had 20-or more points on 7 occasions; Has 74 of team's 145 treys; Distributed 73 assists, doubling his total of 31 last year; Had UW record 22 points last year in debut
Todd MacCulloch 7-0, 280, Junior, Winnipeg, Manitoba Points 38 / 33 Rebounds 21 / 21
# 50 Ranks No. 1 in NCAA shooting at 65.3%:; Has 6 career 30-point games; Had 31 pts./18 rebs. vs. Richmond; Playboy All-America; Led NCAA shooters in 1997 (67.6 %:); Had 76 points in prep game
Andrew Moritz 6-1, 165, Sophomore, Seattle, Wash. Points 2 / 2 Rebounds 2 / 1
# 11 Played 10 games; Scored 2 points vs. Old Dominion; Played 5 games in 1996; Earned roster spot at walk-on tryouts in 1996; Prep teammate of Arizona's Jason Terry at Seattle's Franklin HS
Chris Thompson 6-1, 185, Senior, Edmonds, Wash. Points 12 / 6 Rebounds 6 / 6
# 14 Season-hi 6 points vs. Oregon St.; Career-hi 6 rebounds at Oregon St.; Had 10 assists vs. WSU in 1997, the 6th double-digit UW effort in the 1990s; Started first 15 games with 95 assists in 1997
David Verschueren 6-4, 220, Junior, Issaquah, Wash. Points 0 Rebounds 1
# 20 Played 4 games; Earned roster spot during walk-on tryouts on Oct. 20; Member of Husky baseball team last year as a left-handed pitcher; Lettered in prep baseball, basketball, football and tennis
Chris Walcott 6-7, 210, Sophomore, Bellevue, Wash. Points 14 / 14 Rebounds 10 / 10
# 33 Career-hi 14 points vs. UCLA; Had double-double vs. Boise St. in first start; Averaged 7.4 boards in 5 starts; 1996 walk-on now on scholarship; Led Sammamish to 1995 Wash. state prep title game
Donald Watts 6-4, 200, Junior, Kirkland, Wash. Points 28 / 28 Rebounds 8 / 8
# 24 Scored 20 points 12 times; Career-hi 28 points vs. Arizona & Cal; Hit winning trey vs. St. Mary's; The 1995 Washington prep player of the year; Son of NBA star Slick Watts (Sonics 1973-78)
Jan Wooten 5-10, 185, Senior, Elizabeth, N.J. Points 15 / 12 Rebounds 6 / 6
# 5 Had consecutive 8-assist games vs. Stanford & USC; Starting point guard in last 42 Washington games; Played with Brevin Knight on AAU team and vs. Stephon Marbury in high school
Bender Bio: Bob Bender, 40, begins his fifth season as head coach at Washington after starting his career with a four-year stint at Illinois State (1990-93). He has a 68-71 record at Washington, including a 17-11 record in 1997 capped by the Huskies' second straight National Invitation Tournament appearance. Washington's record has improved each season under Bender, including a 16-12 mark in 1996 after which he was voted the Pac-10 Coach of the Year by his peers. The UW was 5-22 in 1994 and 10-17 in 1995. Bender's nine-year career record stands at 128-128. Illinois State was 61-57 under Bender, earning two Missouri Valley Conference championships, one conference tournament title and an NCAA Tournament berth in 1990. Prior to his head coaching debut, Bender served as an assistant on Mike Krzyzewski's Duke staff from 1983 through 1989. The Blue Devils qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of Bender's six seasons on the staff, including four trips to the Final Four. Bender is the only individual to play on two different teams in the NCAA Championship game. He was a freshman on Bobby Knight's undefeated 1976 Indiana championship team and played point guard at Duke from 1977-80, including an appearance in the 1978 title game against Kentucky.
