Did Pac-12 NCAA Success Lessen the Pain of the UW Slide Any?

Kaila Olin and Mike Martin of Husky Maven debate whether the UW basketball season was just bad or really bad?

The University of Washington men’s basketball team failed to meet expectations this season, finishing 5-21 and next to last in the conference standings.

However, the Pac-12 Conference put on quite a performance in the recently completed NCAA tournament, with its five entries in UCLA, USC, Oregon, Oregon State and Colorado finishing 13-5 and the Bruins advancing to the Final Four and heartbreaking buzzer-beater loss to Gonzaga.

Does this showing help the Huskies in any way. 

Husky Maven's Kaila Olin and Mike Martin think it does and it doesn't.

Can it be both?

While COVID-19 season, random cancellations and unplanned bye weeks disrupted play for everyone, Olin credited Gonzaga with fighting through it until the national championship game against Baylor.

She said there were no excuses for the Huskies, who lost badly to Baylor to begin the season. 

Martin took another tact, thinking maybe the overall strength of the Pac-12 gave the Huskies a little leeway  for having a down year. He played the strength of schedule game with Washington and Gonzaga.

“I’m saying maybe the situation wasn’t as dire as it once was thought when we were looking at the Huskies at the bottom of a conference,” Martin said. “I would rather be the worst house in the best neighborhood than the best house in the worst neighborhood.”

No one is happy with the Huskies' showing this past season, which led to the second-worst record in school history and brought a six-player exodus out of the program and into the transfer portal. Yet it always worth debating all sides to every issue. 

For the full conversation, check out the video above.