Pac-12 Tournament: Previewing Stanford basketball against the Washington Huskies

Wednesday at noon PT, Stanford will hopefully begin it's Cinderella run into the NCAA Tournament. At this point, Stanford must win the PAC-12 tournament to make March Madness, and it all begins with a Washington team, who soundly beat Stanford 64-53 earlier in the season. Stanford has a difficult but not impossible task ahead.

The last time Stanford and Washington faced off, Washington Freshman guard Dejounte Murray scored 25 points to lead Washington to victory with their star player, Andrew Andrews, being limited by injury. Stanford luckily did not have to face Andrew Andrews at one hundred percent, but this time, the Stanford zone will need to find a way to shut him down. Leading the PAC-12 in scoring, Andrews will be a difficult task for the Stanford zone. Stanford will need to focus their attention on Andrews defensively and Dejounte Murray.

Stanford struggled to make shots in their previous game when they were thumped by Arizona. In particular, Dorian Pickens and Rosco Allen played poorly. When those two players have played well, the rest of Stanford tends to follow. If Stanford is going to find success on Wednesday or in the rest of the tournament Dorian Pickens and Rosco Allen will need to be elite.

For the Cardinal, Wednesday's game against Washington is a must win. If they lose, the NCAA Tournament is no longer an option, and Stanford's chances of making the NIT may be in jeopardy as well. If Coach Johnny Dawkins' job is in any way on the line then Wednesday feels like a must win game for Coach Dawkins' as well. Stanford will need to play tough defense and shoot the ball well if they want to win.

Watch Stanford play Wednesday at noon PT on PAC-12 Networks.