Pac-12 Tournament: Washington Huskies easily defeat Stanford

While most were not laboring under any delusions of Stanford winning the Pac-12 Tournament this season, it would have at least been nice if the Cardinal were competitive. Sadly this game was over after the first few minutes. The Washington Huskies bludgeoned Stanford.

The Cardinal fell behind and the Huskies never looked back. Washington went into the halftime break up 50-22. After the first 20 minutes Stanford was trailing by more points than they had managed to score. As bad as the Cardinal played against Arizona, this performance was worse. Stanford would need a miracle in the second half to win this game. In the second half that miracle did not happen.

Stanford could not make shots, turned the ball over far too often, and failed to win on the glass. The Huskies meanwhile shot much better and won the rebound battle. The Cardinal could not hit a three while Washington shot the ball very well from behind the arc. Stanford fought hard, and never gave up, but it just was not enough.

Certainly, injuries and suspensions played a part, but this Stanford team just could not compete in their final two games against Arizona and Washington. In fact, with a few notable exceptions Stanford underperformed for most of the second half of the year. Headed into this game Stanford was expected to struggle to even find a spot in the NIT. After the way the Cardinal performed in their last two games it seems unlikely they will have the opportunity to defend their NIT title.

Washington wins 91-68 and will move on to play Oregon Thursday at noon. Meanwhile Stanford will wait to see if they are invited to the NIT or perhaps another tournament.