Pac-10 basketball as hotels: the Washington schools

Continued from my previous post in which I began comparing Pac-10 men's basketball teams to hotels... this post: the Washington schools!

Washington State (15-8, 5-6, 7th): Luxor, Las Vegas.

Remember that one place that used to be cool not too long ago... the place that was kinda hip because it had something novel to it ("How about a Pyramid topped by a GIANT-ASSED BEAM that shoots into space???")...and then, with almost a blink of an eye, it became old news?

Yeah. That's Wazzu for you.

It seems like only yesterday that wunderkind head coach Tony Bennett was drawing up crazy defensive schemes for the likes of Derrick Low, Kyle Weaver, and Robbie Cowgill to employ to terrorize the Pac-10.

It also seems not too long ago that the Luxor was the hippest new joint on the Strip. (Humor me!)

Fast-forward to 2010.

Unfortunately for the Pullman faithful, Bennett is now the head coach at Virginia after 3 solid seasons (69-33 W-L) with the Cougars, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2008. Most of the players who thrived under Bennett are gone as well.

Likewise, today the Luxor is overshadowed by bigger, fancier hotels like Mandalay Bay and the Venetian. When you think "Vegas," pretty much the only reason "Luxor" comes to mind is if you're looking for dirt-cheap rooms.

But of course, I like to look on the bright side of things.

At the very least, the current Wazzu squad still has one thing going for them: a sophomore named Klay Thompson. If you check out the team stats, you'll notice that Klay is pretty much carrying the team. Cougars fans can think to themselves, "Maybe, just maybe Klay will bring us back to the promised land!"

Similarly, anytime you're cruising the Strip, you still can't help but notice the Luxor, if for nothing more than the aforementioned monster of a beam shooting up from its roof. I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. Luxor are hoping against hope that all those moths that the beam attracts will someday translate into one thing: MORE PATRONS.

So there you have it: Wazzu & Luxor. Two entities. Both once glorious, both now fallen from grace. But both still holding onto that one ray of hope!

Washington (16-7, 6-5, 2nd): RMS Titanic, somewhere over the Atlantic.

It started with UW sophomore guard Isaiah Thomas being delivered to my door in the form of SI cover boy for the 09-10 college basketball preview issue. It continued with the Huskies opening the year ranked in the low teens in both polls. It REALLY got going when Cal took only a couple weeks to fall out of the rankings and UW held steady. Yup, by mid-December it sure looked like Lorenzo Romar's boys were the class of the Pac-10!

Woops.

Now I admit that invoking one of the greatest disasters of all time might be overdoing it a bit. No one in their right mind is calling for Romar's head - not yet at least. No one is signing Leo or Kate up to dramatize the sinking of this U-Dub team. But I do think that a team SI picked in its Top 10 that is now hoping to make the NIT represents quite the plummet.

There were some sexy names that went into the Titanic too: JP Morgan funded its construction. Some rich folks named Astor and Guggenheim were abord the ship for its maiden voyage.

Likewise, U-Dub has produced some sexy names in the NBA, most notably and most recently Brandon Roy and Nate Robinson.

But a lotta good that sexiness is doing now, right???

Perhaps I'm jumping the gun a bit with this call, and maybe the Huskies will turn it around in the last few weeks of the season. But as far as failing to live up to the hype and things not ending well, I'd say UW and the Titanic are in the same boat!

Buddum chhh!!!!

Next up: the Arizona schools!