The first round of the NFL draft is tonight. And although UW does not have anyone projected to be a first round pick, 2-3 could be picked in the 2nd and 3rd rounds on Friday. At the top of that list is probably Alameda Ta'amu. He is projected to go in the middle of the second round by most draft experts. I too see him going somewhere in the second round. Ta'amu is big load, and some team with a need for DT will jump on Ta'amu. Look for Ta'amu to be a Charger, Falcon, Bronco or Steeler.

Speaking of Broncos. I really see John Fox liking the kind of runner Chris Polk is. Yes Denver has Peyton Manning now but, really only an old Willis McGahee at RB and they will still want to run the ball. Polk is projected to be a second or third round pick. However, he is also probably has the best chance of being a first rounder. I say that because his ceiling is probably predicted to be higher than any other Huskies. Before everyone calls me out for being a homer, I wouldn't draft him in the first round because I don't believe many RB's carry first round grades anymore with so many teams running the RBBC. But someone like the Giants may decide they really like him and just don't want to risk him getting gobbled up. Even more likely is that someone sitting in the early or middle of the second round decides to try and move to ensure they get him. My projection though would be for him to go to Denver towards the end of the second round. GB is another team at the bottom of round 2 that needs a RB, and I already pointed out that Giants may be looking at one as well. It is possible for Polk to slip to the third round, but I don't think he will have to wait until Saturday to find out where his new home will be.

The third guy that has a chance to go on the second day is Senio Kelemete. He has been Mocked in the third or fourth round by many sites. McShay even has him going to Dallas in the fifth. It appears teams will be drafting him to play OG. Because he is a guard in the NFL it may be very likely that he isn't drafted until the fifth round. I predict the end of the fourth for the former Husky LT.

The only other player likely drafted is Jermaine Kearse. A couple years ago Jermaine was thought to be a third round talent. Too many drops, being measure at under 6'1" has pushed him to the end of the draft. I do think his name will be called but, it will be stressful day for Jermaine.

The rest of the gentleman will have to wait for the phones to ring after the draft and begin to work their tails off to make a team. They include Cort Dennison, Erik Folk, Kiel Rasp, and Quinton Richardson.

Where to you guys see the huskies being drafted?

Well much has been said about the disappointing season, and the early departure of Terrence Ross and Tony Wroten to the NBA. There have been differing opinions about the season and those players. But its time to look forward. The Husky Basketball cupboard is not totally bare. I am very excited about Abdul Gaddy in 2013. It has been shown that having a Senior PG provides a lift. I also thought that over the final couple weeks of the season he was much improved.

Yes we lose our top two scorers. But lets not forget this is college basketball, and every team has players graduate every year. We return Scott Suggs from injury and C.J Wilcox who was not 100% for most of the year. Although, I dont expect them to totally take over the point totals of Ross and Wroten, I see both of them having great seasons. And with the addition of Mark McLaughlin's scoring I don't expect the huskies to be lacking any scoring options. Yes, I am here to tell you its not doom and gloom for Romar's Huskies. Romar's teams have usually bounced back after disappointing seasons. We can add 3 players to this recruiting season and have only land one so far (McLaughlin). I will analyze the full roster after the jump.

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Well thanks for everyone that participated. It was fun. We will look for some improvements next year.

It was a tough week because all of us but Johnnycougar picked UW to win it all. Congrats to CAHusky. He is our first champ. Here are last weeks results and final standings:

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I have created a tournament challenge on espn.com here is the link:

http://games.espn.go.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/en/group?groupID=1465

OK so we didnt make the tournament. Doesn't take away from how much fun March Madness can be. Heck we have only recently been considered a marginal basketball school.

Tough week for most of us on our picks. That being said the Dawgs are PAC 12 Champs. I believe that has them locked in the tournament. Only a first game loss puts them on the bubble. And that may not be enough to send them to the NIT.

I like where Washington is going heading to the post-season. The top teams in the PAC have risen to the top and started beating each other on their home courts. That was predicted. What that means is we should expect some upset come NCAA time. Because UW and Cal are not as bad as predicted. Arizona's loss to ASU may have ruined my prediction that the PAC would get 3 teams. But if Oregon can win a couple game they could get in also. Arizona probably has to win the tournament. UW and Cal are almost locks unless either of the falls in the second round. Dont sleep on CU or UCLA trying to play cinderella either. This should be a competitive tournament. I wont be as fortunate this to catch the championship game right after my sons baseball. Their start times are almost identical this year.

This is the last week for pics. But dont forget to join the uwdawpound tournament challenge for all you NCAA bragging rights. And now the results:

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I have created a tournament challenge on espn.com here is the link:

http://games.espn.go.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/en/group?groupID=1465

OK so we didnt make the tournament. Doesn't take away from how much fun March Madness can be. Heck we have only recently been considered a marginal basketball school.

A special thank you to the CU Buffs for taking down Cal on Sunday night. The Dawgs now hold their own destiny which may or may not be a good thing. The Huskies finish their season in LA, taking on USC and UCLA. I dont foresee any issue with USC. UCLA will be a tough road game however, I do anticipate a win that will give UW the outright regular season title. I believe Romar's second. This should net him coach of the yearCJ Wilcox is said to be at 100% finally and it showed on Saturday night.

Going 1-1 in LA will probably net us a tie with Cal and a two seed in the tournament. Cal doesnt have a gimme this week either and they head Stanford. And now for last weeks results:

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I decided to take a couple weeks off from the power ranks. I dont think enough changed week to week to warrant it. Nor did it seem to get much attention. Well here we are Apple Cup of Basketball week and our Dawgs are tied for first with 3 games to go. They have a real strong chance to win the regular season title at least as co-champ. And are all but assured of finishing in the top 4 which provides them a first round by in the Conference Tournament.

The last two weeks should be excellent in the PAC, as teams posture for one of the top 4 seeds. Washington has games against WSU, UCLA and USC. They need to finish strong, and I think they will. Cal travels to the Rocky Mountains where a split is possible. Then play at Stanford. Arizona should finish with 3 wins. CU host Cal and Stanford and then travels to Oregon. Oregon gets OSU, Utah and CU. For true Pac 10 Basketball fans this should be great theater, as one of the top 5 will not get a bye. And I predict a three way tie for third. I have no idea what the tiebreaker will be then.

I believe the PAC 12 will now get 3 teams in the tournament. The cream has certainly risen to the top. I expect those teams to be UW Cal and Arizona. Oregon and CU still have a chance but are probably more likely to be in the NIT, unless one runs the table which is possible. Now on to the rankings:

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Great weekend for the huskies. Everyone that thought they would lose to Arizona at home is eating crow now. The great bracketologist now has 3 PAC 12 teams in the tournament (I would like to point out that I have saying this will happen), Cal at 9 Washington at 11 and Arizona at 12. I do believe that those 3 get in. But lets not sleep on CU just yet. They get Cal at home on Sunday which could move them into second place. The bracketologist also has Oregon as one of the last 4 out. I still think there is only 3 that get in but CU and Oregon have an outside chance. Looking forward to the conference tourney.

CAHusky went perfect this week and everyone else went 9-1. Getting real tough to catch him in the overall standings. Here are the results and this weeks schedule:

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Well the Dawgs got a split in Oregon. I know that is what is expected but the loss to Oregon stings. Johnnycougar was the only to correctly pick the Oregon win. Of Course all the rest of us are homers. And no one including johnnycougar picked WSU to beat OSU. Well that is enough mention of cougars in one post. IMPORTANT! There is a Wednesday game. If you miss the Wednesday game just pick the rest of them and you will get a loss for Wednesday. Its a game that has USC playing so its a free one if you do pick it. Lets get to the results:

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FIRST PLACE! Not me but the Huskies. After sweeping the LA schools at home, and combined with Cal's loss to Arizona, UW has one game lead in the conference. CAHusky holds onto one game in our pool. Big road trip for the huskies this weekend as they head to Oregon. Look out for Ben's preview in the next couple days. Here are the results:

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Well here we are. The second day of February and signing day is over. Tonight begins the second half of the Pac 12 schedule, and Washington is in a good position tied for first with Cal. The top two teams are starting to pull away from the rest of the conference in terms of Power Rank, and thoughts on making the tournament by national writers. Joe Lunardi has Cal locked in the tournament as a 9 seed, While placing UW as one of the last 4 in, making them a canditate for the first round/play in game on the Tuesday/Wednesday of the tournament in Dayton. If Cal and Washington both finish strong I believe the PAC 12 will get two teams in the tournament. For the Conference to get a third someone else will need to win the conference tournament or have a strong second half and make the race for the regular season title a three team race. Here are my newest PAC 12 Power Rankings:

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Great trip to the desert for the UW Basketball team. It was great to get C.J Wilcox back. It really paid off against Arizona. I will have to start picking against UW more often. Austin Seferain-Jenkins has been as good as we could hope. He has provided much need toughness and help on the boards. Here are the results:

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Here are my newest Power Rankings. Feel free to post your own.

1. CAL 16-5 6-2 - a win over WSU would have made them a clear #1, but instead its close with the top 4.

2. Oregon 15-5 6-2 - two nice home wins for the ducks last week.

3. UW 12-7 5-2 - played 3 good quarters last weekend. Tough road ahead.

4. CU 13-6 5-2 stood strong at home. Maybe the best coach in the conference.

5. Stanford 5-3 15-5 - swept on the road and should lose 3rd straight on Sunday.

6. Arizona 4-3 13-7 - couldnt win in Boulder.

7. WSU 3-4 11-8 - great homestand for the Cougs. Can they steal one in Arizona?

8 OSU 3-5 13-7 - nice bounce back over the LA schools.

9. UCLA 3-4 10-9 - getting swept in Oregon for the team picked to win the conference. Good thing Bruin nation is having some recruiting positives

10 Utah 2-5 5-14 - because they beat ASU, not as bad as I once thought.

11. ASU 2-5 6-13 - UW better beat them.

12 USC 0-7 5-15 - still no conference wins but Utah comes to town this week. A loss could have them looking at 0-18.

Doing this Power Ranking has really made me see just how bad the PAC 12 is in basketball. There is just no defending it. Our best team lost in Pullman and shouldve lost in Seattle. This could really be the year that only our conference champion makes the tournament.

Decent week for the UDUB basketball team. Ugly first half against Cal cost them the chance to sweep an important home series. The addition of Austin Sefarian-Jenkins against Stanford was a nice boost. I look forward to see more of what he can do to help this team.

Last weeks results

CAHusky 9-3

PurpleHeart 8-4

Johnnycougar 8-4

BMoney 8-4

John Berkowitz 7-5

CoDawg 7-5

datboyeddiep 5-7

Overall

CAHusky 33-11 .750

PurpleHeart 31-13 .704

CoDawg 30-14 .681

SunDodger 21-11 .656

Johnnycougar 21-13 .617

John Berkowitz 27-17 .613

BMoney 19-15 .558

Datboyeddiep 11-11 .500

Brownypts 10-0 1.000

kelly20210 9-1 .900

Seahuskies 6-6 .500

Benno 5-7 .417

We keep getting smaller instead of getting larger. There are still tons of games left so lets get your picks in. Remember after Feb 1, there wont be much football to talk about until spring game and all of you who have not participated in this will wish you had.

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I am going to post what I think are my power rankings in the conference so far. Feel free to critique and post your own power rankings.

1. California 15-4 5-1 - Class of the confence

2. Stanford 15-3 5-1 - Likely tied for first after this weekend setting up the Bay Area clash next weekend.

3. Oregon 13-5 4-2 - oh how this pains me, but they are the only team to win a road series all year after an impressive trip to Arizona. And I am trying to be objective

4. Washington 11-6 4-1 - Nice victory over WSU. A sweep this weekend would move them to the top

5. Arizona 12-6 3-2 - shocked they lost to Oregon at home

6. UCLA 10-7 3-2 - Improved but a disappointment this year

7 CU 11-6 3-2 - Nice story, great coach, but only real victory is against UW at home. And we all now how UW is on the road.

8. ASU 6-11 2-3 - Because they are they only other team to win more than once in the conference

9. Utah 4-13 1-4 Because they beat WSU

10 WSU 9-8 1-4 because they beat OSU

11 OSU 11-7 1-5 - after 10-2 non-conference record. they were probably rated 3rd in the conference

12. USC 5-13 0-5 - no conference victories. I bet the Trojans wish they never heard of OJ Mayo. Or anyone named OJ.

Big weekend for Washington Basketball. Washington finds themselves in third place at 4-1 after what I called their best half of the season against WSU. Cal and Stanford come in this weekend tied for first place. Winning both games would put Washington is sole possession of first place and in the drivers seat for the conference championship. This is the only time we play the Bay area schools this year. The only other two teams we only play once are the Rocky Mountain schools.

I was going to do more of a preview for the games this weekend but with all the coaching and recruiting news, my mind is all football right now. Then again, with the takeover initiated by ATQ, writing this without interference of the clucks is therapeautic. And is keeping me from crossing a blog line that I certainly walked right up to over the past 15 minutes.

Standing, Schedules and more after the jump.

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Tough week for Pac 12 road teams and all of us who submitted picks. I think the toughest part of the week was me driving the hour to Boulder. Buying a couple beers and dinner before the game. Spending $50 on tickets to watch the huskies get their arses whipped. Then I spent an hour trying to get out of the parking garage before the long hour drive home. But I digress...

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Thanks to all that participated. For those that didnt its not too late to get it. Congrats to brownypts who was perfect in the first week of Pac 12 Play. A couple of us missed both WSU games proving that cougars suck. Here are the standings:

Brownypts 10-0 1.000%

kelly20210 9-1 .900%

CaHusky 9-1 .900%

John Berkowitz 8-2 .800%

CoDawg 8-2 .800%

PurpleHeart 8-2 .800%

Sundodger 6-4 .600%

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Kei'varae Russell chose ND today. Sigh

Some of you asked for this towards the end of last season. I stated then that I would run it. Well I thought it would be overkill to do the whole season so I decided to focus on the conference schedule. Posts your picks in the comments and I will tally each week. Most games are Thursday and Saturday with a couple exceptions from time to time.

Unlike football I am only going to ask for winners not the spread so we will have only one winner.

Thursday Dec 29

OSU at Washington

USC at Cal

Oregon at WSU

UCLA at Stanford

Saturday Dec 31

Utah at CU

ASU at arizona

oregon at Washington

OSU at WSU

USC at Stanford

UCLA at Cal

Scott Suggs has decided to redshirt his Senior year. He had more pain in practice this week and was not ready to return to the lineup.

Rather than miss half of his final year, he will come back and do it again next year. Suggs was thought to be a key to this team this year. It appears Wilcox and Ross have stepped in and done a great job scoring. Suggs leadership and defense will still be missed.

There is a lot of good football discussion going on, but tonight is a big game for the UW basketball team. They face 11th ranked Marquette (7-0) in the Jimmy V Classic tonight on Espn at 9:00 EST. This is a good opportunity/challenge for this young team to be in the national spotlight. The team will where a patch honoring Andrew Moritz.

This is a strong test for the 2011-2012 Lorenzo Romar coached team. Romar is getting his second chance for win number 200 at Washington. Coming off a tough OT lose at Nevada, fans are really hoping for a rebound. This is probably not the game to do that and with Duke coming up next the Huskies could easily be 4-4 heading into their easiest part of the schedule. After this week it is conceivable that they wont play another ranked team all year.

Marquette is coming off a victory over then number 7 Wisconsin, and has all kinds of talent. They can score in bunches, averaging 84 points a game.

The key for Washington will be to step up their defense intensity and outscore and out run the Golden Eagles. I don't want to see any of the slowing down the action that I believe cost them the win in Nevada. I would love to be the optimist and say the Huskies will do just that, but what I have seen so far this team still has a ways to go. Maybe they find their identity tonight and CJ Wilcox will go off for 40. Aziz N'Diaye will have 15 points and 15 rebounds and 6 blocks and Tony Wroten will have 10 assits. But I am going to have to predict a double digit win for Marquette.

Regardless I will be watching with hope and a purple cocktail. Go Dawgs!

To help take the mind off Nick Holt and the Stanford game, between now and Saturday night.  I thought I would give and early update on the Husky basketball team.  Practice started October 14.  The first game will be an exhibition against Seattle Pacific on November 4.  The first regular season game is November 12, against Georgia State.  Updates after the jump.

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I was in the bookstore the other day and browsed through a copy of Lindy's College Basketball Preview. They have Washington ranked 15th, which I find about right. But one of the things I found interesting and exciting was that they felt Terrance Ross could lead the Pac 12 in scoring. Since we had another article on Terrance Ross recently, and because its a bye. I thought it appropriate to start a conversation about the upcoming season and the possibility of Ross leading the conference.

My wife and I will be visiting Miller Park on Wednesday.  We were married at Coors Field and go to Rockies game every year on our anniversary.  This year its Miller Park.  I am excited because it looks like a great stadium and what goes better with baseball than beer and cheese.  Plus, although I prefer Budweiser products, Miller is a close second and Coors is undrinkable. 

So, as a fellow SBNation blogger, I would like some advice on must sees, where to park, eat, etc.  Also, we will be spending Thursday in Milwaukee and plan to go to the Lake Michigan area.  But is there anything else we should do?

Appreciated