Beating Gonzaga is going to be a trial.
But the Huskies have another game for thier young stars to continue to gel... 3 games played against Gonzagas 2. If the Huskies can roll over the Quakers like the Mountaineers, a young talented team brimming with confidence and fearlessness playing with an underdog mentality could possibly upset the bigger, badder dawgs.
I think the Huskies have two things that could be X-Factors against Gonzaga.
1. Travel factor... That trip to China is going to make the trip to the Bahamas feel like a breeze.
2. Expectations... I think nobody is expecting Washington to go toe to toe with Gonzaga let alone win. But for a young team, tournament basketball is going to be a healthy experience for them... Just being there and absorbing all they can and getting another chance at a big time event plus another cultural shock is going to make those young players grow up fast.
Then theyll have a whole month of home games after that against mostly scrubs before they begin Pac12 play to really focus and polish thier craft and continue gelling.
I think worst case scenario is if Washington continue thier upward trend and growth by the time they face UCLA on Jan 1st they could have 2 maybe 3 losses, 4 losses at the most. Thats losing to Gonzaga.
Beat Gonzaga, by the time the Huskies faces UCLA they could be undefeated at best or at worst only have 1 or 2 losses under thier belts.
Either way the experience of it all is just as important as the win. So win or lose... It should be a win-win scenario.
Alas, Quakers first and foremost.