When you're 0-3, you don't get to choose how attractive your first conference win is. Saturday's win over Arizona State wasn't flashy or entertaining — particularly with the Seahawks amid a playoff classic — but the Huskies will take it.

The game wasn't sloppy, but it wasn't well-played either. It was just routine — lacking the urgency of a winless team and the passion of a Pac-10 game.

Most importantly it was a win, and with a Pac-10 more competitive than Christmas shopping after Thanksgiving, Washington will take as many as they can get.

It certainly helps when a team shoots 27 percent in the second half, instead of the almost unfair performance by Arizona two nights before.

Against the Sun Devils, Jon Brockman proved he could earn a double-double in his sleep, overpowering opposing frontcourts with ease. Ryan Appleby was as automatic as a fourth-quarter Josh Brown field goal, since an amazing six 3-pointers seems habitual for him these days.

In terms of standout performances, though, that was it. Spencer Hawes was off, Quincy Pondexter seemed frustrated and Justin Dentmon continued to struggle.

It was a game that will be disregarded and forgotten. The loudest roar in Hec Edmundson Pavilion was after a Seahawks update early in the first half.

The game on the hardwood was forgettable, but the Pac-10 action elsewhere was not. No. 1 UCLA lost at Oregon and No. 7 Arizona lost in overtime to WSU, leaving the conference wide-open, waiting to be seized.

With USC and WSU atop the standings, this basketball season will surely be something no one was expecting — particularly with Washington State almost assured a spot in the top-25 this week, and the Huskies on the outside looking in.

This year, we will see the young Huskies at their best, then later at their worst. They'll play up to talented opponents and play down to those inferior. They'll tease and torment, dazzle and disappoint.

Opponents will impose their will on Washington more often than not. A Husky bench will seem shorter and shorter as the year goes on. And yes, replacing the supernatural play of Brandon Roy will prove impossible.

Washington will have to fight to stay in the top half of the conference and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. With a Pac-10 conference as strong as it's ever been, don't make the mistake of assuming the UW is a lock for the 65-team tournament in March. They still need to prove that they deserve the hype and attention they've received this year.

Saturday's struggle at home with the conference's worst is proof of that.

If the Huskies are going to be a contender again this season, they need to make a move right now. Two road games wait in the Bay Area, with a trip to Pullman following.

If no progress is made in the next three games, it will be panic time. It is time to fulfill the promise of potential. No more excuses of youth and inexperience, otherwise this season will pass us by.

The next three games will tip the balance of what would've been and what still can be. For now, though, earning their first Pac-10 win is a good start.

Reach columnist Joshua Mayers at joshuamayers@thedaily.washington.edu.