The last time the Washington basketball team went up against its rival Washington State, it came back to Seattle as a team thoroughly beaten in every facet of the game. At the time, the 28-point loss was the worst of the season and put a painful exclamation on a 1-5 stretch.

The Huskies (16-8 overall, 6-7 Pac-10) — now backed by a 5-1 record in their past six games — are ready for No. 10 Washington State, if for no other reason than because they know every game is a must-win in order to reach the NCAA tournament. In their efforts to reach the postseason, the Huskies realize that it starts tonight in Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

"When you're in our situation you don't have a whole lot to think about," said coach Lorenzo Romar. "It's the next game and the next practice because you have no margin for error."

Now as a top 10 program, the Cougars (21-4 overall, 10-3 Pac-10) also have something to play for. After sweeping California and Stanford last week, they are in unusual territory: a chance to win a regular season Pac-10 title.

"It's uncharted waters for us," said WSU coach Tony Bennett. "But we are still going to play to play quality basketball."

Romar knows that Washington State will play quality basketball. A team he once likened to a machine, there is no doubt that his opponent will be the same deliberate, well-honed squad that annihilated the Huskies in Pullman earlier in the season.

"They are a mature group," Romar said. "And they have a lot of defensive playmakers. [Ivory Clark] and [Kyle] Weaver are like firemen. Out of nowhere they come to put out the fire."

That defensive intensity has the Cougars first in the conference in scoring defense, averaging 57.9 points against per game, and also second in point margin (8.8 points per game).

One thing that Washington has that it lacked in Pullman is the presence of Spencer Hawes. Due to a sprained ankle, the 7-foot freshman missed his first game against the team's hated rival. It is something that did not sit well with him.

"It's different when you can contribute than when you have to sit there and watch it happen," Hawes said. "In that sense your emotions take over and you don't see things clearly."

For him, the loss would have been easier to take had he been in the game rather than relegated to the bench. Now that he is healthy, though, the Cougars will be forced to take notice of Washington's leading scorer.

"I think they're significantly better," Bennett said. "They're playing better right now, they didn't have a good game against us last time, and they get a premier player back in Spencer Hawes. All of these things go into making this a tough match-up for us."

Along with Hawes, the rest of the Huskies are eager for the rematch to prove that their recent success is no fluke. Rather, the aberration in the season was the previous match with Washington State.

"We're more prepared mentally and physically," said freshman Phil Nelson. "We have a little momentum and we are more comfortable with the way we are playing now."

Reach reporter Justin Chartrey at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.