March 12, 1998

Washington 69, Xavier 68

Making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1986, the Huskies were a No. 11 seed against Xavier in the tournament’s first round. And while a No. 11 seed generally pulls at least one upset per tournament, this may have been a little more surprising than most given that the Musketeers were an 11-point favorite over Bob Bender’s 19-8 Washington squad. But the Huskies got a big game from Deon Luton, who finished with 17 points and hit the game-winning jumper from the left side with 11 seconds left. Donald Watts also scored 17 points, and UW’s star center, Todd MacCulloch, scored 16 points on 8-11 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. Washington’s other 7-footer, Patrick Femerling, blocked a shot as time expired to seal the Huskies’ first tournament win since the Marv Harshman era. It wasn’t pretty; the Huskies turned the ball over 26 times, something that wasn’t that surprising considering Xavier’s pressure defense. But they got it done with solid interior defense, limiting Xavier to 38 percent shooting by utilizing their size advantage in the paint. Washington beat Richmond two days later to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

March 18, 2006

Washington 67, Illinois 64

In one of Brandon Roy’s more memorable “there-is-no-way-we’re-losing-this-game” displays, he scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds to simply will the fifth-seed Huskies to a win after they trailed by 11 in the second half against the fourth-seed Illini. Washington shot only 38 percent from the field, but went 28-39 from the free-throw line in a game that was as physical as it was thrilling. It was also a coming-out party of sorts for then-freshman Justin Dentmon, who scored nine of his 13 points down the stretch of the second half, including a four-point play with 4:12 left that made it a two-point game. After Bobby Jones made one of two free throws to give the Huskies a three-point lead with 12.8 seconds left, Illinois guard Dee Brown missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send Washington to the Sweet Sixteen for the second consecutive season.

March 24, 2006

Connecticut 98, Washington 92

No game in Washington postseason history was as wild, frustrating or soul-crushing as the UW’s double-overtime loss to UConn in the 2006 Sweet Sixteen. It was a game Lorenzo Romar’s Huskies should have put away in regulation, but a series of bone-headed plays prevented the Dawgs from advancing to the Elite Eight. Mike Jensen fouled Marcus Williams as Williams made a layup with 11 seconds left, allowing him to cut the UW lead to one. After Brandon Roy made two free throws to push the lead back to three, Connecticut’s Rashad Anderson hit a miraculous 3-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime. And as the East Coast Huskies shot 47 free throws, UW’s key contributors began fouling out, allowing UConn to edge ahead. Washington was forced to play a large chunk of the second half without Roy, who picked up his fourth foul on a questionable double technical with Rudy Gay.

A late turnover by Gay in the second overtime with UW trailing by two opened the door for a comeback, but Joel Smith threw the ball away and UConn dealt Washington one of its more painful losses in program history. The loss ruined the best game of Jamaal Williams’ career, as he scored 27 points, grabbed seven rebounds, had four steals and blocked two shots.