Such a tease these Huskies are, with NBA ready talent, yet they crack like a high school team.

Traveling to Tuscon to try the impossible and defeat the seventh-ranked Arizona Wildcats, they blew a lead they held into the second half and ended up losing by double digits. Reflecting on the loss on the way back home to Seattle, they should blame no one but themselves.

As their lead slipped and deficit increased, all too familiar weaknesses showed themselves. Despite having elite talent in uniform, their fundamentals shot them in the foot. For years this team has had inexplicable troubles at the line, and on Sunday they went 7-of-16 at the charity stripe. Point guard David Crisp missed two of three free throws in the closing minutes of the second half, an exasperating moment to watch that stood as an example of this team's inability to step up when needed.

Sean Miller does stack his Wildcats teams with talent on talent year in and year out, so depth may have been an issue in this game. Beyond Markelle Fultz, Washington really never matched up well with Arizona. But they did race out to a nine-point lead in the first half, showing a glimpse of better execution and calm that hopefully they can figure out how to maintain a full 40 minutes at some point this year.

It is obviously too late to salvage the year and make the NCAA Tournament, but they can save Romar's job. Seeing the same fundamental problems arise year in and year out is reaching peak frustration level, and one has to wonder how he can not seem to figure out a way to work on things such as free throw shooting in practice.

Next year Montlake will be treated to their own version of John Calipari's incarnate of Kentucky basketball, with a class of recruits that includes four players with at least a four-star rating. Headlining the class is five-star Nathan Hale phenom Michael Porter Jr. who happens to be Romar's godson. It should be an exciting if not interesting time, and leaves no excuses for another no show at the NCAA's. In today's college basketball world, youth is no longer a factor. Talent shows itself at any and every age, and Calipari has proven that programs can win with one-and-dones. 

Sad part is, we are already talking about next year when January isn't even over yet.

Photo: Flickr/Dave Sizer