Jerry Brewer: Huskies learn key lessons in loss

LOS ANGELES — During a frenzied and chippy second-half Washington rally, Venoy Overton rose from the bench, turned around and made sure the crowd recognized his team's relentlessness.

"This is why we're No. 1!" he exclaimed.

On the other hand, there's no truth to the rumor that during a lousy first-half breakdown, he yelled, "This is why we played in the CBI last year!"

If you worried the Huskies had grown too potent to be true, well, their uneven, uncharacteristic showing Friday night returned them to modesty. Arizona State shoved some humble pie in their faces, ousted them from the Pac-10 tournament by a 75-65 score, and set the stage for the asinine query that must be asked this time of year to every team with a secure place in the NCAA tournament.

Was this a good loss?

For a response, we give you coach Lorenzo Romar and his red-faced seniors, Jon Brockman and Justin Dentmon.

"One, two, three — NO!" Romar exclaimed.

He preceded his reaction with a countdown because he hoped Brockman and Dentmon would join him in lambasting the question. But like with everything else on this odd night, the Huskies were too out of sync to perform properly.

"I think that's fan talk, to be honest with you," Romar said of the perceived benefits of getting a loss out of the system before the NCAA tournament.

If the Huskies wanted a feel-good defeat, they probably wouldn't have flirted with a brawl in this game. In that contentious second half, Overton got into it with Arizona State star James Harden, which led to the officials calling three technical fouls. Harden pushed Overton, who fell and tried to catch himself on Harden's jersey. It caused Harden to stumble downcourt, and then Sun Devils guard Derek Glasser walked over Overton.

More macho antics ensued. Harden, Glasser and Overton all received techs. About five minutes later, the Huskies were finishing a remarkable comeback from a 21-point first-half deficit, only to run out of steam in the game's closing minutes.

In a single game, the Huskies lost and found themselves and then lost the game. If that doesn't get them ready for the Big Dance, nothing will.

As Romar said, the Huskies didn't need this loss. But perhaps they needed this game.

The lessons that can be taken from it are too vivid to ignore. After a game in which all of their virtue and flaws were exposed, the Huskies can use this performance to become a sounder team as they enter the Big Dance.

For the most part, they learned that no matter how tough and defensive-minded they are, they can't continue to play offensively inept basketball and expect to beat quality competition. Poor shot selection and silly turnovers enabled Arizona State to take that 21-point lead in the first half. It was easily the Huskies' worst half of the season — worse than their second-half meltdown at Arizona, worse than their early-season loss to Kansas.

"When we get impatient at times, our offense kind of goes downhill," Romar admitted.

It did more than go downhill. It slid down a mountain. The Huskies looked like Oregon the first 20 minutes, jacking up the first jumper available, missing 23 of their first 30 field-goal attempts.

During one timeout in the opening half, Romar told his team, "Our shot selection is atrocious." He also ripped them for "experimenting" during the game, or in other words, drifting from the game plan.

Miraculously, the second half was different. The Huskies were more aggressive on defense and more willing to execute on offense. They were the team we've come to marvel.

Ultimately, this game doesn't hurt their NCAA tournament prospects. They still have Sweet 16 potential. After sweeping the Sun Devils in the regular season, perhaps Arizona State was due for this win. In the Big Dance, the Huskies will get to play new foes, teams unfamiliar with their style, and perhaps that will stir better offense.

Of course, an attitude adjustment won't hurt, either.

Should the Huskies celebrate this loss? One, two, three — NO!

Should they remember it? Absolutely.

This is their last free loss.

If there's another one, the good times end.

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com