ESPN Men's Basketball

After Washington's Pac-10 semifinal win last night, guard Isaiah Thomas spoke of today's championship game as a chance for revenge against Arizona and a second opportunity to win a conference championship.

The Huskies, the preseason favorites that finished third, desperately want to prove themselves going into the NCAA tournament by defending their Pac-10 tournament title and taking it to the Wildcats after splitting the season series.

With reserve guard Venoy Overton suspended for the entire tournament, it's been Thomas who has played 78 minutes over the past two days and taken it upon himself to get the job done.

"He was going as if he hadn't played any minutes, as if he was fresh," Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said. "He's just doing a great job of leading this team."

Will Washington have enough depth to beat Arizona? Thomas had 10 points and 12 assists, but struggled in going 2-of-11 from the field against Oregon, so he'll need help. The Huskies have also adjusted their lineups depending on the matchup, most recently starting guards C.J. Wilcox and freshman Terrence Ross alongside Thomas.

A game against a deep Arizona team might not be the best matchup for Washington while it runs on fumes. Derrick Williams is coming off another big game, and the Wildcats have begun starting Kevin Parrom while getting good production from Jamelle Horne and freshman Jordin Mayes off the bench against USC.

And Arizona coming off its regular-season title is no less motivated for this game.

"We came here trying to separate our regular-season championship and pursue a quest for the conference tournament championship," coach Sean Miller said. "You have that postseason now, and these guys understand that from this point forward after a lot of hard work and a great regular season that when you lose, you go home."

Forward Nikola Vucevic noted how different it was with fiery USC coach Kevin O'Neill suspended -- there was much less yelling coming from the sideline.

But after taking over for O'Neill on the bench, assistant coach Bob Cantu said as loud and clear as he could that the Trojans belonged in the NCAA tournament after the their 67-62 loss to top-seeded Arizona in the Pac-10 tournament semifinals

"I think we had a good showing tonight, and anybody that was watching the game tonight would have to call this a good loss," Cantu said afterward. "If you were on the committee and we were on the border, you'd have to say, 'Well, this team played well without their head coach.' We feel they can compete in an NCAA tournament."

USC fell to 19-14 after the hard-fought loss, and twice Cantu mentioned that he thought the Trojans could compete with any team in the country. He listed off wins against Texas, Arizona, UCLA and Tennessee.

"My point is we have some great wins," Cantu said. "Everybody's saying we've got bad losses. I personally think great wins mean more than bad losses do when you look at the big picture."

Cantu's use of the bully pulpit came after O'Neill earlier in the week said it would be a "waste of time" pontificating about the team's at-large chances with the selection committee.

O'Neill actually spoke with Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles during the game and said, "The people that make those decisions are smart people. They understand where this is at. I think they'll judge our team based on what we do on the court."

Off the court, O'Neill has apologized for his confrontation with an Arizona booster on Friday that led to his suspension for the tournament and the Trojans losing their strongest voice at a most critical time in the season.

Yes, Joe Lunardi as of right now has USC getting into the NCAA tournament as one of the "last four in." But USC ultimately got bounced from the tournament, and that has left them teetering.

Moving onto the championship game are two teams merely looking to further solidify their seeding in the NCAA tournament, though there is also plenty of motivation for preseason favorite Washington to prove itself against regular-season champion Arizona.

"They got us last time, and we want some revenge," Washington guard Isaiah Thomas said afterward. "They're a great team, and we'll be ready for them. It's going to be a fun game tomorrow."

But really, this tournament for the conference as a whole was about seeing which team could step forward and grab an at-large bid. Arizona coach Sean Miller took the opportunity after his team's win to talk up the Trojans, even mentioning that they were without transfer guard Jio Fontan until December.

"I told our guys in the locker room after the game I thought this was our best win of the season," Miller said. "The reason is we respect USC a great deal."

Derrick Williams scores 20 in leading Arizona to a 67-62 win over USC in Friday's Pac-10 semifinals.

Oregon State capped off its 11-20 season with a 78-69 loss to top-seeded Arizona that saw sophomore big man Joe Burton ejected in the Pac-10 tournament quarterfinal.

From The Associated Press:

Burton was assessed a flagrant foul and got ejected for elbowing [Kevin] Parrom in the face near the baseline with 10:25 remaining. Burton walked back to his bench claiming he got hit. Arizona fans chanted "Throw him out!" as the referees reviewed the play.

The Beavers trailed by nine when Burton left the court. Parrom scored six of the Wildcats' next nine points, with Williams adding his fifth 3-pointer to extend the lead to 70-56.

The play was the latest in a string of incidents that highlights how much coach Craig Robinson's team needs to mature before it can compete for the top of the Pac-10.

During the Beavers' loss in their regular-season finale to Arizona State, Robinson left himself with only six players after he suspended numerous members of his regular rotation for curfew violations, according to The Oregonian.

Freshman guard Roberto Nelson, one of the few who did make bed check Thursday, exploded for a career-high 34 points, evoking memories of his days with his Compton Magic AAU team.

Among the players who were disciplined were usual starting guards Jared Cunningham and Ahmad Starks, starting forward Devon Collier, and key reserves Calvin Haynes and Lathen Wallace.

Nelson quipped, "I'm a boring guy" when a reporter asked him why he wasn't out with everyone else.

According to The Oregonian, Burton was also suspended for the team's loss at UCLA last month for breaking a team rule. Burton couldn't play on a day when hundreds of Native American children were invited to see him play and hear him speak afterward.

Robinson has spoken extensively about changing the losing culture of the program. He has brought in talent that has surprised with some wins, but those same players have also racked up bad losses. That talent is still learning, and Robinson has asked fans for patience.

They continue to be reminded how long of a road this team will have to travel.

It's only been his second season, but Washington State coach Ken Bone has already experienced quite a ride since taking over the program. To briefly sum it up, the Cougars had promising 10-2 starts in non-conference play in both seasons, but then finished last in the Pac-10 a year ago and sixth this season by going .500.

There have been glimpses of potential, with the Cougars routing Gonzaga at home and having a nice showing at the Diamond Head Classic (to some extent a five-point loss at home to Kansas State counts). There have been some turns in fortunes, with nagging injuries hurting the team and Klay Thompson and Reggie Moore being busted for marijuana possession in separate incidents which resulted in each being suspended for a game.

Here's how guard Marcus Capers described this season to The Spokesman-Review:

"Ya, it's had its ups and downs," Capers said Wednesday after the Cougars' final pre-Pac-10 Conference tournament workout, a practice delayed because WSU was stuck in Pullman an extra day due to snow and a canceled Tuesday flight.

"I feel we could have done better, but one thing we were constantly struggling (with) was our consistency," said Capers, a junior whose role has been anything but consistent this year, swinging back-and-forth from wing to point depending on Reggie Moore’s health. "When you don’t have consistency, your team is going to be a roller coaster during the season."

That brings us to tonight, as Washington State hopes to make its way off the bubble starting with a win against rival Washington. The Cougars have already swept the regular-season series, and the Huskies will be down a man with reserve guard Venoy Overton getting suspended for the tournament. Bone, a former UW assistant under Lorenzo Romar, knows there are few secrets between these two teams.

The Cougars certainly have the personnel to not only beat the Huskies a third time, but also win the entire tournament. Thompson led the conference in scoring while Moore, who is having an injury-plagued season and is expected to return from an ankle injury, burst onto the scene last season. DeAngelo Casto is a load to handle inside, Capers is a reliable presence, and sixth man Faisal Aden has the ability to provide instant offense.

The issue -- as Capers said -- has been consistency for a program that isn't accustomed to sustaining success like some of the other Pac-10 powers. It has crept up on a day-to-day basis, as Moore and Aden have missed practices battling nagging injuries. There's been a leadership question as well, with Thompson putting himself in a poor position with the marijuana incident and also previously showing up late for the team bus. And as a team, the Cougars have struggled on the road, getting swept by the Los Angeles and Arizona schools.

When will it all come together for the Cougars? The long-term answer remains unclear (as does Thompson's NBA draft decision), but there's plenty of opportunity over the next three days to make a strong statement.