What's Wrong With Washington?

When you're the pick to win the Pac-10, this isn't a good look.

When you're considered the class of your conference - and not a great conference at that - losing three in a row and falling into third place is going to prompt the question: What's wrong with the Washington Huskies?

"I think it's definitely a fair criticism. You lose three in a row and people are going to ask 'What's wrong with the Huskies?'" said Washington coach Lorenzo Romar. "I think it's unfair to say that we should end the season right now because we're not any good. But I think it's fair to question what's wrong with the Huskies."

Romar thinks he has the answer. Defense.

Washington (15-7, 7-4) went for first to third in the Pac-10 standings in the course of week after losing three games on the road - Washington State and then Oregon State and then to an Oregon team that was picked to finish last and opened the Pac-10 with a 1-5 record.

But last weekend in Eugene, Romar had no problem saying that Oregon is "a better basketball team right now."

Washington has to hope that's a temporary state of affairs. The Huskies, who opened the Pac-10 with a 7-1 record, dropped behind first-place Arizona and second-place UCLA and are two games back in the conference standings heading into Thursday's home game against a scrappy, dangerous Cal team that just lost in triple-overtime to the league-leading Wildcats on Saturday night. The losses have dropped Washington out of the national rankings, but going home might be a timely cure.

Washington has won 12 straight home games by at least 10 points.

"It helps to be coming back and playing at home, but we definitely have to play better," Romar said. "There's no doubt about that."

Romar said his team has not defended with the intensity or energy that's necessary at this point in the season. While the Huskies are No. 2 in the Pac-10 in field-goal percentage defense, they've allowed their last three opponents to shoot better than 43 percent from the field, giving up more than 80 points in two of the last three games.

"I think we've gotten away from what's been good for us, we've been sitting back a little too much, playing a little too passive defensively and I think that hurt us," Romar said. "We've just got to take a little more pride in what we're about...A re-dedication to the defensive end is what is going to help us turn this around. But that's easier said than done because we haven't done it the last few games."

Bryan-Amaning said the Huskies' players can see it on film.

"I don't think you realize how it looks until you've seen it yourself," Bryan-Amaning said. "I don't think guys are intentionally not working hard, but you see it on film and you realize, 'I can be working harder'."

It's also a possibility that the Huskies brushes with adversity have started to show. Washington is playing without starting point guard Abdul Gaddy, lost for the season last month with a knee injury. Gaddy's absence is allowing defenses to focus their efforts on stopping star guard Isaiah Thomas.

The last three opponents have played a 2-3 zone designed to stop Thomas.

And the team has made it through the distraction of a police investigation involving an unnamed player. Prosecutors said last Friday that they will not file felony charges.

Romar said Tuesday that the case is not resolved, so he will continue to decline to discuss it.

The Huskies are familiar with the concept of a late-season scramble. Washington was 3-5 to open Pac-10 play last year before rallying to win 14 of 17 to close the season with a Pac-10 Tournament title and a run to the NCAA Sweet 16.

"I think this is eye-opening for the guys who haven't been here before, but the older guys have been there before and we know how to take this," Bryan-Amaning said. "Last year, we had fire at the end of the year..."