NIT Bracket 2012: Why Washington Will Walk Away with Championship

The Washington Huskies may have been omitted from March Madness, but they've come back with a vengeance in the NIT tournament.

The Huskies, led by stars Tony Wroten and Terrence Ross, are doing serious damage in the "consolation tournament," dropping 90 points on high-powered Oregon in the quarterfinals.

But Washington isn't just a two-man team. The Huskies have gotten big performances from Aziz N'Diaye, C.J. Wilcox, Darnell Gant and Abdul Gaddy throughout the tournament. Even though Wroten and Ross are undoubtedly their stars, there has been plenty of help from the supporting cast. In fact, without that supporting cast, Washington would have lost to Oregon.

The Huskies didn't exactly close their season off in style before the tournament. They lost to UCLA and Oregon State. But this team knows it had a chance at getting into the NCAA tournament, and Washington is playing like it.

The biggest threat figures to be Stanford, who I see knocking off Massachusetts in the semifinals. The Cardinal just destroyed a Nevada team I liked, getting big performances from Josh Owens and Chasson Randle and bench players Josh Huestis, Aaron Bright and Dwight Powell. The bench alone has a chance of upsetting Washington.

But I like Washington's star power better, boasting two potential first-round picks in the NBA draft, and the team is playing well together. Plus, the Huskies have a distinct rebounding advantage, ranked fifth in the nation in the regular season.

Washington has the look of a team that feels as if it was snubbed. Expect that to translate into an NIT tournament title.

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