Yeah...women's basketball.....

"imagine a writer saying something like that about a men's team on a run like theirs"

Mmmmmm.... Yep, fairly easy to imagine if the sport in question were struggling to get it's feet under it in the public eye. Having one team that routinely beats the shit out of every other one means every other teams fans get to feel like also-rans all the time and casual viewers won't bother tuning in because shellackings are boring.

I'm really not a college basketball fan, men's or women's. But I was intrigued by Kelsey Plum's game and managed to get to a couple games at American Airlines Arena last year. Quickly I discovered, yes, Kelsey Plum is awesome, but she's not the only amazing player. Hard not to notice that other unique talent, Chantel Osahor.

What with life intervening, I didn't get a chance to get to a game this season. I watched a couple of their Pac-12 tournament games on TV. And then I resolved, however far the Huskies get in the NCAA tournament, I'm going to watch their every game, preferably at a sports bar. Every game, however heavy an underdog they were, I had faith that they could pull it out. The predictions site fivethirtyeight.com gave them a 7% chance of beating Maryland in the second round, an 18% chance of beating Kentucky in the third round, then they had a relatively easy matchup with Stanford, all of a 41% chance. The Under Dawgs!

Now, in addition to my regular favorite teams in their respective pro leagues, the UW women are my favorite college basketball team. They're an easy team to root for. They play an entertaining, highly skilled, unselfish, and kinda flash team game. And hard not to appreciate the players' personalities and passion. Kelsey Plum is only the gateway drug.

Just by making the Final Four, this team will live on in history. All the rest is the icing on the cake. Oh, but I would so love to see a Huskies (UW) vs. Huskies (UConn) matchup in the championship game. UW vs. Oregon St. would be great too, but ain't gonna happen.

Correction: American Airlines Arena should be Alaska Airlines Arena. Ouch.