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NCAA Tournament preview: #4 Washington vs #13 Mississippi State

West Regional Matchup

Thursday

No. 4 Washington (25-8) vs. No. 13 Mississippi State (23-12)

Time/Site: 5:00 EDT/Portland

The winner gets: The winner of Purdue-Northern Iowa

Summary: The Huskies won their first outright Pac 10 championship since 1953 but lost to Washington State in the tournament semifinals. Mississippi State finished third in the SEC west but won the SEC conference tournament to earn the automatic bid.

Key Players: Washington – Jon Brockman (14.9 ppg, 11.2 rpg), F; Isaiah Thomas (15.4 ppg), G MSU – Jarvis Varnado (13.1 ppg, 9.0 rgp), F-C; Dee Bost (4.3 apg), G

Key stat: Washington – The Huskies average 78.9 points per game. MSU – The Bulldogs are on a six-game winning streak.

Washington will win: If point guard Thomas continues to enjoy his freshman year with another great performance. He has been very steady and people point to him as to why the Huskies had a better-than-expected season.

Mississippi State will win: If the fact that it had to win four games in four days doesn’t catch up with them. Coach Rick Stansbury’s club is always physical. That might bother the Huskies.

Prediction: Washington 69, Mississippi State 59

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By Kevin Lonnquist
DFN Sports Staff Writer

Washington Huskies 2009 NCAA Tournament preview