Washington Huskies Links: Road Warriors

With a few exceptions, last weekend was just what the doctor ordered for Washington’s athletics programs. The men’s basketball team picked up an important road victory at California, Joe DeMers threw the first perfect game in Husky baseball history, and the softball team strung together five consecutive victories since Friday night to further solidify their No. 1 ranking.

The Seattle Times — Huskies pull away from Cal to pick up much-needed win over last-place Golden Bears

The men’s basketball team bounced back nicely from a tough loss last week against Stanford by beating California 68-51 to improve to 19-10 (9-7) on the year. The game was tied at 43 early in the second half, but Washington closed out the game on a 25-8 run in the final 16 minutes to pull away. This week, the Dawgs return to Hec Ed to host Oregon State and Oregon in the final two games of the regular season.

The Seattle Times — We don’t know what Lorenzo Romar knew or if Markelle Fultz took the money — but we do know the NCAA is the problem

Larry Stone doesn’t hold back in his criticism of college athletics’ governing body, calling the NCAA “out of control” for “letting a corrupt system fester under its very nose.” It remains to be seen what will be the long-term consequences of the FBI’s probe into college basketball’s shady underworld, but there seems to be little question that monumental change at the institutional level is all but inevitable.

University of Washington — DeMers Throws First Perfect Game in UW History

Until last weekend, Washington’s last no-hitter came via a combined effort on the parts of Tim Lincecum and Nick Hagadone in 2006. On Saturday, junior Joe DeMers one-upped the pair by throwing the first perfect game in Washington baseball history. The right-handed pitcher needed just 84 pitches to set down all 27 UC Riverside batters in Saturday’s game at Husky Ballpark, and was buoyed by an offense that scored eight runs on 12 hits.

USA Today — Professional thing for Sean Miller to do would be step away from Arizona

In the wake of last week’s revelation that Arizona’s head basketball coach Sean Miller was reportedly caught on an FBI wiretap discussing a $100,000 payment to secure the commitment of star freshman DeAndre Ayton, Lindsay Schnell writes that Miller and the University of Arizona would both be best served by his stepping down. Despite Miller’s statement that included the line “I am confident that I will be fully vindicated,” it’s difficult to imagine a future in which he coaches college basketball again, let alone at a program like Arizona.

The Daily — Washington softball shows off pitching depth in Saturday sweep

The Washington women continued their red-hot start to the season, beating Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Long Beach State in five games since Friday evening. The Huskies are now 18-0 on the season, and look every bit the owners of their national No. 1 ranking.

The Seattle Times — Washington women limp into Pac-12 tournament after loss to California

Another Monday link story means another article about the Washington women’s latest loss. Despite 24 points by sophomore Amber Melgoza, the Dawgs fell to the Golden Bears 83-67 to close out the regular season with an abysmal 1-17 conference record. Washington will again play Cal on March 1 in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament.