Washington Is Riddled With Inconsistency

They are the team that began the season 11-0, and 16-2, including a 69-65 victory over Pacific 10 Conference-leading UCLA at Pauley Pavilion.

But the Washington Huskies are also the team that had lost three in a row before beating USC Thursday. And even in that game, the Huskies blew all but nine points of a 27-point lead before hanging on for the victory.

Washington Coach Lorenzo Romar calls his team’s inconsistency “frustrating.” Guard Brandon Roy calls it “scary.”

The Huskies’ record reflects this collective split personality. Although they are 17-5 overall, they are only 6-5 in the conference.

So which squad will show up this afternoon at Bank of America Arena to face the Bruins?

The Huskies know what they’ll face. No erratic performance swings for the Bruins (20-4, 10-2). They have won five in a row, six in succession in the conference since losing to Washington. They have done it with a deep, cohesive unit that has bought into Coach Ben Howland’s defense-oriented approach.

That defense was never more impressive than on Thursday night at Pullman, Wash., where UCLA held Washington State to 12 points in the first half, 30 overall and sealed off the middle so effectively that Washington State didn’t get to the free-throw line until almost midway through the second half.

The Cougars looked feeble, but much of that had to do with the guys in the other uniforms.

Romar takes little comfort from the fact that his team won its first game against the Bruins this season.

“The first time Washington State played UCLA,” Romar said, “they missed a layup at the end that would have tied the game. What was the final score [Thursday night]? It was 50-30. UCLA is that much better.”

*

Cedric Bozeman is Arron Afflalo’s roommate.

So when Bozeman, a key element in the UCLA defense, was forced to sit out eight games because of torn cartilage in the back of his left shoulder, it also pained him to watch the effect his absence had on Afflalo.

As the Bruins’ leading scorer and defensive stopper, Afflalo was trying to carry the load at both ends of the court. Fatigue set in, his legs lost some of their spring and Afflalo went into an horrendous shooting slump in which he went eight for 33 over three games.

But with fifth-year senior Bozeman back, an obviously reinvigorated Afflalo has regained his shooting touch.

“He’s like a younger brother to me,” Bozeman said. “I could see that playing so much, he really wore his body down. There’s a lot of pressure on him defensively, but he deserves to score too.”

How valuable is Bozeman? With him, UCLA is 15-1.

*

TODAY

at Washington, 12:30 p.m., Channel 7

Site -- Bank of America Arena.

Radio -- 570.

Records -- UCLA 20-4, 10-2 Pac 10, Washington 17-5, 6-5.

Update -- If the Huskies win today, it would be their first sweep of the Bruins in conference play since the 1986-87 season. Roy, coming off a double-double (25 points, 11 rebounds) against USC, is Washington’s leading scorer, averaging 19.2 points.