Next up, Huskies and Cougars

The Northwest continues to be pounded by a series of powerful Pacific storms. More heavy rain, heavy mountain snow and strong winds will lash the region in the next few days. The heavy rain and snowmelt may cause flooding throughout Washington. The Huskies and Cougars may be happy to head south to a gentler climate, although they won't receive a warm welcome at Maples or Haas.

Washington Huskies

Tara recently said (of the Cardinal), "I think every team is a work in progress. Some are just under more extensive construction."

That certainly applies to the Washington Huskies, who lost three players to graduation and had four others transfer out of the program. They have also suffered a spate of injuries, none of them season-ending.

With just one starter back, they haven't found their groove yet and need time to rebuild. After their last nonconference game, second-year coach Tia Jackson said, "I'm excited about where we're headed going into Pac-10 play. I know our record doesn't reflect that, but I think we've got a lot to show this Pac-10 conference."

Their top players are:

• Junior forward/center Laura McLellan, Washington's leading scorer and second-best rebounder, is #17 in the Pac-10 in points/game (11.5).
• Junior guard Sami Whitcomb, Washington's second-best scorer, is #18 in the Pac-10 in points/game (11.5) and #3 in the Pac-10 in steals/game (2.45)
• Senior guard Michele Augustavo, Washington's best three-point shooter, is #5 in the Pac-10 in three-pointers/game (2.18) and #8 in the Pac-10 in 3-point percentage (.353)
• Junior forward Lydia Young, Washington's leading rebounder, has 4.8 rebounds/game.

The Huskies are doing well considering that they had the fourth-toughest nonconference schedule in the Pac-10, including ranked teams UConn and Kansas State. Their win-loss record (5-6 overall, 1-0 conference) places them 4th in the Pac-10, their RPI (148) places them 10th, and their strength of schedule (37) places them 4th.

Here are their 2008-09 player statistics and their roster.

Washington State Cougars

The Washington State Cougars, under second-year coach June Daugherty, are off to their best start since 1995. They no longer dwell in the Pac-10 cellar, as they did for the past nine years.

They return two starters, and have a freshmen class that was ranked as high as 16th in the nation. All seven freshmen were McDonalds All-American nominees.

Their top players are:

• Freshman guard Jazmine Perkins, WSU's leading scorer, is tied for #4 in the Pac-10 in points/game (14.7), is #2 in the Pac-10 in steals/game (2.5) and #10 in the Pac-10 in assists/game (3.17)
• Freshman guard April Cook, WSU's second-best scorer and leading 3-point shooter, is #6 in the Pac-10 in points/game (14.2), #10 in the Pac-10 in 3-point percentage (.327) and tied for #8 in the Pac-10 in steals/game (1.67)
• Senior guard Katie Appleton, Washington's third-best scorer (10.8 points/game) and rebounder (5.3), is #11 in the Pac-10 in 3-point percentage (.324)
• Freshman guard Rosie Tarnowski, WSU's leading rebounder, is #9 in the Pac-10 in rebounds/game (6.5)
• Senior forward/center Heather Molzen, WSU's second-best rebounder, is#10 in the Pac-10 in rebounds/game (6.4)

The Cougars scheduled their young team for success in the nonconference and they got it. Their win-loss record (7-5 overall, 0-1 conference) places them 7th in the Pac-10, their RPI (137) places them 8th, and their strength of schedule (202) places them 10th.

Here are their 2008-09 player statistics and their roster.