The Washington Huskies dropped their fourth straight game Sunday, 87-85 to Nevada. Star freshman Markelle Fultz carried the Huskies with 21 points, but it wasn't enough to outshine Nevada's Marcus Marshall, who finished with 32 points -- including the winner with 0.2 seconds left.
The Huskies did get a clean inbound to Fultz, but his shot clanked off the front of the iron and would not have counted had it gone in anyway.
It's a tough loss to swallow at home for Washington, where it would have hoped to get back on track after getting blown out by Gonzaga last week.
Washington is now 4-5 and, despite having one of the most talented players in the country in Fultz, is on a skid that will be difficult to bounce back from in terms of an NCAA Tournament berth. The team's next three games are all winnable -- home against Western Michigan, home against Cal Poly and on the road to conclude the calendar year against Seattle, but the Huskies are going to need to step up in a big way when Pac-12 play starts.
Again, though, even if the upcoming schedule looks favorable, the Huskies don't appear to be trending in the right direction. The team's defensive efficiency ranks No. 195 in the NCAA, and they allow 82.6 points per game, which ranks 327 out of 351 Division I teams. If they are not able to right the ship defensively, Washington may be headed for a sixth consecutive year without an NCAA Tournament appearance.
