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Young Washington takes on Pepperdine in Basketball Travelers Classic

Nov 12, 2006 - 4:35 PM Pepperdine (7-20) at No. 16 Washington (26-7) 10:30 pm EST

SEATTLE (Ticker) -- Washington will have to rely on a bunch of new faces if they want to duplicate last season's success.

The new-look Huskies will take the floor against Pepperdine in the season opener for both teams on Sunday in the opening round of the Basketball Travelers Classic.

In 2005-06, Washington went 26-7 and lost in overtime to Connecticut in the Sweet 16. Star guard Brandon Roy is now in the NBA as is Bobby Jones while Jamaal Williams and Mike Jensen have graduated.

However, Lorenzo Romar will try to be the all-important constant among the Huskies' ever-changing roster. Romar will begin his fifth year on Sunday and will look to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for a school-record fourth straight campaign.

A major cog in this year's squad will be Washington state player of the year Spencer Hawes. A 7-0 center, Hawes will solidify a Huskies frontcourt that has lacked size in recent seasons. Hawes had knee surgery last month but expects to play on Sunday.

Point guard Justin Dentmon and forward Jon Brockman are Washington's top two returning starters. Brockman is a Wooden Award finalist and has been selected team captain on the young squad.

The Wave struggled mightily on the road last season, going 1-14. They return two starters, sophomore forward Willie Galick and senior guard Chase Griffin, who will look to turn that around. However, it does not look promising for Pepperdine, which is expected to finish seventh in the eight-team West Coast Conference.

After their first-ever meeting with the Wave, the Huskies will face Nicholls State on Monday before taking on Northern Iowa one day later in the four-team round robin tournament.