HUSKIES PREFER THE UNDERDOG TAG.

Byline: Steve Mims The Register-Guard

Arizona was the preseason pick of the Pac-10 by the media, but Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson has tried to pass that tag north to Seattle.

"That's nice of coach Olson to say that," Washington men's basketball coach Lorenzo Romar said. "Right now we're pleased with our nonconference schedule, but how things turn out in the Pac-10 is a whole different ball of wax.

"There are so many teams capable of beating us if we don't play at a high level that it is not funny. We have to get better as a team before we can start saying `we are the team, the premier team in this conference.' We have not proven that yet."

Yet the Huskies have proved a lot with a 10-1 record and an offense that leads the nation with an average of 91.6 points per game. The Huskies are ranked No. 13 in The Associated Press poll, one spot ahead of Arizona.

"Like I said when we were picked to win it, it doesn't quite make sense," Olson said this week. "We lost Andre Iguodala and Washington lost no one. They beat us three times last year. Washington has the experience back."

The Huskies return all five starters and their top seven scorers from last year when they finished second in the conference at 12-6.

The top returnee is junior guard Nate Robinson, who flirted with jumping into the NBA draft before returning to the Huskies. He ranks second in the league with 19.2 points per game.

Tre Simmons and Brandon Roy are averaging just over 16 points per game while Bobby Jones, Jamaal Williams, and Will Conroy are all averaging in double figures.

"From what I've seen of the Huskies, I think they are as good as any team in the country," Stanford coach Trent Johnson said. "One thing they do is score from all five positions on the floor. They appear to be a team without any weaknesses."

The Huskies reached the NCAA Tournament last year but had to overcome a rough start to do so. Remember that Washington started conference play with five losses in a row and looked to be headed toward an 0-6 start before it rallied late from a 16-point deficit to beat Oregon State in overtime.

"Now that seems like a distant memory," Romar said. "If we remember anything, it is that we want to try and avoid being there again, because it can happen if we don't come out and play the way we are capable of playing."

The Huskies, who open Pac-10 play at home against California on Friday afternoon, beat traditional powers Utah, Oklahoma and No. 18 Alabama to win the Great Alaska Shootout and also defeated No. 17 North Carolina State. The lone loss was at 12th-ranked Gonzaga.

"It looks like Washington, based on nonconference games, would be the team to beat," Olson said. "The key now will be to be the hunted instead of the hunter."

Romar said still considers his team to be in the latter of those two roles.

"We're still the hunter," he said. "We don't feel like the hunted. We're just a year removed from 0-5 in the conference and two years removed from finishing in the bottom of the Pac-10. I'm not ready to step up and say we have arrived yet. We've been in the situation before where we did well in nonconference games and then did not do well when the conference started."

Arizona is coming off a subpar season but always is considered a contender to win the conference title. The Wildcats finished third at 11-7 last season, matching their worst Pac-10 record in the last 20 years.

The Wildcats suffered from a lack of depth last season after forward Isaiah Fox missed the season with a knee injury and top recruit Ndudi Ebi declared for the NBA draft. Arizona had seven scholarship players on the roster.

The Wildcats have a deeper roster this year led by volatile guard Salim Stoudamire, who is averaging a team-high 14.4 points per game but has already been suspended for one game by Olson for disciplinary reasons. The senior bounced back from his benching to score 23 points in 20 minutes during a win over Manhattan.

"Salim's a great shooter; the only thing that would keep him from hitting a great percentage is if he doesn't take great shots," Olson said. "But I think he's been very unselfish in the practice situations. He's doing a real nice job out there with his leadership. He's been very positive with the guys and I see no reason why that won't continue."

Stoudamire is one of several familiar names on the roster that also includes 6-10 senior Channing Frye, who is averaging 12.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

Junior Hassan Adams was an honorable-mention all-conference selection last year while sophomore point guard Mustafa Shakur is averaging 8.3 points, 5.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Arizona's struggles last season were commonplace around the conference as only three teams reached the NCAA Tournament, marking the fewest for the league since the 1992-93 season. The Pac-10 is trying to rebuild its reputation but does not appear to be getting much national attention yet.

Washington and Arizona are the only teams ranked in the AP poll and Oregon is the only other team to even receive a vote. However, all 10 teams have winning records and the conference has a 77-25 mark in nonconference play.

"I think that without question the conference is certainly better than last year," Oregon State third-year coach Jay John said. "No question at all. This is the strongest the Pac-10 has been since I've been head coach at Oregon State."

Olson said he considers the Ducks among the conference contenders, and who could argue after Oregon's 8-1 start?

"I'm not ready to say that yet, but if we get to the halfway point and continue to have the success we've had, then that's a different story," Oregon coach Ernie Kent said.

Defending conference champion Stanford lost head coach Mike Montgomery and leading scorer Josh Childress to the NBA. The Cardinal are 6-4 - including losses to No. 19 Louisville and No. 23 Michigan State - and take a four-game winning streak into their league opener at Washington State.

"I'd much rather be 10-0 and averaging 100 points per game and holding opponents to 60, but I'm pleased with the fact we're getting better," Johnson said. "We didn't start the season playing very well, but we're getting better, so I have to be pleased with what's happening."

All-conference point guard Chris Hernandez is back to lead the offense along with returning starters Rob Little at center and Nick Robinson at forward. Junior Dan Grunfeld averaged just 3.4 points per game last season but ranks fourth in the conference this year with 16.7 points per game.

"I think Stanford is more similar than different from last year," WSU coach Dick Bennett said. "They might not have the one great playmaker that Childress was, but they are really tough on the baseline and they have great leadership with Hernandez. I think the only difference is that people look at the record and say it is not the Stanford of old, but I think they will become one of the teams to beat in the league, because they know how to win."

The Cardinal already have twice as many losses as last season, when they won the conference at 17-1 and finished 30-2 overall.

"We are not worried about others' expectations or what others think of us," Johnson said. "These kids are very bright and they understand how hard it was to have that success last year. We talk a lot about our expectations for ourselves and how we will try to get better, and then move on from there."

RATING THE PAC-10 CONFERENCE

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Washington: Huskies are 24-5 since loss at Oregon on Jan. 15.

Arizona: Plenty of familiar faces in Stoudamire, Frye, Adams and Shakur.

Oregon: With no seniors, Ducks could be at the top of this list next year.

UCLA: Three freshmen seem to be fitting into starting lineup just fine.

Stanford: After 19 years of rule by Monty, Trent Johnson takes over on The Farm.

Arizona State: Picked last by the media, but off to 11-1 start.

Oregon State: In position to get first winning season since 1990.

USC: With Majerus out of the way, Jim Saia will try to make his case to stay on the job.

California: Losing Leon Powe just too big of a hit.

Washington State: Coach Dick Bennett said, "We haven't even begun to rebuild yet."

CAPTION(S):

University of Washington coach Lorenzo Romar says his Huskies aren't ready to be the pick of the Pac-10 just yet. Arizona was the preseason choice of the media to succeed Stanford as conference champion. Harley Soltes / The Seattle Times `We're still the hunter. We don't feel like the hunted. We're just a year removed from 0-5 in the conference and two years removed from finishing in the bottom of the Pac-10. I'm not ready to step up and say we have arrived yet.' LORENZO ROMAR WASHINGTON COACH