For the longest time, the Seattle Seahawks and the St. Louis Rams was always the rivalry match-up to pay attention to in the NFC West.

This season, it’s the San Francisco 49ers.

With two emerging superstar quarterbacks, the Seahawks‘ Russell Wilson and 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick will be ready to come back with their coaches, Seattle’s Pete Carroll and San Francisco’s Jim Harbaugh.

Squaring up with San Francisco

Clearly, the team that everyone is chasing in the division is the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers won the NFC West title and NFC Championship title. They even almost became Super Bowl Champs before losing to Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens.

The matchup against San Francisco will be intriguing all season long.

The quarterback matchup with Wilson and Kaepernick will only get better as both of them are expected to better themselves after their postseason experiences last season.

Now that the Seahawks have picked up Percy Harvin, the Seahawks running game should be more explosive with Marshawn Lynch and Robert Turbin.

With this lineup, these running backs will have a great matchup against San Francisco’s Frank Gore, LaMichael James and new NFL draft pickup Marcus Lattimore.

More prime-time coverage gives more exposure to division

The Seahawks are playing three prime-time games against divisional teams this season.

Richard Sherman is ready to improve on his 2012 season for the Hawks. (Photo: Google)

Looking back at how the Seahawks were playing last year, not only will they earn more respect nationally, but this will also show how strong the NFC West can be.

Seattle opens up their first divisional game and Sunday Night game against San Francisco on September 15th.

The Seahawks blew out the 49ers at home last year, 42-13 in front of NBC’s Sunday Night Football stage. It would be great to pick up where they left off, especially against the 49ers for their home opener.

Seattle plays their second divisional game against the St. Louis Rams on October 28th. It just so happens that this is also their first Monday Night game.

Seattle was a big part of controversial Monday Night Football news last season, when the referees called Golden Tate making the final catch of the game over Green Bay’s M.D. Jennings.

Tate and Jennings both caught the ball in the end zone. However, according to Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3 in the NFL Rulebook: If a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both players retain it, the ball belongs to the passers.

Last but not least, Seattle plays a Thursday Night game on October 17th at Arizona. Two of the three divisional games played in prime time are on the road.

If the Seahawks can pull off those important divisional wins on the national stage, they will prove to everyone that they’re the team to beat in the West.

Most of last year’s team is returning

Although the Seahawks traded away Matt Flynn and cut one of the strongest punt returners – Leon Washington, most of last year’s team will be back.

We will even get to witness the newest Seahawks additions such as Brady Quinn, along with former Vikings Percy Harvin and Antoine Winfield.

The NFC West needs to watch out because the Seahawks are going to be better, harder, faster and stronger.

More respect will be gained in the country as ESPN has already made a preseason pick for Seattle to win the division.

It’s going to be a fun season Seahawks fans! Even better to see how wild the West will really be.

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Ever since Steve Sarkisian became part of the UW football family, UW football has only gotten better each year. The Washington Huskies have made it to a bowl game for three consecutive seasons, but now, Sark and the Huskies must find a way to prove that they can make this season special.

There were memorable moments at CenturyLink Field during their last season before migrating back to Husky Stadium. Upsetting No.8 Stanford and No.7 Oregon State were probably the two most epic moments of 2012.

Although CenturyLink has treated Husky football well, the Dawgs are coming back to a newly remodeled Husky Stadium where they can create more memorable moments. They just need to find a way to get some mojo going because once they find it, the fans will be pumped; and once the fans get pumped, Husky Stadium will be a hard place for visiting teams to play.

Home-field advantage

The Huskies are playing seven games at home, and with the loyal Husky Nation there to cheer for them from the updated stadium, fan support is crucial for this upcoming season. Maybe the drive for the revamped Husky Stadium can set the tone for the Huskies to drive to a great year.

The Huskies will have home-field advantage in 2013 (Photo: AP).

There are three home games to look out for on next season’s schedule. The first game of the season is against Boise State, a Las Vegas Bowl rematch on Aug. 31. If the fans cheer like it is another playoff game, the momentum will be a huge advantage for UW.

The second anticipated game to mark your calendar for is Oct. 12 against Oregon. The classic rivalry between both schools is always something to get hyped up for, but now that Chip Kelly is gone after accepting a head coach position for the Philadelphia Eagles, UW can pull an upset at home at a potentially packed house.

Lastly, the Apple Cup on Nov. 29.  The Huskies suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss at Pullman last season. This year’s Apple Cup will be different because this will be a game of revenge, and the fans will be all for that.

Star running backs return

Bishop Sankey was the go-to guy for the Huskies’ running game last season, after Jesse Callier’s horrific season-ending injury. Jesse Callier had a one-and-done season after he tore his ACL in his right knee against San Diego State. With Callier returning this year, the running game can become dangerous for opposing teams.

Fill the big shoes

Not only do we have senior playmakers like Desmond Trufant and Cody Bruns gone, but UW could also be without their star tight end (to start the season), Austin Sefarian-Jenkins.

Trufant and Bruns are two of nine seniors who are departing. Sefarian-Jenkins has been suspended from the team until further notice after committing a DUI in March.

UW has the talent to have a great 2013 season. If everyone steps up and improves their skills, new playmakers will be created from their hard work and it will seem like the star players from last year never left.

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Headline: The Safe has one of its biggest home opener games in all different ways

It’s that time of the year where fans like myself fight the long lines to get a classic Safeco Field delicacy, garlic fries. The red carpet is rolled out for each Mariner to make their grand entrance. The Seattle Mariners, along with a few former ones were ready to get this year’s opening day going. This year, was done a little bit bigger.

Here are five things I loved about this year’s home opener:

Ceremonial first pitch

Former Mariner, Jamie Moyer came back to The Safe to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, along with his former battery mate, Dan Wilson. By far one of the greatest battery combos in Mariner history.

Mariner Vision

One of the big ways (literally) home opener was one of the cool ones to remember. In case you missed the news, Safeco Field officially has the biggest video screen in Major League Baseball. After a popular request of the fans of changing the scoreboard style on the jumbo tron, those in charge of this project listened and met everyone’s expectations by a long shot.

While the players were working on improvements during the off season, Safeco Field was working on improving the look of their stadium.

It wasn’t just a Mariners win on home opener, it was a shutout win on home opener.

The jumbo tron was transformed to an enormous 201 foot-wide HD video screen. Every fan that makes a trip to Safeco Field will get to experience the game with “Mariner Vision”.

Newest walk on song before the game officially starts

Seattle based band, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis created a customized version of their latest hit “Can’t Hold Us”, just for the M’s. It makes pre-game a little bit more exciting for everyone. Besides, who doesn’t love it when it’s sang by someone who’s from the home team city?

Morales feels right at home

Kendrys Morales had no problem adjusting to his new home in Seattle. Morales capped out his home debut by going 2-for-3 with two RBI’s. With the rate that he’s going, he will be a huge factor for the Mariners and will become a fan favorite, fast.

We won!

It wasn’t just a Mariners win on home opener, it was a shutout win on home opener. Starter, Joe Saunders pitched 6 1/3 innings without giving up a run during his Safeco Field debut in front of 42,000+ happy fans.

Opening day couldn’t have been better. However, the only thing I hated about home opener was the time conflict with the NCAA Championship game!

Because home opener was scheduled in the evening this year, it also overlapped with the last college basketball game of the entire season. Safeco Field showed the fans a couple of scoring updates during the game and then once the championship game was done, they showed us the final clip of this year’s champions for NCAA Men’s Basketball.

Attendants keeping track of this game had missed out on what was known to be one of, if not the greatest college basketball championship games to ever be played.

We missed out on witnessing Seattle native, Peyton Siva and the Louisville Cardinals come back from a first half double-digit deficit. Siva and the Cardinals ran away with the game in the second half  and never looked back.

Louisville conquered their third championship title for the first time in over three decades. Congratulations Louisville on a well deserved victory! Too bad the extra thousands of fans missed out, but when one great sporting event closes another one opens.

Opening day for your home team can’t feel any better, especially with how this one played out.

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The Washington Huskies finished this season with an 18-16 record. For a shaky season, you have to give them credit for finishing just over .500. Losing three talented seniors will be difficult for this young UW team, but that just means there will be opportunities for the underclassmen to step it up.

It’s going to be exciting watching the young guys grow, but there’s a lot of room for improvement for next season.

Love ‘em

Only three seniors are departing

At least we don’t have to worry about the whole starting lineup leaving us! The Huskies still don’t know if C.J. Wilcox will return for his senior season, but if he does, he would be a great leader for the team next year.

Hoping that Wilcox comes back for his senior year, the projected lineup could look like this:

• G – Andrew Andrews - Sophomore
• G – C.J. Wilcox - Senior
• G – Hikeem Stewart - Junior
• F – Shawn Kemp Jr.- Junior
• F- Desmond Simmons - Junior

Andrew Andrews has done a great job producing points off the bench, as he closed out his last two games scoring double digits against Oregon and BYU.

If Wilcox stays, it’s fair to say that he would be the projected leading scorer on this squad. If he doesn’t, Romar can always put in five-star recruit, Nigel Williams-Goss if he earns a spot on the lineup.

Lorenzo Romar wants to return as the head coach of the Huskies.

Nigel Williams-Goss is a point guard from Happy Valley, Ore. and is ranked 15th in ESPN’s top 100 recruits for 2013.

Romar wants to stay no matter what

Despite the disappointment of missing the NCAA Tournament the last two years, Lorenzo Romar wants to stay at Washington as long as he can. Last month, it was rumored that UCLA was eyeing Romar as a head coaching candidate. The Los Angeles native and former assistant coach for UCLA ended up staying in Washington simply because he loves it here.

Coach Romar and his family have made their home here in Seattle. Not only does he want his players to do well on the court, but in the classroom as well. He wants his last job to be the head coach at University of Washington.

Hate ‘em

Crummy conference play

The Huskies had a hot 4-0 start when conference games began. Two weeks later, they lost four straight with a fast falling .500 record against the conference. On the bright side, we didn’t end the season with an under .500 record or finish last in the conference.

But we had a promising run once conference play began. Every player who is returning next season needs to do everything he can to fill in Gaddy’s, Suggs’ and N’Diaye’s shoes.

Recruiting top players to stay high in the conference

Although it’s a little too early in the season, Romar will have to try to convince as many top recruits as possible to come to Washington. We already have plenty of guards, including newest signee, Nigel Williams-Goss. However, this year the Pac-12 was a lot tougher than people thought and it’s only going to get more competitive.

UCLA, Oregon, Colorado, California and Arizona all have top 100 recruits that have signed with them, but Arizona has locked up the most with four.

Arizona finished second in the conference this season and lost their Sweet 16 game against Ohio State, 73-70.

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We had high expectations for UW to make the NCAA tournament. We were excited when UW developed an early win steak during conference play in January. Then, we started to panic when the Huskies quickly had a .500 conference record.

Finally, we were all upset because UW’s chances slipped away towards the end of the season.

Matchup: Washington Huskies vs. BYU Cougars
Venue: Marriott Center, Provo, UT
Time: 6:30 pm PT
TV/Radio: ESPN, 950 KJR AM

So why watch UW’s first round game in the National Invitational Tournament? Because the Huskies still have a chance! They’re eager for a prolonged season and they’re ready to begin the NIT.

Below are five reasons why this game should be watched and what to watch for, if you choose to do so.

It’s the NIT, but at least it’s not the CBI

Admit it. When the Huskies kept losing conference games by late January and early February, there was no way they could convince the NCAA tournament committee to choose them as one of the 68 teams. But, think of the NIT like winning a silver medal. At least the Huskies qualified for a tournament.

It could’ve been worse. The Huskies could’ve been snubbed from the NIT and get placed in the College Basketball Invitational. The last time UW played in the CBI was in 2008 during the Jon Brockman, Justin Dentmon and Quincy Pondexter era.

So why watch UW’s first round game in the National Invitational Tournament?

Seeding

Despite being the Pac-12 Champions last year, UW wasn’t granted a spot for the big dance. However, they went to the NIT as a No.1 seed and showed that they deserved one of the top seeds.

Even though UW landed a No.6 seed this year, they could be a sleeper team to look out for if they get far enough. The Huskies made it to the semifinals last year before losing to the Minnesota Gophers, 68-67. Ironically, they lost in overtime.

UW and BYU are coming off quarterfinal losses

The Huskies and the Cougars lost in the quarterfinals of their conference tournaments. Coincidentally, both teams lost by three in overtime.

There’s no question that both teams are hungry to move on to the next round after falling short in the quarterfinals. UW committed 15 turnovers when they lost against Oregon. BYU ended the game with 12 turnovers during their loss to San Diego.

Huskies vs. Cougars, again

Another reason to be optimistic about this game. The Huskies opened up the Pac-12 tournament with a win against the Washington State Cougars. Even though UW almost let the win get away, the Huskies managed to reach the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament before their heartbreaking loss to the Oregon Ducks.

It could be deja vu all over again. If they don’t scare us and almost blow a second half lead, they could upset the Cougars at home. Oh yeah, don’t forget about turnover reduction!

Last shot for the seniors!

The seniors didn’t want their season to end. Abdul Gaddy prayed that the Huskies would make the NIT. Now they’re in. Gaddy, Scott Suggs and Aziz N’Diaye need to show how badly they want to extend their senior season.

The Husky seniors have to do everything they can to make sure that this isn’t their last game. A one and done scenario would leave a bitter taste for the seniors.

Or, they can think back to last year’s semifinal game as a motivation for this tournament.

Prediction:

C.J. Wilcox is coming back home, but it may not be a warm homecoming if the game is being played at Provo. The Cougars have only lost three times at the Marriott Center this season. The Huskies have yet to fight for a comeback win, and it will be tricky in Provo.

Another challenging game for both teams, but the Cougars have home-court advantage and will make full use of it. The Huskies will attempt to come back, but BYU will hold on to their late lead to win 69-65.

Of course, I hope I’m wrong!

Go Dawgs.

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Headline: Ducks turn the tables from costly Husky turnovers, in OT loss.

It was a hard-fought game between the Washington Huskies and the Oregon Ducks from the start.

Then regulation ended, and the rest of the game got away from the Huskies. 

Yes they’ve played better basketball than ever before, but they couldn’t capitalize with Oregon’s defense when it came down to the wire.

All the Huskies can hope for is a spot in the National Invitational Tournament. Here are five things I hated about last night and why UW let the game slip away:

Turnovers

I said it before and I’ll say it again. Turnovers have killed the Huskies from early on this season.

Their turnovers have showed us that they’re not the best team when it comes to finishing down the stretch.

Arsalan Kazemi put the nail in the coffin for the Ducks (Photo: dailyemerald.com)

Which is what almost cost them the game against Washington State, but 15 turnovers compared to the 11 committed against WSU were unacceptable.

After blowing a 19 point lead and almost the game on Wednesday, turnovers would’ve been one thing that they needed to reduce to win last night.

This was a fun, fast-paced and intense game to watch, but at one point both teams moved up and down the court at full speed with no ball control.

The Huskies showed some careless ball handling and let points go towards the end. They also lacked being careful with handling Arsalan Kazemi when he woke up in overtime.

They let Kazemi break loose

Arsalan Kazemi had a quiet game even though he didn’t score his first point until the last two minutes of the first half.

Once overtime started, Kazemi turned on the jets and scored 11 of his 14 points to help the Ducks come back and win 80-77. Kazemi and the Ducks took those points and ran away with the win.

Missed free throws=Missed free opportunities

Was Thursday night the last time we will see these three? (Photo: AP)

Believe it or not, if the Huskies made their free throws they would’ve been playing Utah tonight with the chance to play in the conference championship game.

The Huskies were able to knock down 80 percent of their free throws in the first half. UW finished the second half by shooting only 33 percent from the line.

If UW made three of their free throws in the second half, this overtime would’ve never happened.

The Huskies would’ve finally defeated the Ducks after losing the season series to them, and their tournament run could’ve kept going.

If the Huskies get a spot in the NIT, this will have to be one of the key things they need to practice on the most.

Fastbreak points were fading away

Up to the beginning of the second half, the Huskies had a 15-0 advantage in fastbreak points.

They continued with a 12-4 run towards the six minute mark in the second half, but Oregon turned on Washington with a 10-2 run in the last three minutes of the game.

Sad send off for the seniors… well, maybe.

UW Seniors, Scott Suggs and Abdul Gaddy played great, both scoring double digits hoping to lead the team to victory.

It just hurts to see them lose the way they did, especially since they knew they could’ve advanced to the conference semifinals.

Gaddy and Suggs hope that they don’t end their college career with the game that got away.

They don’t want this run to end. They don’t want to remember this as their last Husky game ever played.

They would both love one more chance to play for the NIT tournament. 

Last year, the Huskies made it to the NIT semifinals before losing 68-67 to the Minnesota Gophers in overtime.

No one wants this season to end yet, especially Suggs, Gaddy and Aziz N’Diaye. N’Diaye ended the contest with seven points and nine rebounds.

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Third time’s a charm for the Washington Huskies to defeat their in-state conference rival, the Washington State Cougars. It also means a third opportunity for the Cougs to finally knock off the Dawgs for a possible early exit from the Pac-12 tournament.

Washington swept the season series against Washington State, but with this matchup taking place at a neutral site, the odds are in anybody’s favor.

Matchup: Washington State Cougars (13-18, 4-14) vs. Washington Huskies (17-14, 9-9)
Venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Time: 8:30 pm PDT
TV/Radio: Pac-12 Networks, 950 KJR AM

There’s the classic saying, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” The main goal for the Huskies is to stay in Vegas until they get to the conference championship game, as they make a run for a fourth conference championship title and an automatic bid to the “big dance”.

Game Notes

A win by the Huskies will break a 1-1 conference tournament meeting record against WSU. However, Brock Motum and Washington State developed a two-game winning streak, perfect timing for this upcoming matchup.

While Lorenzo Romar and the Huskies have been conference tournament champions, they are trying to avoid a potential second straight year in the NIT tournament. Seniors, Abdul Gaddy, Aziz N’Diaye and Scott Suggs must help get this team going to extend UW’s stay in Las Vegas.

Winning streaks and tournament streaks are on the line for both teams.

Apple Cup Part III is just around the corner. (Photo: DailyUW.com)

What to watch for: Washington State

The Cougars are coming off a 76-51 blowout home win against USC and are looking forward to beating the Huskies with a third straight win. Washington State has scored 70-plus points in its final two games of the season, including a shocking victory over No. 23 UCLA.

Motum averaged 25 points and 10 rebounds when he and the Cougs swept both Los Angeles schools. WSU never trailed in either game during those victories.

The Cougs have an unstoppable offense that could take them far into the tournament. If they can find a way for the Huskies to turn the ball over, they will be able to take great advantage of scoring points off their turnovers.

What to watch for: Washington

The Huskies are looking to bounce back from a heartbreaking 61-54 home loss against No. 23 UCLA. A daunting 19 turnovers caught up with the Dawgs in the second half of that game, and the team let a huge opportunity for a crucial victory get out of their hands.

A win against the Cougs would set off great momentum throughout the tournament. Washington needs to reduce its turnovers in order to move on to the next round, let alone the conference championship game. The defense will have to stop WSU’s hot shot Brock Motum to avoid going home, but if C.J. Wilcox can win this intriguing scoring matchup, the Dawgs will coast to victory.

It’s the Pac-12 Conference title or bust for these determined Huskies.

Injuries:

None to report. Every player is healthy and ready to fight for this on Wednesday.

Prediction:

This game is going to be neck and neck between both teams. The Huskies have a slight edge as they have more seniors on the team.

With UW’s athleticism and Romar’s conference tournament history, the Huskies will run away with this game late, 65-61.

Gameday Tweets

A large photo of Brock Motum greets guests at the MGM Grand’s front desk: twitter.com/ChristianCaple…

— Christian Caple (@ChristianCaple) March 12, 2013

What was your favorite play from the men’s #pac12hoops season? Here’s a look back at our top 10: pac12.me/10xLFtI

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) March 12, 2013

How far can the winner of this game go in the #Pac12 tourney? #UW #WSU #Huskies #Cougars seattletimes.com/html/huskybask…

— Seattle Times Sports (@SeaTimesSports) March 13, 2013

Pac-12 Tournament: 5 Keys to the Huskies Knocking Off the Cougars: Some bullet points to describe what it will… bit.ly/YlgzFm

— All Coug’d Up (@AllCougdUp) March 13, 2013

HD video of Brock Motum on Vegas, the Huskies and what’s been better lately for the #Cougars: bit.ly/13UW8E8

— Todd Dybas (@Todd_Dybas) March 13, 2013

Congrats to @ucjwilcox23w for making the Pac-12 All-Conf. 2nd team!!

— Lorenzo Romar (@CoachRomar) March 11, 2013

Video: Lorenzo Romar at Pac-12 Tourney dlvr.it/34RbbL

— Husky Sports Now (@HuskySportsNow) March 13, 2013

So, who’s excited for some #pac12hoops at @mgmgrand? twitter.com/pac12/status/3…

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) March 12, 2013

#Huskies trying to stop red-hot #Cougars and leading scorer Brock Motum in #Pac-12 tourney: bit.ly/16qJ2Oq

— KitsapSports (@KitsapSports) March 13, 2013

#Cougars vs. #Huskies March 13 at Pac-12 tourney bit.ly/14OSGGU #wsu #gocougs

— WSU News (@WSUNews) March 11, 2013

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