It was 2006 when an underrated superstar named Brandon Roy, a graduate of Garfield High School in Seattle, led his basketball team into a Sweet 16 matchup with Connecticut. The game took place in Washington, D.C., my current town of residence, just up the street from my office at the Verizon Center.

In the midst of one of the best games the Huskies would play in years, against a UConn team just two years removed from a national championship, something painfully unforgettable happened. It seemed so innocent when Rudy Gay cut across the key, trailed by Roy. The two had be chipping away at each other the entire game and as Gay exited the key, the whistle blew, a foul on Roy, his third.

As the official went to the scorers table to report the "foul", the two players turned toward each other and came face-to-face. Another official separated them and as they began to back away from each other, the whistle blew again, this time from the other side of the floor. It was the same official, some 25-feet away, dealing out a double-technical on both players.

It devastated Washington. Roy picked up his third and fourth fouls on one play, early in the second half. The Huskies played remarkably with him on the bench and had a chance to win, but that game, a Sweet 16 game, was irrevocably turned by an overzealous official long before the game-tying three and bonehead foul.

I understand why Lorenzo Romar says it will haunt him. These Sweet 16 matchups against UConn have that effect on Washington. Just ask Michael Johnson, the Ballard High School grad who watched Richard Hamilton stab the Huskies in the heart in 1998.

Point? Few teams have the Sweet 16 demons the Huskies do. It has been 57 years since Washington advanced past the Sweet 16 and back then there were less rounds. Twice in their history the Huskies have faced devastating last-second losses to Big East teams.

Tonight, they play another program from the Goliath conference, West Virginia.

I will not make a pick or anything of the like. I'm not even going to preview the game. These are different players, a different time, but they know. They played with Jon Brockman, a member of that 2006 team. Donald Watts, from the '98 team, is still around the program and Todd McCullough has made appearances as well. History hangs over the head of this program tonight.

It is against a Big East team on a Big East court on the heart of Big East country: New York state. The crowd could actually be decidedly pro-Husky, since it is hard to imagine Cornell fans, who are traveling in droves from 60 miles away to see their Ivy League team play Kentucky, rooting for WVU. Opportunities to validate a program and exercise demons don't get bigger than this.

What: Washington vs. West Virginia, NCAA Sweet 16
Where: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
When: 7:27 pm E.T.
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Other notes:
- Health care isn't quite over yet and it appears headed back to the House for one more vote. Last night, as Senate Republicans did everything they could to block the legislation, offering amendments until 3:45 am, an small issue was discovered that needed to be changed. It was in part of the student loan reform, requiring the deletion of 16 insignificant lines. Simple fix and another vote.

During the daytime yesterday, Republicans attempted to shut down government yesterday, using another minority ploy that forces a unanimous consent motion to continue any business past the two hours after the Senate is gaveled into session. They objected, forcing the ending of several hearings and halting business for the day. The ploy led Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown to call them "children".

Also, I actually watched the mind-numbing proceedings for a couple of hours, something us wonk types do out here. I actually find it refreshing to watch floor proceedings, if only because it paints members in a different light when they are interacting with each other. Sometime around 9:30 last night, Montana Democrat Max Baucus poked fun at Kansas Republican Pat Roberts, sarcastically asking how Kansas and Kansas State were doing in the NCAA Tournament. These two would never be mistaken for political friends, ever. No only that, but in poking fun, Baucus was wrong. While Kansas has been eliminated, KSU is still very much alive.

So, the next time Baucus was up to speak, Roberts asked if he would yield for a moment. Surprised, Baucus said sure and Roberts stood up to say: "Senator, I am sorry Montana was eliminated in the first round." Laughter ensued and, for just a moment, the mood in the room was lightened. Trust me, that only lasted a minute. But, in the same spirit of my post about Ernie Kent yesterday, it is nice to remember these people are human.

The Senate reconvenes at 9:45 am this morning, with a final vote expected by 2 pm.

- Don't Ask, Don't Tell was in the news again yesterday, as Sec. of Defense Robert Gates has promised a more "humane" treatment of gays in the military regardless of congressional inaction.

- Health care is a social justice issue.

- Finally, this might be the best poll ever. These "tea party" groups, well, they look a whole like the Republican party. Of the members of tea parties, 74 percent are Republicans and a whopping 88 percent are white.

All for now. Go Huskies!