Huskies roll over Stanford

SEATTLE – There are undoubtedly moments when fans of the University of Washington men’s basketball team look out on the court, marveling at the highlight-reel combo of Terrence Ross and Tony Wroten Jr., and mutter a four-word theme that has become the slogan of Pacific-12 Conference basketball in recent years.

If only they’d stay.

With every passing week, UW’s gifted young duo looks like the present, and immediate future, of the Pac-12. And with every passing week, Ross and Wroten appear more destined for the 2012 NBA draft.

Such was the case Saturday afternoon, when Wroten went to the basket at will, and Ross used another breakout second-half performance to turn a game against Stanford into a laugher. The pair of projected first-round picks in the 2012 draft combined for 39 points, 26 of which came after halftime, as the Huskies blew past the Cardinal 76-63.

“We’re starting to look more and more like the team we need to be,” said coach Lorenzo Romar, who won his 300th career game and his 100th in the conference.

Wroten goes into every game – no matter where, and no matter how great the competition – believing he’s the best player on the court. Saturday afternoon, when he seemed to gain confidence with every drive to the basket, he continually proved it.

The freshman scored almost every one of his game-high 21 points while driving past, and sometimes between, Stanford defenders.

“Coach (Romar) said whenever somebody smaller is on me or Terrence, take it to the post,” said Wroten, who scored his 21st point with 7½ minutes remaining and the Huskies up by 19. “Whenever I’ve got somebody small on me, I try to do that.”

Ross wasn’t nearly the offensive threat for the first 20 minutes, but he continued his second-half assault on opponents while scoring 16 of his 18 points after halftime. Over the past three games, Ross has averaged 18.3 points on 58 percent shooting in second halves of games. By stark contrast, he’s averaged 2.7 points while shooting 13.6 percent in first halves during that span.

“It’s more adjusting to what they were giving me,” Ross said. “I let the game come to me, just stayed patient and tried not to rush things.”

Wroten and Ross combined for 11 points during a 13-0 UW run midway through the second half to turn an eight-point lead into a 61-40 advantage.