The tie-breaking procedure for the Pac-10 tournament can get pretty complicated, but the bottom lines for the Huskies and Cougars are pretty clear: the only scoreboard they need to worry about Saturday is the one at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

If the Huskies win, they'll be the outright Pac-10 champions. However, a UW loss (also assuming a UCLA win over Oregon) not only makes the Huskies co-champs, but tie-breakers also drop them to the No. 2 seed in the Pac-10 tournament next week at Staples Center in Los Angeles. That not only gives the Huskies a potentially tougher opening-game opponent but it dooms them -- and the media covering them -- to the late-game portion of the bracket.

Meanwhile a WSU win clinches either a fifth- or sixth-place finish, which guarantees a first-day bye in the Pac-10 tournament. While a WSU loss means a seventh- or eighth-place finish and a tournament-opening game Wednesday.

Just about every rooting interested the Huskies may have had across the Pac-10 turned out badly for them Thursday night: UCLA romping over Oregon State, Cal coming from behind at Arizona, Arizona State's surprising tumble against Stanford.

They still could get some help before the take the court against Washington State at 2:30 Saturday. But most likely, if they want that outright Pac-10 title, they'll have to take it on their own with a win over the Cougs.