LOS ANGELES — The Washington men’s basketball team left Thursday, headed to an uncertain future. Their run in the Pac-10 tournament was brief. The Huskies lost in the first round to California, 84-81, and any hopes of playing again this season depend on getting an invitation from the NIT or the new College Basketball Invitational.
And Washington officials say they will accept a bid from either tournament.
Officials of at least one university, Missouri, said they were not interested in playing in the CBI because the tournament is demanding a guarantee of $60,000 from schools that host games.
But Jeff Compher, Washington’s executive associate athletic director, said Thursday that guarantee won’t deter UW from seeking a bid.
“What we’ve tried to do is figure out what it’s going to cost to run the game, how we would price our tickets, and can we fulfill those and provide the appropriate payment back to the CBI,” he said. “We’ve thought all that through and if we are in there, we feel like we can get a good crowd in to see the game and provide our guys with a chance to keep playing. So that’s kind of what we are thinking right now.”

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