Following another high-profile win, Washington has a chance to match its best start in coach Lorenzo Romar's tenure.
On Monday night, the 16th-ranked and unbeaten Huskies receive a visit from a streaking Tulane team that has beaten just one major conference opponent so far this season and hasn't upset a Top 25 team in 15 years.
Washington's only 11-0 start under Romar came in the 2005-06 season, when it advanced to the NCAA tournament regional semifinals. The Huskies (10-0) put themselves on the verge of matching that with a 69-67 win over No. 15 Oklahoma on Saturday in Las Vegas.
A 20-point cushion in the first half gave them enough to withstand the Sooners, who missed a potential game-winning shot in the final seconds.
Washington topped then-No. 13 San Diego State 49-36 on Dec. 7 in its other game against a ranked team this season.
"We don't play to prove to people how good we are. We can prove it to ourselves. When we prove it to ourselves we are capable of going out and winning games like this, it creates a belief and raises a level of confidence for us," Romar told the school's official website. "This was like an NCAA Tournament-type game. It just felt good for us to get this win."
New Orleans native Jernard Jarreau had a season-high 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting after averaging 4.6 points and shooting 36.8 percent in his first nine games back from a knee injury.
"I knew it was going to take some time coming off a major injury last year," Jarreau told the school's official website. "I have to crawl before I walk. I was able to step up and help my team win."
Jarreau and the Huskies now face a Tulane team that's won nine in a row and is seeking its longest win streak since reeling off 11 straight wins in 1996-97. The Green Wave (9-1) are off to their best start since going 11-1 in 2011-12 but have beaten just one major-conference team during their run, topping Mississippi State 59-54 on Dec. 6.
They survived one of their worst shooting performances of the season - 33.3 percent - in a 56-49 victory over Jackson State on Friday. With a season-high 22 points, leading scorer Louis Dabney (13.1 ppg) was the only player to reach double figures.
Dabney had 16 points in Tulane's only other meeting with Washington, a 73-62 home loss Dec. 17, 2013. Sophomore guard Jonathan Stark matched a career high with 25 points, but Tulane was held to 39.3 percent shooting and a 1-of-14 performance from 3-point range.
Stark is averaging 11.4 points this season after scoring 14.5 per game in 2013-14.
Tulane is facing a ranked team for the first time since an 81-68 loss to No. 20 Memphis on March 14, 2013, in the Conference USA tournament. Currently a member of the American Athletic Conference, the Green Wave have lost 28 in a row to AP Top 25 opponents since a 73-62 win over No. 25 North Carolina State on Dec. 22, 1999.
Tulane's depth will be tested in this game with backup guard Cameron Reynolds out at least six weeks after undergoing surgery for a broken bone in his left hand.
