By Joshua Mayers

Welcome to Hec Edmundson Pavilion in Seattle. The Washington Huskies are about ready to tip-off against the Arizona Wildcats. As you find your seat, take in the sounds of Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer performed by the Husky Band. You'll see the student section is full, they've been waiting for hours, many of them camping out. But it hasn't always been like this...

	The fans at The Hec can be pretty intense -- just ask former Gonzaga star Adam Morrison, seen here getting an earful from the Huskie faithful. AP
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Basketball at the UW remained relatively obscure before the 2003-2004 season. The Huskies weren't very good and, not coincidentally, the student section was similarly mediocre. As Nate Robinson and Brandon Roy slowly removed the "Pac-10 doormat" label from the program, the student section followed. Now the Dawg Pack protects one of the stingiest home courts on the West Coast.

Attire

As they say, real Dawgs wear purple and there's nothing like a capacity  crowd of 10,000 rowdy Huskies proudly donning the school color. For the most part, the student section is evenly colored, but pockets of disloyalty to the color code are noticeable. Bodypaint and wild Washington accessories (e.g. foam Dawg heads) are becoming regular these days, but an overall lack of commitment drops the grade.
Score: 7.0

Volume/Disruptability

When the game is on the line, the students excel. Unfortunately, unlike year's past, the section lacks staying power; during down time the fans will get lost in the game. The students admirably try to get the rest of the arena pumped, but there appears to be little disruption of the Wildcat offense: Arizona shoots 65% and 21-23 from the line.
Score: 7.0

Venue

The Dawg Pack has the perfect location, with 500 raucous students spanning the entire north sideline of the court. Not to mention the fact that they stand a few short rows behind the opposing bench, making life miserable for the guests. UW is the only Pac-10 school that allows the students behind the visiting bench, once drawing criticism from Oregon's Ernie Kent and UCLA's Ben Howland. Interesting how the complaints came after the Huskies started winning.
Score: 8.5

Chant/Sign quality

Adept at singling out one player to harass, the students target UA freshman Chase Budinger from the get-go -- passing out blown-up pictures of a young Chase and chanting his cell phone number. During the game, a variety of chants are regular, yet mainly confined to an enthusiastic few. Boos for Seattle-native Marcus Williams are noticeable as well. Budinger and Williams combining for 45, however, lowers the score of an inspired effort.
Score: 8.0

Student Body

The students pride themselves on wit and sophistication, not obscenity and unruliness. For their efforts the Dawg Pack was awarded a sportsmanship award by the NCAA at the beginning of the year, commending their display of class and a fervent support of their team. The students have a great relationship with coach Lorenzo Romar and are featured in the recruiting process, but today a noble effort from the stands is not enough: 'Zona 96, UW 87.
Score: 8.5

Final Score: 39.0