Romar is already No. 3 on Washington’s all-time wins list and looks set to smash the record.

The head coach was really excited about his new deal and said the extension meant a lot to him.

He said that Washington was always where he wanted to be, so he appreciate the committment from the school.

Romar has been the head coach for eight seasons at his alma mater and helped lead them to the Sweet 16 this year.

Led by senior Quincy Pondexter and sophomore Isaiah Thomas, the Huskies stunned higher-seeded Marquette and New Mexico, the latter in dominating fashion. It took a game-winning shot at the buzzer by Pondexter to get out of the first round, but the Lobos were no match for them in the second round in what might have been the best performance of the season by Lorenzo Romar’s group.

To win tonight, though, Washington will have to get easy buckets in transition and keep scoring. West Virginia is without starting point guard Truck Bryant, who broke his foot in practice and is out for the season, but the Mountaineers are still a terror defensively and on the glass, where they punish opponents. They rebound over 40 percent of their missed shots, an incredible rate that more than makes up for their lack of shooting prowess.

The Mountaineers also feature Da’Sean Butler, possibly the most clutch performer in the country. He’s hit four game-winning shots this season, using his combination of size and athleticism to get his shot off whenever and however he wants. Pondexter will have to match him basket for basket tonight.

The Huskies have also been getting unlikely contributions from their bench. If that continues, they could find itself playing for a Final Four bid on Saturday.

The Huskies capped an impressive Pac-10 Tournament run with a 79-75 win in the title game over the Cal Golden Bears in a thriller. As a result, they earned the conference’s automatic bid to the Big Dance and won’t be doing any sweating today.

Stars Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas carried Washington, finishing with 18 and 16 points, respectively. The team’s run through the conference tournament gives them seven consecutive wins, and suddenly a shaky at-large candidate enters the postseason as one of its hottest teams.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian said that it might be a situation where Locker sees how he feels when he wakes up on Saturday morning before making a decision. In the meantime, backup Ronnie Fouch has been splitting snaps in practice with Locker in case he has to start or enter in relief.

It would be a crippling blow to Washington’s chances of becoming bowl-eligible should Locker not be able to go against the Bruins. Reaching six wins is already a stretch given the difficulty of its remaining schedule, but the odds go from slim to virtually impossible without its star QB.

It was a strong defensive effort from Washington, who had a number of things going in their favor.

For one, they had the home crowd behind them. That home crowd was tough for backup quarterback Aaron Corp, who made his first start of the season.

The Huskies also got to play the Trojans after they just pinned down an emotional road win over the Ohio State Buckeyes.

It also didn’t hurt that head coach Steve Sarkasian was a former offensive coordinator at USC.

The Washington quarterback and easily the team’s most popular and talented player recently signed a professional contract with the Los Angeles Angels after the team selected him with a 10th-round pick in this year’s draft. The contract stipulates that he’s required to participate in the Angels’ minor league camp next spring, and it’s conceivable that he’ll officially become a two-sport athlete come Spring.

Still, the decision isn’t going to affect his status with the university and the football team. Forced to forfeit his scholarship, the Angels have agreed to pay for his tuition and Locker has maintained that football is his preferred career path, not baseball.

Locker is widely thought to be a first-round talent with the pigskin. With a cannon for an arm and freakish ability to move despite his massive frame, he’s as talented as they come. Locker hasn’t displayed great consistency in his career to date, but there’s no doubt that physically, he has the tools to play at the next level.

And for Huskies fans, that means they can breathe a deep sigh of relief: Locker will take the field for the purple and gold for at least one more season.