Colorado enters this game 9-4 on the season, 1-0 in Pac-12 play, most recently coming off a win against fellow newcomer Utah, whom the Buffaloes absolutely crushed 73-33. While I understand Utah is not even close to having the talent necessary to compete in Pac-12 yet, Colorado did not exactly come in with the highest hopes either after losing Alex Burk to the draft. That being said, Colorado has looked pretty decent in non-conference play with their biggest win a two pointer over Georgia, the same squad UW played last year in the NCAA tournament.
The Buffalo offense has been stable thus far with a low score of 54 and a high of 92. Most scores have been right around their season average of 71 points per game. Colorado receives its scoring from a variety of players with five putting up 9 or more per game and four of those in double digits. The Buffaloes also posses a very strong rebounder who has allowed them to remain one of the top in conference in terms of boards per outing. Much like the Huskies, Colorado does not do well at the free throw line.
Andre Roberson has been explosive for Colorado this season. Averaging 12 points and 12 rebounds per game, Roberson leads the team in boards and is second in points behind Carlon Brown who is scoring almost 13 per game (more on him later). Roberson is a tough, quick "guard" who has been near impossible to contain. At 6-7, most guards cannot match-up well with him, but at 195lb our forwards can do a little more muscling around. Roberson has been held to single digit rebounding only twice this season, while also having four games of 15 or more rebounds. The most recent was a season (and I believe career) high of 17 against Utah. What makes Roberson so tough to stop is not only his own personal skills, but the rather large line-up Colorado is able to put on the floor. Against Utah, Colorado started players at 6-3, 6-5, 6-5, 6-7, 6-9. With the first four listed as guards. This team actually sizes up quite well with the Huskies who have tended to have a size advantage in the backcourt this season. Expect Darnell Gant and Desmond Simmons to draw shut down duty on Roberson. I suspect Simmons will be more successful in this endeavor as he is an avid rebounder like Roberson.
Carlon Brown is a 6-5 215lb senior guard with solid shot. Averaging just in 13 points per game, Brown is shooting 50% form the field and a decent enough 36% from range (18 of 50). Brown is a shooting guard with a fairly competent eye for the ball. He hands out 2.5 assists per game, second on the team, but also commits a hair over 2 turnovers per game. Brown does well enough at the free throw line, making nearly 76% of his attempts. He is dangerous in the lane, but also finds success breaking off screens on the perimeter for open jump shots.
Spencer Dinwiddie is the most dangerous shooter on the Buffalo team. While he is third in scoring with 11.5 points per game, he leads the team in 3-point percentage hitting nearly 52% of his attempts (19 of 37). Dinwiddie is also dangerous at the foul line with an 84% average on the year. Those types of numbers make him a dangerous match-up for UW as the Huskies can be very foul prone, especially on the road. The Dawgs will need to find a way of shutting him down without getting him to the line. Man-to-man means more foul situations, but also should eliminate 3-point attempts. Dinwiddie has the ability to create for himself and tends to do so, but he has solid catch and shoot motion that is tough to defender.
Nate Tomlinson is the play maker for Colorado. He leads the team with about 3.5 assists per game and commits under 2 turnovers per outing. Tomlinson is only averaging 6 points per game and is not a threat in that aspect. His shot is still a work in progress, hitting only 34% of his field goals (31% form range) and struggles at the foul line with a 66% average. If the Dawgs are going to foul anyone, this is the guy to foul. I think the Huskies will need to focus their defensive efforts on Tomlinson to contain the Buffalo offense as he is the one the plays run through. By forcing him into uncomfortable situations, the Dawgs are likely to force more turnovers and fast break situations.
The starting big for the Buffaloes is 6-9 225lb Austin Dufault. Dufault is fourth in scoring with 10 points per game and second in rebounding with about 5 per game. Dufault reminds me a lot of Darnell Gant in that he is a strong, but mobile forward who can get out on the perimeter and do damage and maintains the ability to post up and take some short to mid-range shots with high accuracy. Dufault has been much more efficient and consistent than Gant.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups:
Colorado:
Nate Tomlinson 6-3 190lb
Spencer Dinwiddie 6-5 190lb
Carlon Brown 6-5 215lb
Andre Roberson 6-7 195lb
Austin Dufault 6-9 225lb
Washington:
Abdul Gaddy 6-3 185lb
Tony Wroten Jr. 6-5 205lb
Terrence Ross 6-6 195lb
Darnell Gant 6-8 230lb
Aziz N'Diaye 7-0 260lb
Keys to the Game:
Rebounding:
After seeing an undersized Oregon take control of the glass against the Dawgs at home, I'm a little worried with this stat against Colorado. Roberson leads the Pac-12 in rebounding and is certainly one of the top in the nation. Coming off a 17 rebound game, one has to imagine that Roberson is feeling confident in his abilities and will present a tough man to control. Regardless, the Huskies need to take care of business, box out, and help on defensive assignments to ensure Colorado does not thrive off second chance shots and points. The Dawgs also need to do themselves a favor and take better care on the offensive glass (they only managed 6 against Oregon, far below the 12 to 15 they should be aiming for). N'Diaye, Simmons, Wroten, and Ross will need to step their games up and do the work necessary to control the board.
Defense, Defense, Defense:
That has been the theme of the week and it paid off against the Oregon schools. When the Ducks and Beavers began to make runs, the Dawg defense stepped up and got stops to slow their momentum and change it in our own direction. Steals, turnovers, blocks, and even deflections will play a big part in this next game. The Dawgs have not had a good year on the road and need to show they can get it done away from Hec-Ed. This all starts with defense. It's been looking better, now can they show up on the road?
Ball Control:
The Buffaloes force between 12 and 14 turnovers per game, while not a ton is certainly disruptive. Wroten and others have done a better job as of late controlling the ball and limiting turnovers. This trend needs to continue as every turnover is a free opportunity for Colorado to score some easy buckets. Look for Wroten to continue his role as shooting guard, playing off the ball, with Gaddy on the court.
Final Thoughts:
This is a big time trap game for the Huskies. Colorado may not have had a strong non-con schedule, but they fared pretty well and beat the teams they should have. After their man-handling of Utah they are looking like a competent team that can do some serious damage. The Dawgs should be able to pull of a win, but it will be a close and stressful game, of that I have no doubt. I think it comes down to how well the Husky offense can get going and if they are able to make the stops that are expected of them. If UW can get rolling early and start the game with a big run, I think their confidence and morale will soar, resulting in a high scoring night. If it comes to a shoot out, the Dawgs are much better equipped for a win.
Final Score Prediction:
UW-80 CU-75
Showing posts with label Eastern Washington Eagles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eastern Washington Eagles. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Eastern Washington Review
Final Score: UW-98 EWU-72
Before I get to the review I have to say, despite winning by 26 that game felt like a loss. Not to say we didn't have our moments, but that was pretty sloppy.
On to the Review
Just the Facts
Justin Holiday scored a career high 18 points today along side 4 rebounds and a steal. Matthew Bryan-Amaning posted another double double with 14 points and 10 rebounds with 1 assist, 2 blocks, and a steal in 19 minutes of play. Abdul Gaddy was the only other Husky in double digits tonight with 13 points, 1 steal, an impressive 6 assists, and 0 turnovers. Isaiah Thomas led the team with 5 steals and added 9 points and 2 rebounds, but turned the ball over 3 times against his 4 assists. Venoy Overton put up 9 points as well as 8 assists, 4 steals, 5 rebounds, and 2 turnovers. Scott Suggs and Terrance Ross each added 9 points. Suggs also had 5 assists. The Huskies shot slightly better from the line tonight converting on 64.7%, while their shooting was fairly bad, shooting 16 for 40 in the first half, going 5 for 19 behind the line. The Huskies were out rebounded 40 to 35. The Dawgs forced 24 turnovers while committing 10 themselves.
The Spin
Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy first half for the Dawgs offensively. Combined with the slack defense, the Eagles kept the game close for far too long. The Huskies were out rebounded 25 to 16 in the first half as they failed to gain any sort of position on the glass. Abdul Gaddy gets player of the game today for shooting 5 for 6 from the field and 3 for 4 behind the arc, committing 0 turnovers and passing out 6 assists. Venoy Overton made his presence felt today, coming off the bench and immediately snatching two quick steals that led to wonderful transition baskets we should have had more of today. Justin Holiday also had a fantastic game going 8 for 13 from the field. He played superb defense and played with an intensity it seemed the team was lacking as a whole. Isaiah shot terrible today, only making 2 shots on 9 attempts including 1 for 4 from range. The team settled far too often for the long ball and did not convert very well, shooting 26.3% in the first, but a much better 57.1% in the second half. While the Eagles played a good zone defense, our offense did a terrible job getting the ball down low and this allowed the Eagles to focus on pressuring the perimeter. Neither MBA or Aziz did a great job of imposing their will on the defense. They allowed themselves to be pushed around far too often. Shot selection needs to improve, the Huskies cannot allow zone or pressure defense to affect them at that level in a more competitive game. Thank goodness the Huskies stepped up their offense in the second half, settled down, and made plays. They played like they did against St. Martin's. They played hurried, chaotic, and played how EWU wanted them to play. They were boxed out on rebounds and couldn't hold onto the ones they grabbed. What saved the day was the Husky defense grabbing 14 steals.
What Was Bad
Shot Selection
The Huskies settled far too often for shooting the 3 versus working the ball around a little longer and finding a better shot. Terrence Ross and C.J. Wilcox were arguably the worse at this, going a combined 3 for 12 behind the arc tonight. Instead of working the ball in the post, the Dawgs passed around the perimeter until someone was mildly open at which point they would jack up a shot that would knock out three quarters of the time. As I said in the preview, the Dawgs need to force the middle to open up their range game like they were able to do so effectively against McNeese. They did not accomplish that and it led to their shooting, near and far, to suffer. If the Dawgs want to compete in Maui, they cannot let the defense deny the post the ball. This is something Romar should address in practice and work on before tournament time.
First Half Defense
The Dawgs were lazy on defense to start the game, allowing the Eagles to have their shots. Against a better shooting team this will absolutely destroy us. A lot of screening problems and communication errors on switches. The intensity needs to be there all game, not just the second half.
Rebounding
Eastern is not a big team by any means. Plenty of Pac-10 teams are much taller and stronger. If we continue to have problems rebounding against these small teams, I can't, or don't want to, imagine what kind of struggles we will have against USC, UA, UCLA, etc. We need to pound the glass hard, all night long. Getting out rebounded will destroy us come tournament time. We can rebound, we proved this last game. I don't know what the difference was, but the Dawgs need to go back to what they were doing against McNeese. If we can get the rebounds, we will score the points. The only reason we didn't reach my predicted score was the lack of rebounding tonight. We had half the rebounds of our last game and understandably we had less points at the end of the night. Rebound, rebound, rebound.
Free Throw Shooting
While better than Saturday, it was still not a good showing. MBA again shot 50% going 4 for 8 while Aziz shot 50% on 1 for 2 shooting. Isaiah Thomas went a perfect 4 for 4 and C.J. went 2 for 2 as well. Venoy missed his only free throw attempt. We need to get our team average up to 75% if we are going to be a top 15 team. Missing foul shots will lose us the tough games we will encounter in February and March. The big men need to get their shots together.
What Was Good
Perimeter Passing
The Huskies threw great passes along the perimeter, working it to the open guys. While they did not always pick the best shots, the 28 assists on 37 shots is a great statistic to have. The shooting was much more effective in the second half and gave the passing more purpose and success.
Second Half Defense
The defensive intensity picked up about 13 minutes left in the first half, but really it showed in the second half. 14 steals is excellent and we converted on most of the steals.
Scoring
I wasn't sure if I wanted to put our scoring under good or bad. While we scored 98 points (could have been 100 but we ran out the clock) our percentage was very low the first half, 40% and a much improved 58.3% the second half. I would like to see 65% shooting for the game along side 45 to 50 rebounds. Those kinds of numbers will almost guarantee a win every time. I think the highlight of how talented and scoring capable our team is was a particular possession with Overton, Ross, and C.J. on the perimeter. Ross threw it to a fairly open Overton, who faked a shot and passed to C.J. for the 3. It was a great unselfish sequence in which we opted for the open player rather than a specific shooter.
Player by Player Review
Matthew Bryan-Amaning
Not a bad night for the big Brit. 14 points, 10 rebounds, 0 fouls. Those are solid numbers. It was only disappointing due to the two fabulous nights he has had thus far and the fact that his rebounding total should have been higher if not for sloppy work bringing the ball down off the glass. His free throws were decent, but need work still. Started off 3 for 3 before going 1 for 5 the rest of the night from the charity stripe. He should have had a better night, but the Dawgs had a tough time getting him the ball. Had the Huskies found a way to get him the ball more often he may have had another 20 point night. Give the Eagles credit for double teaming MBA often and forcing him to dish out.
Grade: A-
Venoy Overton
A solid outing for Venoy tonight, much better shooting wise and somehow even better on the assist/turnover side. His defense was stellar, stealing the ball 4 times and forcing other turnovers as well. His 4 for 7 shooting was good to see. He shot 50% behind the arc. He did a solid job of stepping up and helping make up for Isaiah's lack of scoring efficiency tonight. He showed some great heart tonight and worked hard to help his team win the game. I like what I'm seeing from him. If Gaddy had not stepped up in such particular fashion, Overton would easily be starting.
Grade: A
Justin Holiday
Career high point night for the senior. 18 points along with 4 rebounds. While tonight was not his most impressive night in my opinion, he was a very effective scorer from mid range. He has developed a nice one hand, tear drop like shot from the free throw line. He brought the fire tonight, yelling in the face of his opponent while on defense at the beginning of the game. His defense was tight once again, over all doing a great job controlling his man. While he shot well over all, he took a few 3's he probably shouldn't have. His long ball, while improved, is still streaky. Being streaky is a two sided blade, if you're on no one can stop you, but if you are off it'll haunt you like a curse the whole night. I would like to see another 1 or 2 rebounds a game from Holiday, especially on nights like tonight where our big men are struggling to clean the glass.
Grade: A
Brendan Sherrer
Another 3 minutes tonight. It looks as though Romar is beginning to trust him more as a competitive D1 player. This is great for Brendan and the Huskies. If he can be a reasonably effective defensive player, it will be a great asset to have him available in case of foul trouble. Had a steal tonight. Perfect record is still in tact, look out UCLA he is coming after your record.
Grade: A
Darnell Gant
It looks as though Gant will be a permanent fixture in the starting line up as his size gives us a multitude of options and allows Holiday to play the 3 position while Gant covers the 4. Scored 4 points on 2 for 7 shooting. Gant is still not an offensive threat and while his shot may have improved I still get nervous when he faces up to shoot. Let's hope he can step up the consistency a bit to help the Dawgs spread the floor and work the defense. His defense was not as effective tonight for some reason. The Eagles were a very quick team, but Gant is also agile. A very mediocre game in my opinon. He didn't have any spectacular plays, he only tabbed 2 rebounds and had 2 turnovers. His lacking performance showed in his lack of minutes, only playing 14 on the night.
Grade: C
Scott Suggs
Decent night on offensive for Suggs. 9 points on 3 for 8 shooting, of those 8 shots 6 were behind the arc and all 3 makes came on the long ball. His two boards and 5 assists really made his night a lot more successful. It's good to see him dishing for the better shot. Defensively he left a lot to be desired. All too often his man was open in the corner due to screens being set on him. He still has a way to go on defense, but it should come in time. I saw some progress with his on ball defense. His off ball defense is really where the work needs to be done.
Grade: B
Isaiah Thomas
A slow night for Isaiah tonight. He struggled on the drives, he struggled behind the line. He had 3 turnovers. His redemption came in his team high 5 steals and 4 assists. 9 points is respectable, but we expect more from Isaiah. He is a 17+ point a game type of shooter and player. His bad shot could have been due to an external issue that was weighing on his mind. I love how successful his defense has become over the last year or two, its great to see as that type of tenacious attitude on both sides of the ball is hard to find and harder to beat. I expect him to shoot lights out in Virginia to prove his tenacity.
Grade: B
Aziz N'Diaye
Not a great night for the Senegal native. He only managed 5 points, 2 rebounds, and a block. He used his size well. Multiple times the Eagle post player would try to back him down, only to bounce off of him, resulting in a forced pass back outside. He only shot two free throws tonight, which could be considered a blessing. When he makes his shot though, it swishes beautifully I have to say. He is still learning the game, but we will see more McNeese like performances soon enough. There is a bit of a learning curve going from a JC to D1 and after not playing for a year, the curve is that much harder to climb.
Grade: C+
Abdul Gaddy
Wonderful performance tonight. This is exactly the kind of performance the Husky faithful were expecting last year. He was aggressive, calm, comfortable, assertive, and successful. His long shot was spot on and his drive was a thing of beauty. He has a fantastic tear drop that is so tough to prevent. Its almost comical how slow it gets to the hoop, but not a soul can stop it. 6 assists and 0 turnover is more impressive, in my mind, than his 13 points. Great job from the sophomore tonight. Even his defense was good tonight, managing 3 rebounds, a steal, and only 2 fouls. He may end up being the most consistent player for the Huskies, somewhat ironic considering his poor performance last year.
Grade: A+
C.J. Wilcox
2 rebounds, 3 assists, a block, and a steal to go along with 8 points. Normally a successful night, but his 2 for 7 shooting was not good, once again. For supposedly having the best shot on the team he sure hasn't done a great job of showing it. He subbed in before Suggs, but didn't have a great performance. Defensively he was above average. He got beat on occasion, but also contained his man a fair amount of the time. I'm still out on what to think of the freshman.
Grade: B-
Terrence Ross
While he played slightly better offensively than C.J. (4 for 9 shooting) he also suffered from poor shooting and shot selection. I love a player willing to spot up and shoot the 3, but they need to be able to hit it. For the second game in a row, Ross has struggled from behind the arc. No rebounds, no assist, no steals or blocks, 1 turnover. Like Aziz he is still rough around the edges, but once he finds his rhythm he will be a threat on the court no doubt.
Grade: C
Antoine Hosley
2 minutes in tonight's game. A rebound, an assist, and a steal. 2 and 0 on the year. Not much else to say about the walk on. Its awesome both he and Brendan have been able to play in all three games thus far and I hope the trend continues. Another A for effort night
Grade: A
Final Thoughts
This may have been a bit of a wake up call for the Dawgs. While the game was never really in question, the Eagles stayed in it far longer than I wanted. The Dawgs shot poorly and allowed EWU to control the tempo. Play like this against better schools will result in a loss. We need to rebound, we need to control the tempo, we need to take our shots and not what the opposition gives us. A nice win, but not the kind we should have had. A few days off before the Dawgs head to Maui to face Virginia. With Gonzaga losing tonight to SDSU the Huskies should move up in both polls. Polls mean nothing this time of the year, but last year we let our ranking affect our game play. If we are going to be a top 15 team we need to play like it and tonight we definitely did not play like a top 25 team let alone top 15. I believe we will see a much more controlled Husky performance this weekend.
Before I get to the review I have to say, despite winning by 26 that game felt like a loss. Not to say we didn't have our moments, but that was pretty sloppy.
On to the Review
Just the Facts
Justin Holiday scored a career high 18 points today along side 4 rebounds and a steal. Matthew Bryan-Amaning posted another double double with 14 points and 10 rebounds with 1 assist, 2 blocks, and a steal in 19 minutes of play. Abdul Gaddy was the only other Husky in double digits tonight with 13 points, 1 steal, an impressive 6 assists, and 0 turnovers. Isaiah Thomas led the team with 5 steals and added 9 points and 2 rebounds, but turned the ball over 3 times against his 4 assists. Venoy Overton put up 9 points as well as 8 assists, 4 steals, 5 rebounds, and 2 turnovers. Scott Suggs and Terrance Ross each added 9 points. Suggs also had 5 assists. The Huskies shot slightly better from the line tonight converting on 64.7%, while their shooting was fairly bad, shooting 16 for 40 in the first half, going 5 for 19 behind the line. The Huskies were out rebounded 40 to 35. The Dawgs forced 24 turnovers while committing 10 themselves.
The Spin
Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy first half for the Dawgs offensively. Combined with the slack defense, the Eagles kept the game close for far too long. The Huskies were out rebounded 25 to 16 in the first half as they failed to gain any sort of position on the glass. Abdul Gaddy gets player of the game today for shooting 5 for 6 from the field and 3 for 4 behind the arc, committing 0 turnovers and passing out 6 assists. Venoy Overton made his presence felt today, coming off the bench and immediately snatching two quick steals that led to wonderful transition baskets we should have had more of today. Justin Holiday also had a fantastic game going 8 for 13 from the field. He played superb defense and played with an intensity it seemed the team was lacking as a whole. Isaiah shot terrible today, only making 2 shots on 9 attempts including 1 for 4 from range. The team settled far too often for the long ball and did not convert very well, shooting 26.3% in the first, but a much better 57.1% in the second half. While the Eagles played a good zone defense, our offense did a terrible job getting the ball down low and this allowed the Eagles to focus on pressuring the perimeter. Neither MBA or Aziz did a great job of imposing their will on the defense. They allowed themselves to be pushed around far too often. Shot selection needs to improve, the Huskies cannot allow zone or pressure defense to affect them at that level in a more competitive game. Thank goodness the Huskies stepped up their offense in the second half, settled down, and made plays. They played like they did against St. Martin's. They played hurried, chaotic, and played how EWU wanted them to play. They were boxed out on rebounds and couldn't hold onto the ones they grabbed. What saved the day was the Husky defense grabbing 14 steals.
What Was Bad
Shot Selection
The Huskies settled far too often for shooting the 3 versus working the ball around a little longer and finding a better shot. Terrence Ross and C.J. Wilcox were arguably the worse at this, going a combined 3 for 12 behind the arc tonight. Instead of working the ball in the post, the Dawgs passed around the perimeter until someone was mildly open at which point they would jack up a shot that would knock out three quarters of the time. As I said in the preview, the Dawgs need to force the middle to open up their range game like they were able to do so effectively against McNeese. They did not accomplish that and it led to their shooting, near and far, to suffer. If the Dawgs want to compete in Maui, they cannot let the defense deny the post the ball. This is something Romar should address in practice and work on before tournament time.
First Half Defense
The Dawgs were lazy on defense to start the game, allowing the Eagles to have their shots. Against a better shooting team this will absolutely destroy us. A lot of screening problems and communication errors on switches. The intensity needs to be there all game, not just the second half.
Rebounding
Eastern is not a big team by any means. Plenty of Pac-10 teams are much taller and stronger. If we continue to have problems rebounding against these small teams, I can't, or don't want to, imagine what kind of struggles we will have against USC, UA, UCLA, etc. We need to pound the glass hard, all night long. Getting out rebounded will destroy us come tournament time. We can rebound, we proved this last game. I don't know what the difference was, but the Dawgs need to go back to what they were doing against McNeese. If we can get the rebounds, we will score the points. The only reason we didn't reach my predicted score was the lack of rebounding tonight. We had half the rebounds of our last game and understandably we had less points at the end of the night. Rebound, rebound, rebound.
Free Throw Shooting
While better than Saturday, it was still not a good showing. MBA again shot 50% going 4 for 8 while Aziz shot 50% on 1 for 2 shooting. Isaiah Thomas went a perfect 4 for 4 and C.J. went 2 for 2 as well. Venoy missed his only free throw attempt. We need to get our team average up to 75% if we are going to be a top 15 team. Missing foul shots will lose us the tough games we will encounter in February and March. The big men need to get their shots together.
What Was Good
Perimeter Passing
The Huskies threw great passes along the perimeter, working it to the open guys. While they did not always pick the best shots, the 28 assists on 37 shots is a great statistic to have. The shooting was much more effective in the second half and gave the passing more purpose and success.
Second Half Defense
The defensive intensity picked up about 13 minutes left in the first half, but really it showed in the second half. 14 steals is excellent and we converted on most of the steals.
Scoring
I wasn't sure if I wanted to put our scoring under good or bad. While we scored 98 points (could have been 100 but we ran out the clock) our percentage was very low the first half, 40% and a much improved 58.3% the second half. I would like to see 65% shooting for the game along side 45 to 50 rebounds. Those kinds of numbers will almost guarantee a win every time. I think the highlight of how talented and scoring capable our team is was a particular possession with Overton, Ross, and C.J. on the perimeter. Ross threw it to a fairly open Overton, who faked a shot and passed to C.J. for the 3. It was a great unselfish sequence in which we opted for the open player rather than a specific shooter.
Player by Player Review
Matthew Bryan-Amaning
Not a bad night for the big Brit. 14 points, 10 rebounds, 0 fouls. Those are solid numbers. It was only disappointing due to the two fabulous nights he has had thus far and the fact that his rebounding total should have been higher if not for sloppy work bringing the ball down off the glass. His free throws were decent, but need work still. Started off 3 for 3 before going 1 for 5 the rest of the night from the charity stripe. He should have had a better night, but the Dawgs had a tough time getting him the ball. Had the Huskies found a way to get him the ball more often he may have had another 20 point night. Give the Eagles credit for double teaming MBA often and forcing him to dish out.
Grade: A-
Venoy Overton
A solid outing for Venoy tonight, much better shooting wise and somehow even better on the assist/turnover side. His defense was stellar, stealing the ball 4 times and forcing other turnovers as well. His 4 for 7 shooting was good to see. He shot 50% behind the arc. He did a solid job of stepping up and helping make up for Isaiah's lack of scoring efficiency tonight. He showed some great heart tonight and worked hard to help his team win the game. I like what I'm seeing from him. If Gaddy had not stepped up in such particular fashion, Overton would easily be starting.
Grade: A
Justin Holiday
Career high point night for the senior. 18 points along with 4 rebounds. While tonight was not his most impressive night in my opinion, he was a very effective scorer from mid range. He has developed a nice one hand, tear drop like shot from the free throw line. He brought the fire tonight, yelling in the face of his opponent while on defense at the beginning of the game. His defense was tight once again, over all doing a great job controlling his man. While he shot well over all, he took a few 3's he probably shouldn't have. His long ball, while improved, is still streaky. Being streaky is a two sided blade, if you're on no one can stop you, but if you are off it'll haunt you like a curse the whole night. I would like to see another 1 or 2 rebounds a game from Holiday, especially on nights like tonight where our big men are struggling to clean the glass.
Grade: A
Brendan Sherrer
Another 3 minutes tonight. It looks as though Romar is beginning to trust him more as a competitive D1 player. This is great for Brendan and the Huskies. If he can be a reasonably effective defensive player, it will be a great asset to have him available in case of foul trouble. Had a steal tonight. Perfect record is still in tact, look out UCLA he is coming after your record.
Grade: A
Darnell Gant
It looks as though Gant will be a permanent fixture in the starting line up as his size gives us a multitude of options and allows Holiday to play the 3 position while Gant covers the 4. Scored 4 points on 2 for 7 shooting. Gant is still not an offensive threat and while his shot may have improved I still get nervous when he faces up to shoot. Let's hope he can step up the consistency a bit to help the Dawgs spread the floor and work the defense. His defense was not as effective tonight for some reason. The Eagles were a very quick team, but Gant is also agile. A very mediocre game in my opinon. He didn't have any spectacular plays, he only tabbed 2 rebounds and had 2 turnovers. His lacking performance showed in his lack of minutes, only playing 14 on the night.
Grade: C
Scott Suggs
Decent night on offensive for Suggs. 9 points on 3 for 8 shooting, of those 8 shots 6 were behind the arc and all 3 makes came on the long ball. His two boards and 5 assists really made his night a lot more successful. It's good to see him dishing for the better shot. Defensively he left a lot to be desired. All too often his man was open in the corner due to screens being set on him. He still has a way to go on defense, but it should come in time. I saw some progress with his on ball defense. His off ball defense is really where the work needs to be done.
Grade: B
Isaiah Thomas
A slow night for Isaiah tonight. He struggled on the drives, he struggled behind the line. He had 3 turnovers. His redemption came in his team high 5 steals and 4 assists. 9 points is respectable, but we expect more from Isaiah. He is a 17+ point a game type of shooter and player. His bad shot could have been due to an external issue that was weighing on his mind. I love how successful his defense has become over the last year or two, its great to see as that type of tenacious attitude on both sides of the ball is hard to find and harder to beat. I expect him to shoot lights out in Virginia to prove his tenacity.
Grade: B
Aziz N'Diaye
Not a great night for the Senegal native. He only managed 5 points, 2 rebounds, and a block. He used his size well. Multiple times the Eagle post player would try to back him down, only to bounce off of him, resulting in a forced pass back outside. He only shot two free throws tonight, which could be considered a blessing. When he makes his shot though, it swishes beautifully I have to say. He is still learning the game, but we will see more McNeese like performances soon enough. There is a bit of a learning curve going from a JC to D1 and after not playing for a year, the curve is that much harder to climb.
Grade: C+
Abdul Gaddy
Wonderful performance tonight. This is exactly the kind of performance the Husky faithful were expecting last year. He was aggressive, calm, comfortable, assertive, and successful. His long shot was spot on and his drive was a thing of beauty. He has a fantastic tear drop that is so tough to prevent. Its almost comical how slow it gets to the hoop, but not a soul can stop it. 6 assists and 0 turnover is more impressive, in my mind, than his 13 points. Great job from the sophomore tonight. Even his defense was good tonight, managing 3 rebounds, a steal, and only 2 fouls. He may end up being the most consistent player for the Huskies, somewhat ironic considering his poor performance last year.
Grade: A+
C.J. Wilcox
2 rebounds, 3 assists, a block, and a steal to go along with 8 points. Normally a successful night, but his 2 for 7 shooting was not good, once again. For supposedly having the best shot on the team he sure hasn't done a great job of showing it. He subbed in before Suggs, but didn't have a great performance. Defensively he was above average. He got beat on occasion, but also contained his man a fair amount of the time. I'm still out on what to think of the freshman.
Grade: B-
Terrence Ross
While he played slightly better offensively than C.J. (4 for 9 shooting) he also suffered from poor shooting and shot selection. I love a player willing to spot up and shoot the 3, but they need to be able to hit it. For the second game in a row, Ross has struggled from behind the arc. No rebounds, no assist, no steals or blocks, 1 turnover. Like Aziz he is still rough around the edges, but once he finds his rhythm he will be a threat on the court no doubt.
Grade: C
Antoine Hosley
2 minutes in tonight's game. A rebound, an assist, and a steal. 2 and 0 on the year. Not much else to say about the walk on. Its awesome both he and Brendan have been able to play in all three games thus far and I hope the trend continues. Another A for effort night
Grade: A
Final Thoughts
This may have been a bit of a wake up call for the Dawgs. While the game was never really in question, the Eagles stayed in it far longer than I wanted. The Dawgs shot poorly and allowed EWU to control the tempo. Play like this against better schools will result in a loss. We need to rebound, we need to control the tempo, we need to take our shots and not what the opposition gives us. A nice win, but not the kind we should have had. A few days off before the Dawgs head to Maui to face Virginia. With Gonzaga losing tonight to SDSU the Huskies should move up in both polls. Polls mean nothing this time of the year, but last year we let our ranking affect our game play. If we are going to be a top 15 team we need to play like it and tonight we definitely did not play like a top 25 team let alone top 15. I believe we will see a much more controlled Husky performance this weekend.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Eastern Washington Preview
The Huskies performance this weekend moved them up two spots in the ESPN poll to number 15 and one spot in the AP poll putting them at 17. In other news, it appears Kanter's ineligibility has affected Kentucky's ranking as they dropped from 10 to 13 after winning their opener. Let's hope the Huskies don't drop off like they did last year. On to the review.
Tuesday at 7pm the Washington Huskies will take on the Eastern Washington Eagles in the second game of the season for both teams. Washington is fresh off a thorough beat down of McNeese State while Eastern Washington lost their opener 67-60 against San Jose St. San Jose St. is a team the Huskies beat last year 80-70 and is home to former Husky player, Adrian Oliver. Oliver scored 34 points against Eastern and had a similar scoring output against the Huskies last year. The Eagles also lost both exhibition games against Seattle Pacific and Mont. St. Billings.
Eastern finished last season with a 9-21 record and 5-11 in conference. Not good at all and somehow worse than McNeese State.
So what do those two outcomes mean for the game tomorrow? It's fairly irrelevant how well or how bad Eastern did, the fact of the matter is Eastern will be completely outclassed by the Huskies and stand little chance of even competing. While I don't know if the Dawgs can put up another 118 point showing, the margin of victory should be fairly similar. Eastern does not have a lot of size and for once we can exploit our size to an advantage. Their tallest player is 6-9, though their tallest starter is more likely 6-8 220 lb, Laron Griffin. Eastern has 15 players on its roster, but only played 8 against San Jose St.
The Eagles' star player has to be 6-7 200 lb forward, Treymane Johnson. He played all 40 minutes against San Jose St and scored 21 points. He went 3 for 7 behind the arc so he possesses a legitimate three point shot that our forwards will need to take care of. Most likely that duty will fall on Justin Holiday or Darnell Gant. Personally, Holiday is the better choice, he is a better on ball defender and he matches up size wise fairly well.
The other main scoring option is 5-10, 170lb guard Jeffery Forbes. He went for 15 points and shot 2 for 4 behind the arc and 4 for 9 over all. He is a good free throw shooter, hitting 5 of 6 from the charity stripe. Forbes shot .364 on the long ball last year and scored just about 11 points a game for Eastern in the 2009-2010 season.
One interesting fact to note is their returning lead scorer and Big Sky Freshman of the Year, Glen Dean, a 5-10 170 lb guard, is out with a stress fracture in his foot and will most likely sit out against the Huskies tomorrow.
Eastern has a turnover percentage of 25.7%, something the Huskies should be able to not only exploit, but also increase with our terrific guard defense in I.T., Overton, and even Gaddy. Expect Holiday, Gant, and Ross to harass the forwards all night long.
Due to the Eagles lack of size, MBA and Aziz should have another field day. Both should be very capable of putting up double doubles and if either hits their free throws, they could combine for 50 points and 30 rebounds.
On to the Line Ups
Eastern Washington
Kevin Winford 5-11 170 lb G
Jeffery Forbes 5-10 170 lb G
Cliff Ederaine 6-7 205 lb F
Laron Griffin 6-8 220 lb F
Tremayne Johnson 6-7 200 lb F
University of Washington
Isaiah Thomas 5-9 185lb SG
Abdul Gaddy 6-3 195 lb PG
Justin Holiday 6-6 185lb F
Darnell Gant 6-8 225 lb F
Matthew Bryan-Amaning 6-9 240 lb F
Keys to the Game
While this shouldn't be much of a contest, there are several things the Huskies can do to contain the Eagle offense and maximize their own scoring output.
Defense
Eastern only put up 60 points against a decent mid major program. The turned the ball over a full quarter of their possessions and a third of their points came from one player. Their bench combined for a total of 35 minutes out of the possible 200. They are not deep and they are not good. With tight defense and relentless pressure the Huskies should run away with this one in no time at all. We can expect Venoy to rack up 3, maybe even 4 steals, depending on the guard's skills as well as force countless turnovers. It seems like he forced 3 to 5 turnovers in only a few minutes against McNeese and I'm sure he will be just as effective against Eastern. Holiday will most likely find himself guarding Tremayne Johnson in an effort to shut down the Eagles offense. Gant will be on Cliff and MBA will work the post against Laron Griffin. I.T. will most likely be on Forbes, with Gaddy covering Winford.
MBA and Aziz may have themselves a block party if the bigs are lacking in post moves and the guards are foolish enough to enter the paint. If we can shut down Tremayne, the Eagles will struggle to find real rhythm.
Rebounding
If the Huskies can put up another 60-70 board effort, second chance points alone should be enough to win this game. Eastern does not have a lot of size and the Huskies need to use and abuse this all day. MBA and Aziz did great jobs on the glass, getting position on the McNeese big men. Look for Holiday, I.T. and Ross to grab boards as well. Gant may be asked in tougher games to get more competitive on the glass, but for now he can take a more reserved roll. Look for the Huskies to grab close to 60% of all offensive boards and close 70 or 80% on defense.
Post Work
Give MBA the ball. Plain and simple, this kid wants the ball, he wants to score, and he is good at it. With the smaller line up Eastern has, MBA should have no time backing down the defender and putting a sweet move on to get to the hoop. Let's hope Romar has done some work with both MBA and Aziz on their free throw shooting, we can't afford those types of miserable performances later in the year. The other side of good post work is it opens up perimeter play and shooting that the Huskies seem to excel at this year. The Eagles may throw a 1-3-1 zone at us either from the start or after half. UW did a good job last game of dishing to Holiday at the top of the key, collapsing the defense, leaving the wings and MBA wide open.
Another blow out game. Should be another 100 point night at least. I'll be fairly impressed if the Huskies can be as dominating as they were against McNeese. It's hard to top a 53-9 lead.
Expect to see some more fast break and transition dunks from the Dawgs tonight. They did a great job of getting out and running on McNeese and I believe that it was entirely due to Gant and Overton's return to the game. Their crushing defensive and agility is a big difference maker.
I'll call it 110-66 UW
Here are some links to other previews and relevant information
http://www.montlakemadness.com/game-preview-uw-vs-eastern-washington/
the dirt is here
http://freepdfhosting.com/29b2388567.pdf
a very informative article here on the opening of husky basketball and the pac-10 as well as recruiting news for the uw and pac-10/12, give it a look
http://www.mynorthwest.com/category/college_hoops_blog/20101115/Huskies-kick-off-regular-season,-plus-Pac~10-Hoops-Round-Up/
Tuesday at 7pm the Washington Huskies will take on the Eastern Washington Eagles in the second game of the season for both teams. Washington is fresh off a thorough beat down of McNeese State while Eastern Washington lost their opener 67-60 against San Jose St. San Jose St. is a team the Huskies beat last year 80-70 and is home to former Husky player, Adrian Oliver. Oliver scored 34 points against Eastern and had a similar scoring output against the Huskies last year. The Eagles also lost both exhibition games against Seattle Pacific and Mont. St. Billings.
Eastern finished last season with a 9-21 record and 5-11 in conference. Not good at all and somehow worse than McNeese State.
So what do those two outcomes mean for the game tomorrow? It's fairly irrelevant how well or how bad Eastern did, the fact of the matter is Eastern will be completely outclassed by the Huskies and stand little chance of even competing. While I don't know if the Dawgs can put up another 118 point showing, the margin of victory should be fairly similar. Eastern does not have a lot of size and for once we can exploit our size to an advantage. Their tallest player is 6-9, though their tallest starter is more likely 6-8 220 lb, Laron Griffin. Eastern has 15 players on its roster, but only played 8 against San Jose St.
The Eagles' star player has to be 6-7 200 lb forward, Treymane Johnson. He played all 40 minutes against San Jose St and scored 21 points. He went 3 for 7 behind the arc so he possesses a legitimate three point shot that our forwards will need to take care of. Most likely that duty will fall on Justin Holiday or Darnell Gant. Personally, Holiday is the better choice, he is a better on ball defender and he matches up size wise fairly well.
The other main scoring option is 5-10, 170lb guard Jeffery Forbes. He went for 15 points and shot 2 for 4 behind the arc and 4 for 9 over all. He is a good free throw shooter, hitting 5 of 6 from the charity stripe. Forbes shot .364 on the long ball last year and scored just about 11 points a game for Eastern in the 2009-2010 season.
One interesting fact to note is their returning lead scorer and Big Sky Freshman of the Year, Glen Dean, a 5-10 170 lb guard, is out with a stress fracture in his foot and will most likely sit out against the Huskies tomorrow.
Eastern has a turnover percentage of 25.7%, something the Huskies should be able to not only exploit, but also increase with our terrific guard defense in I.T., Overton, and even Gaddy. Expect Holiday, Gant, and Ross to harass the forwards all night long.
Due to the Eagles lack of size, MBA and Aziz should have another field day. Both should be very capable of putting up double doubles and if either hits their free throws, they could combine for 50 points and 30 rebounds.
On to the Line Ups
Eastern Washington
Kevin Winford 5-11 170 lb G
Jeffery Forbes 5-10 170 lb G
Cliff Ederaine 6-7 205 lb F
Laron Griffin 6-8 220 lb F
Tremayne Johnson 6-7 200 lb F
University of Washington
Isaiah Thomas 5-9 185lb SG
Abdul Gaddy 6-3 195 lb PG
Justin Holiday 6-6 185lb F
Darnell Gant 6-8 225 lb F
Matthew Bryan-Amaning 6-9 240 lb F
Keys to the Game
While this shouldn't be much of a contest, there are several things the Huskies can do to contain the Eagle offense and maximize their own scoring output.
Defense
Eastern only put up 60 points against a decent mid major program. The turned the ball over a full quarter of their possessions and a third of their points came from one player. Their bench combined for a total of 35 minutes out of the possible 200. They are not deep and they are not good. With tight defense and relentless pressure the Huskies should run away with this one in no time at all. We can expect Venoy to rack up 3, maybe even 4 steals, depending on the guard's skills as well as force countless turnovers. It seems like he forced 3 to 5 turnovers in only a few minutes against McNeese and I'm sure he will be just as effective against Eastern. Holiday will most likely find himself guarding Tremayne Johnson in an effort to shut down the Eagles offense. Gant will be on Cliff and MBA will work the post against Laron Griffin. I.T. will most likely be on Forbes, with Gaddy covering Winford.
MBA and Aziz may have themselves a block party if the bigs are lacking in post moves and the guards are foolish enough to enter the paint. If we can shut down Tremayne, the Eagles will struggle to find real rhythm.
Rebounding
If the Huskies can put up another 60-70 board effort, second chance points alone should be enough to win this game. Eastern does not have a lot of size and the Huskies need to use and abuse this all day. MBA and Aziz did great jobs on the glass, getting position on the McNeese big men. Look for Holiday, I.T. and Ross to grab boards as well. Gant may be asked in tougher games to get more competitive on the glass, but for now he can take a more reserved roll. Look for the Huskies to grab close to 60% of all offensive boards and close 70 or 80% on defense.
Post Work
Give MBA the ball. Plain and simple, this kid wants the ball, he wants to score, and he is good at it. With the smaller line up Eastern has, MBA should have no time backing down the defender and putting a sweet move on to get to the hoop. Let's hope Romar has done some work with both MBA and Aziz on their free throw shooting, we can't afford those types of miserable performances later in the year. The other side of good post work is it opens up perimeter play and shooting that the Huskies seem to excel at this year. The Eagles may throw a 1-3-1 zone at us either from the start or after half. UW did a good job last game of dishing to Holiday at the top of the key, collapsing the defense, leaving the wings and MBA wide open.
Another blow out game. Should be another 100 point night at least. I'll be fairly impressed if the Huskies can be as dominating as they were against McNeese. It's hard to top a 53-9 lead.
Expect to see some more fast break and transition dunks from the Dawgs tonight. They did a great job of getting out and running on McNeese and I believe that it was entirely due to Gant and Overton's return to the game. Their crushing defensive and agility is a big difference maker.
I'll call it 110-66 UW
Here are some links to other previews and relevant information
http://www.montlakemadness.com/game-preview-uw-vs-eastern-washington/
the dirt is here
http://freepdfhosting.com/29b2388567.pdf
a very informative article here on the opening of husky basketball and the pac-10 as well as recruiting news for the uw and pac-10/12, give it a look
http://www.mynorthwest.com/category/college_hoops_blog/20101115/Huskies-kick-off-regular-season,-plus-Pac~10-Hoops-Round-Up/
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