Georgia State Game Review

Final Score: UW-91 GSU-74

Solid night for the Huskies as C.J. Wilcox led the way with a game high 22 points on 8-12 shooting, 5-8 outside the arc. Wilcox also added in 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 0 turnovers. It was a stellar performance that helped make up for Terrence Ross' somewhat quiet night.

Tony Wroten Jr. and Darnell Gant each dropped 18 on the board. Gant had 10 of UW's first 13 points and shot 7-8 from the field, 2-3 from range. 18 is a career high and Wroten's performance has to be one of the best career starts for a freshman in UW history. Wroten again showed how good he can be with some nice assists, but he also showed how risky his gameplay can be with 4 turnovers. Wroten had a very nice block on a GSU break away that ended with the Panther player suffering what looked like a broken arm or wrist. Tough break, no pun intended, if the GSU player does indeed have a broken bone as this was the first game of the season.

Aziz N'Diaye had a dominating defensive effort tonight and showed why he is such an important player to our team. He had a game high 8 rebounds and tied his career high with 5 blocks. N'Diaye had a devastating block as a GSU player tried to drive the baseline. N'Diaye stepped across the key, jumped straight up and smashed the ball and player to the ground. N'Diaye later got T'ed up after throwing a ball into the oppositions face. The other player was T'ed as well for pushing N'Diaye.

Abdul Gaddy had a game high 6 assists and an uncommon 4 turnovers. He shot decently on the night scoring 7 points on 3-9 shooting. Gaddy played a team high 32 minutes and was one of the few seasoned players on the court at the end of the game.

Other notable highlights from the night include Alex Wegner, the new walk-on from Vashon Island, hitting his first points as Husky with a nice 3 pointer. He went 1-3 overall, 1-2 from the 3-point line. Brendan Sherrer nearly scored as well but threw up a rather ugly shot. It looked as if he wanted to dunk, but was too far out and had to try for a bank shot instead.

Rashaad Richardson of GSU hit 7 3-pointers and was one of the few Panther players with any real offensive rhythm throughout the game. Josh Micheaux had 8 rebounds for the Panthers and added 9 points.

What Needed Improvement:

Free Throws:

The Huskies were noticeably rough around the edges when it came to the charity stripe. If there is one area that Wroten can improve in, its free throws. He was 4-8 on the night. Wroten has a really hard shot that could be improved with adding more arc or a softer touch. Ross, on the other hand, was 4-4 from the line. Desmond Simmons went 4-6 and looked solid on the floor tonight.

Ball Control:

UW only managed 15 assists on 32 makes. Slightly lower than the usual output for the Dawgs. This goes hand-in-hand with the 12 turnovers the Dawgs had. While 12 is not terrible, several were due to silly mistakes and overplaying the ball. The Huskies need to reign in their handling a bit to reduce unnecessary errors.

What was Good:

Rebounding:

While it was not a completely dominating effort, 44-36, UW controlled the glass fairly well. GSU did manage some lucky offensive boards in the second half that bumped up their stat line. Gaddy and Wroten picked up an impressive 7 boards apiece. UW did manage to get 11 offensive boards, though 15 or 17 would be much better in my opinion.

Scoring Options:

This is not something I would normally write about, but I think its important to note who were the high scorers for the Huskies. Wilcox led all scorers, no big surprise there, but the fact that Gant and Wroten were right behind is fantastic. This should give Husky fans some hope for nights when Ross or Wilcox can;t get in a groove. UW should be able to get in the lane or find production from other players. Hikeem Stewart also came out and drilled his first shot, a 3 pointer.



The most noticeable thing from the night might have been the absence of Jernard Jarreau. Despite the blow out and both walk-ons playing, Jarreau did not step on the court. This implies two possibilities, either Jarreau is hurt or he is redshirting. The later seems more likely as I suspect we would have heard about an injury.

Final Thoughts:

UW struggled a bit on defense in the first half. GSU tied the game at 23 thanks to good shooting and poor defensive switches. In the end they got their act together and used their superior depth to wear down the Panthers. Shawn Kemp Jr., Hikeem Stewart, and Martin Breunig all saw between 7 and 10 minutes, but didn't have much of an impact stat wise. The Dawgs got the win they needed and looked fairly solid throughout. I predict Wilcox will lead the Dawgs in scoring for the first few games of the season as teams try to shut down Terrence Ross. Wilcox showed the ability to drive the lane and score against the post. Wilcox also has the ability to catch and shoot quickly with skill and precision, which opens up a lot more shot opportunities. If there is a dark horse candidate for Pac-12 POY, its C.J. Aziz showed himself to be effective against smaller players and zone defenses, something he struggled with last season.


I got to Hec-Ed early and watched the University of Portland-Florida Atlantic game. Portland won 70-65, but FAU should have won. The Owls (FAU) made silly mistakes at the end of the game that came back to bite them in the rear. The Owls were led in scoring by Greg Gantt who had 18 at half time and 23 when the final buzzer sounded. FAU's diminutive point guard, Raymond Taylor, absolutely refuses to dribble when he has the ball at the top of the key. He continuously would stand at the point and wave players towards him to run the offense. This is great for UW as backcourt defensive is our specialty and should be able to really harass FAU through their point guard. I predicted a 94-60 win for the game tomorrow against FAU, but after seeing both teams in action tonight I would be surprised if UW didn't drop 100 on the Owls and win by 40+.

Go Dawgs

Georgia State Game Preview

I'll be doing all three team previews for this week's games by Friday. My friends and I in the Dawg Pack have a lot of work to do getting all our materials prepped that will be fairly time consuming and I'm already going to be writing 3 review articles. I'll try to throw some mentions of how the teams have done in their other games in the tournament.

It appears that Aziz N'Diaye has been cleared to play by doctors as of today and should participate in the tournament this weekend. He will likely return as a starter in place of Desmond Simmons. We could also see him replace Darnell Gant in the starting 5. Simmons and Gant strike me as similar players, but Simmons is a better banger in the post and is a stronger rebounder, both things this team needs. Simmons showed a nice baseline shot in the exhibition game, a signature shot for Gant. On to Georgia State.

Georgia State is coming off a 12-19 season in the Colonial Athletic Association, 6-12 in conference. Last season they lost 68-62 to a McNeese State team UW beat 118-64. While the associative property does not directly apply to basketball, especially across seasons, it is a good indicator of how differently talented the two teams are. Overall Georgia State could be slightly better than last season. They sport 6 seniors and a junior on their roster as well as returning 4 of their starters from last year. The best word to describe Georgia State is "Inconsistent." Several player have shown the ability to score in double digits and add on another 6+ rebounds. They have also shown that they can be held scoreless. This resulted in GSU placing last in conference in several important categories, namely turnover percentage per game (21% of possessions, 14 per game) and points per possession (.93). These two things combined to make the Panthers a low scoring offense that also posted the second lowest free throw percentage in the nation at just over 59%.

The Panthers are a smaller team with only two players above 6-7 (6-9 and 6-10). Their star point guard, Devonta White, stands at 5-10 and will likely have troubles matching up against Abdul and Wroten as he gives up 5+ inches 30+ pounds.

Erik Buckner, 6-7 203lb, is their go-to guy. He led GSU last season with 9.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Buckner can shoot lights out at times as shown by a streak last season of 4 games where he went 33-39 from the field. I suspect Darnell Gant and Desmond Simmons will draw the defensive assignment.

Jihad Ali returns as a streaky, but deadly three point shooter. Without their 2 three point shooters from last season, GSU will need Ali to step his game up and find some consistency behind the arc. At 6-5 and 200lb he can also drive the lane and find some success. Last season he was forced to play the 1 and 2 spot, whereas his skill set is a better fit at the 3. I suspect C.J. Wilcox could draw this assignment if he remains in the starting 5 after blocking several shots in the exhibition opener.

Josh Micheaux is a big bodied 3/4 at 6-5 and 222lb. He is a solid rebounder and shot blocker with some scoring ability near the hoop. His free throw talents rival that of Aziz N'Diaye, meaning he lacks a consistent shot (53.9% on 48-89 shooting). UW will need to post someone bigger on Micheaux to limit the effects of his weight and strength.

Predicted Starting Line-Ups:


Georgia State:


Devonta White 5-10 158lb
Josh Micheaux 6-5 222lb
Jihad Ali 6-5 200lb
Erik Buckner 6-7 203lb
James Vincent 6-10 267lb

Washington:

Abdul Gaddy 6-3 185lb
C.J. Wilcox 6-5 185lb
Terrence Ross 6-6 195lb
Darnell Gant 6-8 230lb
Aziz N'Diaye 7-0 260lb

Keys to the Game:

Rebounding:

UW had the narrow lead over SPU last game and needs to improve on boxing out their man and getting to the glass. Don't be surprised if Tony Wroten or Terrence Ross lead the team in rebounds in several games this season. They attack the glass well on defense and do a fantastic job of preventing their man from picking up the offensive board. I fully expect N'Diaye to lead us in offensive boards as his size and strength is immeasurably useful. If UW can control the offensive glass for second opportunities and take over on the defensive end to limit GSU's possessions, the Dawgs will seize the game early on.

Backcourt Defense:

GSU is extremely turnover prone and Washington is known for their guard defense. If we can keep fresh legs on the court and continually harass their point guards, UW will be able to get out in transition where they excel and hopefully pull off a few more fancy plays.

Limit Turnovers:

Washington did a fairly good job of controlling the ball against SPU. Wroten had some silly turnovers due to too fast of a pace being played, but that is something that comes along with having zero fear and also results in fantastic plays such as the no look to Martin Breunig in the post.

Final Score Prediction: 


UW-88 GSU-56

The Dawgs have too much size and talent for GSU to compete. Their inconsistent offense should struggle against UW's defense and I predict a minimum of 15 turnovers and 7 blocks. Wilcox and Ross should find a lot of success once more as they have the ability to elevate over their defenders. Gaddy would do himself and the team a ton of good by taking his smaller defender to the rack for strong finishes and easy points. Gaddy showed the ability to hit the lane hard several times against SPU. I think N'Diaye can have a field day as well. Their big man is a slower player who can be beat if N'Diaye can throw in the occasional post move. Expect another exciting game for UW and other SportCenter Top 10 player from at least one of our guys.