Final Score: UW-90 UO-86
Oregon made it a 4 point defeat with a last second tip-in following a series of made free throws by C.J. Wilcox. The Dawgs and Ducks battled back and forth all night with 10 points being the greatest differential achieved during the match.
The night started out rough for the Huskies who saw Oregon take another early lead. Slowly, but surely the Dawgs started connecting on their shots and played a little tougher defense, allowing the Huskies to go into half down only 4 points. The second half brought more energy and the crowd, who was already the loudest I have heard all season outside of the WSU and Cal games, got louder and more excited. The players fed off this and highlights plays started accruing. Terrence Ross and Tony Wroten were aggressive all night leading to a combined 46 points from the duo, while Wilcox came off the bench to provide 17 critical points including a stellar 6 of 6 performance from the free throw line, all of which came in the final 30 seconds of the game.
The two teams provided one of the most even match-ups of the season with neither team dominating any one particular category. The Dawgs out rebounded the Ducks 37-34 with a 14-12 advantage on the offensive glass. Both teams made 7 3-pointers, though it took the Ducks an additional 6 attempts to achieve the same results. The Ducks made 3 more field goals than the Dawgs, but the Huskies attempted 13 more free throws than the Ducks and made 10 more overall. Both teams dished out 17 assists and had their steals and blocks combine for 6 each. The Ducks had 7 turnovers and the Dawgs had 8. As I said, an even game.
What makes games like this so exciting and fun to be at is not only the rivalry, but the pace at which the game is played. Teams like Utah, USC, and ASU drive me nuts due to their slow down, mind numbingly boring type of basketball. The Ducks play at a high rate, they love the transition, and can really push this Husky squad to be their best.
This Husky squad played one of their best games of the season and no surprise, a large part of this had to do with the aggressiveness of our guards. Abdul Gaddy had one of his best nights as a Dawg, tallying a double-double with 11 points, 10 assists, and an impressive 7 rebounds. Gaddy helped the Dawgs execute their half-court offense with supreme efficiency. The team as a whole used the shot clock well, but Gaddy excelled in finding the open man after driving into the lane late in the clock. Gaddy also converted 4 shots at the line during 6 attempts. What changed in Gaddy's mind during the last 2 weeks is beyond me, but this aggressiveness and desire to not only play, but to win, has been missing most of the year and, in my mind, is a big reason this team is now winning games they would have struggled through early this season.
Aziz N'Diaye had a quiet night due to foul trouble. He attempted only 2 shots and made 1. N'Diaye was a solid 3 of 4 from the line and collected 7 rebounds during his limited 20 minutes. Tony Woods was next to impossible for N'Diaye to shut down, especially once the fouls started racking up. Thankfully, Austin Sefarian-Jenkins was able to play 15 minutes of relief during which ASJ picked up 4 hard fouls of his own. The man loves to foul and I'm OK with this. ASJ is a back-up player whose fate ultimately lies on the gridiron. Any foul he picks up is one less for N'Diaye. Desmond Simmons played only 5 minutes in the first half and that was all the game time he saw.
Darnell Gant was excellent on the offensive glass tonight picking up 7 total boards and 5 on the offensive side. Gant shot reasonably well hitting 3 of his 5 attempts and finishing with 6 points on the night. After picking up 15 points in the first half, E.J. Singler was held to just 4 points in the second and fouled out, due in large part to the handcuffs put on him by Gant and the Huskies.
C.J. Wilcox saved the game with his clutch free throw shooting, but he should also be recognized for his aggressiveness in the paint and his sharp shooting performance. Wilcox was only 4 of 10 from the field, but was 3 of 6 from deep. Wilcox's shooting allowed his teammates to get open looks by spreading the floor and threatening to shoot. Terrence Ross and Tony Wroten saw many great looks inside the paint due to Wilcox sitting on the perimeter, forcing the Duck defense to stay honest and defend the outside shot.
Terrence Ross had another career night finishing with 24 points on 9 of 18 shooting. Ross' outside shot was a tad below average with only 3 makes on 8 attempts, but his inside drive was as dangerous as ever. It seemed as though any set where the clock was running out, Ross or Wroten had the ball in their hand, looking to drive inside for the basket. Ross finished 3 of 3 from the foul line and also picked up 3 rebounds. With 4 other Huskies grabbing 7 boards, Ross did not need to be as aggressive on the glass. Thus far in the tournament, Ross had averaged just under 27 points per game, 11 points above his season average. This shows just how talented Ross can be when he plays hard during both halves. If Ross stays another season, he may very well be one of the nation's leading scorers.
Tony Wroten now hold the freshman scoring record for UW, surpassing Isaiah Thomas. Wroten now holds a 9 point advantage and will certainly add more as the NIT continues. After a 5 shot game against Northwestern, it was almost a certainty that Wroten would be aggressive once more. Sure enough, Wroten attacked the Ducks early and often leading to 22 points on 6 of 15 shooting. The best part of Wroten's night? 10 of 14 at the foul line, an impressive stat for a player who has struggled throughout the season. If Wroten can come back next season and be a 75% free throw shooter, he will battle Ross for the leading scorer title. Wroten's speed and agility causes supreme difficulty for his opponents and often leads to foul calls. Being able to convert his foul shots is just one more step in becoming a true superstar.
What Needed Improvement:
First Half Defense:
It is really hard for my to criticize much from the game. I thought the Dawgs performed pretty well throughout the night. My only complaint going into half time was about a few lapses in defensive rotation that led to wide open shots by the Ducks. Overall I felt the execution by the Dawgs went well through the nights. The Ducks were often forced to take contested shots and ultimately that is the best you can ask of a team. Good shooters will make shots over their defenders.
What was Good:
Offensive Execution:
The Dawgs were unusually patient in the half-court and found success. The team moved the ball well and Gaddy led the way by finding the open shooter time and time again. The Huskies limited their turnovers, they made smart plays, and took smart shots. There were very few times I found myself asking why a particular shot was attempted. This patience is something the team has lacked all most of the year and again, a big reason why the Dawgs are now winning games that would have been chalked up as losses earlier this year.
Attitude and Aggressiveness:
This team wanted to win. They wanted to play. The first game of the NIT was tough for both fans and players, but after the win I think everybody decided to let bygones be bygones and celebrate the fact that we get to see our team play a few more games, at home none the less. The players came out with smiles on their faces, they pumped their fists, and raised the roof. Just about everyone aggressively attacked the rim and found ways to make their mark on the game. The Huskies need to carry this momentum and attitude to New York.
Final Thoughts:
I know this may be looking a bit too far ahead, but I can't help but get excited for a potentially exhilarating match-up between UW and the University of Massachusetts in the NIT finals. For those who don't know, UW and UMass play one another in the NCAA championship during the movie "The Sixth Man." This movie is about the Husky basketball team winning a national title. If you haven't seen it, check it out. It's awesome and a Husky fan must. The Dawgs have been playing the type of basketball fans have been expecting to see all season and now look to win a championship, though not of the caliber they initially set eyes upon. Regardless, this team now gets another week to play and practice together, a huge asset for a team so filled with youth and inexperience. I am excited to see how this team does in New York and am hopeful that they will bring home the banner.
Go Dawgs!
Showing posts with label University of Oregon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label University of Oregon. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
University of Oregon Game Preview 3
The Huskies get one more shot at Oregon this season in an attempt to avenge the humiliating defeat suffered in Eugene earlier this year. Oregon is coming off the highest scoring D1 game this season, beating Iowa 108-97 in a defense optional game. The Ducks have been playing some of their best basketball as of late and look to be an extremely dangerous opponent for the Dawgs as they can compete both in the half court and in transition.
Thankfully for the Huskies, Terrence Ross and C.J. Wilcox seems to be getting into shooting rhythm at last and may certainly be the deciding factor in tomorrow's match-up. Tony Wroten will be called upon to attack the middle and open up the perimeter for Ross and Wilcox.
In their game against Iowa, Oregon had 5 players with 15 points or more, 3 with 19 or more. E.J. Singler was an incredible 9 of 10 form the field, missing only a single deep shot. Singler was also a perfect 4 of 4 from the foul stripe. Singler finished with a team high 25 points and 6 rebounds as well as 4 assists and only 1 turnover in 35 minutes.
Devoe Joseph created offense across the board dishing out a game high 8 assists on top of his 15 points on 5 of 10 shooting. While Singler may be the most explosive threat on the Duck's roster, Joseph has been the most consistent averaging team highs in both points (16.9) and assists (3.2) this year. Joseph's seniority has given him the experience necessary to compete and succeed in all sorts of situations this year and to me is the X-factor tomorrow night.
As a team, the Ducks shot out of their minds on Sunday, hitting 59% of their shots from the field (43% outside the arc) as well as making a tremendous 88% from the free throw line. The Ducks accomplished this by moving the ball with skill and precision, connecting with 26 assists on 35 made field goals. The only category in which the Ducks "struggled" was offensive rebounding where they managed only 8 rebounds out of 32 total.
Olu Ashaolu has really stepped it up for the Ducks during the past few weeks. Despite his season scoring averaging sitting at 9 points per game, Ashaolu has show without a doubt that he is a force to be reckoned with in the paint. Against Iowa, Ashaolu put up 22 points on 7 of 10 shooting and made 8 of his 11 free throw attempts. Ashaolu is not necessarily a big guy at 6-7 220lb, but he is exceedingly strong and has great footwork that allows Ashaolu to push his man back or maneuver around the defender.
Where the Ducks find their greatest success is their depth of frontcourt. The Ducks feature 7 forwards and centers, all of whom are strong and capable players in their own rights. This is difficult for the Dawgs where the frontcourt is clearly our weakest section due to our lack of depth. Our bigs will have their work cut out once more trying to avoid foul trouble, while also contributing on both ends of the court. The one plus is that the Ducks' best players are on their wings, much like our own team, our advantage comes in taller, stronger, and more skilled guards.
Overall, these two teams balance out quite well. The battle tomorrow will come down to who can execute better over the entire 40 minutes and exploit their opponent's weaknesses, while capitalizing on their own strengths.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups:
Oregon:
Garrett Sim 6-2 185lb
Devoe Joseph 6-4 180lb
E.J. Singler 6-6 215lb
Jeremy Jacobs 6-8 230lb
Tony Woods 6-11 250lb
Washington:
Abdul Gaddy 6-3 185lb
Tony Wroten 6-5 205lb
Terrence Ross 6-6 195lb
Darnell Gant 6-8 230lb
Aziz N'Diaye 7-0 260lb
Keys to the Game:
Rebounding:
Cleaning the glass is always a big step in shutting down the opposition's offense. Rebounds prevent second chance opportunities and open 3's, while also limiting transition plays and fast breaks that lead to open, easy points. The Dawgs find themselves matched up against a similarly sized team in the Ducks, but overall the Dawgs have shown themselves to be much more capable on the glass than the majority of teams across the nation.
Free Throws:
Put simply, the Ducks tend to make their freebies and the Dawgs do not. Against Northwestern, the Dawgs finally showed some competency. The Ducks, on the other hand, have shown consistency throughout the season, which is a much more dangerous formula for success. The Huskies must capitalize on whatever few opportunities they may get.
Defense:
The Huskies couldn't lock down the Ducks in the last match-up, leading to a complete blow out. The Dawgs have been playing much better defense this week in the NIT and this is promising for tomorrow evening. The Huskies must play tight defense from the baseline to the half-court line as the Ducks have an array of capable 3-point shooters. Our guys need to lock it down from tip off to the final buzzer if they want to get through to the next round.
Final Thoughts:
This will be a huge match-up. A tough match-up. One that our guys will need to be prepared for. While waiting for the last game, I saw several players show up just a few hours before the game. The majority of the players arriving late were freshmen and bench players, but it was somewhat concerning that our team wasn't preparing the way I expected them to. Tomorrow I expect the players to be at the game before myself taking shots, getting warmed up, watching tape, etc. If the Dawgs truly want to scrape something out of this season, they will need to get past Oregon on their way to Madison Square Garden. Unlike the two games thus far, I suspect this will be a close one throughout with both sides throwing punches and going on little runs here and there. I see a potential buzzer beater type scenario heading our way and hopefully the Dawgs are on the right side of it.
Final Score Prediction: UW-80 UO-77
Thankfully for the Huskies, Terrence Ross and C.J. Wilcox seems to be getting into shooting rhythm at last and may certainly be the deciding factor in tomorrow's match-up. Tony Wroten will be called upon to attack the middle and open up the perimeter for Ross and Wilcox.
In their game against Iowa, Oregon had 5 players with 15 points or more, 3 with 19 or more. E.J. Singler was an incredible 9 of 10 form the field, missing only a single deep shot. Singler was also a perfect 4 of 4 from the foul stripe. Singler finished with a team high 25 points and 6 rebounds as well as 4 assists and only 1 turnover in 35 minutes.
Devoe Joseph created offense across the board dishing out a game high 8 assists on top of his 15 points on 5 of 10 shooting. While Singler may be the most explosive threat on the Duck's roster, Joseph has been the most consistent averaging team highs in both points (16.9) and assists (3.2) this year. Joseph's seniority has given him the experience necessary to compete and succeed in all sorts of situations this year and to me is the X-factor tomorrow night.
As a team, the Ducks shot out of their minds on Sunday, hitting 59% of their shots from the field (43% outside the arc) as well as making a tremendous 88% from the free throw line. The Ducks accomplished this by moving the ball with skill and precision, connecting with 26 assists on 35 made field goals. The only category in which the Ducks "struggled" was offensive rebounding where they managed only 8 rebounds out of 32 total.
Olu Ashaolu has really stepped it up for the Ducks during the past few weeks. Despite his season scoring averaging sitting at 9 points per game, Ashaolu has show without a doubt that he is a force to be reckoned with in the paint. Against Iowa, Ashaolu put up 22 points on 7 of 10 shooting and made 8 of his 11 free throw attempts. Ashaolu is not necessarily a big guy at 6-7 220lb, but he is exceedingly strong and has great footwork that allows Ashaolu to push his man back or maneuver around the defender.
Where the Ducks find their greatest success is their depth of frontcourt. The Ducks feature 7 forwards and centers, all of whom are strong and capable players in their own rights. This is difficult for the Dawgs where the frontcourt is clearly our weakest section due to our lack of depth. Our bigs will have their work cut out once more trying to avoid foul trouble, while also contributing on both ends of the court. The one plus is that the Ducks' best players are on their wings, much like our own team, our advantage comes in taller, stronger, and more skilled guards.
Overall, these two teams balance out quite well. The battle tomorrow will come down to who can execute better over the entire 40 minutes and exploit their opponent's weaknesses, while capitalizing on their own strengths.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups:
Oregon:
Garrett Sim 6-2 185lb
Devoe Joseph 6-4 180lb
E.J. Singler 6-6 215lb
Jeremy Jacobs 6-8 230lb
Tony Woods 6-11 250lb
Washington:
Abdul Gaddy 6-3 185lb
Tony Wroten 6-5 205lb
Terrence Ross 6-6 195lb
Darnell Gant 6-8 230lb
Aziz N'Diaye 7-0 260lb
Keys to the Game:
Rebounding:
Cleaning the glass is always a big step in shutting down the opposition's offense. Rebounds prevent second chance opportunities and open 3's, while also limiting transition plays and fast breaks that lead to open, easy points. The Dawgs find themselves matched up against a similarly sized team in the Ducks, but overall the Dawgs have shown themselves to be much more capable on the glass than the majority of teams across the nation.
Free Throws:
Put simply, the Ducks tend to make their freebies and the Dawgs do not. Against Northwestern, the Dawgs finally showed some competency. The Ducks, on the other hand, have shown consistency throughout the season, which is a much more dangerous formula for success. The Huskies must capitalize on whatever few opportunities they may get.
Defense:
The Huskies couldn't lock down the Ducks in the last match-up, leading to a complete blow out. The Dawgs have been playing much better defense this week in the NIT and this is promising for tomorrow evening. The Huskies must play tight defense from the baseline to the half-court line as the Ducks have an array of capable 3-point shooters. Our guys need to lock it down from tip off to the final buzzer if they want to get through to the next round.
Final Thoughts:
This will be a huge match-up. A tough match-up. One that our guys will need to be prepared for. While waiting for the last game, I saw several players show up just a few hours before the game. The majority of the players arriving late were freshmen and bench players, but it was somewhat concerning that our team wasn't preparing the way I expected them to. Tomorrow I expect the players to be at the game before myself taking shots, getting warmed up, watching tape, etc. If the Dawgs truly want to scrape something out of this season, they will need to get past Oregon on their way to Madison Square Garden. Unlike the two games thus far, I suspect this will be a close one throughout with both sides throwing punches and going on little runs here and there. I see a potential buzzer beater type scenario heading our way and hopefully the Dawgs are on the right side of it.
Final Score Prediction: UW-80 UO-77
Thursday, February 9, 2012
University of Oregon Game 2 Preview
UW takes on its first rematch of the season as well as beginning what will be a long, arduous road to the Pac-12 title. With 5 of 7 games on the road, the Dawgs need to be peaking and it appears as if they might be doing just that. The Huskies have won the past 5 games, including road wins over Arizona, ASU, and Utah. While ASU and Utah may not be the most stellar teams this conference has to offer, the mentality and attitude needed to win on the road should certainly pay off. The team chemistry is better, the toughness has shot up since the addition of Austin Seferian-Jenkins, and our big men are finally getting production down low on top of our guards becoming more aggressive inside the paint. All this is coming at the right time due to the injury of C.J. Wilcox, which holds back our ability to be effective on the perimeter. While I understand Wilcox has been extremely limited in practice the past few weeks, he needs to find his stroke and get confident again as he has hit only one 3-pointer in the past four games. Something has to change or the opposition will start crowding the paint. Darnell Gant has been playing some of his best basketball these past few games and is a big reason why the Huskies have turned their game around.
Up next are the Oregon Ducks who sit at 7-4 in conference. This game will play a huge part in the hunt for a Pac-12 title as a win for Oregon puts the Ducks one game back and allows Cal to possible tie the lead, while a loss for Oregon will almost certainly be a death blow as they will be sitting 3 games out of first with only 6 games remaining. A win by UW also allows the Dawgs to maintain their hold on first place with a possibility of extending their lead should the Golden Bears stumble on the road against the LA schools. The Ducks have lost 2 of their last 3 games including a last second loss to Colorado on a pair of free throws as well as an embarrassing loss to rival OSU at home when the Ducks gave up a 6 point lead with 13 minutes to go.
The most telling score for me was the 68 points allowed by the Ducks against Utah on the road. While I understand most teams play better at home than on the road, Utah is not so good that they should score 12 points higher than their season average against one of the better teams in the Pac-12. The Ducks did win 76-68, but allowing 68 points to a team that ranks 336th out of 342 in scoring is somewhat disturbing. Either Utah really played out of their minds or Oregon played poor defense. Likely, a combination of both occurred. What it tells me is that the Ducks are susceptible to defensive droughts, something the Huskies need to capitalize on.
Last time in Hec-Ed, the Dawgs put on a show and crushed Oregon 76-60 and held leading scorer Devoe Joseph to 4 points on 1-13 shooting. E.J. Singler and Garrett Sims stepped up for the Ducks, combining for 33 points. The biggest difference between that game and the one tonight is the absence of Wilcox who scored a game high 24 points on 6-8 shooting from deep. The Huskies as a whole were impressive behind the arc as Abdul Gaddy went 3-3 and Terrence Ross was 3-5. As good as the Dawgs were outside, their inside game lacked its usual punch. The Huskies were out-rebounded 35-27, including a 14-4 offensive rebound advantage for the Ducks. Not good.
Since his 4 point game against the Dawgs, Joseph has gone on a screaming run of impressive scoring. Joseph tallied 30 against Stanford, 26 against OSU, and 20 against Utah. The game against Washington is the only time this season that Joseph has been held under 10 points. It will be critical that the Dawgs contain Joseph once more as he is the deadly player the Ducks have on their roster. Joseph is an impressive 45% from both the field and from outside the arc and an equally important 80% from the foul line. Tony Wroten and Abdul Gaddy were able to muscle Joseph around, preventing him from entering any sort of shooting rhythm.
E.J. Singler continues to be a driving force for the Ducks. In the past 9 games, Singler has been in double digits for 8 games including 26 against UCLA following a disappointing 4 points against lowly USC. Singler leads the team in rebounds at 5.4 per game and had 9 last time against UW. Not sure why Singler was able to be so effective against us, but our wings need to do a much better job defensively to prevent Singler from rolling all over us once more. The Dawgs cannot let Singler get to the line as he is an 88% shooter, second in the conference only to Wilcox.
Garrett Sims is somewhat of an X-factor for the Ducks. He is third in scoring with 12 points per game, but his 3-point shooting is second only to Joseph by a small margin. Sims has 3 more makes than Joseph, but has attempted 7 more shots. As with Joseph and Singler, Sims is an excellent foul shooter with an 86% average on the year. His rebounding is not terrible impressive with only 3 per game, but Sims also averages 3 assists per game and commits less than 2 turnovers per night. I consider Sims the X-factor because his scoring could dramatically increase if the Dawgs pay too much attention to Joseph and Singler.
Olu Ashaolu was a force in the middle for the Ducks last time around. Ashaolu gathered in 12 rebounds, 6 offensive. His scoring was low at only 6 points, but Ashaolu's tenacity on the glass allowed the Ducks many, many, extra opportunities. Not sure how the Dawgs found themselves so boxed out by Ashaolu who stands at 6-7 220lb, but they need to get it together. Perhaps Darnell Gant will reenter the starting 5 after his increased production and can provide a shut down hand and some inside presence to keep Ashaolu off the block.
Jeremy Jacob has been a new addition to the starting 5 and is performing reasonably well. His numbers are far from impressive, but for the 15 minutes or so per game that he plays, Jacob is an effective defender and provides some side and mobility in the middle. Jacob has managed 10 points only twice this season and those came in back to back games against SE Missouri State and Nebraska. After scoring 8 against UW, Jacob has not scored more than 6 points in a game and had a giant goose egg during 15 minutes against USC. Jacob has pulled in 4 or more rebounds in five of the past nine games.
Tony Woods is a much more threatening big man who stands at 6-11 250lb. Woods is averaging 7 points and 4 boards per game. Woods only managed 1 shot against the Huskies, which he made, and in the 9 games since then, has only scored more than 7 points twice. In those same nine games, Woods has picked up 4 or more boards 6 times.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups:
Oregon:
Garrett Sims 6-2 185lb
Devoe Joseph 6-4 180lb
E.J. Singler 6-6 215lb
Olu Ashaolu 6-6 220lb
Jeremy Jacob 6-8 230lb
Washington:
Abdul Gaddy 6-3 185lb
Tony Wroten Jr. 6-5 205lb
Terrence Ross 6-6 195lb
Desmond Simmons 6-7 220lb (I think he keeps the spot just to maintain chemistry)
Aziz N'Diaye 7-0 260lb
Keys to the Game:
Rebounding:
Without our outside shooting, the missed shots will be falling shorter than usual, which means our guys need to box out and get on the glass. The Ducks were able to out-rebound the Huskies despite playing a shorter line up. As Jon Brockman always said, rebounding is an attitude. You have to want every ball and fight for it. Simmons, Gant, N'Diaye, Ross, and Wroten all need to use their size and skills to get up and clean the glass, especially defensively where the Ducks were able to pull in so many extra attempts.
Ball Control:
This team has been a bit sloppy in the past week, giving the ball up far too many times to be acceptable. Oregon is better than both UCLA and USC and as such, the turnover and mistakes will be much more costly to the Dawgs. Our guards need to play smart and our team needs to work the ball around with speed and purpose as opposed to the slow and steal-prone style of offense that has been far to persistent this season. The Dawgs play their best game when they are playing with a high tempo. the Dawgs can play high tempo in the half court by passing the ball around a lot, screening for their shooters, and working to get an open attempt versus standing in place, waiting for Gaddy or Wroten to bring the ball to them.
Start Fast:
No better way to get a team feeling good on the road than to hit some early buckets. This not only silences the crowd, something very important in Eugene, but it also gets our players confident and brings the over all mood up. Against Arizona the Dawgs were able to land some early punches and I fully expect them to do the same tonight. Get the ball inside to N'Diaye where he holds a minimum 4 inch and 30lb advantage. N'Diaye has looked really solid these past 2 weeks and can be a great contributor if the team gets him the ball.
Final Thoughts:
This is a very winnable game for the Dawgs. Playing in Eugene should not make a difference, but the youth of this team has shown itself prone to road game woes. The Ducks have a lot to gain from a win tonight and you can bet they will have their A-game on show. The Dawgs have to play every bit as tough because they have just as much to lose. However, the Dawgs should not be playing not to lose, they should be playing to win and secure first place for another night. If the Dawgs play timid, the Ducks will abuse them. With the Ducks lacking skilled big men, I think the key match-up comes inside. If no one can stop N'Diaye in the middle, our outside shooting will open up and hopefully our team can get some nice looks. Aggression in the middle is going to be a decisive factor in tonight's outcome.
Final Score Prediction: UW-76 UO-70
Up next are the Oregon Ducks who sit at 7-4 in conference. This game will play a huge part in the hunt for a Pac-12 title as a win for Oregon puts the Ducks one game back and allows Cal to possible tie the lead, while a loss for Oregon will almost certainly be a death blow as they will be sitting 3 games out of first with only 6 games remaining. A win by UW also allows the Dawgs to maintain their hold on first place with a possibility of extending their lead should the Golden Bears stumble on the road against the LA schools. The Ducks have lost 2 of their last 3 games including a last second loss to Colorado on a pair of free throws as well as an embarrassing loss to rival OSU at home when the Ducks gave up a 6 point lead with 13 minutes to go.
The most telling score for me was the 68 points allowed by the Ducks against Utah on the road. While I understand most teams play better at home than on the road, Utah is not so good that they should score 12 points higher than their season average against one of the better teams in the Pac-12. The Ducks did win 76-68, but allowing 68 points to a team that ranks 336th out of 342 in scoring is somewhat disturbing. Either Utah really played out of their minds or Oregon played poor defense. Likely, a combination of both occurred. What it tells me is that the Ducks are susceptible to defensive droughts, something the Huskies need to capitalize on.
Last time in Hec-Ed, the Dawgs put on a show and crushed Oregon 76-60 and held leading scorer Devoe Joseph to 4 points on 1-13 shooting. E.J. Singler and Garrett Sims stepped up for the Ducks, combining for 33 points. The biggest difference between that game and the one tonight is the absence of Wilcox who scored a game high 24 points on 6-8 shooting from deep. The Huskies as a whole were impressive behind the arc as Abdul Gaddy went 3-3 and Terrence Ross was 3-5. As good as the Dawgs were outside, their inside game lacked its usual punch. The Huskies were out-rebounded 35-27, including a 14-4 offensive rebound advantage for the Ducks. Not good.
Since his 4 point game against the Dawgs, Joseph has gone on a screaming run of impressive scoring. Joseph tallied 30 against Stanford, 26 against OSU, and 20 against Utah. The game against Washington is the only time this season that Joseph has been held under 10 points. It will be critical that the Dawgs contain Joseph once more as he is the deadly player the Ducks have on their roster. Joseph is an impressive 45% from both the field and from outside the arc and an equally important 80% from the foul line. Tony Wroten and Abdul Gaddy were able to muscle Joseph around, preventing him from entering any sort of shooting rhythm.
E.J. Singler continues to be a driving force for the Ducks. In the past 9 games, Singler has been in double digits for 8 games including 26 against UCLA following a disappointing 4 points against lowly USC. Singler leads the team in rebounds at 5.4 per game and had 9 last time against UW. Not sure why Singler was able to be so effective against us, but our wings need to do a much better job defensively to prevent Singler from rolling all over us once more. The Dawgs cannot let Singler get to the line as he is an 88% shooter, second in the conference only to Wilcox.
Garrett Sims is somewhat of an X-factor for the Ducks. He is third in scoring with 12 points per game, but his 3-point shooting is second only to Joseph by a small margin. Sims has 3 more makes than Joseph, but has attempted 7 more shots. As with Joseph and Singler, Sims is an excellent foul shooter with an 86% average on the year. His rebounding is not terrible impressive with only 3 per game, but Sims also averages 3 assists per game and commits less than 2 turnovers per night. I consider Sims the X-factor because his scoring could dramatically increase if the Dawgs pay too much attention to Joseph and Singler.
Olu Ashaolu was a force in the middle for the Ducks last time around. Ashaolu gathered in 12 rebounds, 6 offensive. His scoring was low at only 6 points, but Ashaolu's tenacity on the glass allowed the Ducks many, many, extra opportunities. Not sure how the Dawgs found themselves so boxed out by Ashaolu who stands at 6-7 220lb, but they need to get it together. Perhaps Darnell Gant will reenter the starting 5 after his increased production and can provide a shut down hand and some inside presence to keep Ashaolu off the block.
Jeremy Jacob has been a new addition to the starting 5 and is performing reasonably well. His numbers are far from impressive, but for the 15 minutes or so per game that he plays, Jacob is an effective defender and provides some side and mobility in the middle. Jacob has managed 10 points only twice this season and those came in back to back games against SE Missouri State and Nebraska. After scoring 8 against UW, Jacob has not scored more than 6 points in a game and had a giant goose egg during 15 minutes against USC. Jacob has pulled in 4 or more rebounds in five of the past nine games.
Tony Woods is a much more threatening big man who stands at 6-11 250lb. Woods is averaging 7 points and 4 boards per game. Woods only managed 1 shot against the Huskies, which he made, and in the 9 games since then, has only scored more than 7 points twice. In those same nine games, Woods has picked up 4 or more boards 6 times.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups:
Oregon:
Garrett Sims 6-2 185lb
Devoe Joseph 6-4 180lb
E.J. Singler 6-6 215lb
Olu Ashaolu 6-6 220lb
Jeremy Jacob 6-8 230lb
Washington:
Abdul Gaddy 6-3 185lb
Tony Wroten Jr. 6-5 205lb
Terrence Ross 6-6 195lb
Desmond Simmons 6-7 220lb (I think he keeps the spot just to maintain chemistry)
Aziz N'Diaye 7-0 260lb
Keys to the Game:
Rebounding:
Without our outside shooting, the missed shots will be falling shorter than usual, which means our guys need to box out and get on the glass. The Ducks were able to out-rebound the Huskies despite playing a shorter line up. As Jon Brockman always said, rebounding is an attitude. You have to want every ball and fight for it. Simmons, Gant, N'Diaye, Ross, and Wroten all need to use their size and skills to get up and clean the glass, especially defensively where the Ducks were able to pull in so many extra attempts.
Ball Control:
This team has been a bit sloppy in the past week, giving the ball up far too many times to be acceptable. Oregon is better than both UCLA and USC and as such, the turnover and mistakes will be much more costly to the Dawgs. Our guards need to play smart and our team needs to work the ball around with speed and purpose as opposed to the slow and steal-prone style of offense that has been far to persistent this season. The Dawgs play their best game when they are playing with a high tempo. the Dawgs can play high tempo in the half court by passing the ball around a lot, screening for their shooters, and working to get an open attempt versus standing in place, waiting for Gaddy or Wroten to bring the ball to them.
Start Fast:
No better way to get a team feeling good on the road than to hit some early buckets. This not only silences the crowd, something very important in Eugene, but it also gets our players confident and brings the over all mood up. Against Arizona the Dawgs were able to land some early punches and I fully expect them to do the same tonight. Get the ball inside to N'Diaye where he holds a minimum 4 inch and 30lb advantage. N'Diaye has looked really solid these past 2 weeks and can be a great contributor if the team gets him the ball.
Final Thoughts:
This is a very winnable game for the Dawgs. Playing in Eugene should not make a difference, but the youth of this team has shown itself prone to road game woes. The Ducks have a lot to gain from a win tonight and you can bet they will have their A-game on show. The Dawgs have to play every bit as tough because they have just as much to lose. However, the Dawgs should not be playing not to lose, they should be playing to win and secure first place for another night. If the Dawgs play timid, the Ducks will abuse them. With the Ducks lacking skilled big men, I think the key match-up comes inside. If no one can stop N'Diaye in the middle, our outside shooting will open up and hopefully our team can get some nice looks. Aggression in the middle is going to be a decisive factor in tonight's outcome.
Final Score Prediction: UW-76 UO-70
Sunday, January 1, 2012
University of Oregon Game Review
Final Score: UW-76 UO-60
The Huskies started off conference play with a nice sweep over the Oregon schools and did so in fairly dominating fashion. The Dawgs won both games by 15+ points and led most of both games. Both OSU and UO made it close at times, but the Huskies were able to gut it out and regain the lead through strong offense and denying defense. Up next are newcomers Colorado and Utah, who faced each other last night where Colorado completed dominated a severely diminished Utah team 73-33. I'll have more on them later, for now let's talk about the game against the Ducks.
C.J. Wilcox came off the bench in the first half, allowing Tony Wroten to start. It wasn't so much a "demotion" as a move to get the Huskies off to a fast start behind the legs and tenacity of Wroten. Wroten has been superb this year at attacking the hoop and, more often than not, completes the lay-in. Wilcox started the second half after entering the game and drilling some smooth shots with a consistent hand. Wilcox and Wroten helped the Dawgs keep the lead despite poor rebounding on both ends of the court and sub-par free throw shooting. With 3 minutes to go in the first half, Wilcox and Wroten accounted for half the Husky points. Wilcox finished the night with a game high 24 points tying his career high he set last March against UCLA when he dropped all 24 in the second half. Wilcox went 8-11 from the field last night, 6-8 from outside, and 2-2 from the free throw line.
E.J. Singler and Olu Ashaolu dominated the glass for the Ducks and combined for 21 rebounds, 9 on the offensive end leading to 16 second chance points as opposed to UW's 6 total offensive boards and 2 second chance points. The Huskies often let smaller players sneak underneath them to grab boards they had no right taking. The Dawgs simply weren't aggressive enough on the glass to get the type of numbers they are capable of.
Wroten had another fairly stellar night, but his free throw shooting regressed once more. Wroten finished with 17 points on 7 of 15 shooting, missing all three of his 3-point attempts. Wroten was a miserable 3 of 8 from the FT line and had all four of UW's FT attempts in the first half. Wroten had 4 rebounds, somewhat low for Wroten who has been picking up 7, 8, and 9 boards in the past few games. Regardless, Wroten also dished out 5 assists, a game high, while only committing 2 turnovers. Wroten is beginning to get his passing game under control, but is still lacking a decent free throw shot and lacks a right hand when taking shots inside. Wroten made a nice steal and took his defender off the ball using some nice dribble moves rather than powering through to the hoop and possibly drawing an offensive foul.
Aziz N'Diaye. How we missed you against SDST. While N'Diaye's stats were not the most amazing, it was what can't be shown in the box score where his influence is most felt. Oregon simply refused to attack the paint when N'Diaye was in the game. Players would often drive the lanes only to dribble right back out or kick the ball to the wings. N'Diaye had a play where he blocked two straight shots after the first block tipped badly to another Oregon player. The Dawgs went down and got an easy lay-in on a muddled Duck defense. The Ducks called timeout and N'Diaye yelled and pumped his fist hard, really feeling the emotion and power of the moment. It was fantastic to see him get excited like that. N'Diaye started off with the first 4 points of the game, including a nice dribble-spin move that allowed him to hook in a nice shot off the glass. N'Diaye finished the game with 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks. He also had 2 steals and 3 turnovers.
Terrence Ross had a quite night, mainly due to early foul trouble as he picked up his third only 30 seconds into the second half. This made him less aggressive in his attack and certainly held him back a bit on the defensive end. Ross shot 4 of 9 on the night, including 3 of 5 from deep. Ross had a very nice lay-in following tough contact, forcing him to shoot deep from his hip. Ross only managed 3 rebounds, half of his season average. He also finished with 11 points and 2 steals.
Abdul Gaddy was decent tonight with 12 points. He was a perfect 3 for 3 outside the arc and 4 of 5 overall. He missed 2 of his 3 free throw attempts following a foul on a 3-point attempt. Gaddy had 3 assists and an uncharacteristic 3 turnovers. Gaddy picked up 3 fouls in the first half, which limited his contribution inside the paint.
Darnell Gant was quieter than Ross and seems to be losing more of his minutes to Desmond Simmons. Gant did earn himself some credit for coming to aid Tony Wroten after Ashaolu elbowed Wroten in the head. Gant was charged a technical for supposedly mouthing off at Ashaolu. Gant went 0-2 form the field and finished with 0 points. Gant did pick up 4 rebounds and an assist. I love Gant and he can be a huge asset at times, but Simmons is slowly proving himself to be a better rebounder and has just a good of shot, if not better, than Gant. While I suspect Romar will keep Gant in the starting 5, barring some huge collapse by Gant, Simmons certainly deserves the minutes he has been playing and is proving Romar and teammates right when they discussed what kind of hustler and player he is.
Simmons only managed 2 points against the Ducks on 1-4 shooting, but grabbed 6 rebounds, dished out 3 assists, only 1 turnover, and nabbed 1 steal. Simmons played 29 minutes to Gant's 17 and it is starting to become more obvious that he is having a bigger impact on the game. Tonight was not necessarily a highlight of his talents, but Simmons had a decent game and had just about the production we need form him to win games. I'd like to see him take a few more inside shots as his is a strong player who can muscle his man out of his way.
Martin Breunig played an efficient 2 minutes, going 1 for 1 from the field. Hikeem Stewart also saw 2 minutes of game time, but didn't log a stat. Shawn Kemp did not enter the game.
What Needed Improvement:
Rebounding:
The Huskies were dominated on the glass, despite the numbers being close (36-34 in UO's favor). Oregon picked up 15 offensive boards and held UW to only 6. Second chance points kept the game from being a blowout in the Dawg's favor. If you cut the Duck second chance points in half, the Huskies win by 23. The Dawgs cannot afford to give up 15 offensive boards, no matter the opponent. Their goal should be holding their opponent under 10 offensive boards. The Huskies had a big size advantage over the Ducks whose tallest starter was 6-7. The Ducks were simply more aggressive.
Free Throw Shooting:
This mainly falls on Wroten and Gaddy tonight who were a combined 4 of 11 from the line. Wilcox was the only other Husky to attempt free throws and drained both attempts. Free throws win ball games, plain and simple. It is the easiest shot in the game and never changes. At this point I've really nothing new to say about the importance of free throws.
What was Good:
Outside Shooting:
The Huskies dominate the deep ball tonight, hitting a fantastic 12 of 22 attempts on the night. Wilcox and Gaddy were untouchable outside, combining for 9 of 11 shooting. Ross was respectable in his own right with a 3 of 5 shooting night and Wroten gave it his best, but missed all three attempts. The Dawgs also held the Ducks to 5 of 23 shooting outside, showing fantastic outside defense. This also included a great effort by Wroten following a nice lay-in after which he hustled down the court and blocked the trey attempt.
Defense:
The Dawgs really shut down the Oregon offense that has been one of the better in the Pac-12. The Ducks were held to 60 points and 32% shooting following a 95 point and 69% shooting night against WSU two nights earlier. The Dawgs hustled the length of the court, forcing 15 turnovers and picking up 7 steals and 5 blocks. This was great to see after allowing 80 points against OSU.
Final Thoughts:
This is a great confidence booster before the Dawgs hit the road. While Colorado and Utah may not be the most formidable opponents in the Pac-12, they certainly can't be overlooked especially Colorado who has the offensive tools to be an upset team. Thankfully the Dawgs take on the Buffaloes before the Utes and can get the tougher game out of the way while our players are fully rested. The Dawgs are finally showing the type of chemistry that has arguably cost them games earlier this season. They looked much better on defense and are starting to see an inside presence from N'Diaye who is slowly developing some nice post moves. With Wroten maturing as a player and athlete and our wings continuing to supply the Dawgs with consistent offense from one player or another, the Huskies are poised to regain the hype and play that has been expected of them the past few seasons. A rather bold prediction was made by an ESPN announcer during the Oregon game, Tony Wroten will win both Freshman and Player of the year in the Pac-12. This was last done by Kevin Love in 2007-2008. Before Love you have to go back to the 1995-1996 season when Shareef Abdur-Rahim took the honors home. Do I believe this will happen? It certainly could. Wroten leads the Pac-12 in scoring and is easily the most influential freshman in the league. With his rebounding and turnover stats improving, Wroten is starting to become a key component of this Husky squad as shown by his move into the starting 5.
Go Dawgs!
The Huskies started off conference play with a nice sweep over the Oregon schools and did so in fairly dominating fashion. The Dawgs won both games by 15+ points and led most of both games. Both OSU and UO made it close at times, but the Huskies were able to gut it out and regain the lead through strong offense and denying defense. Up next are newcomers Colorado and Utah, who faced each other last night where Colorado completed dominated a severely diminished Utah team 73-33. I'll have more on them later, for now let's talk about the game against the Ducks.
C.J. Wilcox came off the bench in the first half, allowing Tony Wroten to start. It wasn't so much a "demotion" as a move to get the Huskies off to a fast start behind the legs and tenacity of Wroten. Wroten has been superb this year at attacking the hoop and, more often than not, completes the lay-in. Wilcox started the second half after entering the game and drilling some smooth shots with a consistent hand. Wilcox and Wroten helped the Dawgs keep the lead despite poor rebounding on both ends of the court and sub-par free throw shooting. With 3 minutes to go in the first half, Wilcox and Wroten accounted for half the Husky points. Wilcox finished the night with a game high 24 points tying his career high he set last March against UCLA when he dropped all 24 in the second half. Wilcox went 8-11 from the field last night, 6-8 from outside, and 2-2 from the free throw line.
E.J. Singler and Olu Ashaolu dominated the glass for the Ducks and combined for 21 rebounds, 9 on the offensive end leading to 16 second chance points as opposed to UW's 6 total offensive boards and 2 second chance points. The Huskies often let smaller players sneak underneath them to grab boards they had no right taking. The Dawgs simply weren't aggressive enough on the glass to get the type of numbers they are capable of.
Wroten had another fairly stellar night, but his free throw shooting regressed once more. Wroten finished with 17 points on 7 of 15 shooting, missing all three of his 3-point attempts. Wroten was a miserable 3 of 8 from the FT line and had all four of UW's FT attempts in the first half. Wroten had 4 rebounds, somewhat low for Wroten who has been picking up 7, 8, and 9 boards in the past few games. Regardless, Wroten also dished out 5 assists, a game high, while only committing 2 turnovers. Wroten is beginning to get his passing game under control, but is still lacking a decent free throw shot and lacks a right hand when taking shots inside. Wroten made a nice steal and took his defender off the ball using some nice dribble moves rather than powering through to the hoop and possibly drawing an offensive foul.
Aziz N'Diaye. How we missed you against SDST. While N'Diaye's stats were not the most amazing, it was what can't be shown in the box score where his influence is most felt. Oregon simply refused to attack the paint when N'Diaye was in the game. Players would often drive the lanes only to dribble right back out or kick the ball to the wings. N'Diaye had a play where he blocked two straight shots after the first block tipped badly to another Oregon player. The Dawgs went down and got an easy lay-in on a muddled Duck defense. The Ducks called timeout and N'Diaye yelled and pumped his fist hard, really feeling the emotion and power of the moment. It was fantastic to see him get excited like that. N'Diaye started off with the first 4 points of the game, including a nice dribble-spin move that allowed him to hook in a nice shot off the glass. N'Diaye finished the game with 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks. He also had 2 steals and 3 turnovers.
Terrence Ross had a quite night, mainly due to early foul trouble as he picked up his third only 30 seconds into the second half. This made him less aggressive in his attack and certainly held him back a bit on the defensive end. Ross shot 4 of 9 on the night, including 3 of 5 from deep. Ross had a very nice lay-in following tough contact, forcing him to shoot deep from his hip. Ross only managed 3 rebounds, half of his season average. He also finished with 11 points and 2 steals.
Abdul Gaddy was decent tonight with 12 points. He was a perfect 3 for 3 outside the arc and 4 of 5 overall. He missed 2 of his 3 free throw attempts following a foul on a 3-point attempt. Gaddy had 3 assists and an uncharacteristic 3 turnovers. Gaddy picked up 3 fouls in the first half, which limited his contribution inside the paint.
Darnell Gant was quieter than Ross and seems to be losing more of his minutes to Desmond Simmons. Gant did earn himself some credit for coming to aid Tony Wroten after Ashaolu elbowed Wroten in the head. Gant was charged a technical for supposedly mouthing off at Ashaolu. Gant went 0-2 form the field and finished with 0 points. Gant did pick up 4 rebounds and an assist. I love Gant and he can be a huge asset at times, but Simmons is slowly proving himself to be a better rebounder and has just a good of shot, if not better, than Gant. While I suspect Romar will keep Gant in the starting 5, barring some huge collapse by Gant, Simmons certainly deserves the minutes he has been playing and is proving Romar and teammates right when they discussed what kind of hustler and player he is.
Simmons only managed 2 points against the Ducks on 1-4 shooting, but grabbed 6 rebounds, dished out 3 assists, only 1 turnover, and nabbed 1 steal. Simmons played 29 minutes to Gant's 17 and it is starting to become more obvious that he is having a bigger impact on the game. Tonight was not necessarily a highlight of his talents, but Simmons had a decent game and had just about the production we need form him to win games. I'd like to see him take a few more inside shots as his is a strong player who can muscle his man out of his way.
Martin Breunig played an efficient 2 minutes, going 1 for 1 from the field. Hikeem Stewart also saw 2 minutes of game time, but didn't log a stat. Shawn Kemp did not enter the game.
What Needed Improvement:
Rebounding:
The Huskies were dominated on the glass, despite the numbers being close (36-34 in UO's favor). Oregon picked up 15 offensive boards and held UW to only 6. Second chance points kept the game from being a blowout in the Dawg's favor. If you cut the Duck second chance points in half, the Huskies win by 23. The Dawgs cannot afford to give up 15 offensive boards, no matter the opponent. Their goal should be holding their opponent under 10 offensive boards. The Huskies had a big size advantage over the Ducks whose tallest starter was 6-7. The Ducks were simply more aggressive.
Free Throw Shooting:
This mainly falls on Wroten and Gaddy tonight who were a combined 4 of 11 from the line. Wilcox was the only other Husky to attempt free throws and drained both attempts. Free throws win ball games, plain and simple. It is the easiest shot in the game and never changes. At this point I've really nothing new to say about the importance of free throws.
What was Good:
Outside Shooting:
The Huskies dominate the deep ball tonight, hitting a fantastic 12 of 22 attempts on the night. Wilcox and Gaddy were untouchable outside, combining for 9 of 11 shooting. Ross was respectable in his own right with a 3 of 5 shooting night and Wroten gave it his best, but missed all three attempts. The Dawgs also held the Ducks to 5 of 23 shooting outside, showing fantastic outside defense. This also included a great effort by Wroten following a nice lay-in after which he hustled down the court and blocked the trey attempt.
Defense:
The Dawgs really shut down the Oregon offense that has been one of the better in the Pac-12. The Ducks were held to 60 points and 32% shooting following a 95 point and 69% shooting night against WSU two nights earlier. The Dawgs hustled the length of the court, forcing 15 turnovers and picking up 7 steals and 5 blocks. This was great to see after allowing 80 points against OSU.
Final Thoughts:
This is a great confidence booster before the Dawgs hit the road. While Colorado and Utah may not be the most formidable opponents in the Pac-12, they certainly can't be overlooked especially Colorado who has the offensive tools to be an upset team. Thankfully the Dawgs take on the Buffaloes before the Utes and can get the tougher game out of the way while our players are fully rested. The Dawgs are finally showing the type of chemistry that has arguably cost them games earlier this season. They looked much better on defense and are starting to see an inside presence from N'Diaye who is slowly developing some nice post moves. With Wroten maturing as a player and athlete and our wings continuing to supply the Dawgs with consistent offense from one player or another, the Huskies are poised to regain the hype and play that has been expected of them the past few seasons. A rather bold prediction was made by an ESPN announcer during the Oregon game, Tony Wroten will win both Freshman and Player of the year in the Pac-12. This was last done by Kevin Love in 2007-2008. Before Love you have to go back to the 1995-1996 season when Shareef Abdur-Rahim took the honors home. Do I believe this will happen? It certainly could. Wroten leads the Pac-12 in scoring and is easily the most influential freshman in the league. With his rebounding and turnover stats improving, Wroten is starting to become a key component of this Husky squad as shown by his move into the starting 5.
Go Dawgs!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
University of Oregon Game Preview
After a pretty successful conference opener, the Huskies take on the Oregon Ducks who are fresh off a similar win over Washington State. The Ducks were led by their forward, 6-7 220lb Olu Ashaolu, who scored 26 points and 10 rebounds. That is almost a mirror of the 26 point, 9 rebound, 4 assist, 2 turnover game by Tony Wroten (he made 5-7 from the free throw line and the team went 17-20, fantastic) against OSU. Speaking of Wroten, the new leading scorer in the Pac-12 with 16.8 ppg is the aforementioned. Jared Cunningham is close behind with 16.6.
The Ducks look dangerous this season even after losing a possible star in freshman Jabari Brown who defected after two games. The Ducks also lost Bruce Bannon, younger brother of former Husky Justin Dentmon, to a similar defection.
E.J. Singler, younger brother of Kyle Singler of Duke, is a less talented than his older sibling, but proves to be a similar star for his own team. Singler can be a tough match-up. At 6-6 210lb he has both the speed and strength to power through defenses. He has a reasonably solid shot, hitting 15 of his 44 3-point attempts. Singler is third in scoring with 12.2 points per game and leads the team with 5 rebounds per game. Where Singler really excels is at the free throw line where he is shooting 90% with 40 makes on 44 attempts.
Devoe Joseph has stepped up big time and despite playing in only 7 of Oregon's 13 games leads the team with 14.7 points per game. Joseph is second in assists with 3.3 per game and first in steals with 1.6. He does commit a few turnovers, averaging over 2 per game. He has a solid outside shot and has 16 makes on 37 attempts. Joseph is also solid at the free throw line where he is 17 of 21 on the year. Joseph is very similar in build to Abdul Gaddy, but plays more of a shooting guard than a point guard.
Jonathan Loyd is a 5-8 160lb guard who drives the Oregon offense. Loyd leads the team in assists with 3.6 per game. He is a dangerous defense who uses his speed and athleticism, rather than size, to take on his man. He is second on the team in steals with 1.5 per game. Loyd is not a big time scorer, averaging only 5.7 points per game, but can be deadly when left open. He is 10 of 27 from deep. Loyd's free throw shooting leaves much to be desired, hitting only 62% of his attempts.
Garrett Sim is the third starting guard for the Ducks and is a damage dealer in himself. Sim does a bit of everything scoring 13 points, grabbing 3 boards, dealing out 3 assists, and picking up a steal every game. Sim is a smaller, more mobile guard coming in at 6-1 and 181lb. He leads the team in 3-point percentage with 49% on the season, making 23 of his 47 attempts. Sim is also an excellent free throw shooter, hitting 86% on the season and is 37 of 43 thus far.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups:
Oregon:
Jonathan Loyd 5-8 160lb
Garrett Sim 6-1 181lb
Devoe Joseph 6-4 180lb
E.J. Singler 6-6 210lb
Tony Woods 6-11 250lb
Washington:
Abdul Gaddy 6-3 185lb
Tony Wroten 6-5 205lb
Terrence Ross 6-6 195lb
Darnell Gant 6-8 230lb
Aziz N'Diaye 7-0 260lb
Keys to the Game:
Rebounding:
The Ducks don't have a bunch of size on their team, nor do they have a dominate rebounder. Their approach is definitely rebound by committee. The Huskies can utilize this by boxing out and using their superior rebounding skill set to contain the glass. Getting N'Diaye and Simmons active on the glass is the first step in controlling the offensive boards the Ducks can grab.
Free Throw Shooting:
The Ducks are a great free throw shooting team and keeping them off the line will help the Dawgs put the game in their favor. Last game against OSU, the Huskies finally looked solid at the FT line themselves, hitting 17 of 20 attempts. Tony Wroten was 5-7 and Wilcox was 6-6. Ross was 2-3. Free throws win ball games, plain and simple.
Backcourt Pressure:
While Ashaolu's performance against WSU was exceptional, it was not the norm for the Ducks who primarily rely on their guard play to win ball games. UW has great guards of its own and when they are on their game they are tough to beat. With a significant size advantage in the backcourt one could expect to see the Ducks try to force the ball into the paint, but I think we'll see Singler with the ball in his hands more often than not.
Final Thoughts:
The Huskies need to keep the momentum rolling as they take the road for matches against newcomers Colorado and Utah next week. The Ducks have been playing pretty well this season and look to be one of the better, more consistent teams in the Pac-12 and not one to be overlooked in the slightest. That being said, our team has been players and the chemistry is starting to develop as it should have from the start of the year. The great part about the win over OSU is that we did it while shooting 4-18 from deep. Our team has relied on outside shooting these past few season and have often lost when the shots weren't dropping. It's nice to see the Dawgs win one with superior inside game.
UW-92 UO-84
The Ducks look dangerous this season even after losing a possible star in freshman Jabari Brown who defected after two games. The Ducks also lost Bruce Bannon, younger brother of former Husky Justin Dentmon, to a similar defection.
E.J. Singler, younger brother of Kyle Singler of Duke, is a less talented than his older sibling, but proves to be a similar star for his own team. Singler can be a tough match-up. At 6-6 210lb he has both the speed and strength to power through defenses. He has a reasonably solid shot, hitting 15 of his 44 3-point attempts. Singler is third in scoring with 12.2 points per game and leads the team with 5 rebounds per game. Where Singler really excels is at the free throw line where he is shooting 90% with 40 makes on 44 attempts.
Devoe Joseph has stepped up big time and despite playing in only 7 of Oregon's 13 games leads the team with 14.7 points per game. Joseph is second in assists with 3.3 per game and first in steals with 1.6. He does commit a few turnovers, averaging over 2 per game. He has a solid outside shot and has 16 makes on 37 attempts. Joseph is also solid at the free throw line where he is 17 of 21 on the year. Joseph is very similar in build to Abdul Gaddy, but plays more of a shooting guard than a point guard.
Jonathan Loyd is a 5-8 160lb guard who drives the Oregon offense. Loyd leads the team in assists with 3.6 per game. He is a dangerous defense who uses his speed and athleticism, rather than size, to take on his man. He is second on the team in steals with 1.5 per game. Loyd is not a big time scorer, averaging only 5.7 points per game, but can be deadly when left open. He is 10 of 27 from deep. Loyd's free throw shooting leaves much to be desired, hitting only 62% of his attempts.
Garrett Sim is the third starting guard for the Ducks and is a damage dealer in himself. Sim does a bit of everything scoring 13 points, grabbing 3 boards, dealing out 3 assists, and picking up a steal every game. Sim is a smaller, more mobile guard coming in at 6-1 and 181lb. He leads the team in 3-point percentage with 49% on the season, making 23 of his 47 attempts. Sim is also an excellent free throw shooter, hitting 86% on the season and is 37 of 43 thus far.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups:
Oregon:
Jonathan Loyd 5-8 160lb
Garrett Sim 6-1 181lb
Devoe Joseph 6-4 180lb
E.J. Singler 6-6 210lb
Tony Woods 6-11 250lb
Washington:
Abdul Gaddy 6-3 185lb
Tony Wroten 6-5 205lb
Terrence Ross 6-6 195lb
Darnell Gant 6-8 230lb
Aziz N'Diaye 7-0 260lb
Keys to the Game:
Rebounding:
The Ducks don't have a bunch of size on their team, nor do they have a dominate rebounder. Their approach is definitely rebound by committee. The Huskies can utilize this by boxing out and using their superior rebounding skill set to contain the glass. Getting N'Diaye and Simmons active on the glass is the first step in controlling the offensive boards the Ducks can grab.
Free Throw Shooting:
The Ducks are a great free throw shooting team and keeping them off the line will help the Dawgs put the game in their favor. Last game against OSU, the Huskies finally looked solid at the FT line themselves, hitting 17 of 20 attempts. Tony Wroten was 5-7 and Wilcox was 6-6. Ross was 2-3. Free throws win ball games, plain and simple.
Backcourt Pressure:
While Ashaolu's performance against WSU was exceptional, it was not the norm for the Ducks who primarily rely on their guard play to win ball games. UW has great guards of its own and when they are on their game they are tough to beat. With a significant size advantage in the backcourt one could expect to see the Ducks try to force the ball into the paint, but I think we'll see Singler with the ball in his hands more often than not.
Final Thoughts:
The Huskies need to keep the momentum rolling as they take the road for matches against newcomers Colorado and Utah next week. The Ducks have been playing pretty well this season and look to be one of the better, more consistent teams in the Pac-12 and not one to be overlooked in the slightest. That being said, our team has been players and the chemistry is starting to develop as it should have from the start of the year. The great part about the win over OSU is that we did it while shooting 4-18 from deep. Our team has relied on outside shooting these past few season and have often lost when the shots weren't dropping. It's nice to see the Dawgs win one with superior inside game.
UW-92 UO-84
Monday, October 24, 2011
University of Oregon Preview 2011-2012
Dana Altman turned what looked to be an absolutely dismal season due to transfers, graduation, and early departure to overseas play into respectable 7-11 conference finish, 21-18 overall. Oregon ended up competing in and winning the CBI basketball tournament, though on very questionable conditions due to their terrible court design and paint job. Some magazines and reporters are predicting Oregon to make a run at the top of the conference, even predicting finishes as high as fourth places, ahead of UW. While Cal finishing in the top 4 is very plausible, Oregon finishing in the top 4 seems down right silly to me. They were a mediocre team last season who do have some incoming talent so I expect them to finish around the middle of the Pac again this season. Oregon graduated 2 seniors this past year and have brought in 5 recruits to fill out the roster.
Key Losses:
Joevan Catron 6-6 245lb
Catron was a huge part of the Duck's success. A very undersized forward at 6-6, Catron used his weight to have his way down low on the block. He led the team in points and rebounds at 16 points and 7 boards per game. He will be a tough man to replace, but with two incoming forwards at 6-7 and 6-9 the Ducks look to be a bit taller and more capable in the post.
Jay-R Stowbridge 5-11 180lb
Stowbridge was third on the team in scoring at just under 10 points a game. He was a fast guard with some solid ability at driving the lane. While not a prolific scorer, he had a good enough 3 point shot to demand coverage outside and in.
Malcolm Armstead 6-0 190lb
Armstead nearly transferred prior to the 2010-2011 season, but Altman managed to convince him to stay and effectively saved the Ducks from being trampled on by the conference. The convincing didn't seem to last as Armstead transferred to Wichita State in the off-season. Armstead was a very strong guard for Oregon. He averaged over 8 points per game as well as team highs in assists at 4.4 per game and steals at 2.3 per game. He was a terrific defender with fast hands and feet.
Incoming Freshmen:
Carlos Emory 6-7 225lb
Emory is labeled as a tenacious player, but lacks the overall skills and size to compete at a high level. He will likely be a role player for the Ducks without too much significant impact. He will likely need a year or two to develop, but in high foul situations he will be a bigger body they can use to take up space on the court.
Austin Kuemper 6-9 240lb
Kuemper is a better post prospect for the Ducks. Originally listed at 215lb, Kuemper has appeared to have put on some weight during the summer and his size is likely inflated (as per usual in basketball). He has a nice mid range shot and decent post moves that allow him to score from a variety of places on the court. He has been known to struggle defensively when his head is not in the game. Hopefully Altman can get his head on straight and keep him in the weight room to make him a legitimate 4 at the High Major D1 level.
Bruce Barron 6-2 200lb
Barron is a solid shooting guard with a little more muscle and size than most. At 200lb he can be a tough match-up for opposing guards and has a high enough outside shot percentage to keep defenders from cheating in on him. He has been know to shoot a little more often than he should and needs to learn team ball a little better before his full impact can be achieved.
Brett Kingsma 6-1 165lb
Kingsma is the younger brother of UW's own Kristi Kingsma who was a prolific scorer for the Huskies. Brett had offers from UW, ASU, UO, and a few others and opted for the Ducks where he will likely find more play time as a guard. Brett can score with the best and showed of his impressive shot at the Washington vs Oregon game this past summer. Though a tad small for a top tier shooting guard at 6-1, he can elevate enough and put on enough ball handling moves to create shot opportunities for himself and others. Kingsma may find himself with some early conference struggles as he learn to compete with bigger, stronger guards.
Jabari Brown 6-3 200lb
Brown was a guard looked at by Washington and many thought he would end up at UW. The commitments of Hikeem Stewart, Tony Wroten, and Andrew Andrews likely turned Brown away as there would not be as much play time for the hot shooting guard. Reporters have debated whether Brown or Andrews is the better prospect out of Oregon and it really comes down to what kind of guard you are looking for. Andrews is a point guard, while Brown is a shooting guard. Brown and Kingsma should light up the court for the Ducks along with E.J. Singler.
Returning Players:
Johnathan Loyd 5-8 160lb
Garrett Sims 6-1 181lb
Nicolas Lucenti 6-3 212lb
Devoe Joseph 6-4 180lb
E.J. Singler 6-6 210lb
Olu Ashaolu 6-7 220lb
Jeremy Jacob 6-8 226lb
Tyrone Nared 6-8 210lb
Chris Larson 6-11 220lb
Tony Woods 6-11 250lb
E.J. Singler will be the star and face of this Oregon Ducks team. He was a tremendous player for the Ducks last season and will be just as good this next year (Kyle is still better). Tony Woods in a transfer from Wake College who has two years of experience under his belt, which should enable him to make an immediate impact for the Ducks who desperately need some talent in the post.
Predicted Starting Line-Up:
Johnathan Loyd 5-8 160lb
Jabari Brown 6-3 200lb
E.J. Singler 6-6 210lb
Austin Kuemper 6-9 240lb
Tony Woods 6-11 250lb
Season Predictions:
The Ducks have some decent size this year, but they still lack the overall depth to compete against the high level teams. I don't seem the Ducks finishing any higher than 5th in conference play and no lower than 8th. Oregon should certainly beat ASU, Colorado, Utah, and WSU. OSU, Stanford, and USC should be on a similar level to the Ducks and make for decent competition. I just don't see such a turn around from missing the NCAA and the NIT to compete for the top spot in conference and a spot in the NCAA. On the off chance the Pac-12 does get 5 teams in the NCAA, Oregon would be one of my picks for the 5th and final spot.
Key Losses:
Joevan Catron 6-6 245lb
Catron was a huge part of the Duck's success. A very undersized forward at 6-6, Catron used his weight to have his way down low on the block. He led the team in points and rebounds at 16 points and 7 boards per game. He will be a tough man to replace, but with two incoming forwards at 6-7 and 6-9 the Ducks look to be a bit taller and more capable in the post.
Jay-R Stowbridge 5-11 180lb
Stowbridge was third on the team in scoring at just under 10 points a game. He was a fast guard with some solid ability at driving the lane. While not a prolific scorer, he had a good enough 3 point shot to demand coverage outside and in.
Malcolm Armstead 6-0 190lb
Armstead nearly transferred prior to the 2010-2011 season, but Altman managed to convince him to stay and effectively saved the Ducks from being trampled on by the conference. The convincing didn't seem to last as Armstead transferred to Wichita State in the off-season. Armstead was a very strong guard for Oregon. He averaged over 8 points per game as well as team highs in assists at 4.4 per game and steals at 2.3 per game. He was a terrific defender with fast hands and feet.
Incoming Freshmen:
Carlos Emory 6-7 225lb
Emory is labeled as a tenacious player, but lacks the overall skills and size to compete at a high level. He will likely be a role player for the Ducks without too much significant impact. He will likely need a year or two to develop, but in high foul situations he will be a bigger body they can use to take up space on the court.
Austin Kuemper 6-9 240lb
Kuemper is a better post prospect for the Ducks. Originally listed at 215lb, Kuemper has appeared to have put on some weight during the summer and his size is likely inflated (as per usual in basketball). He has a nice mid range shot and decent post moves that allow him to score from a variety of places on the court. He has been known to struggle defensively when his head is not in the game. Hopefully Altman can get his head on straight and keep him in the weight room to make him a legitimate 4 at the High Major D1 level.
Bruce Barron 6-2 200lb
Barron is a solid shooting guard with a little more muscle and size than most. At 200lb he can be a tough match-up for opposing guards and has a high enough outside shot percentage to keep defenders from cheating in on him. He has been know to shoot a little more often than he should and needs to learn team ball a little better before his full impact can be achieved.
Brett Kingsma 6-1 165lb
Kingsma is the younger brother of UW's own Kristi Kingsma who was a prolific scorer for the Huskies. Brett had offers from UW, ASU, UO, and a few others and opted for the Ducks where he will likely find more play time as a guard. Brett can score with the best and showed of his impressive shot at the Washington vs Oregon game this past summer. Though a tad small for a top tier shooting guard at 6-1, he can elevate enough and put on enough ball handling moves to create shot opportunities for himself and others. Kingsma may find himself with some early conference struggles as he learn to compete with bigger, stronger guards.
Jabari Brown 6-3 200lb
Brown was a guard looked at by Washington and many thought he would end up at UW. The commitments of Hikeem Stewart, Tony Wroten, and Andrew Andrews likely turned Brown away as there would not be as much play time for the hot shooting guard. Reporters have debated whether Brown or Andrews is the better prospect out of Oregon and it really comes down to what kind of guard you are looking for. Andrews is a point guard, while Brown is a shooting guard. Brown and Kingsma should light up the court for the Ducks along with E.J. Singler.
Returning Players:
Johnathan Loyd 5-8 160lb
Garrett Sims 6-1 181lb
Nicolas Lucenti 6-3 212lb
Devoe Joseph 6-4 180lb
E.J. Singler 6-6 210lb
Olu Ashaolu 6-7 220lb
Jeremy Jacob 6-8 226lb
Tyrone Nared 6-8 210lb
Chris Larson 6-11 220lb
Tony Woods 6-11 250lb
E.J. Singler will be the star and face of this Oregon Ducks team. He was a tremendous player for the Ducks last season and will be just as good this next year (Kyle is still better). Tony Woods in a transfer from Wake College who has two years of experience under his belt, which should enable him to make an immediate impact for the Ducks who desperately need some talent in the post.
Predicted Starting Line-Up:
Johnathan Loyd 5-8 160lb
Jabari Brown 6-3 200lb
E.J. Singler 6-6 210lb
Austin Kuemper 6-9 240lb
Tony Woods 6-11 250lb
Season Predictions:
The Ducks have some decent size this year, but they still lack the overall depth to compete against the high level teams. I don't seem the Ducks finishing any higher than 5th in conference play and no lower than 8th. Oregon should certainly beat ASU, Colorado, Utah, and WSU. OSU, Stanford, and USC should be on a similar level to the Ducks and make for decent competition. I just don't see such a turn around from missing the NCAA and the NIT to compete for the top spot in conference and a spot in the NCAA. On the off chance the Pac-12 does get 5 teams in the NCAA, Oregon would be one of my picks for the 5th and final spot.
Friday, March 11, 2011
University of Oregon Review 3
Final Score: UW-69 UO-51
UW started slow per usual, but played solid enough defense to keep Oregon at bay. UW went into half time with a 9 point lead and came out of half with a 3 pointer from C.J. Wilcox to take a 12 point lead. Oregon battled back slowly, going on a 10-0 run to bring it within 4. Washington rediscovered its offense through Terrence Ross who finished with some sick plays on the night including a top 10 worthy dunk. He went behind the back with one hand and then slammed it home.
The Dawgs rebounded well tonight, beating UO 39-31 led by Darnell Gant with 10 rebounds. Matthew Bryan-Amaning with 7 boards came in second.
Isaiah Thomas finished with his second straight double double, 10 points 12 assists. He shot terribly, going 2-11 on the night 5-8 from the free throw line. Not good numbers. I.T. settled all too often for the 3 pointer.
Speaking of struggling scorers, MBA reverted back to his poor shooting, going 2-9 and missing several bunnies once more. He did hit both his free throws.
C.J. Wilcox led all UW scorers with 14 on 4-9 shooting, 3-7 from range and a perfect 3-3 from the charity stripe. Not quite as good as yesterday, but his stroke was a big reason why we got the lead and kept it.
UW had some trouble in the second half handling the ball as Oregon extended their defense and caused trouble for I.T. and Scott Suggs who was forced to bring the ball up a time or two when I.T. hit the bench. I.T. played 38 minutes on the night so Suggs didn't have to do too much, thank goodness. Suggs, I love you as a wing and shooting guard, but you scare me at the point. Justin Holiday and I.T. both had 4 turnovers, the difference being Holiday had 1 assist to Thomas' 12.
Aziz N'Diaye came off the bench once more and picked up 5 rebounds in 13 minutes. He wasn't effective on offense, but didn't pick up many fouls. I expect his lack of play time was due to the effectiveness of Darnell Gant in the post as he played 21 minutes tonight and nearly had a double double with 8 points on top of his boards.
Brendan Sherrer and Antoine Hosley both played in the final minute, but neither was given the chance to do anything. Both are still undefeated in their playing careers.
What Needed Improvement
Free Throws (I.T.)
Basically this one falls on Isaiah tonight only. Out of the 4 misses, I.T. had 3. Gota step it back up.
Fast Start
We need to learn to come out shooting strong as opposed to the misses we have been throwing up the past week or two. I.T. needs to lead the way with strong drives to the hoop and a dish if it isn't there.
What was Good
The Three Headed Monster
Ross, Wilcox, and Suggs all performed well tonight and combined for 37 points. They also hit 6 of our 7 three pointers and Ross' dunk was just the icing on the cake.
Team Play
17 assists on 24 makes is a great number. UW did a fairly good job of not forcing shots for most the game and did so by working the ball around to open man. Too bad the Huskies struggled to find success in the middle from anyone other than Gant.
Defense
Overall the team defense was pretty good. UW picked up 5 steals and 4 blocks to top off 11 turnovers. It wasn't their greatest defensive performance, but holding the Ducks to 32% shooting form the field and 16% from range is pretty awesome.
Final Thoughts
This was a good way to go into the championship game. A strong 18 point win to top off a dramatic finish against WSU. Two different games allow us to prepare for whatever could come tomorrow in the championship game against Arizona. I expect Aziz to make a return to the starting 5 against Arizona as they have a taller line up, but don't be too surprised if we keep the small 5 to attempt to score some quick baskets. No player reviews tonight, sorry. I'm off to the bars to have a Duck Fart.
UW started slow per usual, but played solid enough defense to keep Oregon at bay. UW went into half time with a 9 point lead and came out of half with a 3 pointer from C.J. Wilcox to take a 12 point lead. Oregon battled back slowly, going on a 10-0 run to bring it within 4. Washington rediscovered its offense through Terrence Ross who finished with some sick plays on the night including a top 10 worthy dunk. He went behind the back with one hand and then slammed it home.
The Dawgs rebounded well tonight, beating UO 39-31 led by Darnell Gant with 10 rebounds. Matthew Bryan-Amaning with 7 boards came in second.
Isaiah Thomas finished with his second straight double double, 10 points 12 assists. He shot terribly, going 2-11 on the night 5-8 from the free throw line. Not good numbers. I.T. settled all too often for the 3 pointer.
Speaking of struggling scorers, MBA reverted back to his poor shooting, going 2-9 and missing several bunnies once more. He did hit both his free throws.
C.J. Wilcox led all UW scorers with 14 on 4-9 shooting, 3-7 from range and a perfect 3-3 from the charity stripe. Not quite as good as yesterday, but his stroke was a big reason why we got the lead and kept it.
UW had some trouble in the second half handling the ball as Oregon extended their defense and caused trouble for I.T. and Scott Suggs who was forced to bring the ball up a time or two when I.T. hit the bench. I.T. played 38 minutes on the night so Suggs didn't have to do too much, thank goodness. Suggs, I love you as a wing and shooting guard, but you scare me at the point. Justin Holiday and I.T. both had 4 turnovers, the difference being Holiday had 1 assist to Thomas' 12.
Aziz N'Diaye came off the bench once more and picked up 5 rebounds in 13 minutes. He wasn't effective on offense, but didn't pick up many fouls. I expect his lack of play time was due to the effectiveness of Darnell Gant in the post as he played 21 minutes tonight and nearly had a double double with 8 points on top of his boards.
Brendan Sherrer and Antoine Hosley both played in the final minute, but neither was given the chance to do anything. Both are still undefeated in their playing careers.
What Needed Improvement
Free Throws (I.T.)
Basically this one falls on Isaiah tonight only. Out of the 4 misses, I.T. had 3. Gota step it back up.
Fast Start
We need to learn to come out shooting strong as opposed to the misses we have been throwing up the past week or two. I.T. needs to lead the way with strong drives to the hoop and a dish if it isn't there.
What was Good
The Three Headed Monster
Ross, Wilcox, and Suggs all performed well tonight and combined for 37 points. They also hit 6 of our 7 three pointers and Ross' dunk was just the icing on the cake.
Team Play
17 assists on 24 makes is a great number. UW did a fairly good job of not forcing shots for most the game and did so by working the ball around to open man. Too bad the Huskies struggled to find success in the middle from anyone other than Gant.
Defense
Overall the team defense was pretty good. UW picked up 5 steals and 4 blocks to top off 11 turnovers. It wasn't their greatest defensive performance, but holding the Ducks to 32% shooting form the field and 16% from range is pretty awesome.
Final Thoughts
This was a good way to go into the championship game. A strong 18 point win to top off a dramatic finish against WSU. Two different games allow us to prepare for whatever could come tomorrow in the championship game against Arizona. I expect Aziz to make a return to the starting 5 against Arizona as they have a taller line up, but don't be too surprised if we keep the small 5 to attempt to score some quick baskets. No player reviews tonight, sorry. I'm off to the bars to have a Duck Fart.
University of Oregon Preview 3
UW faces a hot Oregon team tonight after a shootout with the Cougars late last night. Oregon took it to UCLA and made them look the fool. E.J. Singler has been hot this tournament setting career highs in points both nights with 22 against ASU and 24 against UCLA. The difference in the UCLA game was shooting plain and simple. UO made 27 shots on 55 attempts while the Bruins made 19 on 55, including 1 less made 3 pointer. Both teams hit 17 free throws. Oregon enters tonight 16-16 on the year, finishing 7-11 in conference.
Oregon is not a big team by any means so it would not surprise me to see Aziz N'Diaye on the bench once more and Ross remaining in the starting line up. Oregon's 9 man rotation includes 6 guards and 3 forwards with their biggest player coming in at 6-8. UW has the size advantage and needs to use it down low. Look for MBA to get the ball a lot.
Joevan Catron is the leading scorer for the Ducks on the year, but E.J. Singler has been trying to catch up lately. Catron is averaging 14.9 points and a team high 6.1 rebounds on the year. Catron is the man in the middle for the Ducks. At 6-6 he is a bit undersized for a Forward and especially so for a Center, but at 245lbs he has a lot of weight and muscle to throw around in the post.
Singler is second on the team in both points per game, 11.5, and rebounds, 5.8, but we all know his brother Kyle of Duke is much better. Singler is a big reason why Oregon has been so successful this tournament. He is a phenomenal free throw shooting, averaging 85.9% on the year. Singler is also shooting 40% beyond the arc with 44 makes on 110 attempts. Justin Holiday will likely guard Singler.
Malcolm Armstead is the other important Duck on the squad. Armstead is their star point guard who is averaging a team high 4.4 assists per outing and is 4th in scoring with 8.4 per game. The only major downside is his 2.7 turnover average.
With their team being undersized the Ducks understandably struggle on the glass, averaging around 33 per game as a team. They do, however, defend the glass pretty well, allowing their opponents only 35 boards a game. MBA and Holiday should both have strong showings tonight and hopefully Aziz can find some success off the bench or in the starting 5. If Oregon runs a zone, Aziz will likely be ineffective, but a man match could be equally dangerous for Aziz as well. Chances are that we will need to look elsewhere for our rebounding production than the Senegal native. He just isn't quite ready.
Starting Line Up Predictions
Oregon
Malcolm Armstead 6-0 195lb G
Garrett Sims 6-1 181lb G
E.J. Singler 6-6 210lb F
Joevan Catron 6-6 245lb F
Tyrone Nared 6-8 210lb F
Washington
Isaiah Thomas 5-9 185lb G
C.J. Wilcox 6-5 190lb G
Terrence Ross 6-6 190lb F
Justin Holiday 6-6 185lb F
Matthew Bryan-Amaning 6-9 240lb F
Keys to the Game
Rebounding
Be big on the glass, easy as that. UW has the size and skill to dominate the boards and needs to do so to keep Oregon out of the game. MBA needs to harness I.T.'s energy and resolve last game and unleash it rebounding. Holiday and the rest of the perimeter players need to box their men out and get to the glass as well to aid MBA in the effort.
Free Throws
I failed to mention this in my last write up, but it is more important now than ever. The Cougars missed a lot of free throws, thankfully, so our misses didn't hurt as bad as they could have. When a game is won or lost by 5 or less points, I can almost guarantee one team could have reverse their fortunes via their free throw shooting. UW is not a strong free throw shooting team and that needs to be changed sometime in the near future. It may be too late for this season, but Romar needs to add that to the list of things to work on in the off season. C.J. Wilcox is the best free throw shooter on the team. It is a thing of beauty.
Pound the Middle/Drive the Lane
It worked extremely well against WSU and it'll work again tonight. I.T. and the wings need to slash and drive the middle all night long. This will either lead to a basket, a nice dish to MBA, or a kick out to the wings. In my opinion, WSU plays much better perimeter D than Oregon so we should have more open shots with the kick out if the defense is collapsing as expected on the drive. Let's hope Wilcox and Ross haven't gone cold overnight.
Toughness/Grit
They brought the emotion last time out and they should be riding it into this game tonight. While the Huskies should be considered a lock for the NCAA at this point, there is no reason to quit now. They have a chance to defend their tournament title and another opportunity at Arizona should they survive USC's onslaught. No better way to improve seeding than to beat the conference regular season title holding team and a one time top 10 team.
Final Thoughts
This is one of those dangerous games where an undersized and overlooked squad could come out and take it to the big dogs, but I don't see it happening after last nights performance. UW got their scoring touch back and ended up with 89 on the night. Sure, WSU had 87, but Klay Thompson had 43 of those points and the dude was unreal from the floor. You take Klay Thompson and give him an above average night with 23 points like a normal player and its a 20 point blowout. The Huskies played strong D against the Cougars, it just couldn't be helped that Klay was on fire. UW needs to avenge the embarrassing loss in Eugene that was in the middle of the slump that effectively cost them the title.
Final Score: UW-86 UO-76
Oregon is not a big team by any means so it would not surprise me to see Aziz N'Diaye on the bench once more and Ross remaining in the starting line up. Oregon's 9 man rotation includes 6 guards and 3 forwards with their biggest player coming in at 6-8. UW has the size advantage and needs to use it down low. Look for MBA to get the ball a lot.
Joevan Catron is the leading scorer for the Ducks on the year, but E.J. Singler has been trying to catch up lately. Catron is averaging 14.9 points and a team high 6.1 rebounds on the year. Catron is the man in the middle for the Ducks. At 6-6 he is a bit undersized for a Forward and especially so for a Center, but at 245lbs he has a lot of weight and muscle to throw around in the post.
Singler is second on the team in both points per game, 11.5, and rebounds, 5.8, but we all know his brother Kyle of Duke is much better. Singler is a big reason why Oregon has been so successful this tournament. He is a phenomenal free throw shooting, averaging 85.9% on the year. Singler is also shooting 40% beyond the arc with 44 makes on 110 attempts. Justin Holiday will likely guard Singler.
Malcolm Armstead is the other important Duck on the squad. Armstead is their star point guard who is averaging a team high 4.4 assists per outing and is 4th in scoring with 8.4 per game. The only major downside is his 2.7 turnover average.
With their team being undersized the Ducks understandably struggle on the glass, averaging around 33 per game as a team. They do, however, defend the glass pretty well, allowing their opponents only 35 boards a game. MBA and Holiday should both have strong showings tonight and hopefully Aziz can find some success off the bench or in the starting 5. If Oregon runs a zone, Aziz will likely be ineffective, but a man match could be equally dangerous for Aziz as well. Chances are that we will need to look elsewhere for our rebounding production than the Senegal native. He just isn't quite ready.
Starting Line Up Predictions
Oregon
Malcolm Armstead 6-0 195lb G
Garrett Sims 6-1 181lb G
E.J. Singler 6-6 210lb F
Joevan Catron 6-6 245lb F
Tyrone Nared 6-8 210lb F
Washington
Isaiah Thomas 5-9 185lb G
C.J. Wilcox 6-5 190lb G
Terrence Ross 6-6 190lb F
Justin Holiday 6-6 185lb F
Matthew Bryan-Amaning 6-9 240lb F
Keys to the Game
Rebounding
Be big on the glass, easy as that. UW has the size and skill to dominate the boards and needs to do so to keep Oregon out of the game. MBA needs to harness I.T.'s energy and resolve last game and unleash it rebounding. Holiday and the rest of the perimeter players need to box their men out and get to the glass as well to aid MBA in the effort.
Free Throws
I failed to mention this in my last write up, but it is more important now than ever. The Cougars missed a lot of free throws, thankfully, so our misses didn't hurt as bad as they could have. When a game is won or lost by 5 or less points, I can almost guarantee one team could have reverse their fortunes via their free throw shooting. UW is not a strong free throw shooting team and that needs to be changed sometime in the near future. It may be too late for this season, but Romar needs to add that to the list of things to work on in the off season. C.J. Wilcox is the best free throw shooter on the team. It is a thing of beauty.
Pound the Middle/Drive the Lane
It worked extremely well against WSU and it'll work again tonight. I.T. and the wings need to slash and drive the middle all night long. This will either lead to a basket, a nice dish to MBA, or a kick out to the wings. In my opinion, WSU plays much better perimeter D than Oregon so we should have more open shots with the kick out if the defense is collapsing as expected on the drive. Let's hope Wilcox and Ross haven't gone cold overnight.
Toughness/Grit
They brought the emotion last time out and they should be riding it into this game tonight. While the Huskies should be considered a lock for the NCAA at this point, there is no reason to quit now. They have a chance to defend their tournament title and another opportunity at Arizona should they survive USC's onslaught. No better way to improve seeding than to beat the conference regular season title holding team and a one time top 10 team.
Final Thoughts
This is one of those dangerous games where an undersized and overlooked squad could come out and take it to the big dogs, but I don't see it happening after last nights performance. UW got their scoring touch back and ended up with 89 on the night. Sure, WSU had 87, but Klay Thompson had 43 of those points and the dude was unreal from the floor. You take Klay Thompson and give him an above average night with 23 points like a normal player and its a 20 point blowout. The Huskies played strong D against the Cougars, it just couldn't be helped that Klay was on fire. UW needs to avenge the embarrassing loss in Eugene that was in the middle of the slump that effectively cost them the title.
Final Score: UW-86 UO-76
Saturday, February 5, 2011
University of Oregon Review 2
Final Score: UW-76 UO-81
I don't even know what to write any more. Days like today are when I wish I didn't care. I wish I could come home and be like the other thousands of students who don't follow the team religious, but I do care. I care a lot. This sucks. I don't know what is wrong with our team. They are not playing smart basketball. They are playing horrid interior defense. They can't handle the ball. They aren't hitting their free throws. To top it off, the refs love letting our players get mauled and not calling the fouls.
I'd like to say we can salvage this and still go on to win the title. I just don't believe it'll happen. I don't see Arizona getting upset anytime soon. Their closest contests should be UW and WSU, but the way we have been playing, UA will blow us out. At this point the best we can do is 14-4. I bet we will be 13-5 or 12-6 by seasons end, in second or third place. We will get a 10 seed in the tournament and likely lose once more in the 2nd round or the Sweet Sixteen. We simply are not executing our offense with enough efficiency to win games away from home. We don't have that fire that drove us to win in L.A.
Our players had decent enough games. They were slightly better on defense, but their interior defense was atrocious for the 3rd straight game. Our free throw shooting was just as bad. The ball handling was what did us in.
One critical play stands out. UW was down 2 points when the poked the ball loose to Scott Suggs. He took about 2 dribbles and looked to pass to I.T. next to him. He threw it right into the hands of an Oregon defender who took it in to score. Instead of a tie ball game. We are down 4 again. That play right there sealed it off with 3 minute left.
UW was forced into 15 turnover. Overton committed 4. Isaiah had 2. Holiday had 3. UW only forced 8 errors for Oregon and allowed them to complete 21 assists to our 19. Bad zone play and rotation led to easy feeds down low to waiting post players and backdoor cuts.
Why does Romar refuse to press the ball on defense? Down 4 points with 3 minutes left. PRESS, DAMMIT! You don't have the time to sit back and let them run out the clock. Make them work to get it up the court. Get a 10 second violation. We have the speed and players to do it, so why not? And why does he refuse to run a press breaker? It is not that hard. Oregon forced us into way to many turnovers by PRESSING! Amazing how something so simple can get a team out of rhythm enough to force them into terrible play.
Our shots were much better tonight with Justin Holiday and Terrence Ross leading the way from outside and MBA from the interior. Isaiah continued his struggles from range on 1-5 shooting outside and continued his struggle to get to the free throw line.
Speaking of fouls. I hate the Pac-10 refs. They have absolutely killed us. They are not the reason we have lost games, but they sure do like to keep them out of reach. MBA got his nose busted up pretty good today and was getting scratched on his, yet no foul was called. That is unacceptable to miss. If a player starts bleeding profusely from the nose...HE WAS FOULED! I.T. was getting hammered on the arms while he drove the lane and was getting no help. They barely called the foul when Aziz took an elbow to the head as well. On the other end, Oregon was getting weak calls left and right. Blocks that were clearly charges, etc. I expect some home biasing, it always happens, but the refs need to call a better game. UO attempted 23 free throws to UW's 11. Absurd, especially considering we had only 3 fouls more than UO. The refs just won't give it to us on the shot.
Turnovers did us in once more. UO had something like 30 points off turnovers. Cut the turnovers in half or even take 4 to 5 turnovers away and suddenly UW is up 4 or 5 points. If Scott Suggs makes that pass or hold onto it, tie ball game. No need to foul. Too many mental lapses at critical moments in the game.
The starting 5 rebounded well. Aziz led the team with 9 followed by MBA, I.T., and Holiday with 5 a piece and Suggs with 4. Darnell Gant played only 5 minutes as he suffered some sort of injury in practice on Friday, but did grab 2 rebounds in his limited play.
UW passed better as a team. I.T. led with 6. Holiday had 5 assists and Suggs had 4.
Why can't we hit our free throws? Overton was 1-4, Aziz was 1-2, MBA was 1-3. I.T. made both of his going 2-2. 6 missed free throws. Even if we had hit just 3 more for a respectable percentage this game would have turned out entirely different. While the score shows a 5 point win, it was a 2 point game in the final 2 minutes. UW had to foul to get the ball. 3 isn't unreasonable to ask either. Overton needs to made 2 more to shoot how he normally does and MBA just needs to go 67% from the line by hitting 1 more.
I am wondering what it is going to take to get this team rolling again. Sure we play 5 of 7 at home to finish conference play, but WSU or USC could come in here and steal one. Stanford could do the same. After all they already have beaten us once. Hell even UCLA is playing strong enough to do it. The ASU game shouldn't be a problem, but with as terrible as we have been, we could get swept in Arizona. We got swept in Oregon, why not there?
Player by Player Reviews
Venoy Overton
While his late game scores where fast and important, his turnovers and horrendous free throw shooting killed us. He played 14 minutes and finished with 4 points, 4 turnovers, 2 assists, and 2 rebounds. Where is his fire? Where is Venoyance? We need him back.
Grade: D+ for the late game baskets, otherwise it'd be a D
Matthew Bryan-Amaning
He started extremely hot and did not miss a shot until the play he was whacked in the face and did not get a foul call. He then missed 6 of the next 9 shots he took. Kind of hard to run and breathe well when you have to have cotton shoved up your nose to stop the bleeding. He went 10-16 from the field, had 21 points, and 5 rebounds. he also had a steal and a block. We did a good job feeding him. His defense was decent enough. I didn't notice him being at fault for too many of the backdoor cuts, but as the center for most of the 2-3 zone he has a big responsibility to plug that up from happening.
Grade: B+, without him we would have been toast
Justin Holiday
MVP of the game without a doubt. He played a quieter game. Doing everything pretty well. I thought he was pretty bad in the zone defense. Then again it could just be a coaching thing. E.J. Singler and the other Ducks were wide open way to often in the corners where the outside players in the "3" part of the 2-3 zone are supposed to cover. Holiday really didn't have much choice as the top 2 were rotating poorly to cover the open man at the top of the key who would dish to the corner or cutting player. Holiday had 16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, and 3 turnovers. A pretty decent night over all. The assists were great as were the blocks. The turnovers...not so much.
Grade: B+
Brendan Sherrer
Did not play.
Grade: N/A
Darnell Gant
It is hard to give a grade to a player who was out there for only 5 minutes, but I'll give it a shot. Gant evidently suffered a quad bruise in practice and it can be assumed that is why he was limited in play. In just 5 minutes he snagged 2 rebounds, had 1 assist, and 1 turnover. He missed his only shot attempt. He was no better or worse in the zone than MBA or Aziz.
Grade: B
Scott Suggs
After a pretty hot night against OSU, Suggs was stone cold. He finished with 3 points on 1-5 shooting, including 1-4 from range. While I don't want to blame the loss on one player, his turnover effectively cost us our last shot at winning. 4 rebounds in 21 minutes along with 4 assist is pretty good. He had 2 turnovers. UW should not have been in a position for that 1 turnover to be so critical, but they were and it was.
Grade: C
Isaiah Thomas
I.T. controlled the ball a little better tonight, only committing 2 turnovers and handing out 6 assist. He had only 3 points until he became aggressive the second half when our shooters started to heat up from range and the lane opened up for him. I counted 2 made baskets and 3 missed shots where there should have been a foul call. Maybe I am too biased. I don't know, but the fouls that weren't being called for us were being called for Oregon on the other end. If you are going to be terrible refs, at least be terrible for both teams.
I understand shooters need to shoot to get out of slumps, but 1-5 range shooting hurts. His looks were pretty good and fairly open, but they wouldn't fall. Have to make the open shots. Have to. If it isn't falling that night, keep passing. Find whoever is hot handed. I.T. ended up with 13 points and would have had more if the refs would throw him a bone.
Grade: B+
Aziz N'Diaye
He rebounded really well tonight, finishing with 9 (4 offensive). He also made two very nice slam dunks, including a trailing tip dunk off of a miss. He looked better against the UO zone than he has in the past. Maybe he is starting to find himself a bit. That blow to the head took him out a bit. He needed help off the court after attempting the free throws. The big man did what we needed him to do tonight. He did well enough on defense and scored on occasion. He was decent at free throws and rebounded very well.
Grade: A-
Antoine Hosley
Did not play.
Grade: N/A
C.J. Wilcox
His shot looked a little better tonight, but he still went 1-3 from range and 1-4 overall. 1 rebound and 1 assist. No turnovers. Only 12 minutes.
Grade: B-
Terrence Ross
He played another pretty big game against Oregon. All 12 of his points were from range (4-9 beyond the arc, 4-10 overall). He grabbed 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 0 turnovers. His defense was decent, but like Holiday there was often an open man in the corner where he was responsible for the player. To me that screams coaching versus player fault. Have to improve the zone play. Have to.
Grade: B
Final Thoughts
I am going into disconnect mode. Try to separate myself emotionally from this team so this losses stop taking me out of it. Sure UW could go on to win the next 7, go 14-4 and win the title, but I don't see it happening. Not when play like this continues on the road. This is just looking like another making of the '08-'09 or '09-'10 teams that show so much promise and all the pieces to win big game, only to drop them on their own toes. Don't know the reason, but it needs to change. The difference between a team like us and a team like Duke or Ohio State is not the players, it is the drive and consistency. They need to fix their problems and fix them now. Luckily we have 2 games coming at home this week against California and Stanford that will hopefully allow us to get our heads out of the dirt, brush off the shoulders, and get back to playing hard, tough, Husky defense and basketball.
I don't even know what to write any more. Days like today are when I wish I didn't care. I wish I could come home and be like the other thousands of students who don't follow the team religious, but I do care. I care a lot. This sucks. I don't know what is wrong with our team. They are not playing smart basketball. They are playing horrid interior defense. They can't handle the ball. They aren't hitting their free throws. To top it off, the refs love letting our players get mauled and not calling the fouls.
I'd like to say we can salvage this and still go on to win the title. I just don't believe it'll happen. I don't see Arizona getting upset anytime soon. Their closest contests should be UW and WSU, but the way we have been playing, UA will blow us out. At this point the best we can do is 14-4. I bet we will be 13-5 or 12-6 by seasons end, in second or third place. We will get a 10 seed in the tournament and likely lose once more in the 2nd round or the Sweet Sixteen. We simply are not executing our offense with enough efficiency to win games away from home. We don't have that fire that drove us to win in L.A.
Our players had decent enough games. They were slightly better on defense, but their interior defense was atrocious for the 3rd straight game. Our free throw shooting was just as bad. The ball handling was what did us in.
One critical play stands out. UW was down 2 points when the poked the ball loose to Scott Suggs. He took about 2 dribbles and looked to pass to I.T. next to him. He threw it right into the hands of an Oregon defender who took it in to score. Instead of a tie ball game. We are down 4 again. That play right there sealed it off with 3 minute left.
UW was forced into 15 turnover. Overton committed 4. Isaiah had 2. Holiday had 3. UW only forced 8 errors for Oregon and allowed them to complete 21 assists to our 19. Bad zone play and rotation led to easy feeds down low to waiting post players and backdoor cuts.
Why does Romar refuse to press the ball on defense? Down 4 points with 3 minutes left. PRESS, DAMMIT! You don't have the time to sit back and let them run out the clock. Make them work to get it up the court. Get a 10 second violation. We have the speed and players to do it, so why not? And why does he refuse to run a press breaker? It is not that hard. Oregon forced us into way to many turnovers by PRESSING! Amazing how something so simple can get a team out of rhythm enough to force them into terrible play.
Our shots were much better tonight with Justin Holiday and Terrence Ross leading the way from outside and MBA from the interior. Isaiah continued his struggles from range on 1-5 shooting outside and continued his struggle to get to the free throw line.
Speaking of fouls. I hate the Pac-10 refs. They have absolutely killed us. They are not the reason we have lost games, but they sure do like to keep them out of reach. MBA got his nose busted up pretty good today and was getting scratched on his, yet no foul was called. That is unacceptable to miss. If a player starts bleeding profusely from the nose...HE WAS FOULED! I.T. was getting hammered on the arms while he drove the lane and was getting no help. They barely called the foul when Aziz took an elbow to the head as well. On the other end, Oregon was getting weak calls left and right. Blocks that were clearly charges, etc. I expect some home biasing, it always happens, but the refs need to call a better game. UO attempted 23 free throws to UW's 11. Absurd, especially considering we had only 3 fouls more than UO. The refs just won't give it to us on the shot.
Turnovers did us in once more. UO had something like 30 points off turnovers. Cut the turnovers in half or even take 4 to 5 turnovers away and suddenly UW is up 4 or 5 points. If Scott Suggs makes that pass or hold onto it, tie ball game. No need to foul. Too many mental lapses at critical moments in the game.
The starting 5 rebounded well. Aziz led the team with 9 followed by MBA, I.T., and Holiday with 5 a piece and Suggs with 4. Darnell Gant played only 5 minutes as he suffered some sort of injury in practice on Friday, but did grab 2 rebounds in his limited play.
UW passed better as a team. I.T. led with 6. Holiday had 5 assists and Suggs had 4.
Why can't we hit our free throws? Overton was 1-4, Aziz was 1-2, MBA was 1-3. I.T. made both of his going 2-2. 6 missed free throws. Even if we had hit just 3 more for a respectable percentage this game would have turned out entirely different. While the score shows a 5 point win, it was a 2 point game in the final 2 minutes. UW had to foul to get the ball. 3 isn't unreasonable to ask either. Overton needs to made 2 more to shoot how he normally does and MBA just needs to go 67% from the line by hitting 1 more.
I am wondering what it is going to take to get this team rolling again. Sure we play 5 of 7 at home to finish conference play, but WSU or USC could come in here and steal one. Stanford could do the same. After all they already have beaten us once. Hell even UCLA is playing strong enough to do it. The ASU game shouldn't be a problem, but with as terrible as we have been, we could get swept in Arizona. We got swept in Oregon, why not there?
Player by Player Reviews
Venoy Overton
While his late game scores where fast and important, his turnovers and horrendous free throw shooting killed us. He played 14 minutes and finished with 4 points, 4 turnovers, 2 assists, and 2 rebounds. Where is his fire? Where is Venoyance? We need him back.
Grade: D+ for the late game baskets, otherwise it'd be a D
Matthew Bryan-Amaning
He started extremely hot and did not miss a shot until the play he was whacked in the face and did not get a foul call. He then missed 6 of the next 9 shots he took. Kind of hard to run and breathe well when you have to have cotton shoved up your nose to stop the bleeding. He went 10-16 from the field, had 21 points, and 5 rebounds. he also had a steal and a block. We did a good job feeding him. His defense was decent enough. I didn't notice him being at fault for too many of the backdoor cuts, but as the center for most of the 2-3 zone he has a big responsibility to plug that up from happening.
Grade: B+, without him we would have been toast
Justin Holiday
MVP of the game without a doubt. He played a quieter game. Doing everything pretty well. I thought he was pretty bad in the zone defense. Then again it could just be a coaching thing. E.J. Singler and the other Ducks were wide open way to often in the corners where the outside players in the "3" part of the 2-3 zone are supposed to cover. Holiday really didn't have much choice as the top 2 were rotating poorly to cover the open man at the top of the key who would dish to the corner or cutting player. Holiday had 16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, and 3 turnovers. A pretty decent night over all. The assists were great as were the blocks. The turnovers...not so much.
Grade: B+
Brendan Sherrer
Did not play.
Grade: N/A
Darnell Gant
It is hard to give a grade to a player who was out there for only 5 minutes, but I'll give it a shot. Gant evidently suffered a quad bruise in practice and it can be assumed that is why he was limited in play. In just 5 minutes he snagged 2 rebounds, had 1 assist, and 1 turnover. He missed his only shot attempt. He was no better or worse in the zone than MBA or Aziz.
Grade: B
Scott Suggs
After a pretty hot night against OSU, Suggs was stone cold. He finished with 3 points on 1-5 shooting, including 1-4 from range. While I don't want to blame the loss on one player, his turnover effectively cost us our last shot at winning. 4 rebounds in 21 minutes along with 4 assist is pretty good. He had 2 turnovers. UW should not have been in a position for that 1 turnover to be so critical, but they were and it was.
Grade: C
Isaiah Thomas
I.T. controlled the ball a little better tonight, only committing 2 turnovers and handing out 6 assist. He had only 3 points until he became aggressive the second half when our shooters started to heat up from range and the lane opened up for him. I counted 2 made baskets and 3 missed shots where there should have been a foul call. Maybe I am too biased. I don't know, but the fouls that weren't being called for us were being called for Oregon on the other end. If you are going to be terrible refs, at least be terrible for both teams.
I understand shooters need to shoot to get out of slumps, but 1-5 range shooting hurts. His looks were pretty good and fairly open, but they wouldn't fall. Have to make the open shots. Have to. If it isn't falling that night, keep passing. Find whoever is hot handed. I.T. ended up with 13 points and would have had more if the refs would throw him a bone.
Grade: B+
Aziz N'Diaye
He rebounded really well tonight, finishing with 9 (4 offensive). He also made two very nice slam dunks, including a trailing tip dunk off of a miss. He looked better against the UO zone than he has in the past. Maybe he is starting to find himself a bit. That blow to the head took him out a bit. He needed help off the court after attempting the free throws. The big man did what we needed him to do tonight. He did well enough on defense and scored on occasion. He was decent at free throws and rebounded very well.
Grade: A-
Antoine Hosley
Did not play.
Grade: N/A
C.J. Wilcox
His shot looked a little better tonight, but he still went 1-3 from range and 1-4 overall. 1 rebound and 1 assist. No turnovers. Only 12 minutes.
Grade: B-
Terrence Ross
He played another pretty big game against Oregon. All 12 of his points were from range (4-9 beyond the arc, 4-10 overall). He grabbed 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 0 turnovers. His defense was decent, but like Holiday there was often an open man in the corner where he was responsible for the player. To me that screams coaching versus player fault. Have to improve the zone play. Have to.
Grade: B
Final Thoughts
I am going into disconnect mode. Try to separate myself emotionally from this team so this losses stop taking me out of it. Sure UW could go on to win the next 7, go 14-4 and win the title, but I don't see it happening. Not when play like this continues on the road. This is just looking like another making of the '08-'09 or '09-'10 teams that show so much promise and all the pieces to win big game, only to drop them on their own toes. Don't know the reason, but it needs to change. The difference between a team like us and a team like Duke or Ohio State is not the players, it is the drive and consistency. They need to fix their problems and fix them now. Luckily we have 2 games coming at home this week against California and Stanford that will hopefully allow us to get our heads out of the dirt, brush off the shoulders, and get back to playing hard, tough, Husky defense and basketball.
Friday, February 4, 2011
University of Oregon Preview 2
Well this preview comes with some good news after two huge let down games. The allegations of Rape in the Third Degree against a UW basketball player have resulted in NO charges being placed. Hopefully this means less distraction and more focus from our team.
The Ducks are 11-11 on the year, 4-6 in conference, and are coming off a decisive win over WSU on Thursday. The Huskies on the other hand are reeling a bit after two straight losses to WSU and OSU in terribly played games.
Only two players for the Ducks are averaging double digit points, but they have four players between 6.9 and 8.7 points per game. Joevan Catron leads the team with 15.8 points per game and is first on the team in rebounding at 6.6 boards per game.
Malcolm Armstead leads the team with 3.6 assists per game, but also has 2.9 turnovers per game. The Ducks are averaging 14 assists and 13 turnovers per game. They also average 8 steals per game, led by Armstead at 2.0 per game.
The Ducks are a team low on size, with their tallest contributing players standing at 6-8. They do have 6-10 Martin Seiferth who has played in 10 of the Ducks 22 games this season. Both E.J. Singler and Catron stand at 6-6. They are also the tallest players in the Ducks starting line up. Jonathan Loyd is the smallest at 5-8.
The Ducks are a fairly experienced team in that they have 2 seniors and 7 juniors, but they also only have 8 scholarship players on their roster currently. Several players were lost to graduations, early exits, and transfers. A lot of the transfers were due to the firing of long time coach, Ernie Kent, and the long process of hiring a new coach and athletic director.
The Ducks are a poor shooting team with an effective field goal percentage of 41.4%. They have raised their outside shooting percentage to 32.4%
Singler is the best player for the Ducks, in my opinion. Even if he isn't leading the team in scoring, he plays like Justin Holiday and does all the little things. Along with Catron and Armstead, the three look to be a dangerous trio.
With the Huskies coming in morally low and the Ducks coming in riding high I expect a close, tough game.
Keys to the Game
Rebounding
UW was absolutely dominated on the glass by OSU. OSU crashed hard and often, while UW was content to let them get the ball. MBA and Holiday did fine with 10 and 7 respectively, but they were the only ones with any success on the glass. UW needs to step it up. We average a +9.5 rebound margin in wins and a -1 in losses. Rebounding is key.
Outside Shooting
Oregon simply does not have the talent or depth to guard the perimeter as well as the post simultaneously. If MBA and/or Aziz can get going strong, the Ducks could drop back from their normal man to man pressure defense and resort to a zone in an attempt to cut back on our post positions. This is great for us as we have a plethora of talented outside shooters. C.J. Wilcox is still question with a Staph infection, but we have Isaiah Thomas, Justin Holiday, Darnell Gant, Venoy Overton, Terrence Ross, and Scott Suggs who have all shown to be talented outside shots. If the Ducks fall back inside we need to take advantage and shoot the lights out. It is likely the Ducks will zone from the start after seeing the success a sagging 2-3 zone has been against the Dawgs the past two games.
Pressure Defense
The Ducks are turnover prone, especially their point guard, Malcolm Armstead. With a talented backcourt with a ton of speed the Huskies can take advantage of the Ducks and create a ton of transition plays. The Ducks like to run full court pressure after a made basket, but do not possess the speed of our guards and this means the Huskies have a major change to get some big time dunks as well as many transition points, something we live off of. So on both offense and defense the success of the pressure will go a long ways towards the overall success of our game.
Defense
It needs to get better. Now. Venoy Overton doesn't have the fire he used to. Justin Holiday hasn't been locking players down. Our post players have been fouling like mad. OSU abused us inside last game.
Projected Starting Lineups
Oregon
Jonathan Loyd 5-8 160lb G
Jay-R Stowbridge 5-11 180lb G
Malcolm Armstead 6-0 195lb G
E.J. Singler 6-6 210lb F
Joevan Catron 6-6 245lb F
Washington
Isaiah Thomas 5-9 185lb G
Scott Suggs 6-6 195lb G
Justin Holiday 6-6 185lb F
Matthew Bryan-Amaning 6-9 240lb F
Aziz N'Diaye 7-0 260lb C
Final Thoughts
The Huskies need to come out with a will to win. The lacked it entirely in their game against OSU. Losing this one would pretty much take down title aspirations and would kill our tournament seeding and begin to place doubts on even a shot at the tournament. This team has too much potential and the ceiling is high for them if they can just find some consistency. They should not have lost to WSU or OSU. They shouldn't have lost to Stanford. Or MSU or Kentucky. All those games were very winnable with a small tweak here or there. MBA needs to play big and finish strong. Holiday needs to dunk the damn ball when he is open like in the OSU game. Screw laying it in nicely, dunk it. Finish strong. Get pumped. Speaking of dunking, I failed to mention Terrence Ross's sick tip in dunk. It was the exact same dunk Jared Cunningham of OSU had earlier this year. Monstrous. We need more of that. Strong and fired up defense will be key. The offense needs to execute. Get the ball inside. Set some screens. Pick and Roll. Mid Range jumpers. Bring it all out.
Final Score Prediction
UW-78 UO-72
Thursday, January 6, 2011
University of Oregon Review
Final Score UW-87 UO-69
This review will be filled out later, tonight is time for some celebration. It was a stressful game for the first half, but the Dawgs finished with a 6 minute run for the record book. I.T. threw an alley oop to Terrence Ross that put Hec Ed in a frenzy. This is followed immediately by an I.T. steal and lay-in. Place goes even crazier. THEN Oregon attempts a break away dunk only to have it blocked by Terrence Ross. At that point I had no voice, the Dawg Pack was a mosh pit of purple and noise. I tasted blood. It was beautiful. To top it off, I.T. gets another steal and JAMS ONE DOWN THE HOLE! Dear god, it was insane.
*Edit*
A bit more about the game before I head out. UW struggled to hold on the Ducks in the first half. UO played a gritty game and were out rebounding the Dawgs 19-16 at half. UW finished the game leading the boards 40-31. UW had gone 5-6 from the field to start the game, but ended 17 -38 from the field at half. Isaiah was quiet in the first half with 4 points, but 6 assists as well. Isaiah finished with 20 points and 9 assists, including several beautiful threes and his first career dunk at UW.
Terrence Ross showed all the Husky faithful who were not able to travel to L.A. just what they missed out on and more. He finished the night with a team and career high 25 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, two blocks, and 1 assist. He drove, he shot, he dunked like a beast. 11-18 on the night, 3-7 from range. He couldn't be stopped. While Venoy Overton may have got the start, Ross made a great case for himself.
MBA did well, getting 13 points and 8 boards. Not his best offensive night in terms of pure scoring, but he made his shots and rebounded well once more. He has really done a great job hitting his rebounding peak when conference time rolled around.
Aziz didn't play much today and the Huskies had a hard time getting him involved in the offense. He went 1-1 from the field and grabbed 3 boards. He also had 2 blocks.
Justin Holiday was also fairly quiet tonight. 7 points, 3 boards, 2 assist, 1 block, 1 turnover. Holiday was hitting early, but didn't take many shots after that. With Ross shooting so well, a lot of the offense ran through him rather than Holiday or I.T.
Venoy had 5 assists, but also had 3 turnovers. All of which occurred at the beginning of the second half. He only scored 3 points.
Isaiah is a close second for MVP. He had 20 points, 9 assists, 6 boards, 3 steals, and 3 turnovers. He lit it up in the last 10 minutes and did a great job leading the team without Gaddy there. His experience and leadership qualities really showed again tonight. If not for Ross putting on beast mode, I.T. would be the easy choice for MVP. I.T. was great tonight and he finally gutted up and dunked the ball on the break. He then barked and woofed at the Oregon bench, specifically Jonathan Loyd who had pushed I.T. earlier in the game. Joevan Catron threw his water bottle down, causing Altman to drop his gum and get furious.
TERRENCE ROSS!!!! Way to show up right when we needed you most. In the 3 conference games thus far he is averaging 16.6 points. He could have had 10+ in the UCLA game had he played more than 9 minutes. On top of his game high 25 points he added in 4 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks, and 1 assist. No turnovers. He was great on defense. He made tough, tough shots on the lane. He sank some big ones from deep and finished shooting 61% from the field. If he keeps this up, he will be starting every game the rest of the year. I think he could easily see the start Saturday against the Beavers.
Scott Suggs also added 13 tonight, 5-8 from the field, 3-5 from range.
19 assists on 36 made shots, another fantastic stat. 9 steals, 7 blocks, 15 forced turnovers, and only 12 turnovers (5 in the first half) for the Dawgs.
More Later, player reviews, game stuff, etc.
Peace
This review will be filled out later, tonight is time for some celebration. It was a stressful game for the first half, but the Dawgs finished with a 6 minute run for the record book. I.T. threw an alley oop to Terrence Ross that put Hec Ed in a frenzy. This is followed immediately by an I.T. steal and lay-in. Place goes even crazier. THEN Oregon attempts a break away dunk only to have it blocked by Terrence Ross. At that point I had no voice, the Dawg Pack was a mosh pit of purple and noise. I tasted blood. It was beautiful. To top it off, I.T. gets another steal and JAMS ONE DOWN THE HOLE! Dear god, it was insane.
*Edit*
A bit more about the game before I head out. UW struggled to hold on the Ducks in the first half. UO played a gritty game and were out rebounding the Dawgs 19-16 at half. UW finished the game leading the boards 40-31. UW had gone 5-6 from the field to start the game, but ended 17 -38 from the field at half. Isaiah was quiet in the first half with 4 points, but 6 assists as well. Isaiah finished with 20 points and 9 assists, including several beautiful threes and his first career dunk at UW.
Terrence Ross showed all the Husky faithful who were not able to travel to L.A. just what they missed out on and more. He finished the night with a team and career high 25 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, two blocks, and 1 assist. He drove, he shot, he dunked like a beast. 11-18 on the night, 3-7 from range. He couldn't be stopped. While Venoy Overton may have got the start, Ross made a great case for himself.
MBA did well, getting 13 points and 8 boards. Not his best offensive night in terms of pure scoring, but he made his shots and rebounded well once more. He has really done a great job hitting his rebounding peak when conference time rolled around.
Aziz didn't play much today and the Huskies had a hard time getting him involved in the offense. He went 1-1 from the field and grabbed 3 boards. He also had 2 blocks.
Justin Holiday was also fairly quiet tonight. 7 points, 3 boards, 2 assist, 1 block, 1 turnover. Holiday was hitting early, but didn't take many shots after that. With Ross shooting so well, a lot of the offense ran through him rather than Holiday or I.T.
Venoy had 5 assists, but also had 3 turnovers. All of which occurred at the beginning of the second half. He only scored 3 points.
Isaiah is a close second for MVP. He had 20 points, 9 assists, 6 boards, 3 steals, and 3 turnovers. He lit it up in the last 10 minutes and did a great job leading the team without Gaddy there. His experience and leadership qualities really showed again tonight. If not for Ross putting on beast mode, I.T. would be the easy choice for MVP. I.T. was great tonight and he finally gutted up and dunked the ball on the break. He then barked and woofed at the Oregon bench, specifically Jonathan Loyd who had pushed I.T. earlier in the game. Joevan Catron threw his water bottle down, causing Altman to drop his gum and get furious.
TERRENCE ROSS!!!! Way to show up right when we needed you most. In the 3 conference games thus far he is averaging 16.6 points. He could have had 10+ in the UCLA game had he played more than 9 minutes. On top of his game high 25 points he added in 4 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks, and 1 assist. No turnovers. He was great on defense. He made tough, tough shots on the lane. He sank some big ones from deep and finished shooting 61% from the field. If he keeps this up, he will be starting every game the rest of the year. I think he could easily see the start Saturday against the Beavers.
Scott Suggs also added 13 tonight, 5-8 from the field, 3-5 from range.
19 assists on 36 made shots, another fantastic stat. 9 steals, 7 blocks, 15 forced turnovers, and only 12 turnovers (5 in the first half) for the Dawgs.
More Later, player reviews, game stuff, etc.
Peace
University of Oregon Preview
On the heels of bad news concerning Abdul Gaddy, the Ducks roll into town for the Pac-10 home opener. Without one of our starting 5, Romar will need to find a suitable replacement and some changed up tactics with the absence of arguably our best point guard.
The Ducks are 7-7 on the year, 0-2 in conference, and are coming in with 4 straight losses including a 63-48 loss to UVA who the Huskies beat 106-63 in Maui and getting swept at home by the Arizona schools. I don't expect a 106-48 victory by transitive property, but the Huskies should roll easily if they go out and play their game with the same toughness they showed in L.A.
The Huskies will now be running a 9 man rotation the duration of the season. The Ducks also play an 8 to 9 man rotation.
Only two players for the Ducks are averaging double digit points, but they have five players between 6.8 and 8.3 points per game. Joevan Catron leads the team with 16.4 points per game and is second on the team in rebounding at 6.3 boards per game, right behind E.J. Singler, younger brother to Kyle Singler of Duke, who picks up 6.4 rebounds per game and is second in scoring at 12.1 points per game.
Malcolm Armstead leads the team with 3.7 assists per game, but also has 3.4 turnovers per game. The Ducks are averaging 13.3 assists and 12.7 turnovers per game. They also average 9 steals per game, led by Armstead at 2.2 per game.
The Ducks are a team low on size, with their tallest contributing players standing at 6-8. They do have 6-10 Martin Seiferth who has played in 8 of the Ducks 14 games this season. Both E.J. Singler and Catron stand at 6-6. They are also the tallest players in the Ducks starting line up. Jonathan Loyd is the smallest at 5-8.
The Ducks are a fairly experienced team n that they have 2 seniors and 7 juniors, but they also only have 8 scholarship players on their roster currently. Several players were lost to graduations, early exits, and transfers. A lot of the transfers were due to the firing of long time coach, Ernie Kent, and the long process of hiring a new coach and athletic director.
The Ducks are a poor shooting team with an effective field goal percentage of 44.8%, 289th in the nation. The Huskies are shooting almost a full 11% better at 55.3%, 15th in the nation. The Ducks outside shooting is terrible at 29.2% and they also allow their opponents to shoot an average of 38.3%.
Singler is the best player for the Ducks, in my opinion. Even if he isn't leading the team in scoring he plays like Justin Holiday and does all the little things. He has the most rebounds on the season, he has three times the number of blocks as anyone else on the team, and he has also only recorded 18 turnovers on the season.
Keys to the Game
Rebounding
After such strong performances against two very tough frontcourts, expectations are high for the Huskies in terms of their game play on the glass. The Huskies are up to 23rd in the nation in rebounds per game at 40.5 boards per game. Aziz and MBA have really shown their strength on the boards since being installed in the starting line up together. Against such a small, Oregon line up they should have no trouble grabbing 20+ boards between them. Add in Justin Holiday who could get 10 as well and you have yourself an old fashion rebound beat down in the making. The key will be for MBA and Aziz, especially Aziz, to avoid foul trouble. At 7-0, Aziz has a huge advantage on the glass and could have a monstrous game should he be able to stay on the court for 20-25 minutes.
Outside Shooting
Oregon simply does not have the talent or depth to guard the perimeter as well as the post simultaneously. If MBA and/or Aziz can get going strong, the Ducks could drop back from their normal man to man pressure defense and resort to a zone in an attempt to cut back on our post positions. This is great for us as we have a plethora of talented outside shooters. C.J. Wilcox is still question with a Staph infection, but we have Isaiah Thomas, Justin Holiday, Darnell Gant, Venoy Overton, Terrence Ross, and Scott Suggs who have all shown to be talented outside shots. If the Ducks fall back inside we need to take advantage and shoot the lights out.
Pressure Defense
The Ducks are turnover prone, especially their point guard, Malcolm Armstead. With a talented backcourt with a ton of speed the Huskies can take advantage of the Ducks and create a ton of transition plays. The Ducks like to run full court pressure after a made basket, but do not possess the speed of our guards and this means the Huskies have a major change to get some big time dunks as well as many transition points, something we live off of. So on both offense and defense the success of the pressure will go a long ways towards the overall success of our game.
Fouls
The Huskies have picked up a lot of fouls in their last two games, especially down low. They were able to cope by using a beautiful zone defense I didn't know a Romar coached team could play. Our bigs need to do more to avoid fouls, even if it means giving up an occasional board or basket. At home this is usually not a big deal as foul calls tend to go in favor of the home team. On the road it could kill us. So far we have been OK despite Aziz fouling out both games in L.A. If the Huskies can avoid sending the Ducks to the free throw line too often we can keep the game from being competitive.
Projected Starting Lineups
Oregon
Jonathan Loyd 5-8 160lb G
Jay-R Stowbridge 5-11 180lb G
Malcolm Armstead 6-0 195lb G
E.J. Singler 6-6 210lb F
Joevan Catron 6-6 245lb F
Washington
Isaiah Thomas 5-9 185lb SG/PG
Justin Holiday 6-6 185lb F
Matthew Bryan-Amaning 6-9 240lb F
Aziz N'Diaye 7-0 260lb C
...and my prediction for the shooting guard/2 spot position is...
Terrence Ross 6-6 190lb F
Why do I think it will be Ross? Ross stepped up in a way Suggs and Wilcox have not done in tough, competitive games. Ross has also shown the mentality not to shy away from shooting even when he has missed a few. He is a play maker. He is a ball handler. He is a scorer. He brings a lot to the table and has been itching for another big game after his breakout against USC.
Venoy is another solid option, but I think we need to keep him as our go to 6th man to give IT a break at times. He could get the start, it would be the easiest replacement and most obvious, but Overton is a solid off the bench player and brings too much energy and defensive tenacity for opposing guards to handle especially when tired. I also think that starting Ross gives us a fall back option of Venoy if the freshman can't handle the starting game. Romar could also turn to Suggs and/or C.J. if he is healthy, should Ross not be up to par.
Final Thoughts
The Huskies should come out inspired and on fire in honor of their "fallen" teammate, Abdul Gaddy. The Ducks simply do not have the size or talent to compete with the Dawgs. With a total height advantage of nearly 2 feet the Huskies should be able to rebound with ease, shoot over their opponents, drive the lane, and pretty much do whatever they want to the Ducks. The fact the Ducks were held to 48 points and lost by 15 against the same Virginia team the Huskies beat by 43 points is very telling and bodes well for us. As long as well play our game and don't shoot ourselves in the foot this should be a good warm up to a hot Oregon State team. With our much bigger post players and our much better shooting backcourt the Dawgs should dominate.
Final Score Prediction
UW-98 UO-64
Links
http://freepdfhosting.com/471b830daa.pdf
http://www.montlakemadness.com/game-preview-oregon/
http://seattlesportsnet.com/2009/10/23/30-reasons-to-hate-the-university-of-oregon/
The Ducks are 7-7 on the year, 0-2 in conference, and are coming in with 4 straight losses including a 63-48 loss to UVA who the Huskies beat 106-63 in Maui and getting swept at home by the Arizona schools. I don't expect a 106-48 victory by transitive property, but the Huskies should roll easily if they go out and play their game with the same toughness they showed in L.A.
The Huskies will now be running a 9 man rotation the duration of the season. The Ducks also play an 8 to 9 man rotation.
Only two players for the Ducks are averaging double digit points, but they have five players between 6.8 and 8.3 points per game. Joevan Catron leads the team with 16.4 points per game and is second on the team in rebounding at 6.3 boards per game, right behind E.J. Singler, younger brother to Kyle Singler of Duke, who picks up 6.4 rebounds per game and is second in scoring at 12.1 points per game.
Malcolm Armstead leads the team with 3.7 assists per game, but also has 3.4 turnovers per game. The Ducks are averaging 13.3 assists and 12.7 turnovers per game. They also average 9 steals per game, led by Armstead at 2.2 per game.
The Ducks are a team low on size, with their tallest contributing players standing at 6-8. They do have 6-10 Martin Seiferth who has played in 8 of the Ducks 14 games this season. Both E.J. Singler and Catron stand at 6-6. They are also the tallest players in the Ducks starting line up. Jonathan Loyd is the smallest at 5-8.
The Ducks are a fairly experienced team n that they have 2 seniors and 7 juniors, but they also only have 8 scholarship players on their roster currently. Several players were lost to graduations, early exits, and transfers. A lot of the transfers were due to the firing of long time coach, Ernie Kent, and the long process of hiring a new coach and athletic director.
The Ducks are a poor shooting team with an effective field goal percentage of 44.8%, 289th in the nation. The Huskies are shooting almost a full 11% better at 55.3%, 15th in the nation. The Ducks outside shooting is terrible at 29.2% and they also allow their opponents to shoot an average of 38.3%.
Singler is the best player for the Ducks, in my opinion. Even if he isn't leading the team in scoring he plays like Justin Holiday and does all the little things. He has the most rebounds on the season, he has three times the number of blocks as anyone else on the team, and he has also only recorded 18 turnovers on the season.
Keys to the Game
Rebounding
After such strong performances against two very tough frontcourts, expectations are high for the Huskies in terms of their game play on the glass. The Huskies are up to 23rd in the nation in rebounds per game at 40.5 boards per game. Aziz and MBA have really shown their strength on the boards since being installed in the starting line up together. Against such a small, Oregon line up they should have no trouble grabbing 20+ boards between them. Add in Justin Holiday who could get 10 as well and you have yourself an old fashion rebound beat down in the making. The key will be for MBA and Aziz, especially Aziz, to avoid foul trouble. At 7-0, Aziz has a huge advantage on the glass and could have a monstrous game should he be able to stay on the court for 20-25 minutes.
Outside Shooting
Oregon simply does not have the talent or depth to guard the perimeter as well as the post simultaneously. If MBA and/or Aziz can get going strong, the Ducks could drop back from their normal man to man pressure defense and resort to a zone in an attempt to cut back on our post positions. This is great for us as we have a plethora of talented outside shooters. C.J. Wilcox is still question with a Staph infection, but we have Isaiah Thomas, Justin Holiday, Darnell Gant, Venoy Overton, Terrence Ross, and Scott Suggs who have all shown to be talented outside shots. If the Ducks fall back inside we need to take advantage and shoot the lights out.
Pressure Defense
The Ducks are turnover prone, especially their point guard, Malcolm Armstead. With a talented backcourt with a ton of speed the Huskies can take advantage of the Ducks and create a ton of transition plays. The Ducks like to run full court pressure after a made basket, but do not possess the speed of our guards and this means the Huskies have a major change to get some big time dunks as well as many transition points, something we live off of. So on both offense and defense the success of the pressure will go a long ways towards the overall success of our game.
Fouls
The Huskies have picked up a lot of fouls in their last two games, especially down low. They were able to cope by using a beautiful zone defense I didn't know a Romar coached team could play. Our bigs need to do more to avoid fouls, even if it means giving up an occasional board or basket. At home this is usually not a big deal as foul calls tend to go in favor of the home team. On the road it could kill us. So far we have been OK despite Aziz fouling out both games in L.A. If the Huskies can avoid sending the Ducks to the free throw line too often we can keep the game from being competitive.
Projected Starting Lineups
Oregon
Jonathan Loyd 5-8 160lb G
Jay-R Stowbridge 5-11 180lb G
Malcolm Armstead 6-0 195lb G
E.J. Singler 6-6 210lb F
Joevan Catron 6-6 245lb F
Washington
Isaiah Thomas 5-9 185lb SG/PG
Justin Holiday 6-6 185lb F
Matthew Bryan-Amaning 6-9 240lb F
Aziz N'Diaye 7-0 260lb C
...and my prediction for the shooting guard/2 spot position is...
Terrence Ross 6-6 190lb F
Why do I think it will be Ross? Ross stepped up in a way Suggs and Wilcox have not done in tough, competitive games. Ross has also shown the mentality not to shy away from shooting even when he has missed a few. He is a play maker. He is a ball handler. He is a scorer. He brings a lot to the table and has been itching for another big game after his breakout against USC.
Venoy is another solid option, but I think we need to keep him as our go to 6th man to give IT a break at times. He could get the start, it would be the easiest replacement and most obvious, but Overton is a solid off the bench player and brings too much energy and defensive tenacity for opposing guards to handle especially when tired. I also think that starting Ross gives us a fall back option of Venoy if the freshman can't handle the starting game. Romar could also turn to Suggs and/or C.J. if he is healthy, should Ross not be up to par.
Final Thoughts
The Huskies should come out inspired and on fire in honor of their "fallen" teammate, Abdul Gaddy. The Ducks simply do not have the size or talent to compete with the Dawgs. With a total height advantage of nearly 2 feet the Huskies should be able to rebound with ease, shoot over their opponents, drive the lane, and pretty much do whatever they want to the Ducks. The fact the Ducks were held to 48 points and lost by 15 against the same Virginia team the Huskies beat by 43 points is very telling and bodes well for us. As long as well play our game and don't shoot ourselves in the foot this should be a good warm up to a hot Oregon State team. With our much bigger post players and our much better shooting backcourt the Dawgs should dominate.
Final Score Prediction
UW-98 UO-64
Links
http://freepdfhosting.com/471b830daa.pdf
http://www.montlakemadness.com/game-preview-oregon/
http://seattlesportsnet.com/2009/10/23/30-reasons-to-hate-the-university-of-oregon/
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