Washington hits the road for the next few weeks, stopping first in Nevada for a match-up against the Wolf Pack. Nevada is having an up and down season with a 4-3 record thus far. Their biggest struggles are a result of their ball handling (or lack thereof). Big man Dario Hunt, 6-8 230lb, is averaging 4 turnovers a game. Olek Czyz and Deonte Burton are also averaging over 2 turnovers per game, though Burton is also dishing out nearly 4 and a half assists per game, accounting for a third of the teams total assists.
The Wolf Pack has a very dangerous shooter in Malik Story, their leading scorer with over 15 points per game. He is shooting 53% from range with 23 makes on the season. For reference, C.J. Wilcox is shooting 55%, but only has 16 makes. Nevada has played one more game, but I find it highly unlikely Wilcox will drop 7 more shots in the game on Friday. At 6-5 and 225lb, Story will have a bit of a size advantage making it even tougher to keep him out of the lane. With three starters at 6-7 or 6-8, Nevada will be a tougher team to defend.
Outside of his turnover issues, Hunt is a very solid contributor for the Pack. With 8 points and 8 boards a game, he is shoring up the middle quite well. Add in his 2 blocks and 1.4 steals a game and you find yourself up against a complete player who can do damage on both ends of the court. Thankfully he matches up size wise quite well with Darnell Gant. I would honestly expect Aziz N'Diaye to draw this assignment, however, as Hunt is not an outside shooter as opposed to fellow 6-7 forward Olek Czyz who has attempted 15 shots (2 makes) from the arc. 6-8 forward Jerry Evans has taken 20 from 3point land and made 5. All things considered we will likely see Gant on Evans and either Wilcox or Terrence Ross against Czyz.
Statistically, Nevada has played eerily similar to their opponents. Look at their numbers. Nevada averages 64.3 ppg, while surrendering 64.7. They dish out 13 assists and allow 14.6. 38 boards per game for Nevada and 35 for their opponents. The Wolf Pack is shooting 40.4% from the field, while opponents are shooting 41.3%. This could be a good or bad thing for the Huskies depending on how the tempo of the game plays out. If UW can push the tempo the game will be easier as the Huskies average about 8 possession more per game than Nevada. The Huskies are averaging 1.1 points per possession while Nevada is averaging around .96 points so every extra possession the Dawgs can manage gives them another step up towards a victory.
What Nevada is doing best at is rebounding and preventing the opposition from cleaning the glass. The Pack has 3 players averaging 6 or more boards this season, something I wish our squad could get to. I won't complain too much as the Huskies are averaging 43 boards per game (third in the nation), but if we could notch up a third rebounder to help N'Diaye and Ross I would be one happy camper.
Predicted Line-Ups:
Nevada:
Deonte Burton 6-1 185lb
Malik Story 6-5 225lb
Olek Czyz 6-7 240lb (by the way, can someone buy this dude a normal vowel, or perhaps a consonant, for his last name?)
Jerry Evans 6-8 188lb
Dario Hunt 6-8 230lb
Washington:
Abdul Gaddy 6-3 185lb
C.J. Wilcox 6-5 190lb
Terrence Ross 6-6 195lb
Darnell Gant 6-8 240lb
Aziz N'Diaye 7-0 260lb
Keys to the Game:
Rebounding:
This could be a tough game for UW in terms of rebounding. Nevada sizes up pretty well against our wings, a place where we find a lot of rebounding success. This is also the category where Nevada finds its biggest positive "disparity" from their opponents, which to me reads as a strong point. UW is far from a poor rebounding team, but they have also been known to give up far too many offensive boards. As much as it pains me to think so, I kind of expect Nevada to out rebound the Huskies on Friday. The key to avoiding this is shutting down Hunt and containing his movement.
Frontcourt Pressure:
Normally I am a big proponent of backcourt pressure to deny the big men rather than tougher defense on the block, due to our bigs' foul troubles, however, with Hunt playing sloppy with the ball and having such a well rounded game I believe it will be important to not only ride him tight on defense, but also offensively by working the ball down low to draw fouls.
Ball Control and Tempo:
I hope Romar continues to be tough on his players, pulling them when mistakes are made. It seemed to get through to Tony Wroten Jr. and helped him play a more calm and collected game. Let him make some risky passes, but also hold him accountable when it gets out of hand. Abdul Gaddy continues to be one of the best ball handlers in the conference, if not the nation. With an assist/turnover ratio of 2.9 he is on his way to another fantastic season. The Wolf Pack is turnover prone, as I stated earlier, and UW needs to take advantage of that with tough, man-to-man defense. I know this wish will never be granted under Lorenzo Romar, but for god's sake, please can we start the game with a press? I'll even settle for a 3/4 court press or a half court press.
Final Thoughts:
The Huskies blew out Nevada at home last season 90-60 and if not for garbage time and bench substitutions, UW could have won by 40 (they lead by 39 at one point in the second). UW is a much different team from last season as is Nevada, but I highly doubt the combined difference is worth 30 points. This will likely be a closer game as UW traditionally struggles early on the road as the SLU debacle showed. UW has the advantage of a deeper bench and some taller players. We also possess an array of sharpshooters at every position outside the 5. I'm excited to see if Desmond Simmons can continue to supply the occasional 3 point shot with extreme accuracy. So far he is 3-3 on the season. I think the late start, 8pm, will benefit the Huskies as they have more time to prepare watching tape and warming up. This should prevent the terrible start that occurred against SLU and will hopefully allow the Dawgs to get up early rather than having to claw their way up from a deficit.
Final Score Prediction:
UW-80 NEV-68
I think UW will have their hands full, but with the SLU defeat in mind and the resent HBU win supplying some good feelings, the Huskies should be able to pull off a solid win and make them a little more confident heading to the Big Apple. A loss could send the Huskies a long ways down and be a dark shadow for what will definitely be tough games against Marquette and Duke.
Go Dawgs!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Friday, November 25, 2011
Houston Baptist Game Review
Final Score: UW-88 HPU-65
The Huskies came in strong and blew the imposter Huskies back home with their tails between their legs. C.J. Wilcox showed up in force and dropped 19 on 5-9 shooting from range while adding 5 rebounds and 2 assists. He looked fantastic on the court and showed no ill effects from the mild concussion he suffered on Sunday.
Marcus Davis of Houston Baptist led all scorers with 20 points and picked up a game high 14 rebounds as well. He was absolutely unstoppable on the court despite our best efforts and kept the faux Huskies in the game far longer than they should have been. Joe Latas was held to 15 points and 8 rebounds, though his point margin was cushioned by his 14 free throw attempts as the UW defense held him to 3-11 shooting.
Terrence Ross came through strong in the second half and finished with a beautiful double-double scoring 13 points and nabbing 13 rebounds. He went 5-10 on the night and hit 3 of 5 outside the arc. He looked consistent throughout the night, not terribly impressive, but definitely not quiet. He still seems reserved at times, but when he finds his groove, man is he impressive.
Tony Wroten did exactly as I thought. He impressed and frustrated me as his stat line reveals. 14 points, excellent. 5 assists, very nice. 6 steals, outstanding. 6 turnover, terrible. He pulled off some really athletic moves and also threw some passes he should not have attempted. If he can get his turnovers under control, he'll take over the starting spot and be an extreme force on the court. His free throw shooting continued to struggle going 2-4 from the line.
Aziz N'Diaye did his part containing Latas and was fairly effective offensively. He grabbed 7 boards and dropped in 8 points. He shot 3-6 from the field and 2-6 from the charity stripe. He looked much better defensively and only picked up two fouls. To be fair, Latas was not a quick man, which immensely helped N'Diaye keep his position.
Darnell Gant didn't show up until the second half where he dropped in some fantastic flushes back to back. First was a tip-in after a missed lay-in followed immediately by a fast break jam over a Houston player. In 19 minutes he only managed 7 points and 2 rebounds. He did shoot 3-4 from the free throw line, which makes me very happy.
Desmond Simmons showed up out of no where. He managed 10 points on 3-6 shooting, including 2-2 from the 3-point line. He also had 6 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, and zero turnovers. Loved his defensive efforts as he was all over the place diving for balls, picking up loose ones, and getting in everyone's face.
Abdul Gaddy returned to his better self. He only managed 6 points and 4 boards, but he did throw out a game high 7 assists and 1 turnovers with a steal to top it off. He was calm and composed, but his shot looked a tad off, only hitting 3-8 and 0-1 from the line.
Martin Breunig was solid on the night, as was Shawn Kemp. Both provided excellent backup for their respective starters and were effective on both ends of the court. They combined for 8 points and 6 boards (Breunig had 5 of the 6).
Brendan Sherrer saw 4 minutes of play, missed a fairly easy lay-in, but went 1-2 from the line. Alex Wegner also missed an easy lay-up sadly. Hikeem Stewart played 10 minutes and went 1-2 from the field.
What Needed Improvement:
First Half Ball Control:
UW gave up 12 turnovers in the first half and played fairly sloppily in the first 20 minutes. There seemed to be a sense of panic and hurry as Houston grabbed the early lead and I believe, subconsciously, the Huskies did not want another egg in the face and were working over the top to get points on the board leading to poor decision making. Once we got a comfortable lead, things seemed to calm down and our team got back to playing Husky Basketball.
What was Good:
Rebounding:
UW finally showed a little prowess on the glass, holding a 29-12 rebounding advantage at half and 51-40 at the end. 5 players had 5+ rebounds and only Wegner and Stewart did not record a board. Sherrer had 3. No trillion club for him. This was finally the type of rebounding performance I have been wanting to see. Only a 17-14 advantage on the offensive boards, something I would like to see improved a bit. Holding the opposition under 10 offensive boards would be fantastic, but tough to achieve. The only negative was giving up the 6 extra rebounds in the second half, though I blame this on garbage time play more than lax effort on the glass.
3-Point Shooting:
UW showed up strong tonight hitting 10-21 on the night from deep. Not only did they shoot well, but they took smart shots. Often UW can get frustrated and start jacking up 3s that have no business being shot. Tonight they played smart, something due largely in part to Romar's tough policy. If a player made bad decisions on offense or missed switches and the like on defense they were quickly substituted. Great decision in my mind as it really holds players responsible for their actions and quickly enforces solid, smart play no matter the tempo the game flowed at.
Final Thoughts:
This game was very smooth for the Dawgs and a nice pick-me-up after the debacle in Saint Louis (who, by the way, has been playing very solid and at least making the lost look respectable in some sense). UW now faces a tough road test hitting up Nevada first before heading to the Big Apple for match-ups against Marquette and Duke. All three upcoming games will be tough ones and I'm betting on a 2-1 outcome with a possibly dubbing with Duke. The Blue Devils look exceptional this year and I don't know how well our defense will be able to compete. Hopefully the Nevada game can give us a better measuring stick of where this team is at overall.
Go Dawgs!
The Huskies came in strong and blew the imposter Huskies back home with their tails between their legs. C.J. Wilcox showed up in force and dropped 19 on 5-9 shooting from range while adding 5 rebounds and 2 assists. He looked fantastic on the court and showed no ill effects from the mild concussion he suffered on Sunday.
Marcus Davis of Houston Baptist led all scorers with 20 points and picked up a game high 14 rebounds as well. He was absolutely unstoppable on the court despite our best efforts and kept the faux Huskies in the game far longer than they should have been. Joe Latas was held to 15 points and 8 rebounds, though his point margin was cushioned by his 14 free throw attempts as the UW defense held him to 3-11 shooting.
Terrence Ross came through strong in the second half and finished with a beautiful double-double scoring 13 points and nabbing 13 rebounds. He went 5-10 on the night and hit 3 of 5 outside the arc. He looked consistent throughout the night, not terribly impressive, but definitely not quiet. He still seems reserved at times, but when he finds his groove, man is he impressive.
Tony Wroten did exactly as I thought. He impressed and frustrated me as his stat line reveals. 14 points, excellent. 5 assists, very nice. 6 steals, outstanding. 6 turnover, terrible. He pulled off some really athletic moves and also threw some passes he should not have attempted. If he can get his turnovers under control, he'll take over the starting spot and be an extreme force on the court. His free throw shooting continued to struggle going 2-4 from the line.
Aziz N'Diaye did his part containing Latas and was fairly effective offensively. He grabbed 7 boards and dropped in 8 points. He shot 3-6 from the field and 2-6 from the charity stripe. He looked much better defensively and only picked up two fouls. To be fair, Latas was not a quick man, which immensely helped N'Diaye keep his position.
Darnell Gant didn't show up until the second half where he dropped in some fantastic flushes back to back. First was a tip-in after a missed lay-in followed immediately by a fast break jam over a Houston player. In 19 minutes he only managed 7 points and 2 rebounds. He did shoot 3-4 from the free throw line, which makes me very happy.
Desmond Simmons showed up out of no where. He managed 10 points on 3-6 shooting, including 2-2 from the 3-point line. He also had 6 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, and zero turnovers. Loved his defensive efforts as he was all over the place diving for balls, picking up loose ones, and getting in everyone's face.
Abdul Gaddy returned to his better self. He only managed 6 points and 4 boards, but he did throw out a game high 7 assists and 1 turnovers with a steal to top it off. He was calm and composed, but his shot looked a tad off, only hitting 3-8 and 0-1 from the line.
Martin Breunig was solid on the night, as was Shawn Kemp. Both provided excellent backup for their respective starters and were effective on both ends of the court. They combined for 8 points and 6 boards (Breunig had 5 of the 6).
Brendan Sherrer saw 4 minutes of play, missed a fairly easy lay-in, but went 1-2 from the line. Alex Wegner also missed an easy lay-up sadly. Hikeem Stewart played 10 minutes and went 1-2 from the field.
What Needed Improvement:
First Half Ball Control:
UW gave up 12 turnovers in the first half and played fairly sloppily in the first 20 minutes. There seemed to be a sense of panic and hurry as Houston grabbed the early lead and I believe, subconsciously, the Huskies did not want another egg in the face and were working over the top to get points on the board leading to poor decision making. Once we got a comfortable lead, things seemed to calm down and our team got back to playing Husky Basketball.
What was Good:
Rebounding:
UW finally showed a little prowess on the glass, holding a 29-12 rebounding advantage at half and 51-40 at the end. 5 players had 5+ rebounds and only Wegner and Stewart did not record a board. Sherrer had 3. No trillion club for him. This was finally the type of rebounding performance I have been wanting to see. Only a 17-14 advantage on the offensive boards, something I would like to see improved a bit. Holding the opposition under 10 offensive boards would be fantastic, but tough to achieve. The only negative was giving up the 6 extra rebounds in the second half, though I blame this on garbage time play more than lax effort on the glass.
3-Point Shooting:
UW showed up strong tonight hitting 10-21 on the night from deep. Not only did they shoot well, but they took smart shots. Often UW can get frustrated and start jacking up 3s that have no business being shot. Tonight they played smart, something due largely in part to Romar's tough policy. If a player made bad decisions on offense or missed switches and the like on defense they were quickly substituted. Great decision in my mind as it really holds players responsible for their actions and quickly enforces solid, smart play no matter the tempo the game flowed at.
Final Thoughts:
This game was very smooth for the Dawgs and a nice pick-me-up after the debacle in Saint Louis (who, by the way, has been playing very solid and at least making the lost look respectable in some sense). UW now faces a tough road test hitting up Nevada first before heading to the Big Apple for match-ups against Marquette and Duke. All three upcoming games will be tough ones and I'm betting on a 2-1 outcome with a possibly dubbing with Duke. The Blue Devils look exceptional this year and I don't know how well our defense will be able to compete. Hopefully the Nevada game can give us a better measuring stick of where this team is at overall.
Go Dawgs!
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Houston Baptist Game Preview
The Huskies return home for Thanksgiving and a little home-cooking tomorrow against Houston Baptist (2-3). After suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of Saint Louis, the Huskies have a lot of work to do to get back on track and the game could be a good moral booster before the trip to the Big Apple.
Houston Baptist are also the Huskies so to avoid confusion I'll refer to them by Houston or Houston Baptist.
Houston is an uptempo team averaging 73 points per game. Their season low has been 64 points in a loss to Louisiana-Lafayette. Houston has four players in double digit scoring, three averaging 12 points and one with an 11 point average. Their leading scorer is also their leading rebounder with just under 8 boards a game. Joe Latas stands at 6-11 and 275lb and will be a tough match-up for the Dawgs. Aziz N'Diaye and Shawn Kemp will need to be at their best to slow him down.
Play time is pretty even for Houston. 10 players have played in all 5 games and only 3 players have not seen any game time action. The lowest minute average is 10 minutes while the game high is 25 minutes. 9 players are picking up 18 minutes or more. To me this indicates a well balanced team that will be consistent throughout the 40 minutes.
The one stat line that screams an easier game for the Dawgs is the assist-turnover lines. Houston is averaging only 11 assists, but giving up 16 turnovers per game. The turnovers come from just about everywhere with Joe Latas leading the way at 3 per game. 5-7 170lb Marcel Smith is averaging around 2 per game as is 6-5 190lb Marcus Davis. Houston is also a lower rebounding team with only 34 boards and average with only Latas picking up more than 5 a game.
6 players have attempted 10 or more 3-pointers this season and Smith leads the team with a 55% average on 6-11 shooting. Ronald March leads in makes with 9 on 27 attempts. This is a team that can extend the defense and find moderate success from just about any player on the court. The Dawgs could find themselves facing a team very similar to themselves and I'm interested to see how they cope with such a match-up. To me it seems favorable as anytime the Huskies can get up and run is a good day for us.
Jonathan Evans leads the team in assists with 2.4 per game, while also committing 2.2 turnovers per game. At 5-10 and 170lb he is a quick and mobile guard that is definitely a pass-first point guard rather than a shooting guard. At only 3 points per game he is not too high of an offensive threat, but cannot be allowed free reign while trying to prevent opportunities from other players.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups:
Houston Baptist:
Marcel Smith 5-7 170lb
Tyler Russell 6-0 175lb
Ronald March 6-4 195lb
Marcus Davis 6-5 190lb
Joe Latas 6-11 275lb
Washington:
Abdul Gaddy 6-3 185lb
C.J. Wilcox 6-5 190lb (he suffered a mild concussion against SLU so he may not start or play depending on the severity, though it sounds like he has been cleared to play tomorrow)
Terrence Ross 6-6 195lb
Darnell Gant 6-8 230lb
Aziz N'Diaye 7-0 260lb
Keys to the Game:
Offensive Patience
UW showed little composure and patience in their last outing and it was a nightmare. 25 points in a half has to be one of the lowest totals in quite some time for the high scoring Huskies. The Dawgs need to help Gaddy regain his composure and develop their half-court offense. Even if our post doesn't take a lot of shots, it's important that the Dawgs work the ball into the middle to open up our perimeter shooters.
Backcourt Pressure:
The Houston center poses a big threat to the Huskies. He's a talented and strong center who will give N'Diaye a run for his money. The best way to go about this is preventing entry passes to the post by pressuring the Houston guards with tougher, in your face, man-to-man defense. Houston is a turnover prone team, which could lead to the kind of transition basketball that Romar and team love to run. If Tony Wroten gets matched up with their 5-7, I'll be interested in seeing if he can avoid the foul trouble he encountered against FAU's 5-6 guard.
Rebounding:
The Huskies need to control the glass, especially when shots aren't falling. I can't imagine the Dawgs having as poor of shooting night as last weekend, but it could happen and we need to crash the backboard all night. Rebounding and free throws are some of the easiest and quickest ways to keep a team in the game or blow a team out of the water. If Houston is able to gain an advantage on the glass, expect a closer game.
Final Thoughts:
This is an interesting match-up for the Huskies, especially in light of the beat down they suffered in Saint Louis. While the Huskies got their act together in the second half and finished 13 down rather than 25, the team still showed a lot of holes and anxiety that could come back to haunt them. Houston knows how to score and get their point from a variety of players, so don't expect the bench to be a big drop off in talent. I'd like to think that the Dawgs can win this one with ease, but after the let down I witnessed last week I'm not so sure. I fully expect a win, but not one without its bumps and stresses. Look for Terrence Ross to continue his rise and Tony Wroten to cause hair pulling and fist pumping as he develops a better feel for the college game. I suspect C.J. Wilcox will have another slow night as he tended to be a streaky shooter last season. One other promising stat is the Houston defense is allowing 79 points a game with a low score of 73 and a high of 82. If all goes well and the team fires up their cylinders again we could see UW drop 100 on the night. All this said I'll call it:
UW-90 HPU-75
Go Dawgs!
Houston Baptist are also the Huskies so to avoid confusion I'll refer to them by Houston or Houston Baptist.
Houston is an uptempo team averaging 73 points per game. Their season low has been 64 points in a loss to Louisiana-Lafayette. Houston has four players in double digit scoring, three averaging 12 points and one with an 11 point average. Their leading scorer is also their leading rebounder with just under 8 boards a game. Joe Latas stands at 6-11 and 275lb and will be a tough match-up for the Dawgs. Aziz N'Diaye and Shawn Kemp will need to be at their best to slow him down.
Play time is pretty even for Houston. 10 players have played in all 5 games and only 3 players have not seen any game time action. The lowest minute average is 10 minutes while the game high is 25 minutes. 9 players are picking up 18 minutes or more. To me this indicates a well balanced team that will be consistent throughout the 40 minutes.
The one stat line that screams an easier game for the Dawgs is the assist-turnover lines. Houston is averaging only 11 assists, but giving up 16 turnovers per game. The turnovers come from just about everywhere with Joe Latas leading the way at 3 per game. 5-7 170lb Marcel Smith is averaging around 2 per game as is 6-5 190lb Marcus Davis. Houston is also a lower rebounding team with only 34 boards and average with only Latas picking up more than 5 a game.
6 players have attempted 10 or more 3-pointers this season and Smith leads the team with a 55% average on 6-11 shooting. Ronald March leads in makes with 9 on 27 attempts. This is a team that can extend the defense and find moderate success from just about any player on the court. The Dawgs could find themselves facing a team very similar to themselves and I'm interested to see how they cope with such a match-up. To me it seems favorable as anytime the Huskies can get up and run is a good day for us.
Jonathan Evans leads the team in assists with 2.4 per game, while also committing 2.2 turnovers per game. At 5-10 and 170lb he is a quick and mobile guard that is definitely a pass-first point guard rather than a shooting guard. At only 3 points per game he is not too high of an offensive threat, but cannot be allowed free reign while trying to prevent opportunities from other players.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups:
Houston Baptist:
Marcel Smith 5-7 170lb
Tyler Russell 6-0 175lb
Ronald March 6-4 195lb
Marcus Davis 6-5 190lb
Joe Latas 6-11 275lb
Washington:
Abdul Gaddy 6-3 185lb
C.J. Wilcox 6-5 190lb (he suffered a mild concussion against SLU so he may not start or play depending on the severity, though it sounds like he has been cleared to play tomorrow)
Terrence Ross 6-6 195lb
Darnell Gant 6-8 230lb
Aziz N'Diaye 7-0 260lb
Keys to the Game:
Offensive Patience
UW showed little composure and patience in their last outing and it was a nightmare. 25 points in a half has to be one of the lowest totals in quite some time for the high scoring Huskies. The Dawgs need to help Gaddy regain his composure and develop their half-court offense. Even if our post doesn't take a lot of shots, it's important that the Dawgs work the ball into the middle to open up our perimeter shooters.
Backcourt Pressure:
The Houston center poses a big threat to the Huskies. He's a talented and strong center who will give N'Diaye a run for his money. The best way to go about this is preventing entry passes to the post by pressuring the Houston guards with tougher, in your face, man-to-man defense. Houston is a turnover prone team, which could lead to the kind of transition basketball that Romar and team love to run. If Tony Wroten gets matched up with their 5-7, I'll be interested in seeing if he can avoid the foul trouble he encountered against FAU's 5-6 guard.
Rebounding:
The Huskies need to control the glass, especially when shots aren't falling. I can't imagine the Dawgs having as poor of shooting night as last weekend, but it could happen and we need to crash the backboard all night. Rebounding and free throws are some of the easiest and quickest ways to keep a team in the game or blow a team out of the water. If Houston is able to gain an advantage on the glass, expect a closer game.
Final Thoughts:
This is an interesting match-up for the Huskies, especially in light of the beat down they suffered in Saint Louis. While the Huskies got their act together in the second half and finished 13 down rather than 25, the team still showed a lot of holes and anxiety that could come back to haunt them. Houston knows how to score and get their point from a variety of players, so don't expect the bench to be a big drop off in talent. I'd like to think that the Dawgs can win this one with ease, but after the let down I witnessed last week I'm not so sure. I fully expect a win, but not one without its bumps and stresses. Look for Terrence Ross to continue his rise and Tony Wroten to cause hair pulling and fist pumping as he develops a better feel for the college game. I suspect C.J. Wilcox will have another slow night as he tended to be a streaky shooter last season. One other promising stat is the Houston defense is allowing 79 points a game with a low score of 73 and a high of 82. If all goes well and the team fires up their cylinders again we could see UW drop 100 on the night. All this said I'll call it:
UW-90 HPU-75
Go Dawgs!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Saint Louis Game Review
Final Score: UW-64 SLU-77
This game went the complete opposite way I saw it playing out. Saint Louis played out of their minds and were unstoppable on offense. To start the game they hit 8 of 12 from range and would not be denied. Washington, on the other hand, could not buy a basket, were impatient, and often took poor forced shots. Saint Louis deserves a lot of credit for the effort they put out, but this is a team we should have been able to beat. You can say that the early start kept us from getting into our normal rhythm, but the Billkens had the early start as well and they were firing on all cylinders so the argument is hardly valid.
I think the most glaring statistic of the night is 0-9. Under Lorenzo Romar, the Huskies have not won a road opener at the opposing teams home court. I love Romar and will be sad when he finally retires, but the fact that not a single one of his teams has won their first road game of the season is terrible. He is not mentally preparing the players correctly and it shows on the court. I could handle 0-9 if we played a top 25 team for our openers the majority of those years, but its losing to teams like Portland or getting completely blown out of the water by SLU today that is unacceptable. It's not as if our teams are untalented, we have gone to three straight NCAAs and made the Sweet Sixteen three times in Romar's tenure.
My other bone to pick with Romar is his absolute refusal to run a press in anything but garbage time. I have seen at least 10 games where UW was down double digits with 10 minutes or so to go and Romar will not press the ball. If I could ask him one question, it would be "why don't you press more often?" Down 25 points with 12 minutes to go is when you start pressing, not with 2:30 to go and down 17. Each and every year Romar talks about how athletic his guys are, yet he seems uncomfortable with running a full court attack that will push his players endurance and talents. I don't get it at all. This game showed why the Huskies might miss Venoy Overton a bit more than we thought. Off-court issues aside, Overton was fantastic at forcing the opposing guards into dumb mistakes and was great at getting in their heads.
Its tough to think about what went well for the Dawgs this game. No player stood out as having a great night. C.J. Wilcox was silent the whole game, picking up only 4 points and getting his first turnover after sloppily passing away a nice steal, and Terrence Ross picked it up towards the end and managed a double-double with 17 points and 1 rebounds. Tony Wroten actually surprised me a bit with some nice shooting in the second half, racking up all of his 14 points in said half. He started off with two straight 3-point makes only to then go on and make his same freshman mistakes and miss free throws. Even Abdul Gaddy was essentially useless, getting completely shut down and did not look at all like the floor general we are used to seeing. He managed 5 points and 2 assists without a turnover. I do like his 3 steals. I think the worst part of this game was seeing our defense in the faces of the Saint Louis shooters, hands in the sky, only to watch the ball swish through the net like it was practice. While our defense was far from perfect, they certainly gave a solid effort through most of the game, but the Billkens would not be denied their buckets.
I suppose the positive is that the Huskies managed to have a 12 point advantage in the second half, which cut SLU's 25 point halftime lead. They also held the explosive SLU offense to only 27 points in the second half. UW also dominated the glass with 40-26 rebounding advantage, though admittedly this had more to do with our poor shooting than anything. I'd like to go back and watch the second half again without the score at the bottom and see how the Dawgs looked because their numbers are actually quite solid for the last 20 minutes. When you let yourself get down 25 points in a half it is near impossible to battle back.
Aziz N'Diaye had a better offensive night than defensive for once. 11 points on 5-8 shooting along with 6 rebounds. N'Diaye was always half a step behind his man and 6-6 Brian Conklin put the move on him all night to set a career high 25 points. Conklin reminds me a lot of Jon Brockman, though without some of the intangibles. He is undersized, but strong and mobile, making him dangerous against the less agile big men as seen today. The UW post in general was pretty weak today, largely due to poor defensive switching leading to a bunch of fouls early on. This broke up the defensive rhythm even more as Romar was forced to constantly rotate our 4 and 5 to prevent foul outs. Darnell Gant had 4 fouls. N'Diaye had 3, Breunig had 2, and Kemp picked up a foul in his 5 minute burst. Tony Wroten actually fouled out, but I give the man credit for showing some hustle in the second half (not that he shouldn't have been doing that in the first as well).
The Huskies only managed 10 assists today, while committing 16 turnovers, highlighting the struggles UW had in developing their offense. The Dawgs did not move the ball well and this led to players forcing shots as the shot clock dwindled. The Huskies need to really develop a half court offense when the tempo just isn't playing out in their traditional, fast manner.
My number one hope is that the team can learn from this early loss and develop a bit more of an identity on both ends of the court. The Dawgs seemed to struggle with defensive switches and offensive rotations and it showed in the first half. The sense of panic and urgency really didn't set in until 10 minutes left and the Dawgs were still fighting a 20 point lead.
This was an ugly game that the Billkens capitalized on in every facet of the game and I commend them for that. They proved themselves to be a much better team than I had thought and played much better than their statistics and previous season indicate. The Dawgs will need to bounce back with a home game this Friday against Houston Baptist. A little home cooking might help the team recover a bit and bring back the mojo carried them through the 3 game tournament last weekend.
I'm trying to chalk this one up to history, but the let down still hurts. Our team has a long ways to go, something I ignored while watching us carve up the mid-majors at home. I still think we can take the league, but its going to require a lot more consistency on our teams' part and better preparation by the coaches, especially on the road. Not sure how they can go about doing that, but they are getting pad the big bucks to answer just those types of questions. I believe Romar can get these guys going in the right direction, but I don't want another 2009-2010 scenario where we have to win the Pac-12 tournament to make the NCAA. I want a decent seed and another Sweet Sixteen. The pieces are there, it's just a matter of Romar putting the puzzle together.
Go Dawgs
This game went the complete opposite way I saw it playing out. Saint Louis played out of their minds and were unstoppable on offense. To start the game they hit 8 of 12 from range and would not be denied. Washington, on the other hand, could not buy a basket, were impatient, and often took poor forced shots. Saint Louis deserves a lot of credit for the effort they put out, but this is a team we should have been able to beat. You can say that the early start kept us from getting into our normal rhythm, but the Billkens had the early start as well and they were firing on all cylinders so the argument is hardly valid.
I think the most glaring statistic of the night is 0-9. Under Lorenzo Romar, the Huskies have not won a road opener at the opposing teams home court. I love Romar and will be sad when he finally retires, but the fact that not a single one of his teams has won their first road game of the season is terrible. He is not mentally preparing the players correctly and it shows on the court. I could handle 0-9 if we played a top 25 team for our openers the majority of those years, but its losing to teams like Portland or getting completely blown out of the water by SLU today that is unacceptable. It's not as if our teams are untalented, we have gone to three straight NCAAs and made the Sweet Sixteen three times in Romar's tenure.
My other bone to pick with Romar is his absolute refusal to run a press in anything but garbage time. I have seen at least 10 games where UW was down double digits with 10 minutes or so to go and Romar will not press the ball. If I could ask him one question, it would be "why don't you press more often?" Down 25 points with 12 minutes to go is when you start pressing, not with 2:30 to go and down 17. Each and every year Romar talks about how athletic his guys are, yet he seems uncomfortable with running a full court attack that will push his players endurance and talents. I don't get it at all. This game showed why the Huskies might miss Venoy Overton a bit more than we thought. Off-court issues aside, Overton was fantastic at forcing the opposing guards into dumb mistakes and was great at getting in their heads.
Its tough to think about what went well for the Dawgs this game. No player stood out as having a great night. C.J. Wilcox was silent the whole game, picking up only 4 points and getting his first turnover after sloppily passing away a nice steal, and Terrence Ross picked it up towards the end and managed a double-double with 17 points and 1 rebounds. Tony Wroten actually surprised me a bit with some nice shooting in the second half, racking up all of his 14 points in said half. He started off with two straight 3-point makes only to then go on and make his same freshman mistakes and miss free throws. Even Abdul Gaddy was essentially useless, getting completely shut down and did not look at all like the floor general we are used to seeing. He managed 5 points and 2 assists without a turnover. I do like his 3 steals. I think the worst part of this game was seeing our defense in the faces of the Saint Louis shooters, hands in the sky, only to watch the ball swish through the net like it was practice. While our defense was far from perfect, they certainly gave a solid effort through most of the game, but the Billkens would not be denied their buckets.
I suppose the positive is that the Huskies managed to have a 12 point advantage in the second half, which cut SLU's 25 point halftime lead. They also held the explosive SLU offense to only 27 points in the second half. UW also dominated the glass with 40-26 rebounding advantage, though admittedly this had more to do with our poor shooting than anything. I'd like to go back and watch the second half again without the score at the bottom and see how the Dawgs looked because their numbers are actually quite solid for the last 20 minutes. When you let yourself get down 25 points in a half it is near impossible to battle back.
Aziz N'Diaye had a better offensive night than defensive for once. 11 points on 5-8 shooting along with 6 rebounds. N'Diaye was always half a step behind his man and 6-6 Brian Conklin put the move on him all night to set a career high 25 points. Conklin reminds me a lot of Jon Brockman, though without some of the intangibles. He is undersized, but strong and mobile, making him dangerous against the less agile big men as seen today. The UW post in general was pretty weak today, largely due to poor defensive switching leading to a bunch of fouls early on. This broke up the defensive rhythm even more as Romar was forced to constantly rotate our 4 and 5 to prevent foul outs. Darnell Gant had 4 fouls. N'Diaye had 3, Breunig had 2, and Kemp picked up a foul in his 5 minute burst. Tony Wroten actually fouled out, but I give the man credit for showing some hustle in the second half (not that he shouldn't have been doing that in the first as well).
The Huskies only managed 10 assists today, while committing 16 turnovers, highlighting the struggles UW had in developing their offense. The Dawgs did not move the ball well and this led to players forcing shots as the shot clock dwindled. The Huskies need to really develop a half court offense when the tempo just isn't playing out in their traditional, fast manner.
My number one hope is that the team can learn from this early loss and develop a bit more of an identity on both ends of the court. The Dawgs seemed to struggle with defensive switches and offensive rotations and it showed in the first half. The sense of panic and urgency really didn't set in until 10 minutes left and the Dawgs were still fighting a 20 point lead.
This was an ugly game that the Billkens capitalized on in every facet of the game and I commend them for that. They proved themselves to be a much better team than I had thought and played much better than their statistics and previous season indicate. The Dawgs will need to bounce back with a home game this Friday against Houston Baptist. A little home cooking might help the team recover a bit and bring back the mojo carried them through the 3 game tournament last weekend.
I'm trying to chalk this one up to history, but the let down still hurts. Our team has a long ways to go, something I ignored while watching us carve up the mid-majors at home. I still think we can take the league, but its going to require a lot more consistency on our teams' part and better preparation by the coaches, especially on the road. Not sure how they can go about doing that, but they are getting pad the big bucks to answer just those types of questions. I believe Romar can get these guys going in the right direction, but I don't want another 2009-2010 scenario where we have to win the Pac-12 tournament to make the NCAA. I want a decent seed and another Sweet Sixteen. The pieces are there, it's just a matter of Romar putting the puzzle together.
Go Dawgs
Friday, November 18, 2011
Saint Louis Game Preview
The Washington Huskies (3-0) take on the Saint Louis Billkens (2-0) this Sunday at 9am. This was supposed to be a homecoming game for not only Lorenzo Romar who spent a few years as the program's head coach, but also Scott Suggs. Unfortunately Suggs will not be healthy enough to play, still recovering from his foot surgery that took place just before the onset of the season.
The Billkens have been extremely stringent on defense this year, holding Tennessee State to 37 points and Southern Illinois to 42 points while scoring 71 and 61 respectively. Saint Louis was able to hold the two teams to 29% and 20% shooting respectively and completely shut down any offense they had to offer.
These numbers are a credit to the effort being put out by the Billkens players, but it is also a testament to the low level talent that Saint Louis has played thus far. SIU is averaging only 52 points on the year, while TSU is averaging about 56 points. I commend the Billkens for their job well done thus far, but I hardly expect this to be a true test of the Huskies' ability to cope with a good team on the road. Joe Lunardi currently has Saint Louis as a member of the "Next Four Out," making them a top 100 team, but well enough outside the top 50 that they should not be considered a huge threat. I fully expect this to be a somewhat competitive game due to the Billkens' ability to slow the game down to their tempo. With a 66 point average on the year, Saint Louis is not a high scoring team and will likely have troubles dealing with the high octane offense UW brings to the table.
Saint Louis is led by a pair of forwards who do a little of everything for their team. Brian Conklin is a 6-6 230lb forward with considerable muscle to power through the opposition defense. He currently leads the team in scoring with 12.5 points per game and third in rebounding at 4.5 per game. He is also 100% from the free throw line at 9-9, something Tony Wroten Jr. would be good to take note of. He is shooting 67% from the field and has yet to take a 3-pointer. Cody Ellis, on the other hand, is 50% from range and is second in scoring at 12 points per game. At 6-8 and 240lb, Ellis is another big body UW will have to contend with. Ellis is second in rebounding at 5 per game.
Kwamain Mitchell is the all around guy for the Billkens. With a team high 5.5 rebounds to go along with his 9 point average and 6 assists per game, the 5-10 175lb guard is a tough match-up for most teams. UW should be able to contain him with superior size and skill in the backcourt.
Saint Louis do have some size in the center with 6-11 240lb Rob Loe. He is more of a defensive presence than an offensive presence as shown by his less than stellar statistics of 2.5 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. He is 2-8 from the field and 1-4 from range, indicating the big man likes to move around the court. This could be more troublesome for UW who often depends on Aziz N'Diaye being able to stay closer to home and suck up the paint. This puts a bit more pressure on our guards' defensive efforts as they will not be able to guarantee a secondary defender in the post should their man beat them.
Backup center, John Manning, stands at 6-11 as well, but at only 200lb he resembles Washington's own Jernard Jerreau. He is a thin body with work in the weight room to be done before he can significantly contribute to the Billkens effort.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups:
Saint Louis:
Kwamain Mitchell G 5-10 175lb
Kyle Cassidy G 6-4 200lb
Dwayne Evans F 6-5 205lb
Brian Conklin F 6-6 230lb
Rob Loe F 6-11 240lb
Washington:
Abdul Gaddy G 6-3 185lb
C.J. Wilcox G 6-5 190lb
Terrence Ross G 6-6 195lb
Darnell Gant F 6-8 230lb
Aziz N'Diaye C 7-0 260lb
Keys to the Game:
Rebounding:
This is a category UW should be dominate in, yet the past weekend showed the Husky faithful that there is work to be done in the paint. While several players are averaging very respectable numbers, the combined totals just are adding up as high as we might like. UW is currently averaging a bit over 41 boards per game, but I would like to see that number be closer to 45 a game. Washington has a chance to do some damage in the middle this Sunday as the Billkens currently grab less than 33 boards per game. UW is picking up 13 offensive boards a game compared to 8 for Saint Louis. This is a huge statistical advantage for the Huskies and they would do well to take advantage of that. Add in that the leading rebounder for the Billkens is a 5-10 guard and you have a recipe for what could be a strong rebounding outing for the Dawgs.
Backcourt Pressure:
The Huskies are strongest where the majority of the Billkens success comes from: the backcourt. The Huskies will need to provide stiff pressure on the perimeter to prevent entry passes to the frontcourt as well as allowing the Husky post players to step out and defend their men without risking too many open opportunities in the paint. If I was Lorenzo Romar, I'd be placing C.J. Wilcox on which ever guard is a stronger player. He has shown immense defensive capabilities and swats the ball with authority.
Get the Offense Going Early:
UW is known for slow starts on occasion, but such has not been the case as of late. UW has only been behind for 9 seconds this entire year. Take that in for just a moment. Only 9 seconds. Yes, the competition has been below average, but Washington has taken care of business and kept the lead, no matter how close the game got. They have done this by scoring early and in bunches. With 6 players averaging double digit scoring (I am including N'Diaye as his average is close enough) UW has a variety of scoring options they will need to utilize. By spreading the ball around, Saint Louis will struggle to contain the Husky offense and could be worn out early on if the Dawgs can pass well and quickly.
Final Score Prediction:
UW-85 SLU-70
The Husky offense is so fast that the Billkens will likely see a few more possession than they are used to. At the same time, the Billkens' style of offense will likely mean less opportunities than usual for the Huskies. I don't see the Saint Louis offense being able to compete with UW and I certainly don't expect the Billkens to find the same amount of defensive success this weekend as they are used to. SLU will remain close for the first 10 minutes or so until the superior UW bench wears down the SLU players at which point I expect Washington to breakout and take over.
Go Dawgs!
The Billkens have been extremely stringent on defense this year, holding Tennessee State to 37 points and Southern Illinois to 42 points while scoring 71 and 61 respectively. Saint Louis was able to hold the two teams to 29% and 20% shooting respectively and completely shut down any offense they had to offer.
These numbers are a credit to the effort being put out by the Billkens players, but it is also a testament to the low level talent that Saint Louis has played thus far. SIU is averaging only 52 points on the year, while TSU is averaging about 56 points. I commend the Billkens for their job well done thus far, but I hardly expect this to be a true test of the Huskies' ability to cope with a good team on the road. Joe Lunardi currently has Saint Louis as a member of the "Next Four Out," making them a top 100 team, but well enough outside the top 50 that they should not be considered a huge threat. I fully expect this to be a somewhat competitive game due to the Billkens' ability to slow the game down to their tempo. With a 66 point average on the year, Saint Louis is not a high scoring team and will likely have troubles dealing with the high octane offense UW brings to the table.
Saint Louis is led by a pair of forwards who do a little of everything for their team. Brian Conklin is a 6-6 230lb forward with considerable muscle to power through the opposition defense. He currently leads the team in scoring with 12.5 points per game and third in rebounding at 4.5 per game. He is also 100% from the free throw line at 9-9, something Tony Wroten Jr. would be good to take note of. He is shooting 67% from the field and has yet to take a 3-pointer. Cody Ellis, on the other hand, is 50% from range and is second in scoring at 12 points per game. At 6-8 and 240lb, Ellis is another big body UW will have to contend with. Ellis is second in rebounding at 5 per game.
Kwamain Mitchell is the all around guy for the Billkens. With a team high 5.5 rebounds to go along with his 9 point average and 6 assists per game, the 5-10 175lb guard is a tough match-up for most teams. UW should be able to contain him with superior size and skill in the backcourt.
Saint Louis do have some size in the center with 6-11 240lb Rob Loe. He is more of a defensive presence than an offensive presence as shown by his less than stellar statistics of 2.5 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. He is 2-8 from the field and 1-4 from range, indicating the big man likes to move around the court. This could be more troublesome for UW who often depends on Aziz N'Diaye being able to stay closer to home and suck up the paint. This puts a bit more pressure on our guards' defensive efforts as they will not be able to guarantee a secondary defender in the post should their man beat them.
Backup center, John Manning, stands at 6-11 as well, but at only 200lb he resembles Washington's own Jernard Jerreau. He is a thin body with work in the weight room to be done before he can significantly contribute to the Billkens effort.
Predicted Starting Line-Ups:
Saint Louis:
Kwamain Mitchell G 5-10 175lb
Kyle Cassidy G 6-4 200lb
Dwayne Evans F 6-5 205lb
Brian Conklin F 6-6 230lb
Rob Loe F 6-11 240lb
Washington:
Abdul Gaddy G 6-3 185lb
C.J. Wilcox G 6-5 190lb
Terrence Ross G 6-6 195lb
Darnell Gant F 6-8 230lb
Aziz N'Diaye C 7-0 260lb
Keys to the Game:
Rebounding:
This is a category UW should be dominate in, yet the past weekend showed the Husky faithful that there is work to be done in the paint. While several players are averaging very respectable numbers, the combined totals just are adding up as high as we might like. UW is currently averaging a bit over 41 boards per game, but I would like to see that number be closer to 45 a game. Washington has a chance to do some damage in the middle this Sunday as the Billkens currently grab less than 33 boards per game. UW is picking up 13 offensive boards a game compared to 8 for Saint Louis. This is a huge statistical advantage for the Huskies and they would do well to take advantage of that. Add in that the leading rebounder for the Billkens is a 5-10 guard and you have a recipe for what could be a strong rebounding outing for the Dawgs.
Backcourt Pressure:
The Huskies are strongest where the majority of the Billkens success comes from: the backcourt. The Huskies will need to provide stiff pressure on the perimeter to prevent entry passes to the frontcourt as well as allowing the Husky post players to step out and defend their men without risking too many open opportunities in the paint. If I was Lorenzo Romar, I'd be placing C.J. Wilcox on which ever guard is a stronger player. He has shown immense defensive capabilities and swats the ball with authority.
Get the Offense Going Early:
UW is known for slow starts on occasion, but such has not been the case as of late. UW has only been behind for 9 seconds this entire year. Take that in for just a moment. Only 9 seconds. Yes, the competition has been below average, but Washington has taken care of business and kept the lead, no matter how close the game got. They have done this by scoring early and in bunches. With 6 players averaging double digit scoring (I am including N'Diaye as his average is close enough) UW has a variety of scoring options they will need to utilize. By spreading the ball around, Saint Louis will struggle to contain the Husky offense and could be worn out early on if the Dawgs can pass well and quickly.
Final Score Prediction:
UW-85 SLU-70
The Husky offense is so fast that the Billkens will likely see a few more possession than they are used to. At the same time, the Billkens' style of offense will likely mean less opportunities than usual for the Huskies. I don't see the Saint Louis offense being able to compete with UW and I certainly don't expect the Billkens to find the same amount of defensive success this weekend as they are used to. SLU will remain close for the first 10 minutes or so until the superior UW bench wears down the SLU players at which point I expect Washington to breakout and take over.
Go Dawgs!
Monday, November 14, 2011
University of Portland Game Review
Final Score: UW-93 UP-63
Welcome back, Terrence Ross! On a night where the Huskies looked every bit as good as they were bad yesterday, Ross stole the show with lights out shooting and stellar play as the Huskies cruised to victory. The sophomore struggled in the first two games of the tournament, but came out tonight and dropped 24 points on 9-13 shooting, 6-8 from behind the arc. He couldn't miss and no one could stop him. Several times he had a defender in his face, but a smooth cross-over a la Brandon Roy was all it took for him to get a shot opportunity and a beautiful score.
The Huskies capitalized on Portland's turnovers and did what Romar talked about last night: They stepped on Portland's throats and did not let up. The bench was emptied and at the end of the game Brendan Sherrer got to the free throw line where he made both free throws and Alex Wegner drilled his only shot of the night, a 3-pointer.
Six Huskies hit double digits tonight. Ross led all players with 24, followed by C.J. Wilcox with 17, and Abdul Gaddy with 15. Aziz N'Diaye was close to another double-double with 11 points and 7 boards. N'Diaye also added a block, a steal, an assist, and 3 turnovers. He looked a much more finished offensively and the Huskies fed him throughout the game, especially in the second half. N'Diaye did take a bit of a scary foul after going up for a dunk and getting fouled. He quickly bounced back up and looked fine. N'Diaye is one solid performance away from averaging a double-double on the season. His averages are currently 9.4 points and 9 rebounds per game. If he can put up 12 points and 12 boards next week he should be averaging about 10 and 10 for the season.
C.J. Wilcox continued to shoot well, but his performance was overshadowed by Ross' absurd play of the day. Wilcox hit 3-5 from range, went 5-9 overall, and drilled all four of his free throws. He also racked up 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 2 steals, and 0 turnovers proving why he deserved the Tournament MVP awarded to him. For the tournament Wilcox averaged over 19 points, nearly 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, and close to 3 steals per game all while committing zero turnovers. That is an absurd stat-line. Oh, and can I add his very much appreciated 11-13 free throw shooting on the season, giving him an 85% average.
Darnell Gant came back tonight as well and looked every bit good tonight as he did on Saturday. He dropped in a very respectable 10 points, grabbed 6 boards, nabbed a steal, and turned out some very nice defense. I have to say, his shot looked mighty fine out on the court tonight. He didn't force bad shots, but did a great job of capitalizing on the opportunities he was given. He went 5 of 8 from the court tonight and maintained his season average of 10 points per game.
Tony Wroten Jr. shall hence forth be referred to as Jekyll and Hyde. He is an amazing talent on the court, but his free throw shooting is horrendous. Absolutely putrid. He went 1-7 from the charity stripe after missing his first 5 straight, bringing his season average down to 36%. He even changed up his form from the last game and shot with a softer touch, but could not find the bottom of the net with it. It was so ugly that when he finally made a shot, the crowd almost gave him a standing ovation. Other than that, Tony looked fantastic on the court. He slowed his game down half a tic and the improvement it made was immense. Wroten racked in 11 points on top of 6 assists and only 2 turnovers, including a very nice break away play with Terrence Ross. Ross knocked the ball loose and got into the open court with Wroten. Ross passed the ball to Wroten who dribbled up a bit and tossed up a lob for a beautiful and powerful two hand, half windmill jam. Wroten also did an amazing job feeding N'Diaye in the post with some slick passing.
Abdul Gaddy continued his slow and steady progression of running the floor, controlling his team, and orchestrating an efficient offense. 15 points on 6-8 shooting, 2-3 from 3 range, along with 5 assists and only 1 turnover. Just another night with Abdul Gaddy quietly showing why he was such a highly rated talent out of high school, picking up where he left off before his injury last season. I love watching Wroten sling passes around like some sort of Matrix agent, but if its a close game I want Gaddy running the offense. He is always composed and makes the smart decisions that Wroten will occasionally risk.
Martin Breunig and Hikeem Stewart were fairly quiet tonight. Breunig again committed 3 fouls and seems to be struggling with positioning on defense, which leads to said fouls. Stewart went 0-2 shooting, but did a nice job running the offense alongside Wroten in the final minutes.
Shawn Kemp and Desmond Simmons provided much needed rest time for Gant and N'Diaye, while also providing great defensive presence that contained the Portland bigs. Neither scored, but both 2 rebounds and combined for 3 of the teams 6 blocks.
What Needed Improvement:
Rebounding:
This went slightly unnoticed by me in the first half when the Huskies held only a 1 board advantage, but when the game ended, Portland finished with a 43-38 rebounding lead. The Huskies could not seem to box their men out and all too often a loose board would bobble its way into the hands of a Pilot player rather than the Huskies. Against a smaller team like the Pilots, getting out rebounded is not acceptable. While N'Diaye continued to perform well on the glass and one or two other players nabbed up 5 or 6 boards, the overall trend remains that we lack a second, consistent rebounder. Our guards are doing a decent job of getting 3-5 a night, but we need a second player getting 7 or 8 along side N'Diaye. Every extra board we grab is a 2 board swing in the final stats.
Tony Wroten's Free Throw Shooting:
To be fair, N'Diaye also struggled at the line with a 1-4 night, but N'Diaye is a 7 foot tall tank with far from soft hands, while Wroten is a 6-5 point guard who can pass like a Packer's fan with a gas problem. For having such deft hands one would think he could drop in his fair share of free throws. Hell, I'd settle for 60% from him right now, maybe even 50% if I was feeling desperate enough. When it comes down to it, one has to realize that free throws win close ball games and I can distinctly remember several very close games this past season where a single free throw could have made the difference. The number 1 game that comes to mind is the Pac-10 Championship game. UW missed every free throw in the second half. Just one made shot could have won us the game.
What Was Good:
Offensive Movement:
UW moved the ball very well tonight and found the open man quite often. With 18 assists on 36 makes and only 11 turnovers (mostly committed on rebounds if you ask me) the Husky offense looked a thousand times better than Sunday night against the Owls. The shooting was drastically improved with 55% from the field and 60% from range. As tough as it is to say this, my friend Scott raised a very valid and fast approaching point: Where are Scott Suggs' minutes going to come from? Ross and Wilcox have been out of their minds averaging 16.4 and 19.4 points respectively. Wroten and Gaddy are both averaging over 10 points and 4 assists per games. Really his minutes will come from the little time Hikeem Stewart has been playing and possibly from the four spot as guys like Gant and Breunig rotate around.
Post Play:
This was not the most impressive or highlight filled night in the paint, but it was certainly a very polished and effective night on the block. Players finished their lay-ins, they feed our bigs, they took some base line jumpers and short shots.
Defensive Pressure:
Not a night where we see 20+ turnovers and 10+ steals, but the Huskies flexed their muscles and forced the Pilots in 15 turnovers and had 9 steals (led by Wroten with 3) all while holding Portland to 34% shooting and 21% from range. Our players were able to extend out to the perimeters with our frontcourt playing tough inside which made it hard for the Portland guards to create opportunities for themselves.
Final Thoughts:
If the Huskies can play like this throughout the season it'll be tough to find a team that can beat them. The rebounding still leaves a bit to be desired, but given the amount of young talent in the frontcourt it is not that surprising. Our backcourt is shoring up the rebounding margin as much as possible, but they cannot commit fully to rebounding without losing out on the transition style of basketball that the Huskies are famous for. All in all this weekend revealed where our strengths and weaknesses are, while also showing us how dynamic and exciting this team can be even after the vast amount of talent and experience we lost this past year. While it seemed as if fatigue played a part in Sunday's sub par performance, tonight proved otherwise. The Dawgs rallied together, fought hard throughout the game, and absolutely demolished the Pilots as they should have done to all three teams this weekend. The Huskies will have a much tougher match-up this weekend in Saint Louis. While I am hopeful Suggs will be able to return and play in his home town, the outlook is not great. The Huskies will do themselves a huge favor by picking up this early road win and earn some votes in the polls and much further down the road when it comes to NCAA Selection Sunday. All for now. Check in later this week for a preview on the Saint Louis Billikens.
Go Dawgs!
Welcome back, Terrence Ross! On a night where the Huskies looked every bit as good as they were bad yesterday, Ross stole the show with lights out shooting and stellar play as the Huskies cruised to victory. The sophomore struggled in the first two games of the tournament, but came out tonight and dropped 24 points on 9-13 shooting, 6-8 from behind the arc. He couldn't miss and no one could stop him. Several times he had a defender in his face, but a smooth cross-over a la Brandon Roy was all it took for him to get a shot opportunity and a beautiful score.
The Huskies capitalized on Portland's turnovers and did what Romar talked about last night: They stepped on Portland's throats and did not let up. The bench was emptied and at the end of the game Brendan Sherrer got to the free throw line where he made both free throws and Alex Wegner drilled his only shot of the night, a 3-pointer.
Six Huskies hit double digits tonight. Ross led all players with 24, followed by C.J. Wilcox with 17, and Abdul Gaddy with 15. Aziz N'Diaye was close to another double-double with 11 points and 7 boards. N'Diaye also added a block, a steal, an assist, and 3 turnovers. He looked a much more finished offensively and the Huskies fed him throughout the game, especially in the second half. N'Diaye did take a bit of a scary foul after going up for a dunk and getting fouled. He quickly bounced back up and looked fine. N'Diaye is one solid performance away from averaging a double-double on the season. His averages are currently 9.4 points and 9 rebounds per game. If he can put up 12 points and 12 boards next week he should be averaging about 10 and 10 for the season.
C.J. Wilcox continued to shoot well, but his performance was overshadowed by Ross' absurd play of the day. Wilcox hit 3-5 from range, went 5-9 overall, and drilled all four of his free throws. He also racked up 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 2 steals, and 0 turnovers proving why he deserved the Tournament MVP awarded to him. For the tournament Wilcox averaged over 19 points, nearly 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, and close to 3 steals per game all while committing zero turnovers. That is an absurd stat-line. Oh, and can I add his very much appreciated 11-13 free throw shooting on the season, giving him an 85% average.
Darnell Gant came back tonight as well and looked every bit good tonight as he did on Saturday. He dropped in a very respectable 10 points, grabbed 6 boards, nabbed a steal, and turned out some very nice defense. I have to say, his shot looked mighty fine out on the court tonight. He didn't force bad shots, but did a great job of capitalizing on the opportunities he was given. He went 5 of 8 from the court tonight and maintained his season average of 10 points per game.
Tony Wroten Jr. shall hence forth be referred to as Jekyll and Hyde. He is an amazing talent on the court, but his free throw shooting is horrendous. Absolutely putrid. He went 1-7 from the charity stripe after missing his first 5 straight, bringing his season average down to 36%. He even changed up his form from the last game and shot with a softer touch, but could not find the bottom of the net with it. It was so ugly that when he finally made a shot, the crowd almost gave him a standing ovation. Other than that, Tony looked fantastic on the court. He slowed his game down half a tic and the improvement it made was immense. Wroten racked in 11 points on top of 6 assists and only 2 turnovers, including a very nice break away play with Terrence Ross. Ross knocked the ball loose and got into the open court with Wroten. Ross passed the ball to Wroten who dribbled up a bit and tossed up a lob for a beautiful and powerful two hand, half windmill jam. Wroten also did an amazing job feeding N'Diaye in the post with some slick passing.
Abdul Gaddy continued his slow and steady progression of running the floor, controlling his team, and orchestrating an efficient offense. 15 points on 6-8 shooting, 2-3 from 3 range, along with 5 assists and only 1 turnover. Just another night with Abdul Gaddy quietly showing why he was such a highly rated talent out of high school, picking up where he left off before his injury last season. I love watching Wroten sling passes around like some sort of Matrix agent, but if its a close game I want Gaddy running the offense. He is always composed and makes the smart decisions that Wroten will occasionally risk.
Martin Breunig and Hikeem Stewart were fairly quiet tonight. Breunig again committed 3 fouls and seems to be struggling with positioning on defense, which leads to said fouls. Stewart went 0-2 shooting, but did a nice job running the offense alongside Wroten in the final minutes.
Shawn Kemp and Desmond Simmons provided much needed rest time for Gant and N'Diaye, while also providing great defensive presence that contained the Portland bigs. Neither scored, but both 2 rebounds and combined for 3 of the teams 6 blocks.
What Needed Improvement:
Rebounding:
This went slightly unnoticed by me in the first half when the Huskies held only a 1 board advantage, but when the game ended, Portland finished with a 43-38 rebounding lead. The Huskies could not seem to box their men out and all too often a loose board would bobble its way into the hands of a Pilot player rather than the Huskies. Against a smaller team like the Pilots, getting out rebounded is not acceptable. While N'Diaye continued to perform well on the glass and one or two other players nabbed up 5 or 6 boards, the overall trend remains that we lack a second, consistent rebounder. Our guards are doing a decent job of getting 3-5 a night, but we need a second player getting 7 or 8 along side N'Diaye. Every extra board we grab is a 2 board swing in the final stats.
Tony Wroten's Free Throw Shooting:
To be fair, N'Diaye also struggled at the line with a 1-4 night, but N'Diaye is a 7 foot tall tank with far from soft hands, while Wroten is a 6-5 point guard who can pass like a Packer's fan with a gas problem. For having such deft hands one would think he could drop in his fair share of free throws. Hell, I'd settle for 60% from him right now, maybe even 50% if I was feeling desperate enough. When it comes down to it, one has to realize that free throws win close ball games and I can distinctly remember several very close games this past season where a single free throw could have made the difference. The number 1 game that comes to mind is the Pac-10 Championship game. UW missed every free throw in the second half. Just one made shot could have won us the game.
What Was Good:
Offensive Movement:
UW moved the ball very well tonight and found the open man quite often. With 18 assists on 36 makes and only 11 turnovers (mostly committed on rebounds if you ask me) the Husky offense looked a thousand times better than Sunday night against the Owls. The shooting was drastically improved with 55% from the field and 60% from range. As tough as it is to say this, my friend Scott raised a very valid and fast approaching point: Where are Scott Suggs' minutes going to come from? Ross and Wilcox have been out of their minds averaging 16.4 and 19.4 points respectively. Wroten and Gaddy are both averaging over 10 points and 4 assists per games. Really his minutes will come from the little time Hikeem Stewart has been playing and possibly from the four spot as guys like Gant and Breunig rotate around.
Post Play:
This was not the most impressive or highlight filled night in the paint, but it was certainly a very polished and effective night on the block. Players finished their lay-ins, they feed our bigs, they took some base line jumpers and short shots.
Defensive Pressure:
Not a night where we see 20+ turnovers and 10+ steals, but the Huskies flexed their muscles and forced the Pilots in 15 turnovers and had 9 steals (led by Wroten with 3) all while holding Portland to 34% shooting and 21% from range. Our players were able to extend out to the perimeters with our frontcourt playing tough inside which made it hard for the Portland guards to create opportunities for themselves.
Final Thoughts:
If the Huskies can play like this throughout the season it'll be tough to find a team that can beat them. The rebounding still leaves a bit to be desired, but given the amount of young talent in the frontcourt it is not that surprising. Our backcourt is shoring up the rebounding margin as much as possible, but they cannot commit fully to rebounding without losing out on the transition style of basketball that the Huskies are famous for. All in all this weekend revealed where our strengths and weaknesses are, while also showing us how dynamic and exciting this team can be even after the vast amount of talent and experience we lost this past year. While it seemed as if fatigue played a part in Sunday's sub par performance, tonight proved otherwise. The Dawgs rallied together, fought hard throughout the game, and absolutely demolished the Pilots as they should have done to all three teams this weekend. The Huskies will have a much tougher match-up this weekend in Saint Louis. While I am hopeful Suggs will be able to return and play in his home town, the outlook is not great. The Huskies will do themselves a huge favor by picking up this early road win and earn some votes in the polls and much further down the road when it comes to NCAA Selection Sunday. All for now. Check in later this week for a preview on the Saint Louis Billikens.
Go Dawgs!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Florida Atlantic University Game Review
Final Score: UW-77 FAU-71
It was ugly, but a win is a win. The Huskies played a very sloppy game where the theme of the night was missed opportunities. UW shot an atrocious 38% from the field and committed 17 turnovers on the night, which allowed FAU to shoot themselves back into the game in the waning minutes. To highlight how terrible UW shot and how fortunate they were to win the game, FAU made more field goals and more 3-pointers, while UW attempted 10 more free throws and made 11 more than FAU.
The Huskies may have needed this bit of humbling experience to remind them that they cannot play down to their opponents or risk an upset. Tony Wroten Jr. literally had to play down to his opponent as he often matched up against FAU's 5-6 point guard, which led to Wroten racking up 4 fouls due to overplaying the ball and the man. The Owl point guard was also able to get away with hand checks and push offs due to his diminutive size as they did not have a noticeable effect on the defender. Just because he is small does not mean he cannot foul. Thankfully, the refs finally started calling the fouls in the final 3-5 minutes when the Owls were looking to slow the game down.
Abdul Gaddy showed why he starts over Tony Wroten once more. With 6 assists, only 3 turnovers and a very nice 15 points, Gaddy was much calmer, collected, and efficient than the flashy Wroten. Wroten racked up 4 assists, but also committed 5 turnovers and missed several lay-ins due to playing an extremely fast tempo that just doesn't work at the collegiate level. Gaddy went 4-6 from the line, while Wroten went 3-7 (he shot 2-9 from the field).
Aziz N'Diaye had some nice looks today as well. While he again looked a little rough offensively, he showed signs of improving post moves and was a lot more effective at creating shot opportunities for himself on the block. He went 5-12 from the field and made 3 of his 5 free throw attempts. He also collected 12 rebounds (5 offensive) to pull in the double-double.
C.J. Wilcox again led all players in scoring with 19 to put his average in the tournament thus far at 20.5 points per game, a fantastic result. Wilcox, like most of the team, struggled on the easy inside shots. He went 5-13 from the field, 3-5 from range. His struggles were highlighted by an easy fast break lay-in opportunities that rolled out. In reality, he should have jammed the ball through the hoop to prevent exactly what happened. If you have an open opportunity and you can dunk, DO IT! It does not need to be a monster jam, just a simple two-handed dunk.
Four players made double digits in scoring today and all four were starters. Darnell Gant was the only starter not to hit double digits and finished the night with only 2 points on 1-4 shooting. He did have a 3-pointer taken away due to an offensive foul committed by Tony Wroten after he had dished it off. Gant played a very quiet 25 minutes only managing to pull down 5 boards.
One very concerning stat was the rebounding line. UW went into half holding a 26-16 lead in the rebounding column, but only finished with a 3 board advantage, 42-39. This was another big reason FAU was able to stay in the game. UW was not boxing out well or communicating, which led to at least 3 UW rebounds knocked away by our own players. Romar needed to use a timeout or two to calm the players down as it seemed the close score line was causing our line-up to play overly anxiously.
Martin Breunig played only 9 minutes, but was a perfect 2-2 from the field. His limited time was largely due to his high foul count and ended the night with 5 points and 3 rebounds. Simple freshmen mistakes were a big part of why he picked up the fouls he did.
Hikeem Stewart only came in for a quick 2 minute burst while Romar rested his starting guards and tallied 1 rebound.
Shawn Kemp did not play today and Jernard Jarreau confirmed last night at the press conference that he would indeed be red-shirting (Jarreau, not Kemp).
Terrence Ross had another sub-par shooting night going 4-14 from the field, 1-5 from range. He did shoot a very nice 5-6 from the charity stripe and for that I give him an A+.
What Needed Improvement:
Rebounding:
For having such a height advantage, the Dawgs certainly seemed lost in the second half as to how they should keep their opponent out of the box. It was rather unfortunate as rebounding was one of the few nice stats coming out of the first half. N'Diaye had a fantastic night and with 12 boards its hard to ask him for much more. The rest of the Dawgs performed below average on the glass. After N'Diaye the next highest rebounder had 5 (Gant and Ross). The Huskies need one other player to really bring their game and average 7 boards along with N'Diaye.
Free Throws:
This is one area where poor performances are unacceptable, no matter who the Huskies are playing. Free throws are named such for one simple reason, the shooter has a free attempt at the basket. No defenders, the same shooting rhythm and motion, and essentially as much time as they wish to take. Seeing our team go 24-35 from the line when the score differential is only 6 is extremely frustrating. Even making 4 more shots puts our lead into a comfortable double digit margin. For a point guard, Wroten sure does shoot like an over-sized post player. Wilcox or Ross need to take Wroten under their wings and show him how to put a soft touch on the ball.
Lay-Ins:
Never thought I'd be writing this under the needs improvement category, but here it is tonight. The Huskies were plain and simply ugly when it came to converting in the paint. Lay-ins were often overshot or were rejected by the rim. Players missed fast break shots and tried far too hard to get a poor shot off. If I was Romar I'd be doing more than a fair share of lay-in drills at the pregame practice tomorrow.
What Was Good:
Defensive Pressure:
UW forced FAU into 19 turnovers and picked up 6 steals, led by Wilcox who had 4 on the night, as well as tallying up 7 blocks, N'Diaye had 3. UW held FAU to 32% shooting in the first half before letting up in the second when FAU jumped up to 48%. Overall the Owls finished with 42% shooting from the field and 40% from range. The latter number is a bit troubling, but correctable with better rotating defense.
Final Thoughts:
The Huskies gutted out the win somehow, which in itself is a good thing. What is not so good was how poorly we played against such an inferior team. Yes, often teams will end up playing to level of their opponent, but in this case the opposition level was far below anything the Huskies should consider respectable. With no FAU player taller than 6-8, the Huskies had a big chance to use their size in the paint and when they did get in the paint, the Dawgs couldn't finish. UW will have to play much better quite soon as better non-con opponents are approaching and 17 turnovers against a team like Marquette or Duke will absolutely demolish us.
The Dawgs take on the University of Portland tomorrow in the final game of the tournament. UP is 2-0 in the tournament, winning both games by 5 points in what I would consider an upset manner. They have been behind early, only to finish strong and take home the win. If the Huskies do not step their play up, the Pilots could very well leave Seattle 3-0 rather than the Dawgs. The key to a Washington win tomorrow is finishing at the basket and controlling the glass throughout the game and not just in one half.
Go Dawgs!
It was ugly, but a win is a win. The Huskies played a very sloppy game where the theme of the night was missed opportunities. UW shot an atrocious 38% from the field and committed 17 turnovers on the night, which allowed FAU to shoot themselves back into the game in the waning minutes. To highlight how terrible UW shot and how fortunate they were to win the game, FAU made more field goals and more 3-pointers, while UW attempted 10 more free throws and made 11 more than FAU.
The Huskies may have needed this bit of humbling experience to remind them that they cannot play down to their opponents or risk an upset. Tony Wroten Jr. literally had to play down to his opponent as he often matched up against FAU's 5-6 point guard, which led to Wroten racking up 4 fouls due to overplaying the ball and the man. The Owl point guard was also able to get away with hand checks and push offs due to his diminutive size as they did not have a noticeable effect on the defender. Just because he is small does not mean he cannot foul. Thankfully, the refs finally started calling the fouls in the final 3-5 minutes when the Owls were looking to slow the game down.
Abdul Gaddy showed why he starts over Tony Wroten once more. With 6 assists, only 3 turnovers and a very nice 15 points, Gaddy was much calmer, collected, and efficient than the flashy Wroten. Wroten racked up 4 assists, but also committed 5 turnovers and missed several lay-ins due to playing an extremely fast tempo that just doesn't work at the collegiate level. Gaddy went 4-6 from the line, while Wroten went 3-7 (he shot 2-9 from the field).
Aziz N'Diaye had some nice looks today as well. While he again looked a little rough offensively, he showed signs of improving post moves and was a lot more effective at creating shot opportunities for himself on the block. He went 5-12 from the field and made 3 of his 5 free throw attempts. He also collected 12 rebounds (5 offensive) to pull in the double-double.
C.J. Wilcox again led all players in scoring with 19 to put his average in the tournament thus far at 20.5 points per game, a fantastic result. Wilcox, like most of the team, struggled on the easy inside shots. He went 5-13 from the field, 3-5 from range. His struggles were highlighted by an easy fast break lay-in opportunities that rolled out. In reality, he should have jammed the ball through the hoop to prevent exactly what happened. If you have an open opportunity and you can dunk, DO IT! It does not need to be a monster jam, just a simple two-handed dunk.
Four players made double digits in scoring today and all four were starters. Darnell Gant was the only starter not to hit double digits and finished the night with only 2 points on 1-4 shooting. He did have a 3-pointer taken away due to an offensive foul committed by Tony Wroten after he had dished it off. Gant played a very quiet 25 minutes only managing to pull down 5 boards.
One very concerning stat was the rebounding line. UW went into half holding a 26-16 lead in the rebounding column, but only finished with a 3 board advantage, 42-39. This was another big reason FAU was able to stay in the game. UW was not boxing out well or communicating, which led to at least 3 UW rebounds knocked away by our own players. Romar needed to use a timeout or two to calm the players down as it seemed the close score line was causing our line-up to play overly anxiously.
Martin Breunig played only 9 minutes, but was a perfect 2-2 from the field. His limited time was largely due to his high foul count and ended the night with 5 points and 3 rebounds. Simple freshmen mistakes were a big part of why he picked up the fouls he did.
Hikeem Stewart only came in for a quick 2 minute burst while Romar rested his starting guards and tallied 1 rebound.
Shawn Kemp did not play today and Jernard Jarreau confirmed last night at the press conference that he would indeed be red-shirting (Jarreau, not Kemp).
Terrence Ross had another sub-par shooting night going 4-14 from the field, 1-5 from range. He did shoot a very nice 5-6 from the charity stripe and for that I give him an A+.
What Needed Improvement:
Rebounding:
For having such a height advantage, the Dawgs certainly seemed lost in the second half as to how they should keep their opponent out of the box. It was rather unfortunate as rebounding was one of the few nice stats coming out of the first half. N'Diaye had a fantastic night and with 12 boards its hard to ask him for much more. The rest of the Dawgs performed below average on the glass. After N'Diaye the next highest rebounder had 5 (Gant and Ross). The Huskies need one other player to really bring their game and average 7 boards along with N'Diaye.
Free Throws:
This is one area where poor performances are unacceptable, no matter who the Huskies are playing. Free throws are named such for one simple reason, the shooter has a free attempt at the basket. No defenders, the same shooting rhythm and motion, and essentially as much time as they wish to take. Seeing our team go 24-35 from the line when the score differential is only 6 is extremely frustrating. Even making 4 more shots puts our lead into a comfortable double digit margin. For a point guard, Wroten sure does shoot like an over-sized post player. Wilcox or Ross need to take Wroten under their wings and show him how to put a soft touch on the ball.
Lay-Ins:
Never thought I'd be writing this under the needs improvement category, but here it is tonight. The Huskies were plain and simply ugly when it came to converting in the paint. Lay-ins were often overshot or were rejected by the rim. Players missed fast break shots and tried far too hard to get a poor shot off. If I was Romar I'd be doing more than a fair share of lay-in drills at the pregame practice tomorrow.
What Was Good:
Defensive Pressure:
UW forced FAU into 19 turnovers and picked up 6 steals, led by Wilcox who had 4 on the night, as well as tallying up 7 blocks, N'Diaye had 3. UW held FAU to 32% shooting in the first half before letting up in the second when FAU jumped up to 48%. Overall the Owls finished with 42% shooting from the field and 40% from range. The latter number is a bit troubling, but correctable with better rotating defense.
Final Thoughts:
The Huskies gutted out the win somehow, which in itself is a good thing. What is not so good was how poorly we played against such an inferior team. Yes, often teams will end up playing to level of their opponent, but in this case the opposition level was far below anything the Huskies should consider respectable. With no FAU player taller than 6-8, the Huskies had a big chance to use their size in the paint and when they did get in the paint, the Dawgs couldn't finish. UW will have to play much better quite soon as better non-con opponents are approaching and 17 turnovers against a team like Marquette or Duke will absolutely demolish us.
The Dawgs take on the University of Portland tomorrow in the final game of the tournament. UP is 2-0 in the tournament, winning both games by 5 points in what I would consider an upset manner. They have been behind early, only to finish strong and take home the win. If the Huskies do not step their play up, the Pilots could very well leave Seattle 3-0 rather than the Dawgs. The key to a Washington win tomorrow is finishing at the basket and controlling the glass throughout the game and not just in one half.
Go Dawgs!
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