Scroll down for our preview of tomorrow night’s game against Texas A&M, but first take a look at 2010 Husky commit, Enes Kanter. Kanter is #1 on the Stoneridge Prep team, wearing white. For our profile on Kanter, click here.
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Tags: Enes Kanter
The Washington Huskies (7-2) will play the Texas A&M Aggies (9-2) on Tuesday evening at 8:00 PM at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. The game is part of the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series. The Big 12 currently leads this year’s series, nine games to two.
The game will be broadcast on FSN NW and KJR-950 in Seattle, or your local Husky radio affiliate elsewhere (click here to find yours).
Tale of the tape:
What you need to know about the Huskies:
The Huskies last played on Saturday evening at home, where they defeated Portland, 89-54 .
The Huskies are ranked 22nd in the AP Poll and 19th in the Coaches’ Poll.
The Huskies will need to continue their winning ways at home to keep their place in the Top 25 as they head toward the Pac-10 portion of their schedule which begins on New Year’s Eve against Oregon State.
Quincy Pondexter has distinguished himself as the Huskies’ best player this season. He’s averaging 21.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 1.9 assists per game. The other Husky star Isaiah Thomas rebounded from a tough game against Georgetown with an efficient 16 point, eight assist, zero turnover performance against Portland on Saturday. Thomas is averaging 19.9 points per game this year.
The Aggies hold a 3-1 advantage lifetime against the Huskies. The teams last played early in the 2007/2008 season, when Texas A&M defeated Washington, 77-63.
Projected lineup: G – Abdul Gaddy, G – Isaiah Thomas, F – Quincy Pondexter, F – Darnell Gant, F – Matthew Bryan-Amaning
Husky to watch:
Freshman guard, Abdul Gaddy: It’s not as if we haven’t been watching Gaddy’s every move anyway, but the young Husky had been showing signs of turning the corner before Saturday’s lackluster effort. Gaddy earned the start against Portland, but got into foul trouble and failed to stand out.
Sure, it hasn’t been as easy a transition to the college game for Abdul as it’s been for athletic freaks like John Wall or Avery Bradley, but the potential is there. Gaddy hasn’t been bad at all, but if he can be good the rest of the way, some of the Huskies’ problems (turnover woes, and their lack of a scoring option behind Thomas and Pondexter) may begin to solve themselves.
What you need to know about Texas A&M:
The Aggies come into the game at 9-2, having most recently defeated The Citadel on Saturday, 71-50.
Texas A&M is ranked 19th in the AP Poll, and is unranked in the Coaches’ Poll, but received the most votes of any unranked team, so they’re essentially ranked #26 by the coaches.
Last season, the Aggies finished tied for fourth in the Big 12 Conference, and finished the season with a 23-9 record overall (9-7 in the Big 12). The Aggies lost in the second round of last year’s NCAA Tournament, 92-66, to Connecticutt.
Head Coach Mark Turgeon guides a team that’s deep at the guard positions, but thinner in the post. In his first two seasons with the team, Turgeon led the Aggies to the Tournament twice, and picked up 49 victories.
Star guard, Donald Sloan averages 17.4 points, 4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and is shooting 47.4% from three-point range. He’s an efficient scorer too, and can pick up points from deep, at the line, and through penetration.
Fellow senior Derrick Roland is Sloan’s backcourt mate, and averages 11.1 points per game to go with his stifling All-Big-12 defense. Sixth man B.J. Holmes is a heady player who might be the Aggies’ best outside shooter. He averages 9.7 points, shooting 37.2% from deep.
6’9″, 240 lb. Bryan Davis is the best post presence Texas A&M has got. He’s scored in double figures five times so far this season, and averages 9.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.
Projected lineup: G – Donald Sloan, G – Dash Harris, G – Derrick Roland, F – Nathan Walkup, F – Bryan Davis
Aggie to watch:
Senior guard, Donald Sloan: Sloan led the Aggies with 18 points when these teams played two seasons ago. He’ll be even tougher this time around as he’s exhibited an ability to carry his team for stretches this season. Slowing him down with bigger Huskies may be necessary if Venoy Overton and Isaiah Thomas struggle to contain him on defense.
The path to victory:
Rise to the occasion: The Huskies have not exactly shined when the competition has been strongest so far this season. This is the last opportunity for the Huskies to add a signature victory to their non-conference resume. Without a win Tuesday, assuming Cal doesn’t eek its way back into the Top 25, it’s very likely the Huskies record against ranked teams will sit at 0-3 come Tournament time — not a ringing endorsement of their talent. Tonight is an early put-up or shut-up game for the Dawgs.
Ball control: Aspects of this game may resemble the one against Texas Tech. A talented core of guards will make us pay for every mistake, and will challenge the Huskies to execute better than they have in most of this season’s games. Lots of deep breaths, and lots of Abdul Gaddy, may prove the right recipe for the Dawgs tonight.
What I expect:
Last year, the Huskies got Oklahoma State in their Big 12/Pac-10 home game. That game was an easier draw for the Dawgs, but the decisive 18-point victory was a turning point for the Dawgs, who came into the game 3-3, with only one cupcake win separating them from the big losses to Kansas and Florida.
After putting the Cowboys away, the Huskies won their next seven en route to an eventual Pac-10 title. This game feels like that one to me. I expect that if they can get it right against A&M, the Huskies will be able shake off the Texas Tech heartbreaker and the poor showing against Georgetown once and for all.
I expect a big game from one of the Husky bigs tonight, either Matthew Bryan-Amaning or Tyreese Breshers. One of those two should assert themselves against the thin Aggies frontcourt and score in double figures.
I expect a close, hard-fought game, but I also expect the Huskies to come out fighting on Tuesday night. Big win coming up for the Dawgs. I’m picking a 85-82 Husky victory.
Tags: game preview, Texas A&M
Mark J Terrill / AP
Really enjoyed this piece on the UW/Georgetown game from Perry Missner, who’s the grand poo-bah of the small, but growing, world of fantasy college basketball. I don’t agree with everything he’s saying about the Huskies, but I certainly see where he’s coming from.
Perry’s got a fantastic eye for basketball, and hearing someone’s take on the Huskies who’s impartial and knows the game is always illuminating.
(And, if you’re interested in Fantasy College Hoops for next year, send an email to commissioner@fantasycollegehoops.com.)
Thanks for coming!
Victor Decolongon / Getty Images
Big win last night for the Dawgs. . . So long as they can follow it up with a victory Tuesday against a much tougher opponent, Texas A&M.
Here’s some more thoughts on the Huskies’ 89-54 win over Portland Saturday night:
Tonight, we saw Venoy Overton defense circa 2008/2009. Yes, he’s our better point guard right now, but I still like him off the bench. The energy he brings, preying on a slightly tired opposing backcourt, just can’t be replicated when he starts.
Pondexter looks downright Ewing-esque with his play along the baseline lately. Spotting up, fading away, turning around — he’s becoming a truly dangerous shooter from that part of the floor.
Every time Isaiah hit a three tonight, he made an okay sign and then brought it up to his eye. Not sure what that was all about.
I know it’s picky, and maybe I noticed because Portland only managed 17 points in the first half, but four of those points came when the Huskies got beat backdoor.
Venoy Overton thoroughly dominated T.J. Campbell tonight. I was surprised when I looked at the stat sheet after the game and saw that Campbell only had six turnovers. It felt like something bad happened every time T.J. touched the ball.
MBA got his goaltend again tonight! I wish they kept a goaltending stat, because I think Matthew is leading the country.
Saw a bit of frustration or resignation on Abdul Gaddy’s face tonight as he walked back to the bench after his fourth foul. He’s looking better in a lot of ways, and as coach pointed out, they do play a little more organized with Abdul out there. But, tonight was the first time it looked to me like his semi-slow start was starting to get to him.
Coach said he normally wouldn’t switch out four guys during his first substitution, but I actually liked the hockey-style line change. He brought in Overton, Suggs, Holiday, and Breshers for all of the starters except Isaiah. It’s certainly not textbook coaching, but a good way, I think, to throw the other team a complete change-up.
I loved the Turner/Suggs combo tonight. They combined for 20 points and both looked very strong on the defensive end.
It didn’t show up in the stat sheet tonight, but I think defending bigger players is going to be a problem for the Huskies all season long. Despite the shotblocking/goaltending ability, MBA isn’t a great man-to-man defender. Darnell Gant excels mostly when he has a size advantage. And Tyreese Breshers still picks up too many ticky-tack fouls.
We saw Breshers’ up-and-under move a couple of times tonight and it looked great. He seems like he’s a big game away from putting it all together, and even looked a little more explosive when he jumped tonight than earlier in the season.
Thanks for coming!
Tags: portland, Post-game story
Kevin P. Casey / AP
Washington defeated the Portland Pilots in impressive fashion on Saturday night at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. The 89-54 blowout win raised the Huskies record to 7-2.
The least you should know:
This Huskies led wire-to-wire and overpowered Portland on both sides of the court, forcing 22 turnovers and only committing 11.
Scott Suggs scored a career-high 13 points for the Huskies.
Abdul Gaddy earned his second career start, but spent the evening in foul trouble, and had a mostly ineffective game. . .
Tags: portland, Post-game story
Scroll down for the Portland game preview.
Not much to add to this, but Percy Allen reports that I.T. received a concussion in the Georgetown game. He sat out practice Monday and Tuesday, but is clear to play tomorrow.
Tags: Isaiah Thomas
The Washington Huskies (6-2) will play the Portland Pilots (6-3) on Saturday evening at 7:00 PM at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
Tickets are still available from the Husky ticket office. The game will be broadcast on FSN NW and KJR-950 in Seattle, or your local Husky radio affiliate elsewhere (click here to find yours).
Tale of the tape:
What you need to know about the Huskies:
The Huskies last played on Saturday afternoon in Anaheim, where a dreadful start to the second half led to a 74-66 loss to Georgetown.
The Huskies are ranked 24th in the AP poll and 21st in the Coaches’ Poll.
The Huskies have lost two of their last three, and will need to win their final three non-conference games in order to keep their place in the Top 25 and do what they can to improve the Pac-10′s abysmal reputation this year.
Quincy Pondexter continues to impress this season. He’s averaging 22.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and 2 assists per game.
The Huskies hold an 11-2 advantage lifetime against the Pilots, but lost in Portland in their first game last season, 80-74.
Projected lineup: G – Venoy Overton, G – Isaiah Thomas, G – Elston Turner, F – Quincy Pondexter, F – Matthew Bryan-Amaning
Husky to watch:
Sophomore guard, Isaiah Thomas: Just as Thomas’s shooting percentage began to improve over the last couple of games (46.4% combined against Northridge and Georgetown), he’s picked up a serious case of turnover-itis (five each in the same two contests).
Truthfully, Thomas has never exactly been ultra-careful with the basketball, but he’s looked out-of-sync at times lately, like he’s trying to figure out what kind of player he wants to be. A shooter? A straight slasher? A floor leader? Pretty impressive that the guy can put up double figures even when he has sub-par games, but this is the period in his college career when Isaiah needs to be rounding out his game, building new skills into the repertoire, including leadership, which will be critical next season when he’s the team’s best player.
What you need to know about Portland:
The Pilots come into the game at 6-3, having most recently defeated Denver last Saturday, 72-62. Portland has already beaten Oregon, UCLA, and (then-18th-ranked) Minnesota this season.
Last season, the Pilots finished third in the West Coast Conference, and finished the season with a 19-12 record overall (9-5 in the WCC).
Head Coach Eric Reveno returns nearly his entire squad from last season and didn’t lose a single key player from last season’s team that upset the Huskies in their first game of the 2008/2009 season.
Portland connects on more than seven three-pointers per game, and shoots 40.4% from deep (only 3.9% worse than Washington shoots overall).
The Pilots are led by a pair of senior guards, Nik Raivio (14.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.4 apg) and T.J. Campbell (14.6 ppg, 5.6 apg, 45.5% 3-pt.). They have size as well, though, in Robin Smeulders, a Laettner-esque 6’10″ forward, and Kramer Knutson, a 6’9″ center. Neither are terrific shotblockers, but they’re big enough bodies to give the Huskies trouble.
The Pilots’ sixth man is Bellevue native, Luke Sikma. Sikma, son of former Sonic and seven-time all-star Jack Sikma, averages 7.1 points and 7.8 rebounds.
Projected lineup: G – T.J. Campbell, G – Nik Raivio, F – Ethan Niedermeyer, F – Robin Smeulders, C – Kramer Knutson
Pilots to watch:
Senior guards, T.J. Campbell and Nik Raivio: It was actually the Pilot frontcourt that killed the Huskies last season, when Smeulders, Knutson and Ethan Niedermeyer combined for 44 points during the Pilots victory. But, Campbell and Raivio took care of the ball while the Husky guards didn’t. More than any other factor, the Pilots’ 12 turnovers (the Huskies’ 23) was the key to their victory.
The path to victory:
Post-halftime surge: The Dawgs have been a total of 25 points worse than their opponents during the first five minutes of the second half over their last five games. It’s critical that the Huskies come out with urgency from the locker room, particularly after this stretch of the game was so critical in settling their fate against the Hoyas.
Defense: I can’t imagine that the Huskies haven’t gotten hell from the coaches for their awful turnover rate in the last three games (21.3 per game). But, I hope the coaches are equally as appalled by the Dawgs’ lackluster defense.
Jon Brockman and Justin Dentmon were nobody’s idea of defensive whiz kids, but anchored an intelligent and structured team defense last season. The Huskies averaged 69.5 points allowed last year, 72.5 this year. Opponents shot 41.8% in 2008/2009, 44.7% in 2009/2010. The Huskies are giving up too many easy baskets and, other than Venoy Overton’s intense brand of ball pressure, have no defensive identity to speak of.
What I expect:
This is a dangerous game for the Huskies coming off a tough loss and a one-week layoff. Portland brings in the same personnel that beat the Huskies last season and has already knocked off two Pac-10 schools this year. If the the Dawgs let the Pilots hang around for more than a few minutes, this one could get very tenuous.
I expect Isaiah Thomas to gather up his mojo and have a big game. Yes, the Dawgs need to develop a third scoring option, but I don’t sense that this is the game that starts to clarify that. This is one where I think Quincy and Isaiah combine for 50 or more.
I expect the Pilots’ ability to execute will frustrate the Huskies. With Portland’s three-point shooting acumen, it will take a huge lead to put them away, so the Dawgs will need to put their foot on the gas and not let up. I think the Dawgs will get back to their winning ways, but not without a fight. I’m picking an 81-77 Husky victory.
Tags: game preview, portland
Anrio Adams is a Franklin High School point guard who will be graduating and heading to college in 2012. Even though only a sophomore, Adams is already projected by some as a hot recruit. And, because he’s a local kid, there’s sure to be plenty of attention on him in the Seattle area as he gets closer to the college game.
I got a chance to catch up with Anrio recently and get his thoughts on schools at this point, which is obviously very early, but still interesting to hear what he had to say:
Montlake Madness: Can you tell me where you’re at, as far as thinking about schools so far?
Anrio Adams: Definetly have the UW in great interest, but also have some other east coast schools in mind.
MM: What’s the shortlist at this point?
AA: UW, UCLA, Syracuse, Louisvile, Kansas… right now.
MM: Tell me a little about your game. What pro or college players does your game resemble?
AA: You know, I would say I am an all-around player. Definitely, defense-first, and a college player right now, I would say my big bro (formerFranklin star, Peyton) Siva, and pro player: Gilbert Arenas! Or, Carmelo Anthony. . .
MM: What are you looking for in the school you pick? What’s the most important thing? Playing time/location/prestigious program, etc?
AA: Definitely the support of the program, and last but not least, location. And playing time last, because if you work hard, you don’t have to worry about playing time.
MM: I would imagine you’re still growing. What position do you think you’ll play when you get to the college level?
AA: Point and shooting guard. In between. . .
MM: Do you think you’ll make a decision about a school early, or wait it out until into your senior year?
AA: Maybe next year, but most definitely, (by) my senior year. . .
MM: Who”s the best player you’ve ever played against on the court?
AA: Peyton. But defensively, Vonchae Richardson and Vionte Reid.
MM: Anything else you want to say about yourself?
AA: You know, I’m just really excited for this year, and can’t wait to do it with my team this year, and thank you.
Thanks for coming!
I had a chance to catch up with Westchester HS recruit Jordin Mayes, who we listed as a potential Husky target in our State of the 2010 Recruiting Class post a few months back.
Turns out that Mayes is not currently in contact with the Huskies, and hasn’t heard from the coaching staff in quite a while. Same goes for Cal, which is one of the four schools listed by ESPN as being under consideration by Mayes. Turns out that the Bears are not on his list either at this point.
Mayes did list two Pac-10 schools (Arizona and Oregon) that he is currently being recruited by, and said that he didn’t have a single front-runner at this point. Mayes has also been linked with the possibility of attending Boston College.
Mayes is called the #30 point guard in his class by Scout.com, and #44 shooting guard by ESPN.
Thanks for coming!
Tags: Jordin Mayes
I’ve gotten a few questions about Enes Kanter recently.
Kanter is the highly-touted center prospect who, in a complete surprise to most fans, announced about a month ago that he’d be playing at Montlake next season.
Here’s our profile of Kanter, including some coverage of the eligibility issues that may prevent Kanter from playing from day one next season.
As far as whether Kanter has signed his LOI (letter of intent). . . No, he hasn’t. There are two periods to sign: the early period (November 11 – 18, 2009) and the regular signing period (April 14 – May 19, 2010). Kanter announced he’d be playing for the Dawgs a few days after the early signing period ended, so he won’t be able to make it official until April, 2010.
A few of you have expressed concern over the possibility of Kanter backing out of his commitment prior to signing. Is it possible that Kanter could change his mind? Of course.
That said, I have ZERO information that would lead me to believe anything is in the works, or that there’s anything to be concerned about.
As of now, next year’s Husky frontcourt is looking A-OK to me!
Thanks for coming!
Tags: Enes Kanter
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