February 2010

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Huskies Salvage Thin At-Large Hopes with Win at Pullman

February 28, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 14 comments

Isaiah drives vs. cougsGreat win for the Dawgs tonight in Pullman. The Huskies defeated the Cougars, 59-52, and kept a small amount of hope alive for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament field.

Matthew Bryan-Amaning (17 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks) has had games when he’s scored more points, but it’d be hard to argue with the assertion that this was his best game as a Husky. In the first half, the man from the U.K. looked as good as any player on UK, KU, or any other team in the country.

Isaiah Thomas had 13 of his 22 points in the second half and helped the Huskies overcome a big run by the Cougars early in the second half that briefly saw the Huskies lose the lead.

After dominating the first half, going into the locker room up 35-21, the Cougars started the half with a 25-9 run, whipping the Wazzu crowd into a frenzy.

As the Cougars took a 46-44 lead with about seven minutes left, the frenzied crowd celebrated the very real possibility that the night could end in a win for the hometown team. But, three-pointers by Scott Suggs and Thomas gave the Huskies a lead which they would never relinquish.

Observations and analysis:

Matthew Bryan-Amaning’s first 12 or so minutes tonight were the best stretch of his Husky career. Seeing him do it against DeAngelo Casto, the Pac-10′s most underrated player and a (future) legit pro prospect, was encouraging. MBA’s M.O. has so commonly been to play better against bad competition, so this was a true breakthrough for him.

Scott Suggs, minus his shooting, is a very mediocre ballplayer. He’s got the raw materials, but this is a big offseason for him. Lots of work to do.

We can’t turn the ball over 19 times if we’re going to try to win the Pac-10 Tournament.

Now that the Huskies are eliminated from the conference race, I say, root root root for Cal. The more comfortable the Bears feel with their at-large bid hopes, the less likely they’ll bring the heat to the Pac-10 Tournament.

If I’m voting for Pac-10 Player of the Year, I’ve got to pay some attention to the fact that Quincy Pondexter (seven points, seven rebounds tonight) only averages 14.4 points in road games, right?

I don’t mean to be negative, but you heard it here first (and I imagine you’ve thought this as well): Abdul Gaddy, Isaiah Thomas, Justin Holiday, Tyreese Breshers and MBA, with V.O. first off the bench, is not a Pac-10 championship lineup. We need Terrence Jones and another big body.

If the Huskies win their next two, they’d have to go into the Pac-10 Tournament as a semi-favorite. They’d be on a six-game winning streak, finally in possession of a legitimate third scorer, with the highest ceiling of any team competing in Staples that week not called the “Lakers.”

Next up, Oregon on Thursday at 7 PM. No TV, so be sure to get batteries for those transistor radios! (Am I the only one who still uses a transistor radio?)

Thanks for coming!

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Best Donut Ever

February 25, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 3 comments

Maybe we’ve truly jumped the shark here at Montlake Madness when my first post in about a week is a picture of a donut. But, I couldn’t not share this awesome piece of Husky-related pastry art that I almost ate this morning (damn diet!) when it showed up in my office, courtesy of Top Pot in Bellevue.

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Thoughts on UW’s Blowout of UCLA on Quincy’s Senior Night

February 20, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 18 comments

Kevin P. Casey / AP

Kevin P. Casey / AP

The Huskies (8-7, 18-9 overall) defeated the UCLA Bruins (7-7, 12-14 overall), 97-68, tonight at Hec Ed.

The Least You Should Know:

On his senior night, Quincy Pondexter paced the Huskies early, scoring 10 of the Dawgs’ first 14 points, as the team built a lead over the Bruins that they’d never relinquish.

Pondexter finished with 20 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two assists on his big night.

In front of a national TV audience on ESPN, the Huskies dominated the game in every way and looked like one of the better teams in the country. But, the ESPN broadcast team seemed to believe, as most fans now do, that the Huskies will have to win the Pac-10 Tournament to advance to the Big Dance in March.

Analysis and Observation:

Great to hear the ESPN guys talking about Quincy as a future NBA player. Q-Pon has gone from questionable as an NBA Draft prospect to projected first-round pick.

Coach has deservedly taken some heat for the Huskies falling short of expectations so far this season. But two years in a row, Romar will send guys to the NBA who were far from sure things at the start of their college careers. The team’s result is how he will (and should) be judged, but LoRo’s ability as a talent developer shouldn’t be overlooked.

Almost on cue, given that it was senior night, the Huskies’ three juniors (Justin Holiday – 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists, one steal; Matthew Bryan-Amaning – 12 points, five rebounds, three steals; Venoy Overton – seven points, two assists, two steals) all had impressive games.

The ESPN guys brought this up because it was so obvious: Isaiah Thomas’s demeanor and energy on the court got so much better after he started scoring. Along with the typical early Quincy jumper in the first minute or two of most games, I’d like to see the Dawgs try to get Isaiah going right at the outset. Thomas finished with 17 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Is it possible that Matthew Bryan-Amaning is just coming out of a three-year long cold streak? The adjustments he’s made are so slight — less dribbling in the post, taking an extra second to make a decision, moving toward the basket when he shoots — but MBA looks like a completely different player.

When Tyreese Breshers can avoid picking up a foul-per-minute, he looks good. Tonight was a good omen for next year when he’ll play a more prominent role, particularly if he can get into better shape. (In truth, it’s really closer to a foul for every three-and-a-half minutes he plays — by far the worst ratio on the team.)

It’s all about winning the Pac-10 Tournament at this point, and why not UW? When the Dawgs play their best, like they did tonight, there’s no one in the conference they can’t beat.

I know he’s got to improve his shooting, but tell me it’s not possible that Justin Holiday is a 12-13 point-per-game scorer next season.

When Elston Turner and Scott Suggs are feeling it, you know it’s going well for the Dawgs.

Up about 20, there was no need for Abdul Gaddy to let the ball roll to midcourt before picking it up at the end of the first half. Not a big deal, but sometimes it looks like he’s and actor playing the part of a point guard instead of a basketball player just navigating the game. He had a couple of nice passes, but Abdul was the only Husky to have anything resembling a tough night, finishing with zero points, four assists and six turnovers.

So, now Romar has got to coach these next few games in a way that best prepares the Dawgs for the conference tournament. How about a little experimentation so we can add a little something to the toolbelt before we get down to LA? I’d like to see the Huskies zone up a bit. I’d like to see us press. And, I’d like to see how we look with two guards, Q-Pon, MBA and Tyreese on the floor together. Even if it turns out not to work, shouldn’t we try to have something to pull out that other teams haven’t seen before.

Looking ahead to seeding for the conference tournament, here’s the way the nine-team bracket looks. In order to avoid a potential matchup with Cal in the semifinals, the Dawgs are going to need to reach third place in the conference (or fall to sixth). If the tournament started today, the Dawgs would play Arizona in the 4 vs. 5 game.

Next up, a trip to Pullman next Saturday. The Dawgs get a chance to build up some road momentum against Wazzu, and then the Oregon schools, before their season-on-the-line appearance in the Pac-10 Tournament, beginning on March 10 in LA.

Thanks for coming!

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Huskies’ Season on the Brink After Tough Loss to USC

February 19, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 3 comments

sad huskyThe USC Trojans (8-5, 16-9 overall) defeated the Washington Huskies (7-7, 17-9) Thursday night, 67-64, at Hec Ed.

The Least You Should Know:

This one looked to be headed for a blowout when USC built a 16-point lead with 9:05 remaining in the game, but the Huskies went into a full-court press and fought back, getting as close as a single point before falling in the game’s final moments after two clutch shots by USC guard Mike Gerrity.

Dwight Lewis owned the Huskies in the first half, scoring 16 of his 22 in the opening 20 minutes.

Other than Quincy Pondexter (18 points, seven rebounds), Matthew Bryan-Amaning was the Huskies’ best player tonight, finishing with 14 points and seven rebounds.

Analysis and observations:

Ugh. Tough, tough loss for the Dawgs who fall back to the middle of the Pac-10. There’s little doubt now that the Huskies must win the Pac-10 Tournament in order to make the NCAA Tournament.

After seeing the out-of-town scores, it turns out that this was an even more costly loss for the Huskies because of what they could’ve gained by winning. With Cal losing at Oregon State, the Huskies would’ve closed within a game of first place with a victory tonight.

The full-court press was the key decision Coach Romar made that helped the Huskies avoid a blowout loss. I can’t help but wonder whether the Huskies should’ve been playing more full-court pressure all season. By this point, the tactic would’ve been old hat, as opposed to something the Dawgs have only practiced on rare game-time occasions.

It felt like every time the Trojans needed a basket they were able to grab offensive rebounds and create two- and three-shot possessions, eventually getting the bucket they needed. The Dawgs were simply overmatched in the paint.

It’s easy to second-guess after a heartbreaking loss. But in a game the Huskies were trailing for the entire second half, why didn’t the coaches ensure we’d fouled USC into the bonus before the game’s final moments? The Dawgs wasted at least 2-3 seconds chasing USC on two intentional non-shooting fouls. In a game this close, I would’ve loved to have that time back.

Another very good game from Matthew Bryan-Amaning, who finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, and looks more confident and aggressive. Even if time is running out on the Dawgs’ 2009/2010 season, MBA’s play is a great sign for 2010/2011.

Some uncharacteristic play from a few Huskies tonight, both good and bad. Good: Abdul Gaddy (six points, 3-9 shooting) looked more aggressive offensively. Nice to see him play with confidence late in an up-and-down freshman year. Bad: A career-high five turnover night for Justin Holiday.

If there’s a bright side, or an understandable side, to tonight’s loss, it’s that the Trojans may be the most dangerous team in the conference. Take your Cal and your ASU, but if USC could go to a post-season tournament, my money would be on them over any of this year’s other Pac-10 squads.

Isaiah Thomas spent crunchtime planted on the bench, and finished with only five points. With Venoy Overton’s on-ball skills necessary to guard point guard Mike Gerrity, there simply wasn’t a place for I.T. and, result aside, the Husky comeback says to me that Romar was right to have Elston Turner in there during that key stretch.

Saturday’s game against UCLA is the last home game of the year, and Quincy Pondexter’s last game ever at Hec Ed. Unless…

The Huskies, now firmly outside the NCAA bubble, could wind up in the CBI Tournament, which might mean one or more games at Hec Ed. That’s obviously not the outcome anyone wants from this season, but it happened two years ago when the Huskies lost to Valpo at Hec Ed in the first-ever CBI. Just something to keep in mind during the season’s last three weeks.

Thanks for coming!

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Dawg Pack’s Answer to Rece Davis’s Challenge

February 18, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | No comments

If you ever find yourself wondering why college basketball is so much more likable than the pro game, look no further than the student sections at big-time sports schools.

Our very own Dawg Pack has answered ESPN commentator Rece Davis’s challenge to “do something special” on Saturday when ESPN College Gameday comes to Hec Ed. Here’s the Dawg Pack’s response. I love it!:

Mr. Davis,

It has come to my attention that you recently presented an open challenge to Washington fans to “do something special”. Husky fans are prepared to give the College Gameday crew an experience they will never forget.

It is recognized by ESPN that Husky Stadium is the loudest venue in college football. The Purple Nation is prepared to extend this recognition to college basketball. We challenge you Rece, to measure the decibel level on the court in Hec Ed Pavilion Saturday night. Husky fans will prove to you and the rest of the nation, that we not only have the best fans in the nation, but the loudest also.

We are PURPLE NATION.

We are THE DAWG PACK.

I can’t wait. What a way to send off senior Quincy Pondexter!

Thanks for coming!

UW/USC Mini-Preview: Can MBA Continue His Mini-Surge Against Tough Trojan Forwards?

February 17, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 4 comments

Courtesy Slam Online

Courtesy Slam Online

We’re going with streamlined previews for this weekend’s games in the ongoing experiment to see what works best at Montlake Madness. Please let me know your thoughts on this “column-style” preview vs. a more traditional one. And, thanks for coming!

Here are the basics:

Who: Washington Huskies (7-6, 17-8 overall) vs. USC Trojans (7-5, 15-9 overall)

When: Thursday, 7:30 PM

Where: Hec Edmundson Pavilion

If you’re looking for a reason to be optimistic about the Huskies’ beyond the Pac-10 season and tournament, I’d say you should look at the improved play of Matthew Bryan-Amaning over the last few weeks.

The sometimes-sensitive Brit has silenced critics lately — and even managed to win some fans in the media — by scoring eight or more points in six of the last eight games, and double figures in his last three. He’s also blocked 11 shots in his last five games, as many as he swatted in the 14 previous games. MBA may not be registering as a “big” of prominence on the national level, but he’s starting to show signs of competing at a higher level against Pac-10 competition, something he struggled with until recently.

The biggest test of Matthew’s recent success will come Thursday night as the Dawgs host USC, who trounced them in LA, 87-61. He’ll be matched at various points against tough forward Leonard Washington, and two players who killed the Huskies last time out, Alex Stepheson (15 pts, six rebounds) and Nikola Vucevic (11 pts, 13 rebounds).

Whether MBA, a starter again after an 11 game stint as a reserve, can use his renewed confidence to hold his own in the paint will go a long way to determining whether the Huskies can achieve a season split with the Trojans.

This statistical uptick in the last part of a junior year is not unprecedented on this Husky team. Just last season, Quincy Pondexter went from being the team’s third or fourth best player to one of the keys in locking up the Pac-10 championship and a near-miss of the Sweet 16.

Of course, whether this is simply a bit of a hot streak for MBA, or everyone’s favorite underachiever is really (finally!) coming into his own, remains to be seen. My money is on The New MBA being here to stay. What do you think?

***

The other key matchup Thursday night will be Quincy Pondexter vs. Marcus Johnson. While Pondexter’s chances of being a first-round draft pick have moved upward all season long, Johnson outplayed Quincy on both ends of the court last time and clearly looked like the more NBA-ready guy. Big chance for Quincy to show that the last time out was just a bad (okay, very bad – 2 points on 1-10 shooting) night.

My pick: This one worries me more than any of the following four. At our best, we can beat UCLA, Wazzu, Oregon and Oregon State, our building or not. But, last time out, USC just looked like the more talented, more athletic team.

Even with home court advantage and a strong Husky effort, if the Trojans play their best game, the Dawgs might not win. But, at some point it’s got to become clear to the Trojans that they’ve got nothing to play for. I think the Huskies come out hungrier here and get the “W.” Huskies 76, Trojans 66.

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Two Major Mock Drafts Have Q-Pon In First Round

February 16, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 5 comments

bowenJust checked out NBADraft.net and DraftExpress for the first time in a while to see where Quincy was sitting in their mock drafts, and he’s taken quite an uptick since the last time I checked.

If memory serves, earlier in the season, Quincy was listed as a late second rounder at NBADraft.net, and unlisted at DraftExpress. Now?

Quincy’s projected at NBADraft.net as the 30th pick, going to Cleveland with the last pick in the first round. And, DraftExpress has him even higher, going with the 19th pick to the Memphis Grizzlies.

I’m thrilled to see this, and love Gant’s Moustache’s take on Quincy’s pro outlook. Gant projects Pondexter as a guy who could develop into a Bruce Bowen type, but with a better jumpshot and all-around offensive game.

In case you were wondering, the other Huskies listed on the sites’ mock drafts are Abdul Gaddy (projected as the 11th pick in the 2011 Draft by DraftExpress), and verbal commit Enes Kanter, who is projected as the 25th pick in 2011 by NBADraft.net, but may never attend UW in the first place.

Thanks for coming!

Dawgs Lose Shot Monday to Brighten Hopes

February 16, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 6 comments

Bummer. . . Texas A&M hung with #1 Kansas tonight, and even led them for much of the game. But the Jayhawks got it done in the end, defeating the Aggies, 59-54.

The Huskies, of course, defeated #23 Texas A&M on December 22nd, in a game marred by the gruesome injury to guard Derrick Roland.

With the Pac-10′s reputation so poor this season, A&M sits as the Dawgs marquee victory this year, so their successes all bode well for the Huskies, a bubble team at best for the NCAA Tournament.

And, although I wasn’t around for it, I heard all about the Dawgs GREAT win to break out of their road slump at Stanford.

Five games left. All winnable. I think if they go 5-5, they’ve got a shot at an at-large bid. What do you think?

Thanks for coming!

Programming Note

February 13, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 6 comments

university_of_washington_primary_loI’m in New York this weekend, so unless I can figure myself out some technology to watch the Huskies, we’ll have limited (or no) game coverage of Saturday night’s contest. Sorry about that. We’ll be back with full coverage early next week.

I know that many of you may have noticed things haven’t been quite as active here at Montlake Madness in the last couple of weeks. Hopefully, you haven’t noticed too much, but I know I’ve missed a few days and been super-quiet on stuff like recruiting.

Anyhow, I felt like I owed it to you all to just explain that things have been a little busier in my non-blogging life and I simply haven’t had the time every day to be quite as plentiful with the coverage. If you’ve missed it, I’m sorry.

But, I’m geared up for what I hope is an exciting and successful end to this season, and, even if the coverage isn’t quite as prolific as you’ve come to expect, I’ll be here with you every step of the way.

Thanks for sticking with me. And, thanks for coming!

Gant’s Moustache: Thoughts on the Dawgs’ Critical Loss at Cal

February 12, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 7 comments

Gants Moustache logo copyThe California Bears (16-8) smacked the Washington Huskies (16-8) in the mouth at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, California on Thursday night. (So, why does my jaw hurt?) Cal shot the lights out in a 93-81 win that really wasn’t even that close. In the biggest game of the year, the Huskies were unimpressive. The road curse continues.

The Huskies came out with a bit more energy than in recent road losses, but ran out of steam late in the first half. Cal went on a run and led by 15 or more during most of the rest of the game. The Huskies made a semi-run late, but it wasn’t nearly enough and the game was never in question.

Recapping this game isn’t really necessary—and frankly, I can’t recap it because I will vomit.  If you didn’t see it, you lucked out. But, if you did catch either of the Huskies’ games in the desert, or the beat-down against USC, then you know what happened in this game because it was a déjà vu Huskies road loss:

  1. We don’t play team basketball and take crazy shots while running, spinning, or falling backward.  I think I saw Venoy try to shoot one while dancing. We share the ball at home; we hog the ball on the road. We attack the basket at home; we fade away from it on the road.
  2. We don’t play with enthusiasm or aggressiveness on the road. We look terrified.
  3. Somebody on the other team has the best game of their career during every road loss. (In this case, it was Randlel, who was nothing short of UNBELIEVABLE.)
  4. We start to play well when we look up at the scoreboard and realize we are no longer close enough to win the game.

I want to make sure I say something positive for all you fans that are hurting out there. So here it goes: Matthew Bryan-Amaning played a really good game. Not only was he physical in the post, he actually made some shots and was one of the few Huskies who seemed to play hard every minute he was in the game.

Quincy Pondexter always gives 100% effort and is fearless, but he didn’t have it tonight. The rest of the Huskies played tentative basketball, waiting for someone to bail them out, but nobody did. The following are the negative thoughts in my head right now. I put them in italics for all you “on the ledge” Husky fans. Don’t read the italics if you don’t want to feel even worse than you do right now.

Tyreese Breshers was a non-factor. Justin Holiday laid brick after brick. Scott Suggs was Scott Suggs circa 2008. Isaiah Thomas played well offensively, but played lazy defense. He was completely outplayed by Randle, who scored 33 and is the most impressive player I have seen in the Pac-10 this year, not named Quincy Pondexter. Abdul Gaddy was horrible—this was his worst game: bad decisions offensively, lost on defense, and I hold him personally responsible for the 8-0 Cal run late in the first half. Abdul turned it over, took a wild shot, and lost his man on three consecutive possessions. And THAT run was the one the Huskies never recovered from. Venoy shot well from the line again, but was horrible defensively. Somebody needs to tell him that defense is not entirely about selling out for the steal. He lets up so many easy baskets—it drives me crazy. For every steal he gets, he gives up an uncontested layup, or forces a teammate to help on his guy, leaving someone else open—usually for a three.

After the last four games, I was suckered into believing in these guys again. I really was. I still love this team, but have to vent after these road losses. If I never saw them play at home, I would watch these road games, cheer on our guys and move on. But I have seen this team play at such a high level that I just can’t stomach the way they play during these road games. Ugh!

Well, I guess these are your 2009-2010 Washington “Jekyll-and-Hyde” Huskies: a top twenty team at home and an absolute mess on the road. Which brings me to the really sad part of this post. . .

What does this loss mean?: Most significantly, we lost the Pac-10 regular season title tonight, barring an absolute miracle and a collapse of monumental proportions from Cal (who plays three of their last six games at home). Cal now has a two game lead and there just aren’t enough games left for us to catch them.

Pac-10 Tourney aside, I don’t think that anything short of winning out the regular season schedule (at Stanford, vs. USC, vs. UCLA, at Washington St., at Oregon, and at Oregon St.) is going to be enough to punch us a ticket to the Big Dance.

Do I think we can do it? Maybe. . . but it will begin (and potentially end) at Stanford on Saturday. A road win would go a long way for our confidence, and give us a chance to make a run.

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