The 2011-2012 season has been over for some time now. Our two stars have declared early for the NBA draft and Lorenzo Romar seems to be done recruiting for next season. The Dawgs have added two new names to the roster, though one will likely red shirt this season as per NCAA regulations regarding transfers.

So what can Husky fans expect out of next year’s team? It’s a bit hard to tell at the moment, especially in light of last season’s less than stellar outcome. While the 2011-2012 team was young, but talented, the lack of depth may have ultimately led to the early season losses and the late season collapses. 2012-2013 looks to be loaded with much more experience and, hopefully, a much deeper bench that will allow Romar and staff to execute the type of high octane defense that has been such a staple of this program.

With seven freshman on last season’s roster it is easy to see why the team may have struggled early on. Next season the roster will feature two redshirt freshmen, five sophomores (four if Austin Sefarian-Jenkins does not return), one redshirt sophomore, two juniors, and four seniors (though Perry Blackwell will be redshirting). Now I must state that experience does not always equal talent, but it certainly is not a deterrent.

Only two incoming players will have had zero experience with Romar’s program and both players are experienced college ball athletes. Along with the preseason trip to Europe and Africa, this team should be a much more prepared unit than the 15 guys that took the court against Seattle Pacific University in early November, 2011.

The biggest question is most certainly “Who will replace Terrence Ross and Tony Wroten?”. With Scott Suggs returning from his medical redshirt season, it is easy to imagine Suggs slipping right into Ross’ starting possession and immediately make a positive impact. Suggs was our most consistent 3-point threat in the 2010-2011 season and he appeared confident in his shot throughout the exercises in the pregame warm-ups. Suggs has a chance to be one of the leagues leading scorers if he can not only knock down his jumper, but also drive the line with regularity to keep the defenses from cheating out to cover him.

C.J. Wilcox also has the potential to jump into the starting 5 with his excellent outside shooting. At times, Wilcox was a streaking shooter hitting either all of his shots or none at all. There is no stopping Wilcox once he gets hot, just take a look at the 2009-2010 game against UCLA for proof.

I should also throw the new Husky’s name in here, Mark McLaughlin. While I have seen very little of his game outside of the occasional highlight video, McLaughlin is another tall wing with excellent scoring abilities. McLaughlin could provide excellent 6th man support, much like Wilcox this past year. Who knows, McLaughlin may turn out to be a better scoring threat than either Suggs or Wilcox, though my money is on the later players.

As for point guard production, the majority of the burden will fall upon Abdul Gaddy who is still struggling to live up to the hype set before his freshman year. Gaddy showed much more aggressiveness in the final stretch, but it proved to be too little too late. Gaddy is a well controlled guard with great court vision who, unlike Wroten, can see his teammates on the perimeter while attacking the lanes and is very comfortable kicking it out for an open J. Gaddy needs to be willing to move inside the paint and drop in the teardrop over the opposition frontcourt or simply bank his shot off the glass into the rim. When Gaddy executes inside, it looks all too easy and often leaves me wondering why in the world he doesn’t attempt such things more often.

With next year’s starting five likely featuring two outside threats versus two point guards. We may see more driving shots from whoever is at the 1 position as the defense spreads to covers the 3-point threat. I also believe that Andrew Andrews is in a position to provide stellar relief for Abdul Gaddy.

Andrews has shown to be a fairly solid outside shooter and is also known for having great speed and passing abilities. I’ve been told that Andrews has come out of practices looking like the best point guard on the court. We can only hope that these rumors are true. Hikeem Stewart can also improve his impact on the game by spending the summer with a shooting coach. As it stands Stewart is a 1-dimensional player without much of a shooting game, making it far too easy for opponents to simply sit back and let Stewart jack up shots that will never fall.

The second question the Huskies will have to address is “How will the frontcourt perform?”. In many ways, this is a more important question than replacing Ross and Wroten. Players almost always step up their offensive production when called upon to do so and considering the holes our team needs to fill is in our deepest position, well we as fans shouldn’t stress ourselves too much in that regard.

The Huskies lose Darnell Gant to graduation, leaving Aziz N’Diaye as the only major minute grabbing big man. Desmond Simmons will pick up most of Gant’s minutes as Simmons proved himself to be an amazing rebounder and hustler whenever he got into the game. Simmons did hit the proverbial freshman wall late in the season, but the fact that it took so long to occur is a testament to the work ethic Simmons possesses. I believe that Simmons and N’Diaye will be responsible for most of the dirty work off the glass, but expect some support for our outside guards.

The Husky frontcourt will also add in 6’10 redshirt freshman, Jernard Jerreau. While Jerreau is still built like a beanpole, he has put on weight since arriving to the UW campus. Another summer of working out will hopefully see an additional 10 or 15lbs of muscles added to his physique. The frontcourt should also see reasonable production from Shawn Kemp Jr and Martin Breunig, both of whom showed potential on the offensive side of the ball. Their defensive lapses is what likely kept both players from receiving more minutes throughout the year. I am a big fan of Breunig. During his limited playtime, he really impressed me on the offensive end and I like the way he executes. I also enjoy Kemp Jr. dunking the ball next to the rim, rather than trying to lay it in as N’Diaye so often does.

So can the frontcourt establish itself as a respectable threat such that our backcourt benefits? I would say…yes. The Husky frontcourt will not be one of the top in the nation, heck it likely won’t be one of the top in the conference (see: UCLA for frontcourt depth). What the Husky frontcourt will be is a reminder for teams that the pick-and-roll still exists, that cheating out to the perimeter leads to easy dunks and lay-ins, and that dropping the ball inside to our big men is not any less effective than hitting a 15 foot jumper.

Last season our frontcourt averaged only 28% of our points, I’d like to see that number jump to 35%. Our team relied far too much on backcourt production last season and that wears down players quicker than one might imagine. Sure, we managed to score nearly 80 points per game, but our defense suffered from the effort required on the offensive end. If the post can establish themselves as a scoring threat, the perimeter players will not be asked to run off of so many screens or cut across the baseline as often. I’m not saying those things should stop by any means, but if we can get a nice pass to the block for a 1-on-1 situation, our frontcourt should be talented enough to score a majority of the time. N’Diaye has really begun to put together some solid post moves that are near impossible to stop at 7 feet tall.

Overall, I would say this team may be slightly more consistent than 2011-2012, but I fear a similar post season outcome. UCLA and Arizona look very dangerous with some very talented freshmen joining their respective teams. Stanford also looks to be a threat, losing very little from last year’s NIT championship team. What this means for the Huskies is with a successful non-conference season of their own, the Pac-12 could finally start making a return to dominance in the NCAA tournament.

At this point, I would predict the Huskies to finish in 3rd, maybe 4th place, with a 12-6 or 11-7 record. As the season draws nearer and more information begins to come out from the various camps and practices, I’ll speculate more on how each individual Pac-12 team should fair in the coming season.

Go Dawgs!

As just announced from the UW Athletic Department, former USF power forward Perris Blackwell will transfer and join the Huskies squad but he will have to sit out one year for eligibility reasons. Blackwell is 6’9 240lbs and averaged 12.7 ppg and 6.1 rpg last season for the Dons.

It’s unfortunate that he will have to sit out this upcoming season as he size and scoring ability in the post is much needed. However, he should be a solid replacement for Aziz after he graduates next year. Check out more from Percy’s post right here.

What’s his impact? Obviously none next year other than the fact that he takes away one of the remaining 2 scholarships available for next season. Watching only a bit of film on him, he looks like a less athletic version of MBA. Hopefully he uses next year to really develop defensively.

In other news, Mark McLaughlin committed last week to UW out of Tacoma Community College. He led the nation in scoring with 27 points per game and looks to fill the role of Terrence Ross next year. He has a great long distance shot and he can finish at the rim a la Brandon Roy. It looks effortless and smooth which is fabulous to see.

His impact? I could definitely see him as a starter at some part this next season. He’s obviously very unknown but there is a lot to like about him. He prides himself on his defense and he is very mature for only a junior. After countless transfers, the 22 year old is ready to move on and finally compete and the highest level.

You can read more about him from our friends over at Husky Haul right here.

That leaves one more scholarship available for Coach Romar. Will he use it?

Two days after his teammate Terrence Ross decided to leave for the NBA, Tony Wroten joined him in leaving Montlake and will hire an agent to prepare for his future as a pro. His time at UW was brief and not without controversy. He may have been the most polarizing Husky in recent memory but his skills are undeniable.

Is he ready to make the jump? Most will say he’s not. He has not jumper to speak of and never seemed to completely master the team concept in college. He could definitely have used another year to develop at UW.

On the other hand, there are reports that teams like the Atlanta Hawks have told him that they love him and will take him in the first round. It’s hard for any man to turn down guaranteed money and your dream in the NBA. It’s hard to hate a kid for chasing his dream.

I think what rubs Husky fans the wrong way about this is that he preached his loyalty to Seattle and UW all throughout his recruitment and into the season. He even went as far to say that he was going to stay all four years at UW and lead us to a Final Four (no one believed him). After failing to get the Huskies even to the NCAA tournament, he decided to leave the team ‘high and dry’ without even a guarantee to be a lottery pick.

Either way, it’s time to move on. I trust that Tony and his family made the right decision and I think he will eventually thrive in the NBA.

On to next year.

Speaking of that… Poll time!

It’s a sad day but we can’t say that we didn’t expect it. He has elite skills at a position (two guard) that is lacking in the NBA these days. He was lightning in a bottle and put on some amazing shows while here at Montlake. He single-handedly won multiple games this year as well making a key contribution to last years amazing run into the NCAA tournament.

While he still has more to learn, it’s not like he can’t learn them in the league. There’s a lot to love about Terrence Ross if you are an NBA GM. His smooth jumper and ability to finish a the rim, as well as above it, make him a very intriguing prospect. He has had NBA comparisons to James Harden, J.R. Smith, Nick Young, and many others.

I think he still has a bit more to learn but he could definitely contribute right away off of the bench for a contender. He may not be mentally ready to surge onto the scene like Roy or Thomas but his skills certainly match them.

I had the opportunity to spend a day with Terrence early this year and I can say that he is incredibly humble and I trust that he made an educated decision  which was the right choice for him.

He will be greatly missed next season but we all will enjoy watching his progress in the NBA.

Frank Franklin II / AP Photo

Questionable effort and intensity lead to a meager first half. It was almost over before it began. Defense was lacking and no leadership ever developed as time grew on. In the second half, the team came out with a new found energy and made a push late that was downright impressive. In the end, it just wasn’t enough as the Huskies fell just short.

Oh, you thought I was talking about the game?

This 67-68 OT loss to Minnesota in the NIT semi-finals was a microcosm for the entire season. A terrible start that prevented the team from any sort of recovery in the second half. We’ll call overtime the NIT just to make it fit.

I guess it was a fitting ending for this season. A season full of disappointment and frustration. So many ups and downs. Unfortunately the downs outweighed the ups.

Minnesota out-hustled and out-grinded the Huskies Tuesday night. The type of effort that the Huskies show seems to be a coin flip each and every night. It just didn’t come out our way. How much have you ever lost on a coin toss? Perhaps an NIT final and even earlier, a trip to the Big Dance.

It’s obvious where this game was lost. It was in the paint. The Golden Gophers outscored the Dawgs 44-28 down low and the Huskies had no response. They got easy shots all night and Romar couldn’t even play Aziz N’diaye as he wasn’t a factor at all. Austin Seferian-Jenkins tried his best but even his energy couldn’t right the ship.

Terrence Ross did his thing, especially in the first half, but the rest of the team seemed content to just watch. He looked very impressive but he still couldn’t take the game over late like we’ve all been waiting for all season long. I would love to see him come back and develop into a coldblooded killer next year, but I think the draw to the NBA may be too strong.

His counter part, Tony Wroten, lacked any sort of defensive presence all night. He refused to get back on the on the defensive end, follow his man through screens, and was gambling on steals all night long. The last gamble almost cost the Huskies the game in regulation. To be fair, I did hear that Tony came down with the flu which might have zapped his energy.

Now we wait. We wait for Tony Wroten and Terrence Ross to make their decisions on whether they will turn pro. They have until April 10th to make the decision to return which doesn’t leave them much time.

In Ross’ case, I don’t think he can go wrong. He’s not quite ready to jump to a team and make an immediate impact but he doesn’t have much more to gain by returning, either.

For Wroten, I feel that another year in college would really benefit his game and his draft stock. If he can develop any sort a jumper, his NBA draft value will skyrocket.

My prediction? I say Ross goes and Tony stays. I’m not basing that on any inside info, it’s just my prediction.

After a career game against Oregon, Abdul Gaddy failed to build on it. He recorded his first points late in the second half and made some boneheaded plays in overtime. We thought that he was turning the corner but it seemed had just regressed back to the norm. He will need a fantastic off season if the Huskies are going to get back to the NCAA tourney next year.

Darnell Gant. A true “Romar Guy” who I enjoyed watching develop over his five years here. His last game ended with 12 points and 9 rebounds. The perfect Gant game. I will miss him and I wish him all the best going forward. He’s a smart, passionate, and charismatic young man and he will succeed in whatever he chooses to do in life. I’ll miss you, Birdman.

The final minutes were quite a roller coaster. The Huskies come back seemed to be thwarted time and time again by the refs until a fantastic steal by Wilcox in the waning seconds of regulation to tie it and send it to OT.

The momentum didn’t carry over, as the Huskies scored on six points in overtime and came up short.

A disappointing ending to a disappointing season.

Here we go. Are you read for some Final Four action? It might not be the the same Final Four that we’ve been clamoring for for years, but it’s the only Final Four we got.

The Dawgs are back in New York City and Madison Square Garden to take on the Golden Gophers of Minnesota. It should be a fun match up between two major conference teams who had disappointing seasons.

Tubby Smith’s Gophers play a slower tempo and and shoot for offensive efficiency over speed and fast breaks. Romar compared them to Colorado in his press conference and I think that’s a fair one. They have size and are good in the paint, especially on the offensive boards.

There’s one thing we know for sure, and that’s that this will be Darnell Gant‘s last hurrah as a Husky. It may feel a little extra special for Gant as he has some history with Coach Smith. He shared this anecdote about his recruiting process with me before the season in our interview:

“When we had tryouts at Crenshaw, Tubby Smith came in from the back area of the gym and I knew who he was but I didn’t know what Tubby Smith really meant. One of my friends at the time was like “Dog, you know who that is?” I was like “Yeah, that’s Tubby Smith” and he said “Naw, that’s Tubby ‘Effing’ Smith, dude!”. Tears were coming to his eyes. Like I said, I didn’t know his history and what he was about until later on a recruiting visit. But that’s one of the funniest times; when my friend was crying over a guy. Weird.”

Tubby “Effing” Smith. It has a nice ring to it.

Back to breaking down the Gophers. First off, let’s lead with what they DON’T have. They lost perhaps their best player during the preseason in Trevor Mbakwe which has really held them back. He was granted a 6th year so the kid at least gets to play again next year. Good for him.

One question mark for Coach “Effing” Smith and his team is their senior center, Ralph Sampson III. He has missed the past 5 games due to a knee injury. His presence could be a game changer as the Huskies lack overall height and depth in the post.

Of those set to play, Rodney Williams leads their team in points (12.1) and rebounds (5.5) per game. At only 6-7, the forward can do it all and will be tough match up for either Terrence Ross or Darnell Gant.

At guard, Minnesota trots out a threesome of Julian Welch, Austin Hollins, and Andre Hollins. Welch is their point guard who averages 9.9 ppg and a 2.9/2.3 assist/turnover ratio. Andre and Austin are not actually related but the freshman and sophomore are key contributors in the back court. All three of them are dangerous three-point shooters. Each have taken 100 or more shots and none are shooting below 37%.

As a freshman center, Elliot Eliason has stepped into the starting role in place of Sampson. He’s not a game breaker, but he did record 12 points and 7 rebounds in their last game against Middle Tennessee State.

Another recent starter freshman starter, Joe Coleman has supplanted Welch in recent games. It will assume at Coleman will start for the Gophers but you never know.

Starting Lineups:

Minnesota

Joe Coleman - 6’4 200lb

Austin Hollins – 6’4 185lb

Andre Hollins – 6’1 200lb

Rodney Williams – 6’7 205lb

Elliot Eliason – 6’11 260lb

Washington:

Abdul Gaddy 6-3 185lb

Tony Wroten 6-5 205lb

Terrence Ross 6-6 195lb

Darnell Gant 6-8 230lb

Aziz N’Diaye 7-0 260lb

Keys to the Game:

• Forcing Turnovers: The Gophers turn the ball over a lot. They have a 22.4% turnover rate which is 284th in the nation. Also, they have a steal percentage of 11.8% which is good for 330th in the nation. That’s 15th from last. Wroten, Gaddy, Ross and the rest of the guards will need to provide a lot of pressure and make them make mistakes.
• Offensive Rebounding: This will be a battle between two of the top 30 team in offensive rebounding %. Especially if the Sampson plays, this could be key in Minnesota’s slower offense. Aziz needs to watch his fouls early and maximize his impact on the glass.
• Abdul Gaddy: He has been and will be the key going forward. If he plays like he did against Oregon than the sky (NIT Title) is the limit for these guys.

Prediction:

It’s more of the same for the Huskies in New York. They’ve been there before and hopefully the lights won’t be as bright this time around. In their earlier games at MSG, they played fantastically but lost to both Duke and Marquette. I think they use that experience to keep the jitters down early in the game and slowly gain an early lead.

Will Sampson III play? That could be a huge factor in this one. Aziz may struggle against a large and experienced center in Sampson. We may not know if he will play until game time.

These are strange games to root for, these NIT bouts. If you win, “Hey, it’s only the NIT” but if you lose it’s, “Hahaha! You lost in the NIT? You suck!”. There’s a lot to lose and not a lot to gain here. The best option is to win the whole thing and be one of the few teams to finish the season with a win.

The Huskies will pull this one out late: UW 71, UM 67.

Dean Rutz - The Seattle Times

Oregon sealed their 4 point defeat with a last second tip-in following a series of made free throws by C.J. Wilcox. The Dawgs and Ducks battled back and forth all night with 10 points being the greatest differential achieved during the match but the Huskies pulled out the win.

The night started out rough for the Huskies who saw Oregon take another early lead. Slowly, but surely, the Dawgs started connecting on their shots and played a little tougher defense, allowing the Huskies to go into half down only 4 points.

The second half brought more energy and the crowd, who was already the loudest I have heard all season outside of the WSU and Cal games, got louder and more excited. The players fed off this and highlight plays started accruing.

Terrence Ross and Tony Wroten were aggressive all night leading to a combined 46 points from the duo, while C. J. Wilcox came off the bench to provide 17 critical points including a stellar 6 of 6 performance from the free throw line, all of which came in the final 30 seconds of the game.

The two teams provided one of the most even match-ups of the season with neither team dominating any one particular category. The Dawgs out rebounded the Ducks 37-34 with a 14-12 advantage on the offensive glass. Both teams made 7 3-pointers, though it took the Ducks an additional 6 attempts to achieve the same results. The Ducks made 3 more field goals than the Dawgs, but the Huskies attempted 13 more free throws than the Ducks and made 10 more overall. Both teams dished out 17 assists and had their steals and blocks combine for 6 each. The Ducks had 7 turnovers and the Dawgs had 8. As I said, an even game.

What makes games like these so exciting and fun to be at is not only the rivalry, but the pace at which the game is played. Teams like Utah, USC, and ASU drive me nuts due to their slow down, mind numbingly boring type of basketball. The Ducks play at a high rate, they love the transition, and can really push this Husky squad to be their best.

This Husky squad played one of their best games of the season and no surprise, a large part of this had to do with the aggressiveness of our guards. Abdul Gaddy had one of his best nights as a Dawg, tallying a double-double with 11 points, 10 assists, and an impressive 7 rebounds.Gaddy helped the Dawgs execute their half-court offense with supreme efficiency.

The team as a whole used the shot clock well, but Gaddy excelled in finding the open man after driving into the lane late in the clock. Gaddy also converted 4 shots at the line during 6 attempts. What changed in Gaddy’s mind during the last 2 weeks is beyond me, but this aggressiveness and desire to not only play, but to win, has been missing most of the year and, in my mind, is a big reason this team is now winning games they would have struggled through early this season.

Aziz N’Diaye had a quiet night due to foul trouble. He attempted only 2 shots and made 1. N’Diaye was a solid 3 of 4 from the line and collected 7 rebounds during his limited 20 minutes. Tony Woods was next to impossible for N’Diaye to shut down, especially once the fouls started racking up. Thankfully, Austin Sefarian-Jenkins was able to play 15 minutes of relief during which ASJ picked up 4 hard fouls of his own. The man loves to foul and I’m OK with this. ASJ is a back-up player whose fate ultimately lies on the gridiron. Any foul he picks up is one less for N’Diaye. Desmond Simmons played only 5 minutes in the first half and that was all the game time he saw.

Darnell Gant was excellent on the offensive glass tonight picking up 7 total boards and 5 on the offensive side. Gant shot reasonably well hitting 3 of his 5 attempts and finishing with 6 points on the night. After picking up 15 points in the first half, E.J. Singler was held to just 4 points in the second and fouled out, due in large part to the handcuffs put on him by Gant and the Huskies.

C.J. Wilcox saved the game with his clutch free throw shooting, but he should also be recognized for his aggressiveness in the paint and his sharp shooting performance. Wilcox was only 4 of 10 from the field, but was 3 of 6 from deep. Wilcox’s shooting allowed his teammates to get open looks by spreading the floor and threatening to shoot. Terrence Ross and Tony Wroten saw many great looks inside the paint due to Wilcox sitting on the perimeter, forcing the Duck defense to stay honest and defend the outside shot.

Terrence Ross had another career night finishing with 24 points on 9 of 18 shooting. Ross’ outside shot was a tad below average with only 3 makes on 8 attempts, but his inside drive was as dangerous as ever. It seemed as though any set where the clock was running out, Ross or Wroten had the ball in their hand, looking to drive inside for the basket. Ross finished 3 of 3 from the foul line and also picked up 3 rebounds.With 4 other Huskies grabbing 7 boards, Ross did not need to be as aggressive on the glass.

Thus far in the tournament, Ross had averaged just under 27 points per game, 11 points above his season average. This shows just how talented Ross can be when he plays hard during both halves. If Ross stays another season, he may very well be one of the nation’s leading scorers.

Tony Wroten now hold the freshman scoring record for UW, surpassing Isaiah Thomas. Wroten now holds a 9 point advantage and will certainly add more as the NIT continues. After a 5 shot game against Northwestern, it was almost a certainty that Wroten would be aggressive once more. Sure enough, Wroten attacked the Ducks early and often leading to 22 points on 6 of 15 shooting.

The best part of Wroten’s night? 10 of 14 at the foul line, an impressive stat for a player who has struggled throughout the season. If Wroten can come back next season and be a 75% free throw shooter, he will battle Ross for the leading scorer title. Wroten’s speed and agility causes supreme difficulty for his opponents and often leads to foul calls. Being able to convert his foul shots is just one more step in becoming a true superstar.

What Needed Improvement:

• First Half Defense - It is really hard for my to criticize much from the game. I thought the Dawgs performed pretty well throughout the night. My only complaint going into half time was about a few lapses in defensive rotation that led to wide open shots by the Ducks. Overall I felt the execution by the Dawgs went well through the nights. The Ducks were often forced to take contested shots and ultimately that is the best you can ask of a team. Good shooters will make shots over their defenders.

What was Good:

• Offensive Execution - The Dawgs were unusually patient in the half-court and found success. The team moved the ball well and Gaddy led the way by finding the open shooter time and time again. The Huskies limited their turnovers, they made smart plays, and took smart shots. There were very few times I found myself asking why a particular shot was attempted. This patience is something the team has lacked all most of the year and again, a big reason why the Dawgs are now winning games that would have been chalked up as losses earlier this year.
• Attitude and Aggressiveness - This team wanted to win. They wanted to play. The first game of the NIT was tough for both fans and players, but after the win I think everybody decided to let bygones be bygones and celebrate the fact that we get to see our team play a few more games, at home none the less. The players came out with smiles on their faces, they pumped their fists, and raised the roof. Just about everyone aggressively attacked the rim and found ways to make their mark on the game. The Huskies need to carry this momentum and attitude to New York.

Final Thoughts:

I know this may be looking a bit too far ahead, but I can’t help but get excited for a potentially exhilarating match-up between UW and the University of Massachusetts in the NIT finals. For those who don’t know, UW and UMass play one another in the NCAA championship during the movie “The Sixth Man.” This movie is about the Husky basketball team winning a national title. If you haven’t seen it, check it out. It’s awesome and a Husky fan must.

The Dawgs have been playing the type of basketball fans have been expecting to see all season and now look to win a championship, though not of the caliber they initially set eyes upon. Regardless, this team now gets another week to play and practice together, a huge asset for a team so filled with youth and inexperience. I am excited to see how this team does in New York and am hopeful that they will bring home the banner.

Go Dawgs!

Thankfully for the Huskies, Terrence Ross and C.J. Wilcox seems to be getting into shooting rhythm at last and may certainly be the deciding factor in tomorrow’s match-up. Tony Wroten will be called upon to attack the middle and open up the perimeter for Ross and Wilcox.

In their game against Iowa, Oregon had 5 players with 15 points or more, 3 with 19 or more. E.J. Singler was an incredible 9 of 10 form the field, missing only a single deep shot. Singler was also a perfect 4 of 4 from the foul stripe. Singler finished with a team high 25 points and 6 rebounds as well as 4 assists and only 1 turnover in 35 minutes.

Devoe Joseph created offense across the board dishing out a game high 8 assists on top of his 15 points on 5 of 10 shooting. While Singler may be the most explosive threat on the Duck’s roster, Joseph has been the most consistent averaging team highs in both points (16.9) and assists (3.2) this year. Joseph’s seniority has given him the experience necessary to compete and succeed in all sorts of situations this year and to me is the X-factor tomorrow night.

As a team, the Ducks shot out of their minds on Sunday, hitting 59% of their shots from the field (43% outside the arc) as well as making a tremendous 88% from the free throw line. The Ducks accomplished this by moving the ball with skill and precision, connecting with 26 assists on 35 made field goals. The only category in which the Ducks “struggled” was offensive rebounding where they managed only 8 rebounds out of 32 total.

Olu Ashaolu has really stepped it up for the Ducks during the past few weeks. Despite his season scoring averaging sitting at 9 points per game, Ashaolu has show without a doubt that he is a force to be reckoned with in the paint. Against Iowa, Ashaolu put up 22 points on 7 of 10 shooting and made 8 of his 11 free throw attempts. Ashaolu is not necessarily a big guy at 6-7 220lb, but he is exceedingly strong and has great footwork that allows Ashaolu to push his man back or maneuver around the defender.

Where the Ducks find their greatest success is their depth of frontcourt. The Ducks feature 7 forwards and centers, all of whom are strong and capable players in their own rights. This is difficult for the Dawgs where the frontcourt is clearly our weakest section due to our lack of depth. Our bigs will have their work cut out once more trying to avoid foul trouble, while also contributing on both ends of the court. The one plus is that the Ducks’ best players are on their wings, much like our own team, our advantage comes in taller, stronger, and more skilled guards.

Overall, these two teams balance out quite well. The battle tomorrow will come down to who can execute better over the entire 40 minutes and exploit their opponent’s weaknesses, while capitalizing on their own strengths.

Predicted Starting Line-Ups:

Oregon:

Garrett Sim 6-2 185lb
Devoe Joseph 6-4 180lb
E.J. Singler 6-6 215lb
Jeremy Jacobs 6-8 230lb
Tony Woods 6-11 250lb

Washington:

Abdul Gaddy 6-3 185lb
Tony Wroten 6-5 205lb
Terrence Ross 6-6 195lb
Darnell Gant 6-8 230lb
Aziz N’Diaye 7-0 260lb

Keys to the Game:

• Rebounding - Cleaning the glass is always a big step in shutting down the opposition’s offense. Rebounds prevent second chance opportunities and open 3′s, while also limiting transition plays and fast breaks that lead to open, easy points. The Dawgs find themselves matched up against a similarly sized team in the Ducks, but overall the Dawgs have shown themselves to be much more capable on the glass than the majority of teams across the nation.
• Free Throws – Put simply, the Ducks tend to make their freebies and the Dawgs do not. Against Northwestern, the Dawgs finally showed some competency. The Ducks, on the other hand, have shown consistency throughout the season, which is a much more dangerous formula for success. The Huskies must capitalize on whatever few opportunities they may get.
• Defense - The Huskies couldn’t lock down the Ducks in the last match-up, leading to a complete blow out. The Dawgs have been playing much better defense this week in the NIT and this is promising for tomorrow evening. The Huskies must play tight defense from the baseline to the half-court line as the Ducks have an array of capable 3-point shooters. Our guys need to lock it down from tip off to the final buzzer if they want to get through to the next round.

Final Thoughts:

This will be a huge match-up. A tough match-up. One that our guys will need to be prepared for. While waiting for the last game, I saw several players show up just a few hours before the game. The majority of the players arriving late were freshmen and bench players, but it was somewhat concerning that our team wasn’t preparing the way I expected them to. Tomorrow I expect the players to be at the game before myself taking shots, getting warmed up, watching tape, etc.

If the Dawgs truly want to scrape something out of this season, they will need to get past Oregon on their way to Madison Square Garden. Unlike the two games thus far, I suspect this will be a close one throughout with both sides throwing punches and going on little runs here and there. I see a potential buzzer beater type scenario heading our way and hopefully the Dawgs are on the right side of it.

Final Score Prediction: UW-80 UO-77

Dean Rutz - The Seattle Times

This was the type of game we have been looking for from the Huskies all season. Our scorers got hot, our defense played tough, and our team showed how 40 minutes of solid basketball leads to a solid, decisive victory over an inferior opponent.

Sure, John Shurna racked up 24 points (by the way, he has the ugliest shooting form I have ever seen. I have no clue how he scores), but our defense contested nearly every shot he took. Shurna is simply a great scorer and guys like that will make shots with a hand in the face or not. Look at Terrence Ross for proof of that.

The Dawgs dominated just about every category you can think of. The only disappointing stat was the turnover category. After holding an 11 to 4 advantage in forced turnovers in the first half, the Dawgs finished with 17 turnovers, while forcing Northwestern in only 15 total. Whether the Dawgs got sloppy or Northwestern adjusted properly is somewhat up for debate. In my opinion, the fact that the Dawgs scored only 2 less points in the second half compared to the first indicates that Northwestern didn’t really adjust well, the Huskies simply tried to showboat too often leading to silly turnovers.

The Huskies rebounded in force tonight, holding a 42 to 26 advantage at games end. The Huskies pulled in 20 offensive boards and 3 players, Aziz N’Diaye, Terrence Ross, and Tony Wroten, pulled in 7 or 8 rebounds a piece using their superior size and athleticism to extend above the opposition to pull in the board. After the poor rebounding performance against UT-A it was quite refreshing to see our rebounding prowess return.

The 3-point shooting by the Dawgs was a tale of 2 halves. The Huskies started a very poor 5 of 21 outside the arc, but C.J. Wilcox and Terrence Ross turned it on in the second half to light up the court. The Huskies were a much better 6 of 11 in the second half as Ross and Wilcox found open looks and took advantage of it. Wilcox was 1 of 6 in the first half, while Ross was 1 of 7 (I believe, not 100%). Wilcox finished 4 of 9 and Ross went 6 of 14 on his way to a career high 32 points.

Here is a stat I thought I would never seen this season, 8-8. That was the Huskies stat for free throw shooting in the first half. No big surprise, the guys shooting those free throws were the ones who have shied away from the line all year: Wilcox and Ross. The Dawgs finished the night 11 of 14 from the line. Abdul Gaddy and Tony Wroten each missed their lone opportunity at the stripe and N’Diaye split a pair. Outside of those players, the Dawgs were perfect. Man, it was nice to see that.

My favorite stat of the night? 18 assists. That has been the missing ingredient all season long. Both Gaddy and Wroten racked up 7 assists as the Huskies moved the ball well around the court, battling and demolishing the ineffective Wildcat zone defense. Our point guards did exactly what we have needed them to do, distribute the ball. Our top two shooters took the majority of our shots and look how that turned out, amazing.

Aziz N’Diaye could have had a career night, but he struggled to finish at the rim at times. N’Diaye was only 5 of 11 on the night, a lower percentage than his usual. N’Diaye was surprisingly good at defending the small Northwestern guards and did not pick up a single foul. You read that right, not one single foul. Impressive. N’Diaye had 2 steals offsetting 1 turnover and was a solid force down in the block, preventing the dribble drive. N’Diaye played 30 minutes tonight, something that really surprised me as I thought Romar would put a 4-guard line-up on for most of the night with Darnell Gant providing mobile post support.

Tony Wroten and Abdul Gaddy did not have great shooting night, but they had great point guard nights. They moved the ball, the drove and dished, and generally did everything you could ask of a point guard. Both had 5 turnovers, which marred otherwise great nights, but that happens when you try to be too fancy with the ball. Our guards realized our shooters were hot and got them the ball.

Desmond Simmons was quietly effective after getting pulled early in the first half following poor defensive rotations. He finished with 4 points and 2 boards. Austin Sefarian-Jenkins, Shawn Kemp, and Hikeem Stewart provided great relief efforts for the Dawgs with Stewart picking up a high of 5 minutes. Martin Breunig came in and flushed a monster dunk in the lane over a Wildcat defender.

C.J. Wilcox had a stellar performance and finished with 20 points and 6 rebounds. He also had 1 assists to offset his lone turnover. Alongside Ross, Wilcox helped stretch the Wildcat defense thin leading to wide open shots. In the first half, our shooters struggled to finish these open opportunities, but capitalized in the second. Wilcox found his shot and drilled home several great deep balls, while also finding success inside the lane with some nice pull-up jumpers. Loved his play tonight and his continuing improvement as his health improved. Wilcox should be a very dangerous player again next season with his body healed up.

Terrence Ross exploded last night. He found his stroke and kept backing up further and further until the Wildcat defenders were guarding him at half-court at which point Ross would dribble past his man, finishing in the paint. Ross was 10 for 21 from the field and a perfect 6 of 6 from the free throw line. His 8 rebounds were excellent and Ross finished stuffing the stat sheet with an assist, 2 steals, a block, and just 1 turnover. It was a career performance, the type of which exemplifies why he is considered a potential lottery pick in the coming draft. This is how we expected Ross to play all season, but it has taken the last 2 or 3 weeks for Ross to have success in both halves of the game. Hopefully Ross can continue this trend of playing the full 40 through the NIT championship game and throughout next season. I love that Romar kept Ross in late in the game so he could break his career high of 30 points. As soon as Ross got to the line for the final time and sunk 2 free throws to give him a career best 32, Romar subbed Ross out to a standing ovation and chants of “One more year!”

What Needed Improvement:

• Turnovers - I thought the Dawgs were going to finish with under 10 turnovers on the night, but things out sloppy and out of hand at times in the second. A better team would have capitalized on our mistakes, but Northwestern was unable to do so, thankfully. 17 turnovers is way too high and needs to be minimized, especially with a potential quarterfinal match-up against Oregon on the horizon.

What was Good:

• Rebounding - As I talked about before, the Dawgs dominated a clearly inferior rebounding team. Three players racking up at least 7 rebounds a piece is a recipe for success. The guarded well on defense and snatched up their own missed shots to garner 16 second chance points. Great effort on the glass.
• Team Effort - Our point guards passed, our shooting guards shot, and our bigs kept Northwestern out of the paint. There was hustle and effort across the board. Even Romar got involved with a spontaneous post game speech to the crowd, thanking everyone for coming out and supporting them despite the “inconsistent” efforts they displayed this season. It was an emotional game followed with an emotional speech. While it is a little late, this emotion is refreshing to see and hopefully the Huskies can continue to dominate their opposition to send a message to the NCAA that they should have been one of the 68 teams sent to the big dance.
• Ross and Wilcox - The duo combined for 52 of the Huskies 76 points. Damn. That is huge.

Final Thoughts:

The Dawgs will likely face Oregon on Tuesday for the final home game of the season. There is a small chance of an upset, but count on Oregon coming to Hec-Ed one more time. The Dawgs owe Oregon an embarrassment following the dismantling they faced earlier this season in Eugene. The Dawgs can turn a “snub” into at least something by taking home the NIT title, but there are still 3 games left and they cannot ease up on the gas. Hopefully this team saw how well things go when they apply themselves hard on both ends of the court and continue to do so.

Go Dawgs!