Mark J. Terrill / AP

Here’s some analysis on last night’s 59-52 win over Oregon State in the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 Tournament. Today, we hear from Anthony Cassino, who also has his own great Huskies’ site: UW Dawg Pound.

by Anthony Cassino

We’ve all heard the cliché that this team’s offense is fueled by its defense, and last night the defense got an assist from an unlikely source: the rim. With Josh Tarver and Jared Cunningham on a two-on-none break, Tarver threw a dunk off the back of the iron, and almost as quickly as the ball shot out of the cylinder, the momentum of the game changed.

The Huskies came out with no energy, and played (in my estimation) their worst half of basketball this season to open the game. The shots weren’t falling, and when the Dawg defense was sound, Oregon State bailed themselves out by knocking down desperation three-pointers (the Beavers hit on their first six from deep).

Isaiah Thomas and Quincy Pondexter combined for just six points in the first half on only one made shot. There were scoreless stretches for the Huskies of 7:01 and 4:11.

The second half didn’t look like it was starting any better, with the Dawgs going scoreless for the first 2:46. But, almost on cue, Tarver missed his breakaway dunk and the real Huskies decided to show up and play some basketball. The team started getting to the free throw line, forcing turnovers and getting offensive boards, as Thomas and Turner knocked down threes and Oregon State’s three-point shooting came back down to earth.

A 27-8 run commenced and the Dawgs never looked back, as they made liars of those who say it’s hard to beat a team three times in one season. (In fact, the Pac-10 has had three teams go 3-0 against an opponent this year. And that number will be four if the Huskies can beat Stanford.)

Player of the Game: Isaiah Thomas. He didn’t have his best game (4/16 from the field) but he made some big threes and fueled the team in the second half. Once he got rid of the glove, his shot improved.

Play of the Game: Justin Holiday made a slick pass from the top of the key to a cutting Quincy Pondexter, who laid the ball in and got fouled. The play brought the game to within three points, and made it feel like the Huskies had taken control.

Unsung Hero: Elston Turner. The sophomore kept the team from digging itself into too big a hole by hitting back-to-back shots in the first half (one of them a three). He also hit the three pointer that gave UW the lead they never relinquished.

Headscratcher of the Game: When the Dawgs were struggling in the first half, Lorenzo Romar tried a lineup of Abdul Gaddy, Elston Turner, Scott Suggs, Darnell Gant and Matthew Bryan-Amaning. Individually, I like all of those players a lot. As a group? Not so much. I don’t know how Coach expected that group to create shots.

Stat of the Game: Tyreese Breshers did not commit a foul. This is the first time that’s happened since the Portland State game in which, I should add, Breshers did not play.

Thanks for coming!

The Huskies came back from a nine-point halftime deficit to defeat Oregon State tonight, 59-52, in the Pac-10 Tournament quarterfinals. Isaiah Thomas had 15 points. MBA and Elston Turner had 10 apiece.

Tomorrow night, at about 8:30, UW vs. Stanford. The winner gets a date with the Cal/UCLA winner.

More analysis of the Huskies’ escape act in the morning from one of our new contributors…

Thanks for coming!

But, all I have so far is buzz. I believe this started with Jim Basnight, who’s reporting on his Husky Digest (pay) site that a source from the University of Kentucky has confirmed that the two Terrences are coming to the Dub.

More as I have it… And, if this turns out to be true, thanks Jim for breaking the story!

Thanks for coming!

Before the Huskies play their Pac-10 Tournament game against Oregon State, here’s a look at how their chances for an at-large bid look at this point from another one of our new contributors. Thanks, DD, for the great piece.

You make your pick? If you picked team “X”, congratulations! That’s our Washington Huskies. As of now, they are the first team out in Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology on ESPN. If you picked team “Y”, then you chose Illinois. And team “Z” is Memphis. Both of those teams are on Lunardi’s “last four in” list. Shame on you if you picked “Y” or “Z.”

Hey there, team Madness. Here’s another piece by a new contributor. Hope you enjoy! Agree? Disagree? Please let Josh L. know what you think.

by Josh Liebeskind

Many question marks are swirling around Montlake, so let’s jump right in and take a look at what the Dawgs are facing in the Pac-10 Tournament.

First Round (vs. Oregon State): After beating the Beavers for the second time this season, the Huskies will immediately face Oregon State for a third time. This is not a game the Huskies should take lightly. It’s challenging to beat a team three times in one year, let alone back-to-back.

The 1-3-1 zone the Beavers deploy is another reason to worry.  It has proven troublesome for the Huskies at times this season.  If the Huskies cannot get out in transition, then they are liable to have an offensive breakdown.  If the Huskies can penetrate and shoot like they did on Saturday, though, I have no reason to doubt their ability to beat the Beavers for a third time.  Look for I.T. to have another big game, especially if Abdul Gaddy can penetrate the zone at will.

Second Round (vs. Arizona State/Stanford winner): Assuming they meet Arizona State, this game is going to test the Huskies mentally and physically.  If OSU’s zone causes fits for opposing players, then ASU’s zone causes chaos.  The Sun Devils are eighth in the nation in team defense, giving up only 58.1 points per game.  Since losing by 17 at ASU in the first matchup of the season, the Huskies offense has shown improvement against zone defenses and Justin Holiday has turned into the defensive catalyst.

With the mixture of offensive improvement and Holiday’s All-Pac-10 defense on Rihards Kuksiks, I am confident the Huskies can come out on top and play themselves into the championship game.

Finals: At this point, barring a major upset, the Huskies would advance to play Arizona or Cal.  Both would be a tough matchup for the Huskies outside of Hec Ed and may prove too much to handle after two straight tough games.  But the way the Huskies are playing, it’s hard not to be confident in the their ability to beat anyone in the conference.

What needs to happen: I firmly believe the Huskies do not need to win the Pac-10 tournament to earn a bid into the NCAA Tournament.  If they win two games and reach the tournament finals, they would finish with a record of 23-10.  Even in a down year, it would be difficult for the committee to turn down 23 wins from a Pac-10 team. And, it’s particularly hard to imagine with UCLA’s athletic director as the head of this year’s committee.

Thanks, Josh L.

And, thanks for coming!

This thief averaged less than a steal per game.

In case you haven’t heard, the Pac-10 awards came out on Monday. Here’s a link to the results.

As you’ll see in another really great piece here by a new contributor, Quincy Pondexter came up short for the Player of the Year award, despite winning his fifth Player of the Week award (a record). A questionable choice accoring to WhoLetTheDawgsOut. . .

Agree with the sentiments below? Disagree? Let us hear you in the comments section!

by WhoLetTheDawgsOut

DATELINE: WALNUT CREEK, CA

Pac-10 Commissioner: “And the winner of Pac 10 Player of the Year (POY) is…”

(pause for suspense… opens the envelope)

Pac -10 Commissioner: “…not Quincy Pondexter.”

Jerome Randle pauses for a second, only to give the best Michael Strahan smile of his life and accepts the trophy with gratitude and enthusiasm.

Q-Pon graciously claps for his comrade and does not show an ounce of disappointment or jealousy.

As the ceremony concludes, Q-Pon makes his way toward the door as Roscoe consoles his son.

Pac -10 Commissioner: “Quincy, where are you going? You forgot your door prize. You won Pac 10 Player of the Week (POW). Come on up and get your Tootsie Pop.”

(end scene)

The coaches may as well have just given Q-Pon the Sportsmanship Award instead today. Sometimes, a consolation prize leaves a bigger scar than receiving nothing at all. Simply put, today was a kick in the face to the record-setting five-time POW recipient.

The Question: What prestigious fraternity do Sean Lampley, Sam Clancy, Luke Ridnour, Ike Diogu, Brandon Roy, and James Harden all belong to?

Answer:  Pac-10 Players of the Year who were not members of the Pac-10 champion that year.

The Takeaway: Past seasons have proven that Pac-10 coaches have recognized the best conference player based upon his merit, not just on the results on his team’s final position in the standings.

The Frustration: Why couldn’t they be consistent with that same assessment this year? Lorenzo Romar said it best today when he claimed that there “should have been a CO-MVP.”  Playing for the conference champion shouldn’t win you that much favor when coaches are selecting the best player.

We have heard a lot about both players’ stat lines today when trying to pick a winner. But in my eyes, the most blaring statistical comparison that was overlooked was something I picked up in the 2^nd grade:  5  > 1. When coaches were asked to vote for the best player in the past week’s games, they voted for Pondexter FIVE times and Randle ONCE.

Not to mention Q-Pon is leading a team, as a lone senior, with only two prominent scorers (himself and IT), whereas Randle (one of four seniors) is leading a team that has three scorers (himself, Patrick Christopher, and Theo Robertson). No person, this writer included, can even fathom the rationale used to leave Pondexter out pf at least a share of the crown this year. Were coaches too spellbound from Quincy’s ballet performance in The Nutcracker that they forgot about his on court performance? Not likely, but that’s the only loophole I can think of.

And even more frustrating: Randle delivered a presumably decisive final blow in the POY race with his 33-point statement game against UW in February. Does this cancel out his five point, eight turnover performance earlier this season? And further, did the Oregon game, when Quincy went for a career-high 34 points, not being televised (nor any highlights) have any impact on the decision? One has to wonder.

The Rebound: As gracious as Quincy has been through today, bet your bottom dollar that he has something to prove. We all know the Dawgs are on the bubble, playing for one of the last tournament bids. But, Quincy will be playing for much more than that. Today’s news today should serve as fuel to help ignite his game to another level.

But is this chip that Quincy is sure to carry on his shoulders enough to carry the Dawgs to a Pac-10 Tourney title? Dawg Nation sure hopes so.

What do you think?

Thanks for coming!

I checked out the article that Percy pointed to, but also found this one from Monday evening that speaks to Jones directly. Jones doesn’t say anything about Kentucky (or UW), but says that he’s not ruling out Oregon despite the reports swirling of Ernie Kent’s firing.

I think suggesting Jones had made a decision already was just a mistake by the original reporter at the Albany-Democrat Herald, and since an awful lot of us hinging on every piece of news about a highly touted prospect, it spread in the Husky-verse. In truth, I think this is a big hunk of nothing.

So, I say, fear not. I haven’t seen a thing about Jones making a final decision about Kentucky, UW, or anywhere else.

The signing period starts April 14th and goes through May 19th. And, since he’s taken his sweet time up to this point, I wouldn’t be surprised to see TJ take every last minute of that time to make his choice.

Once he does, you’ll see it right here. Until then, we’ll keep guessing, just like everyone else. And, in case you were wondering, if I had to bet my life savings (sorry Mrs. Madness for even suggesting something so crazy with a baby coming!), I think Jones is indeed coming to UW.

Thanks for coming!

As I’ve written, you’ll be seeing some new voices on Montlake Madness in the coming weeks as I try to make the site more of a team effort and keep the information and opinion flowing, even as I have less time to personally devote.

Tonight, we welcome “Griffin” and “WhoLetTheDawgsOut,” both making their Montlake Madness debuts. Agree with their points, or not? Let them hear you in the comments section. And, thanks to both guys who we hope to see plenty more from in the future.

Glass Half Full, by Griffin:

Abdul Gaddy: He scored seven points on 3-4 shooting, had two assists, two rebounds, a steal, and only one turnover in 23 minutes. It’s not his box score that shined against the Beavers, but his on-court leadership, considering he’s still only a freshman. Early on, MBA scored and drew a foul and did his “mean-mug” where he gives us all two tickets to the gun show. Gaddy ran up to him, put his hand on MBA’s head and told him to calm down and get re-focused. His leadership skills and knowledge of the game may be second only to Quincy’s on this team. . . and he’s only 18.

Assist-to-turnover ratio against the zone: 17 assists and only seven turnovers on Saturday night. The Huskies will make it to the Pac-10 championship game if they can limit themselves to only seven turnovers when they see a zone defense. I realize that Oregon State’s zone isn’t as good as ASU’s, but the Beavers threw the kitchen sink at the Dawgs, with a 1-3-1, a 2-3, and I may have even seen a 3-2 at one point.

Isaiah Thomas: He shot 66% from the field and 2-5 from three-land. He got into the paint at will and abused the Beavers whenever a mismatch presented itself. If you consider his five assists and only one turnover, I would argue this was his best game in the last month.

MBA: What more can be said? 20 points and 11 rebounds against the Beavers tonight. “Domination” is my word of choice. He’s averaging 13.3 points and 8.1 rebounds in the last eight games. This is a completely different player. He’s like Claire from “Lost”. He started out as a horrible role player that backed away when things got tough. Now? He’s a beast, and everyone needs to keep an eye on him when he’s on the court. Is he the best big man in the Pac-10? Over the last eight games, there’s no question that he is.

Glass Half Empty, by WhoLetTheDawgsOut:

As a fan, it’s hard to be a Debbie Downer after UW’s fourth straight road win, but there’s always room for improvement.

The Dawgs looked like they were scrambling for defensive boards today as Roeland Schaftenaar, Seth Tarver and “Big Baby” Burton pounded away on the offensive glass getting 2^nd and 3^rd opportunities which kept OSU competitive. Our bigs need to do a better job of getting a body on their defensive assignments in order to go further into the Pac-10 Tourney.

So has been the story all year long, inbounding under our own basket continued to be our Achilles heel as we have been notorious for turning the ball over in these situations.  Today was no different with a turnover in the first half and a near-five-second call in the second. Coach Romar must develop a simple inbounds play to set a screen, freeing one of our guards. We don’t need anything flashy. We just need to get the ball in consistently.

The one particular sequence which had me on edge was mid-way through the first half when Romar went with a frontline of Tyreese Breshers and Darnell Gant. During this two-minute stretch, UW looked discombobulated on offense and struggled to find fluidity. Coach experimented with this combo for a couple of minutes, but didn’t repeat this mistake again in the game.

Last but not least, free throws continue to haunt Isaiah Thomas. His 1-3 from the line was the only damper on a brilliant game he played today.

The only other thing I can say for IT is not a hit on his game, but on his swag. We all love his confidence, but can’t quite seem to fall for his Kid ’n Play mini-fro, or the hand running through his hair at the end of the game.  Somewhere Will “Confident Not Cocky” Conroy is smiling.

***

Thanks to Griffin and WhoLetTheDawgsOut. Great job guys!

And, thanks for coming!

Joshua Trujillo / Seattlepi.com

The Huskies defeated the Oregon State Beavers, 82-70, on Saturday night at Gill Colosseum in Corvallis.

Matthew Bryan-Amaning tallied 20 points and 11 rebounds, his largest scoring total since the second game of the season against Belmont. Isaiah Thomas scored 19 points and had five assists. And, Quincy Pondexter had 18.

The Dawgs for the nearly the entire game, and never let Oregon State cut significantly into their lead in the second half, despite a few moments when it looked like they might. Notably, the Huskies only turned the ball over seven times.

Coming up:

Pac-10 honors will be announced early next week, and Husky fans have plenty to root for. Among the possible award-winners: Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas for the All-Pac-10 team, Venoy Overton and Justin Holiday for All-Defensive team, and of course, Q-Pon for Player of the Year.

The Huskies’ win sets up a rematch with Oregon State in the first round of the Pac-10 Tournament at 6 PM on Thursday night.

After yesterday’s post, I was so happy to hear from a bunch of readers who’d like to step up and contribute to the site.

If you’ve emailed, or left a note in the comments section, about wanting to write, please hold tight for a moment — I’ll be in touch soon.

If you’re reading, take heart — it sounds like I might get the help I need to keep the site going.

Stay tuned. Here’s to making Montlake Madness a team effort!

Big night tomorrow for the Dawgs. Big night. Check in for some post-game coverage after it’s over.

Thanks for coming!