Great 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!
Tags: Post-game story, WSU
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Sorry to say…..but the MVP for the Dawgs tonight was Klay.
Was at the game at Pullman….Had to chuckle when quite a few Coug fans kept calling for Bone to pull Klay Thompson off the floor.
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Good analysis, MM. This is really quite a run MBA has put together. And I agree that a sweep in Oregon, plus a run to the pacx tourney title game would do the trick. But if they can get that far, there’s no reason they couldn’t win it, huh? But first things first, I’m not expecting an easy Oregon trip at all. The Beavs actually kind of look like they might be peaking, and the Ducks just won two in LA (!?!)
Obviously, for the Dawgs, D is the key, because they can’t play much worse offensively, and they still got their biggest road win of the year.
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If none of the under-classmen elevate their games, then you’re right Josh, no way this team has what it takes to be conference champions. But can’t we believe that Gaddy still has the raw abilities to be an elite point guard? And based on recent play of MBA isn’t there reason to hope he’ll be one of (if not the) best big man in the conference next season? Not to mention if Bresher’s continues to condition his potential for being dominant. Add having the best outside shooter in the conference in Wilcox, I see a team with very realistic potential to own both the best back-court AND best front-court in the Pac-10 next season. Couldn’t that equate into a conference championship? Granted, there are a couple ‘ifs’ in there…but there are reasonable ‘ifs’, aren’t they?
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you gotta love what MBA is doing!
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I think you are overrating the Pac-10 next year. And I think you are underrating the potential improvement of IT, Gaddy, Holiday, MBA, Breshers and Venoy. Romar has a proven history of players getting consistently better each year, and having GREAT Senior years. UW will probably start 3 Seniors (Venoy, Holiday, MBA), a Junior (IT), and a Sophmore (Gaddy). With Breshers, Trent, Suggs, Turner, Wilcox, off the bench. UW will be the most experienced team in the conference next year. Arizona will be better, but still young. Cal is gonna have to rebuild. Oregon is gonna have a new coach. WSU is gonna be good. UCLA is still not any good. ASU is ok, so is Stanford. OSU is not gonna be a contender, and USC is gonna be on probation, and young. Even without Quincy UW seems to me to be the favorite.
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And give some love to IT. Everyone else is too tentative on the road, and he has to step up. He did, we won. He is the best player on the squad. For the good, and for the bad.
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An interesting thought about the Pac-10 tourney is that the host, UCLA, is a likely early dismissal. If the Huskies can dodge playing the Trojans then they really have a shot at winning the whole shebang. They are certainly capable of beating ASU on a neutral court and should really be favored against all other except Cal. Not sure of how the draw works but if we are in the other bracket from Cal and SC we could win it. Fantasy?
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Just occured to me that the Trojans are not in it so being in the opposite bracket from Cal gives us a shot.
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MM, totally agree with you on next year’s team. Hopefully we do get Jones and Aziz. Those would be the two guys we need. Since we have pulled away from Kanter (seems that way), it is telling me that maybe we already have good news from another 5 star guy. Here’s to wishful thinking.
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Josh,
What’s happening the on the recruiting front? All very quiet and not much time before signing day…
And…. I invented oral care.
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Gersen – Totally agree. I really think we are on the brink of getting Jones according to all the blogs I have been reading. We definitely need Aziz and Jones to be a contender next year.
Mark my words, Gaddy will live up to his potential. This may be a season to forget for him, but Romar will develop him into a true PG and his jumper and instincts will blossom in the next two years. The good thing to note is that he should be here all four years, much like IT. Thats only good news for Tony Wroten who would be more inclined to play for UW with his two big brothers playing there. Although UConn and Villanova are the heavy favorites, I have a funny feeling Wroten is playing recruiting games with the entire nation and will choose UW over everyone else.
I don’t think UCLA is going to be an early dismissal. Keep in mind that they have just as much to play for as we do and they are virtually playing at home at Staples. UCLA has been known to get hot at the right time and I wouldn’t take any team for granted.
I do agree that OSU may be our biggest challenge if we face them in the tourney given their style of defense and Princeston style offense. Needless to say, UW is playing with the hunger and swagger needed to take home the pac 10 tourney trophy.
Go Dawgs.
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Ever since I found your website some years ago it has been my first stop for info on Husky Hoops. I still think your articles are top notch. My question is why the extreme drop off of new content/articles compared to when you took your new job? My first stop these day’s is Percy’s blog. This is the most important time of the season for the Huskies. I hope you will return to posting as you did before. Thanks.
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Was wondering the same thing as hoopswatch…can’t complain, it’s a great web-site and it is free…but am curious what we can hope for in the future.
Thanks Josh!
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Dan Guerrero the head of the selection committee and the head of the Pac 10 is hinting that the Pac 10 will get an at large bid with possible 3 teams from the conference going. At least two, I think, that is why that USC loss was huge. Oh well, nothing’s changed, win out and we are fine.
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