Scott Suggs to redshirt

December 9, 2011 in Uncategorized by Themod | 2 comments

by: Griffin Bennett

Announced today by Romar on a conference call, the senior shooting guard will redshirt this season after suffering a broken toe before the season.

This is bad news for the team which is in dire need on on-court leadership. It appears to have been Suggs’ decision as Romar said that he was surprised by his decision but it makes sense.

I’m not sure that I quite agree with that but I’ll trust the player and his confidence on how the injury is healing. Being the leader of the Scott Suggs bandwagon, I feel like it is my duty to support any and all of his decisions.

Impact:

The loss of his veteran presence will be huge to a team that lacks a leader on the court. Suggs has been very vocal on the bench during timeouts and I was hoping that would only improve once he started playing.

On the flip side, without a single recruit signed for next season, Suggs will be a much-needed roster addition. With the potential loss of Ross and/or Wroten, the team could be in need of some guard depth.

More to come later… Bow down.

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Is the Duke game a “must-win”?

December 8, 2011 in Uncategorized by Themod | 6 comments

by: Griffin Bennett

Rawr

I saw this article by Jeff Borzello of CBSSports.com and my first reaction was “Really?”. I know that the Huskies are struggling right now, but a “must win” in December? No way.

Borzello goes on to say that “It’s almost at the point where, if Washington doesn’t beat Duke on Saturday, the Huskies might need to win the Pac-12 title” to impress the selection committee.

I decided to take a deeper look and see how UW has fared over the past three seasons with it’s unprecedented three-straight trips to the NCAA Tournament.

Here are some key stats from those last few years:

2010/11:

  • Non Conf. Road wins: One. At Seattle U (doesn’t count). Two, if you count the win over Virginia at the Maui Invitational (neutral court).
  • Non Conf. wins vs. Ranked Teams: None.
  • Record before Pac-12 Games: 8-3.
  • Record before Post Season: 20-10 (11-7).
  • Regular Season Wins over Ranked Teams: 1 (#25 Arizona).

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Improved Dawgs still lose against Marquette

December 6, 2011 in Uncategorized by Themod | 14 comments

by: Griffin Bennett

AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

I thought this game might be close but that was only because I am Husky biased. I didn’t recognize the team in purple tonight. The hustle, energy, and effort that the Huskies showed tonight was something new for this young team. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to overcome a few late mistakes as the Dawgs lose at Madison Square Garden to Marquette, 77-79.

Marquette is a good team. No, they are a really good team. There’s a reason that they are undefeated this year. I hate the typical “that was a good loss” sentiment but it’s hard to not like what you saw tonight.

Yes, there were a lot of head scratching mistakes and wall-punching moments but this team is young and still figuring out what it’s strengths are. I know that I’m sounding like a Husky apologist right now but after getting over the initial heart break, I really like what I saw tonight… except for the final minute.

I know that Husky Nation is coming down hard on Gaddy tonight, and he does deserve criticism, but Romar needs to call a timeout with roughly 6 seconds left after that three and draw SOMETHING up. It was 5 on 1 or 2 with a timeout in his pocket and he sat on it, again. Just like he did against Nevada. At call it and get it into Ross’ hands.

Sour grapes? Probably. On to the notes.

Positives:

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Game Preview: Marquette

December 6, 2011 in Uncategorized by Themod | 4 comments

by: John Chase

Marquette. The name brings back memories. Quincy Pondexter sealed the deal in a 15 point come back in the first round of the 2009-2010 NCAA Tournament. Live it again here. This year it brings a little more to the table, namely an 11th ranked team in the top 11 for 3 of the 4 main offensive categories (PPG, APG, and FG%). With 84 points a game, Marquette plays a high octane offense in a very similar style to UW. Darius Johnson-Odom leads the team in scoring with nearly 20 points per outing. Jae Crowder follows closely behind with 17 points a game. Both players are 14-33 from range and are deadly accurate with the ball. Crowder also leads the Golden Eagles in rebounding with 6.7 boards per game.

Their offense produced 90+ points in the first 4 games. Not only can the Eagles score, but their defense is vicious as well. Marquette is allowing under 60 points a game and has an average margin of victory nearing 30 points. They are also holding their opponents under 35% shooting from the field.

Marquette is dishing out around 19 assists per game while committing only 13 turnovers. With 51% field goal shooting and 37% from the 3-point line, Marquette will prove to be an extremely tough team to defend. With 6 players averaging over 7 points a game, they have the tools to attack relentlessly and the UW defenders cannot afford to double team players or otherwise cheat on their defensive assignments.

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Road woes continue as Wolf Pack win in OT

December 3, 2011 in Uncategorized by Themod | 18 comments

by: Griffin Bennett

So that happened. Another preseason road game, another loss for the Huskies. It’s like we’re all stuck in some Husky basketball Groundhog’s Day remake as the Huskies lost tonight to Nevada 76-73 in overtime.

More of the same from this Husky team. Too many turnovers, not enough defense, lack of leadership, poor coaching, and a lack of an identity as a team.

The glaring absence of Isaiah Thomas finally reared it’s ugly head tonight as no one took the game over late and the entire team dropped the ball. As our good friend @Sarkisianity put it on twitter: “This team has ZERO leadership. Captains need to step up. It’s not a honorary title. It means something.”

Without a go-to player on this team, they will continue to run the “clogged toilet” offense down the stretch as it circles around the rim and never gets flushed down the hole.

While I could pick apart the minutiae of this game for days, it won’t do any of us any good. The bottom line was that the turnovers doomed us from the start when 11 minutes in the team had 11 points and 11 turnovers. It should have been Saint Louis all over again at that point.

I’m sure that many Husky fans’ hands remain hovering over the panic button but I urge you all to remember that losing early on the road is a staple of Romar-led teams. We’ve been through this before and have come through on the other side in the clear.

Let’s delve into the nitty gritty, shall we?

Positives:

Game Preview: Nevada

December 2, 2011 in Uncategorized by Themod | 3 comments

by: John Chase

Washington hits the road for the next few weeks, stopping first in Nevada for a match-up against the Wolf Pack. Nevada is having an up and down season with a 4-3 record thus far. Their biggest struggles are a result of their ball handling (or lack thereof). Big man Dario Hunt, 6-8 230lb, is averaging 4 turnovers a game. Olek Czyz and Deonte Burton are also averaging over 2 turnovers per game, though Burton is also dishing out nearly 4 and a half assists per game, accounting for a third of the teams total assists.

The Wolf Pack has a very dangerous shooter in Malik Story, their leading scorer with over 15 points per game. He is shooting 53% from range with 23 makes on the season. For reference, C.J. Wilcox is shooting 55%, but only has 16 makes. At 6-5 and 225lb, Story will have a bit of a size advantage making it even tougher to keep him out of the lane. With three starters at 6-7 or 6-8, Nevada will be a tougher team to defend.

Outside of his turnover issues, Hunt is a very solid contributor for the Pack. With 8 points and 8 boards a game, he is shoring up the middle quite well. Add in his 2 blocks and 1.4 steals a game and you find yourself up against a complete player who can do damage on both ends of the court. Thankfully he matches up size wise quite well with Darnell Gant. I would honestly expect Aziz N’Diaye to draw this assignment, however, as Hunt is not an outside shooter as opposed to fellow 6-7 forward Olek Czyz who has attempted 15 shots (2 makes) from the arc. 6-8 forward Jerry Evans has taken 20 from 3point land and made 5. All things considered we will likely see Gant on Evans and either Wilcox or Terrence Ross against Czyz.

Statistically, Nevada has played eerily similar to their opponents. Look at their numbers. Nevada averages 64.3 ppg, while surrendering 64.7. They dish out 13 assists and allow 14.6. 38 boards per game for Nevada and 35 for their opponents. The Wolf Pack is shooting 40.4% from the field, while opponents are shooting 41.3%. This could be a good or bad thing for the Huskies depending on how the tempo of the game plays out.

If UW can push the tempo the game will be easier as the Huskies average about 8 possession more per game than Nevada. The Huskies are averaging 1.1 points per possession while Nevada is averaging around .96 points so every extra possession the Dawgs can manage gives them another step up towards a victory.

What Nevada is doing best at is rebounding and preventing the opposition from cleaning the glass. The Pack has 3 players averaging 6 or more boards this season, something I wish our squad could get to. I won’t complain too much as the Huskies are averaging 43 boards per game (third in the nation), but if we could notch up a third rebounder to help N’Diaye and Ross I would be one happy camper.

Predicted Line-Ups:

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2011/12 Pac-12 Preview: Washington State

November 30, 2011 in Uncategorized by Themod | 1 comment

by: John Chase
WSU comes into the season with many more seasoned players than last year. The 2010-2011 WSU roster had zero seniors, but they did have three RS juniors and six regular juniors. This year WSU has four seniors and three juniors, but are without two key components of last years team. WSU finished 22-13 overall and 9-9 in conference. WSU also broke the streak of four straight wins by UW by winning two straight themselves before losing to UW in the Pac-10 tournament. WSU took part in the NIT where they won three games before losing to Wichita State 75-44. That’s a whomping right there.

Key Losses:

  • DeAngelo Casto 6-8 255lb - WSU’s best and only real legitimate post option. Casto was third in scoring at 12 points and first in rebound at 7 boards per game. Casto chose to take his talents overseas after his junior year due to financial reasons (he had a kid, good for him for stepping up and taking care of it). A much better choice than Venoy Overton…Casto provided depth and security down low that opened up the perimeter for Klay Thompson to do his thing. He was only of the few Cougars who could bang in the post with guys like Aziz N’Diaye and Josh Smith. While a tad undersized for a true 5, he gave his all and certainly had success. I have a feeling the Cougars will miss him more than Thompson soon enough.
  • Klay Thompson 6-6 202lb - After struggling 2 straight years against UW, Thompson found his own and opened up in all three games, scoring 43 in the tournament. Thompson could shoot lights out from nearly anywhere on the court. He was selected with the 11th pick in the NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. Thompson was a decent defender, though what he did was mostly overshadowed by his extreme offensive capabilities. Faisal Aden and Reggie Moore will need to step their scoring up to help replace him.

Incoming Freshmen:

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UW rebounds with win over Houston Baptist

November 25, 2011 in Uncategorized by Themod | 13 comments

by: Griffin Bennett

Alan Berner - The Seattle Times

Having picked up the pieces after the road loss to Saint Louis on Sunday, the coach Romar had the Dawgs back on track as they blew out the Houston Baptist Huskies after going on a 21-1 run in the first half.

The effort on the defensive and offensive end looked much improved. You could tell that Romar was preaching movement and effort as he pulled out Aziz and C.J. early after not liking what he saw from them. He even had a itchy trigger finger when it came to switching out Wroten and Gaddy when wither player made a mistake.

After a sloppy start to the game, the Husky defense tightened up and really drove HBU crazy with their length and speed. Huskies got their hands in the passing lanes and forced 21 turnovers while grabbing 13 steals. It looked like the swarming Husky defense that he saw against Portland.

The Dawgs went on a blistering 21-1 run late in the first half, which was due to great defense and getting hot from behind the arc. After that, the game was essentially over. The Huskies walked away with an 88-65 win.

Positives:

Game Preview: Houston Baptist

November 24, 2011 in Uncategorized by Themod | No comments

by: John Chase

The Huskies return home for Thanksgiving and a little home-cooking tomorrow against Houston Baptist (2-3). After suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of Saint Louis, the Huskies have a lot of work to do to get back on track and the game could be a good moral booster before the trip to the Big Apple.

Houston Baptist’s mascot is also the Huskies so to avoid confusion I’ll refer to them by Houston or Houston Baptist.

Houston is an uptempo team averaging 73 points per game. Their season low has been 64 points in a loss to Louisiana-Lafayette. Houston has four players in double digit scoring, three averaging 12 points and one with an 11 point average. Their leading scorer is also their leading rebounder with just under 8 boards a game. Joe Latas stands at 6-11 and 275lb and will be a tough match-up for the Dawgs. Aziz N’Diaye and Shawn Kemp will need to be at their best to slow him down.

Playing time is pretty even for Houston. 10 players have played in all 5 games and only 3 players have not seen any game time action. The lowest minute average is 10 minutes while the game high is 25 minutes. 9 players are picking up 18 minutes or more. To me this indicates a well balanced team that will be consistent throughout the 40 minutes.

Houston is averaging only 11 assists, but giving up 16 turnovers per game. The turnovers come from just about everywhere with Joe Latas leading the way at 3 per game. 5-7 170lb Marcel Smith is averaging around 2 per game as is 6-5 190lb Marcus Davis. Houston is also a lower rebounding team with only 34 boards and average with only Latas picking up more than 5 a game.

Six players have attempted 10 or more 3-pointers this season and Smith leads the team with a 55% average on 6/11 shooting. Ronald March leads in makes with 9 on 27 attempts. This is a team that can extend the defense and find moderate success from just about any player on the court. The Dawgs could find themselves facing a team very similar to themselves and I’m interested to see how they cope with such a match-up. To me it seems favorable as anytime the Huskies can get up and run is a good day for us.

Jonathan Evans leads the team in assists with 2.4 per game, while also committing 2.2 turnovers per game. At 5-10 and 170lb he is a quick and mobile guard that is definitely a pass-first point guard rather than a shooting guard. At only 3 points per game he is not too high of an offensive threat, but cannot be allowed free reign while trying to prevent opportunities from other players.

Predicted Starting Line-Ups:

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Conversation with Percy Allen

November 23, 2011 in Uncategorized by Themod | 5 comments

by: Griffin Bennett

With Thanksgiving tomorrow, I just wanted to thank every one of our readers here for making this one of the best communities out there. The last few years have been incredibly fulfilling and knowing that there are other passionate (read: crazy) Husky hoops fans out there makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. To those of you who have chatted with us, tweeted us, messaged us, yelled at us, agreed with us, or even only read us, thank you so much from all of us here at Montlake Madness. Mighty are the men.

With that said, I had the chance to chat with Percy Allen of the Seattle Times. If you read this blog but don’t know who Percy is then there is something wrong with you.

Percy does a great job covering the Husky basketball beat and I wanted to sit down with him and discuss what’s happened in the first few weeks of the season. Here’s the transcript:

Montlake Madness: Who do you think will lose minutes when Scott Suggs returns?

Percy Allen: I think everyone will, and I don’t mean to cop out on the question. He’s just so talented that hes gonna take from everybody and Romar has to see that. Obviously you look at Wilcox because they have similar attributes. I think he pulls from Terrence’s minutes, Wroten’s minutes and Gaddy’s as well. If you can take 4 or 5 minutes from each of them that gives Suggs a solid 20 minutes.

MM: What situations would Suggs help this team out with?

PA: Just experience and providing another scorer. He brings a dynamic out there that can stretch the defense. He will tell you that he’s more than just a jump shooter now so I’m excited to see that but is he really going to put the ball on the floor, drive to the rim, finish with contact and create opportunites for others? We’re waiting to see that. If he can do that then he can bring so much to this squad.

MM: Is the attitude on the team different this year?

PA: I don’t think it’s different but I think Romar has brought a family attitude to this team. I think everyone on the team is very close but just like with any family, there are still some cliques. I do get the sense that they really like each other and that’s got to help.

MM: UCLA and Arizona have struggled early while Cal and Oregon State have surprised. Who do you think is real and who is pretending?

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