Salute to the 16

Mark J. Terrill / AP

Here’s one more look at the Huskies’ huge win over New Mexico. Plenty to come this week on the Huskies’ big contest ahead on Thursday.

by Craig Yamada – Staff Writer

Before we get started, do three things for me:

1. Rip up your brackets — you already lost.

2. Get on your computer.

3. Block off your Outlook calendars for next Thursday.

… because the Dawgs are marching straight to Syracuse. And how SWEET it is.

The Dawgs left nothing to doubt after completely dismantling the New Mexico Lobos 82-64 today in San Jose. As the Dawg Pack’s chant of “OVER-SEEDED” rang loud, our human victory cigar, Brenden Sherrer, made his way to the scorer’s table to close out our the Huskies’ ninth straight victory.

The Dawgs played a near flawless game today to earn a berth in the Sweet 16, and a date against either Missouri or West Virginia. If you looked hard enough, I swear you could see a faint purple “W” at midcourt. Maybe not, but the Huskies truly played like this one like it was a home game. With stifling defense, few turnovers, and unstoppable three-point shooting, UW closed out the Lobos with ease, sending a clear message to their critics that they undoubtedly deserve to be here.

Recap:

The pace favored UW from the outset of the game, as it was a quick up and down game played in transition. The Dawgs started out by matching New Mexico shot for shot from the opening tip. Early on, the Lobos were able to exploit UW’s man-to-man defense by getting some early buckets off pick and rolls from the top of the key. Roman Martinez started where he left off against Montana with a quick three in the early going. After four minutes, the Lobos held an 11-8 lead.

Following a timeout, New Mexico made its first mistake of the game. They went zone. IT graciously welcomed it with a big three to tie things up. The Dawgs put their foot on the gas pedal after that and never let up. UW unleashed a barrage of three pointers led by their star, Isaiah Thomas (15 points, seven assists, 4-7 from downtown).

Quincy Pondexter and Matthew Bryan-Amaning had their way down low all night as they sealed their men in the post for easy buckets. Even Abdul Gaddy joined in on the fun with a Jimmy Dolan ‘Shake n’ bake’ drive to the hole that resulted in an ‘AND  1’.

The Lobos tried to keep pace by riding their all-conference point guard, Dairese Gary, who seemed to have his way in the lane no matter who was guarding him. Part of the reason Gary had a clear path to the hoop all night was that UW completely shut down New Mexico’s 3 point threats, extending their defense and leaving nothing open. As a result, New Mexico’s best chance for buckets was on the inside.

Little did they know, though, that Mr. London Town, Darnell Gant and J-Holiday were waiting for them.  The trio of Bryan-Amaning, Gant and Holiday garnered a total eight blocked shots today. The Huskies also forced 11 turnovers that led to plenty of easy transition buckets.

And, enter ET. Elston helped us pull away in the first half with two clutch threes, one that swished through following a step back move which drew a foul.

As the second half began, UW kept the defensive pressure up and forced Dairese Gary to beat them in the lane. While Gary complied, finished with 25 points, the Husky double teams also forced him into a couple of turnovers. The most heralded Lobo, Darington Hobson, never really got going as he contended with a busted left wrist and Justin Holiday’s stifling D.

Isaiah Thomas continued his hot shooting in the second half unleashing a couple of threes. Quincy followed suit in the post with a couple of slams and offensive put backs that kept the Lobos reeling. And last but not least, MBA finished off his amazing game with an emphatic one-hand slam which effectively closed the door on the Lobos with three minutes left.

UW slowed the ball down to cruise to victory as they let their entire bench in on the big win, allowing Clarence Trent and Brendan Sherrer to log a couple of NCAA Tournament minutes.

What we did well (don’t hold your breath, this could take a while):

Isaiah played a complete game. He did everything he needed to in order to win this game. He was unselfish, dishing out 7 assists, played pressure defense (two steals) and took good shots in rhythm leading to 15 points.

Quincy is playing his game. Congrats, Quincy! You became UW’s third all-time leading scorer today. Q-Pon played a sensational game, finishing with a team-high 18 points and collecting eight rebounds. He did especially well on the offensive glass  with three rebounds which resulted in some terrifc putbacks.

ET³. Sorry Mr. Suggs, but you may be wearing your shooting shirt a little more often for as long as the Huskies stay alive. Elston Turner is the new Captain Llutch, helping to swing the tide of the game late in the first half with his clutch threes.  Evan Turner, be mindful, you’ve got some competition for your acronym.

MBA. Rebounding, blocked shots and finishing in the paint. MBA knew his role today and executed to perfection. 

Welcome to the party, Abdul Gaddy. The Huskies’ much-maligned freshman scored five huge points early in the first half and helped set the tone with three assists in the game. We saw flashes of that McDonald’s All-American play tonight.

Defensive adjustments. Following an early struggle to defend the pick and roll, Darnell Gant subbed in for MBA and was able to successfully disrupt the New Mexico’s offensive flow. Our guys were everywhere, especially in the second half when it seemed like New Mexico could not get a clean shot.

Many Dawg fans got their wish today as Lorenzo Romar changed things up with Darnell Gant supplanting Tyrese Breshers as the first big man off the bench. Tyrese still has a long way to go to develop his game and Gant is playing his supporting role like a pro.

Justin Holiday – Jump Shooter? J-Hol has really started to develop his offensive game and range in the Tournamnet. He doesn’t have the most picturesque form, but he’s become an offensive option in this Tournament. Not to be taken too much for granted: his stat line, which shows an impact in nearly every facet of the game: five points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals, three blocks.

What we need to work on:

MBA jumping screens too much. Make no mistake, this was the only blemish on his game today, but MBA found himself out of position on the screen and roll early and often as his man quickly rolled off screens for a few easy buckets. Darnell Gant provided a good example on how to execute against the play, and MBA looked better as the game went on.

Venoy recognizing the numbers. Venoy is second-to-none when it comes to speed. The only knock on him today was that he forced some erratic shots when the defense had numbers in transition. Although he did help us keep pace early in the game, we will need him to control his shot selection as we advance further toward the Final Four.

We couldn’t wear our black jerseys. This is a knock on the NCAA committee, not on UW.

UW is playing their best basketball of the year right now and looks to be able to contend with the best in the country. Their next game, quite possibly against West Virginia, will test that theory.

Final Four or bust! What do you think?

Thanks for coming.