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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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Huskies show up late in 64-77 loss

November 20, 2011 in Uncategorized by Themod | 11 comments

by: John Chase

AP Photo/ Jeff Roberson

This game went the complete opposite way I saw it playing out. Saint Louis played out of their minds and were unstoppable on offense. To start the game they hit 8 of 12 from range and would not be denied. Washington, on the other hand, could not buy a basket, were impatient, and often took poor forced shots.

Saint Louis deserves a lot of credit for the effort they put out, but this is a team we should have been able to beat. You can say that the early start kept us from getting into our normal rhythm, but the Billkens had the early start as well and they were firing on all cylinders so the argument is hardly valid.

I think the most glaring statistic of the night is 0-9. Under Lorenzo Romar, the Huskies have not won a road opener at the opposing teams home court. I love Romar and will be sad when he finally retires, but the fact that not a single one of his teams has won their first road game of the season is terrible. He is not mentally preparing the players correctly and it shows on the court. I could handle 0-9 if we played a top 25 team for our openers the majority of those years, but its losing to teams like Portland or getting completely blown out of the water by SLU today that is unacceptable. It’s not as if our teams are untalented, we have gone to three straight NCAAs and made the Sweet Sixteen three times in Romar’s tenure.

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Huskies shoot down Pilots 93-63

November 14, 2011 in Uncategorized by Themod | 15 comments

by: Griffin Bennett

It doesn’t get much better than that, folks. After hearing about the less-than-perfect outing last night against FAU, I expected to see a work in progress from this Husky squad. Instead, we were treated to an offensive and defensive clinic. While it wasn’t all perfect, I wasn’t expecting anything close to what I saw out of those Dawgs tonight.

Portland seamed shell-shocked from the opening tip as the shooting ability and defense of the Huskies stymied them all night. They Pilots lack a true star player like they had in Sikma and it definitely showed on the court.

The game was never close and it was great to see the Huskies come out fired up at halftime and continue to extend their lead.

“I didn’t think anyone had their own agenda.  I thought we all just played Husky basketball and those were the results,” Romar said after the game.

That pretty much sums it up.

Positives:

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Dawgs win ugly against Owls 77-71

November 13, 2011 in Uncategorized by Themod | 5 comments

by: John Chase

AARON JAFFE / THE SEATTLE TIMES

It was ugly, but a win is a win. The Huskies played a very sloppy game where the theme of the night was missed opportunities. UW shot an atrocious 38% from the field and committed 17 turnovers on the night, which allowed FAU to shoot themselves back into the game in the waning minutes. To highlight how terrible UW shot and how fortunate they were to win the game, FAU made more field goals and more 3-pointers, while UW attempted 10 more free throws and made 11 more than FAU.

The Huskies may have needed this humbling experience to remind them that they cannot play down to their opponents or risk an upset. Tony Wroten Jr. literally had to play down to his opponent as he often matched up against FAU’s 5-6 point guard, which led to Wroten racking up 4 fouls due to overplaying the ball and the man. The Owl point guard was also able to get away with hand checks and push offs due to his diminutive size as they did not have a noticeable effect on the defender. Just because he is small does not mean he cannot foul. Thankfully, the refs finally started calling the fouls in the final 3-5 minutes when the Owls were looking to slow the game down.

Abdul Gaddy showed why he starts over Tony Wroten once more. With 6 assists, only 3 turnovers and a very nice 15 points, Gaddy was much calmer, collected, and efficient than the flashy Wroten. Wroten racked up 4 assists, but also committed 5 turnovers and missed several lay-ins due to playing an extremely fast tempo that just doesn’t work at the collegiate level. Gaddy went 4-6 from the line, while Wroten went 3-7 (he shot 2-9 from the field).

Aziz N’Diaye had some nice looks today as well. While he again looked a little rough offensively, he showed signs of improving post moves and was a lot more effective at creating shot opportunities for himself on the block. He went 5-12 from the field and made 3 of his 5 free throw attempts. He also collected 12 rebounds (5 offensive) to pull in the double-double.

C.J. Wilcox again led all players in scoring with 19 to put his average in the tournament thus far at 20.5 points per game, a fantastic result. Wilcox, like most of the team, struggled on the easy inside shots. He went 5-13 from the field, 3-5 from range. His struggles were highlighted by an easy fast break lay-in opportunities that rolled out. In reality, he should have jammed the ball through the hoop to prevent exactly what happened. If you have an open opportunity and you can dunk, DO IT! It does not need to be a monster jam, just a simple two-handed dunk.

Four players made double digits in scoring today and all four were starters. Darnell Gant was the only starter not to hit double digits and finished the night with only 2 points on 1-4 shooting. He did have a 3-pointer taken away due to an offensive foul committed by Tony Wroten after he had dished it off. Gant played a very quiet 25 minutes only managing to pull down 5 boards.

One very concerning stat was the rebounding line. UW went into half holding a 26-16 lead in the rebounding column, but only finished with a 3 board advantage, 42-39. This was another big reason FAU was able to stay in the game. UW was not boxing out well or communicating, which led to at least 3 UW rebounds knocked away by our own players. Romar needed to use a timeout or two to calm the players down as it seemed the close score line was causing our line-up to play overly anxiously.

Martin Breunig played only 9 minutes, but was a perfect 2-2 from the field. His limited time was largely due to his high foul count and ended the night with 5 points and 3 rebounds. Simple freshmen mistakes were a big part of why he picked up the fouls he did.

Hikeem Stewart only came in for a quick 2 minute burst while Romar rested his starting guards and tallied 1 rebound.

Shawn Kemp did not play today and Jernard Jarreau confirmed last night at the press conference that he would indeed be red-shirting (Jarreau, not Kemp).

Terrence Ross had another sub-par shooting night going 4-14 from the field, 1-5 from range. He did shoot a very nice 5-6 from the charity stripe and for that I give him an A+.

What Needed Improvement:

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Huskies beat the Panthers 91-74

November 12, 2011 in Uncategorized by Themod | 5 comments

by: John Chase

Dean Rutz - Seattle Times

Solid night for the Huskies as C.J. Wilcox led the way with a game high 22 points on 8-12 shooting, 5-8 outside the arc. Wilcox also added in 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 0 turnovers. It was a stellar performance that helped make up for Terrence Ross‘ somewhat quiet night.

Tony Wroten Jr. and Darnell Gant each dropped 18 on the board. Gant had 10 of UW’s first 13 points and shot 7-8 from the field, 2-3 from range. 18 is a career high and Wroten’s performance has to be one of the best career starts for a freshman in UW history. Wroten again showed how good he can be with some nice assists, but he also showed how risky his gameplay can be with 4 turnovers. Wroten had a very nice block on a GSU break away that ended with the Panther player suffering what looked like a broken arm or wrist. Tough break, no pun intended, if the GSU player does indeed have a broken bone as this was the first game of the season.

Aziz N’Diaye had a dominating defensive effort tonight and showed why he is such an important player to our team. He had a game high 8 rebounds and tied his career high with 5 blocks. N’Diaye had a devastating block as a GSU player tried to drive the baseline. N’Diaye stepped across the key, jumped straight up and smashed the ball and player to the ground. N’Diaye later got T’ed up after throwing a ball into the oppositions face. The other player was T’ed as well for pushing N’Diaye.

Abdul Gaddy had a game high 6 assists and an uncommon 4 turnovers. He shot decently on the night scoring 7 points on 3-9 shooting. Gaddy played a team high 32 minutes and was one of the few seasoned players on the court at the end of the game.

Other notable highlights from the night include Alex Wegner, the new walk-on from Vashon Island, hitting his first points as Husky with a nice 3 pointer. He went 1-3 overall, 1-2 from the 3-point line. Brendan Sherrer nearly scored as well but threw up a rather ugly shot. It looked as if he wanted to dunk, but was too far out and had to try for a bank shot instead.

Rashaad Richardson of GSU hit 7 3-pointers and was one of the few Panther players with any real offensive rhythm throughout the game. Josh Micheaux had 8 rebounds for the Panthers and added 9 points.

What Needed Improvement:

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Dawgs fall to Trojans

March 6, 2011 in Uncategorized by Themod | 12 comments

by John Chase

AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

Final Score: UW-60 USC-62

A terrible way to end the season as well as senior night. Justin Holiday went scoreless the entire game, while Venoy Overton did everything in his power to will this team to a victory.

Rebounding and free throws killed us tonight. USC out rebounded UW 36-25. UW missed 6 free throws including a few huge ones down the stretch when the Dawgs were trying to fight back from 12 down.

UW handled the ball well, only turning the ball over 7 times. They dished out 8 assists on 21 makes. UW also had 6 blocks and steals on top of 11 forced turnovers. Overton was a Venoying machine out there and was critical down the stretch. At one point Romar pulled Overton out and Holiday told Romar “We need him.” Romar then chewed him out. I’m on Holiday’s side. Overton was the reason we came back. He made 4-6 from the field and 7-9 from the line.

Isaiah Thomas and Matthew Bryan-Amaning continued to struggle with their shooting. MBA was 5-11 and I.T. was 5-13. Holiday was 0-6, 0-3 from range. Our shooting woes were another reason we lost this game. 39% shooting on the night and 2-16 from outside is not going to win a game when compounded with the free throw and rebounding issues. Scott Suggs shot well on the other hand. 6-8, 2-3 behind the arc. C.J. Wilcox collapsed again. 1-7 from the field, 0-5 from range. Ugly.

Terrence Ross did not play tonight. Not sure the reason yet. This is extremely puzzling especially when one considers he was the reason we beat USC on the road at the onset of the Pac-10 season. Aziz played a team low 12 minutes and was hardly used in the second half. Aziz had 0 shots attempted, 0 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 fouls. Useless tonight. He was just plain outclassed by the extremely strong duo of Alex Stephenson and Nikola Vucevic who combined for 24 boards and 30 points.

The crowd was dead tonight. I don’t know what has been going on, but the general fan base has been extremely apathetic and it kills me that it continued into Senior Night. Yes, I know the Huskies got down early, but being quiet is only supporting the opposing team.

 

What Needed Improvement

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Huskies tame the Bruins 70-63

March 3, 2011 in Uncategorized by Themod | 20 comments

by: Griffin Bennett

We can all agree that we owe this win to the man wearing number 23, C.J. Wilcox. Romar even said in his post-game interview that Wilcox’s second half was “one of the greatest performances in the history of the program.” From the first tip, the Huskies defense looked inspired and it was a complete turn around from their flat performance on Sunday against WSU. On the Bruin’s first possession the Huskies showed their “soft” 3/4 zone pressure which gave UCLA fits. Romar mixed it up with man, 2-3 zone, full court press, and possibly even more strategies. It was one of his best coaching efforts in recent memory as it earned him a 70-63 victory.

While holding UCLA to 25 points and 37% field goal shooting in the first half, the Husky offense looked even worse. It looked like the WSU hangover had not ended as they finished the half with only 24 points while shooting 7 of 33 (21%). When the Huskies get in their offensive funk, lay ups seem like half court shots. The Bruins defense was playing step-for-step with the Dawgs as Nelson and Smith really made it hard to score in the paint.

The second half was another story, and that story belonged to C.J. Wilcox. He scored 24 of the Huskies 46 second half points. Taking out all free throws, Wilcox scored 18 of the Huskies 26 second half points. If it wasn’t for Wilcox, I think we would all be looking at how this team’s once prolific offense has escaped them. Not to rain on tonight’s parade, but there are still some concerns on the offensive end to deal with between now and mid-March. Now to the grades.

Positives:

  • C.J. Wilcox – He’s the obvious game MVP and posted one of the greatest single half performances ever. He finished with  24 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 2 blocks. I think it’s time for a group brain storming session. We need to figure out what the C. and the J. stand for: Clean Jumper? Christ, Jesus? Post your ideas in the comments.
  • Venoy Overton – He really brought the defensive intensity and it spread from him to the rest of the team. If it wasn’t for some TERRIBLE calls on his defensive pressure, he could have had one of his signature games as a Husky. It’s too bad that some refs are incompetent at recognizing defensive genius. He finished with only 10 points no steals or blocks, but if you watched that game you know what I’m talking about. He also only played 15 minutes.
  • Rebounds – Battling against the big line up of the Bruins was a tough task. The Huskies managed a 40-40 tie in the rebounding margin on the night, but they did grab an impressive 18 offensive boards. I’ll take a rebounding wash against UCLA every time.
  • MBA – He finished with only 7 points but did gather 13 rebounds. Hear me out on this one. Neither Aziz nor the referees gave him any help all night. Aziz’ lack of offensive game and inability be any sort of a factor allowed UCLA to double team him with Nelson and Smith which is one huge wall of man. The refs were their standard terrible Pac-10 self and called 2 terrible fouls on him early. Keeping both of those in mind, his stat line in still impressive while only playing 26 minutes.
  • Team Defense – The Huskies must have found Charlie Sheen’s supply of tiger blood between Sunday and Thursday night. #Winning.

Ehhhh: Read the rest of this entry »

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Dawgs Get Neutered by Cougs

February 27, 2011 in Uncategorized by Themod | 15 comments

by Craig Yamada 

WSU took care of the Huskies on Sunday night, 80-69 . Who’s to blame? The refs? Nope. This one is all on the guys wearing gold tonight.

At what seemed to be an emotionally charged Husky team coming into this game, came out shooting duds in the first half as they were able to muster a season low 17 points in the first half. The lid on the rim never seemed to lift until about 6 minutes to go in the second half. The Huskies were able to scrap in the first half and keep WSU to scoring just 24 points. However, the second half was another story altogether. WSU got to every loose ball and helped extend their time of possession and keep the Huskies out of their up and down game.

Klay Thompson went off for 26 points, 13 of which came from the stripe. Klay sunk three from downtown and was able to keep the momentum with WSU most of this game. DeAngelo Casto also had himself a good game with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Casto went 8 for 8 from the free throw line as well.

The Huskies on the other hand have a laundry list of problems after losing tonight’s game. The Pac-10 title had to have been on their minds tonight having seen the events of the Pac-10 games this weekend. But UW can now kiss those hopes good bye. Now it’s a question of whether the NCAA committee will have it in their hearts to keep our hopes alive as a bubble team. At 19-9, UW will have to win both home games against UCLA and USC and make a solid run in the Pac-1o tourney. Getting to 23 wins is ultimately the goal and they are trying to achieve. But they are flirting with NIT chants given the events of tonight.

Somewhat Positives:

  • Defense in the first half: keeping WSU to just 24 points in the first half went over looked due to the fact that Dawgs could only get 17 points. However, the defense was forcing turnovers in the first half and got several stops.
  • Venoy Overton: You have to tip your hat to VO tonight as he gave it his all on both sides of the floor. Though statistically it wasn’t his best, his energy and efforts were second to none on UW’s side of the ball tonight. He pushed the ball and was able to create turnovers on defense.
  • IT: IT managed to salvage a good scoring night tonight toward the end of the game as he finished with 21 points and managed to garner 5 assists.

The Ok:

  • MBA: Rough start from the London native tonight as he saw several double teams which took him out of his rhythm offensively. MBA tallied 3 turnovers tonight and never got his low post game started until it was way too late. Golf clap to him for sinking 8 of 9 from the stripe.

 

The Ugly:

  • Terrence Ross: Ross truly played like a freshman tonight. He was getting burned left and right on his defensive assignments and could not stick or close out his man. He also had difficulty establishing any kind of rhythm offensively as he went 0-5 shooting and had zero points.
  • 2nd Half Defense: Reggie Moore penetrated and the ceiling came down on the Dawgs on D tonight. Back door cuts and defensive lapses led to a lot easy buckets for Casto tonight.
  • Loose Balls: Any time the Huskies were able to force a bad shot from WSU, they were unable to get the rebound in the second half. This led to a barrage of second chance points led by their star, Klay Thompson.
  • FG Percentage: 34% is not going to get it done on any night. Easily one of the worst shooting nights in recent memory for these Dawgs.
  • Free Throws: 63% won’t get it done down the stretch. IT shot 33% from the stripe. Can someone tell me why he is shooting the technical free throws when Wilcox is in the game?
  • Turnovers: 16 on the night. Can’t win with careless mistakes.
  • Aziz’s Hands: It still amazes me how uncoordinated he is in the post when a guard drops a dime to him. Although he showed some signs of a post game tonight, he missed so many easy chip shots that UW desperately needed. If he is our lone big man next year, UW will be in serious trouble.

Is there hope left? Of course there is. But night’s like tonight make it hard. It should be interesting how UW rebounds on Thursday against UCLA.

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Cardinal down Dawgs 56-58

January 13, 2011 in Uncategorized by Themod | 13 comments

by: Griffin Bennett

Courtesy of Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

It was an infuriating night for the Huskies as they lost a tough one on the road against Stanford. Husky Nation was left blind as the terrible Pac-10 TV deal left everyone following online or listen to it on the radio. It’s hard to believe that a ranked team in 2011 is not being broadcast anywhere. While the fans were left confused, the team seemed equally off. I was unable to watch the game, like everyone outside of the arena, but it didn’t sound good. The team seemed to miss easy shots and struggled to get their offense going. You have to figure that the team’s concentration wasn’t there after a tough few days with a sexual assault case hanging over them.

It wouldn’t feel right to pretend to break down a game that I didn’t watch, so the stats and the sounds are what I have to go off. After being up 51-41 with 8:55 left, the the Cardinal went on a 12-0 run that they couldn’t seem to stop. A late three pointed from Scott Suggs was the only thing that kept UW in the game during the waning minutes. Justin Holiday went to the line, down two, with a few seconds left and couldn’t hit the first free-throw which then forced him to intentionally miss the next. Stanford got the rebound but traveled immediately to turn it over and the Huskies were five 1.2 seconds to tie it down 56-58. The desperation shot missed as it had all night. Let’s take a look at how the team performed during the loss.

Positive:

  • Aziz N’diaye – He had 11 rebounds in 20 minutes against a smaller team. His offense continues to need work as he missed an easy shot late (or so I heard). Still, you can’t judge a new player off of one miss and I still feel like he needs to be on the floor to close games.
  • Rebounding – It was a great night on the board. The Huskies won the board-battle 33-26 on the road. You can’t argue with that.
  • Isaiah Thomas – While for him it was only an okay game, he won’t be to blame for this loss. His 14 points, and 7 assists helped create whatever offense was audible. He did have 4 turnovers to match, though.
  • Justin Holiday – Take it to the bank. Holiday will always put up a respectable line. He continues to stuff the stats with 15 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block, but it obviously wasn’t his best. His missed free throw will haunt me.

Negative:

  • MBA – How does he only take 5 shots? Did Josh Owens shut him down that hard? Who was guarding him? MBA is a player that you have to watch in order to grade. He had 8 points and 7 rebounds but I wouldn’t hear his name for multiple possessions in a row. It’s just a head-scratcher.
  • Venoy Overton – Now, more than ever, we need Venoy to be playing his best. It seems shocking that he only played 20 minutes, but with only 2 points shooting 1-5, maybe it was the right choice. He needs to step up like a senior and help this team win when the game is close.
  • Turnovers- 11 assists to 14 turnovers. That is uncharacteristic of this Husky team. While the absence of Gaddy was unnoticeable against the Oregon schools, it sounded like they desperately needed his patience and offense-running capabilities. Who would have guessed, before the season, that the Huskies strongest position(point guard) would become it’s Achilles heel.
  • Ross and Wilcox – They went, a combined, 2-11 from the field. Ross did chase down 4 rebounds, but they both continue to be hit-or-miss each game (no pun intended). What will be the answer here? Suggs continues to be the most consistent of the three, but Ross and Wilcox have the most upside. They have to find their stroke and keep it.
  • Three-pointers – The team went 8-26. Another early strength, the Huskies have gone cold from deep. They are taking smart shots but they just aren’t falling. Infuriating both to watch and listen to.

Aftermath:

They have to have a short memory. They can’t let this effect their next few games and brush it off as an off night. The Cal game becomes a “must win” with Arizona waiting for them next Thursday. The point guard spot seriously worries me going forward, but the other problems seem fixable. IT continues to play well, but the lack of ball handlers on the bench is worrisome.

You have to assume that their was a lack of concentration as the police investigation is looming large over their heads. Romar has to get the team to rally around each other and use this as an opportunity to grow as a team. They can’t let it become their downfall. Let’s hope that the Huskies find their groove against a Cal team that is rebuilding. Let’s hope.

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Thoughts on UW’s Blowout of UCLA on Quincy’s Senior Night

February 20, 2010 in Uncategorized by Themod | 18 comments

Kevin P. Casey / AP

Kevin P. Casey / AP

The Huskies (8-7, 18-9 overall) defeated the UCLA Bruins (7-7, 12-14 overall), 97-68, tonight at Hec Ed.

The Least You Should Know:

On his senior night, Quincy Pondexter paced the Huskies early, scoring 10 of the Dawgs’ first 14 points, as the team built a lead over the Bruins that they’d never relinquish.

Pondexter finished with 20 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two assists on his big night.

In front of a national TV audience on ESPN, the Huskies dominated the game in every way and looked like one of the better teams in the country. But, the ESPN broadcast team seemed to believe, as most fans now do, that the Huskies will have to win the Pac-10 Tournament to advance to the Big Dance in March.

Analysis and Observation:

Great to hear the ESPN guys talking about Quincy as a future NBA player. Q-Pon has gone from questionable as an NBA Draft prospect to projected first-round pick.

Coach has deservedly taken some heat for the Huskies falling short of expectations so far this season. But two years in a row, Romar will send guys to the NBA who were far from sure things at the start of their college careers. The team’s result is how he will (and should) be judged, but LoRo’s ability as a talent developer shouldn’t be overlooked.

Almost on cue, given that it was senior night, the Huskies’ three juniors (Justin Holiday – 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists, one steal; Matthew Bryan-Amaning – 12 points, five rebounds, three steals; Venoy Overton – seven points, two assists, two steals) all had impressive games.

The ESPN guys brought this up because it was so obvious: Isaiah Thomas’s demeanor and energy on the court got so much better after he started scoring. Along with the typical early Quincy jumper in the first minute or two of most games, I’d like to see the Dawgs try to get Isaiah going right at the outset. Thomas finished with 17 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Is it possible that Matthew Bryan-Amaning is just coming out of a three-year long cold streak? The adjustments he’s made are so slight — less dribbling in the post, taking an extra second to make a decision, moving toward the basket when he shoots — but MBA looks like a completely different player.

When Tyreese Breshers can avoid picking up a foul-per-minute, he looks good. Tonight was a good omen for next year when he’ll play a more prominent role, particularly if he can get into better shape. (In truth, it’s really closer to a foul for every three-and-a-half minutes he plays — by far the worst ratio on the team.)

It’s all about winning the Pac-10 Tournament at this point, and why not UW? When the Dawgs play their best, like they did tonight, there’s no one in the conference they can’t beat.

I know he’s got to improve his shooting, but tell me it’s not possible that Justin Holiday is a 12-13 point-per-game scorer next season.

When Elston Turner and Scott Suggs are feeling it, you know it’s going well for the Dawgs.

Up about 20, there was no need for Abdul Gaddy to let the ball roll to midcourt before picking it up at the end of the first half. Not a big deal, but sometimes it looks like he’s and actor playing the part of a point guard instead of a basketball player just navigating the game. He had a couple of nice passes, but Abdul was the only Husky to have anything resembling a tough night, finishing with zero points, four assists and six turnovers.

So, now Romar has got to coach these next few games in a way that best prepares the Dawgs for the conference tournament. How about a little experimentation so we can add a little something to the toolbelt before we get down to LA? I’d like to see the Huskies zone up a bit. I’d like to see us press. And, I’d like to see how we look with two guards, Q-Pon, MBA and Tyreese on the floor together. Even if it turns out not to work, shouldn’t we try to have something to pull out that other teams haven’t seen before.

Looking ahead to seeding for the conference tournament, here’s the way the nine-team bracket looks. In order to avoid a potential matchup with Cal in the semifinals, the Dawgs are going to need to reach third place in the conference (or fall to sixth). If the tournament started today, the Dawgs would play Arizona in the 4 vs. 5 game.

Next up, a trip to Pullman next Saturday. The Dawgs get a chance to build up some road momentum against Wazzu, and then the Oregon schools, before their season-on-the-line appearance in the Pac-10 Tournament, beginning on March 10 in LA.

Thanks for coming!

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