by: John Chase

After a season where the Stanford roster featured not one senior player, the Cardinals have 4 seniors, 2 juniors, and 6 sophomores. A lot more experience could mean a lot more talent, but that remains to be seen as the early departure of Jeremey Green for the NBA draft has left another big hole in the Stanford offense.

Stanford finished 15-16 overall and 7-11 in conference. Thankfully, for the Cardinals, Josh Owens is around for his final season along with Andrew Zimmerman (Here) and Jack Trotter meaning there is some good experience and size in the post. This will be helpful as the Stanford backcourt will likely be less talented than in past years.

Key Losses:

Jeremy Green, 6-4 198lb - The athletic guard let Stanford in scoring at 17 points per game. Following in the steps of Landry Fields, Green was a quick guard with the ability to create shots at will. He had a sweet shot, hitting nearly 43% from the 3-point line.

Last season was his junior year, but rather than returning for his senior season like Fields, Green opted to declare for the draft and hired an agent almost immediately thereby making himself illegible for his senior season should he wish to withdraw from the draft.

In the end Green made a poor decision for his career. Between not getting drafted and the NBA lockout, Green has missed out on valuable playing time that could have helped his stock and skill set.

Incoming Freshmen:

Chasson Randle, 6-1 170lb - Randle is a hybrid 1/2 guard will room to improve in each positions skill set. His shot is effective out to the 3 point range, but from deep it is still so-so. With a better 3 point range, his scoring ability can jump through the roof. He also needs to develop his passing abilities should he wish to run an offense properly. He should be a good guard for the Cardinals, not terribly exceptional, but good enough to get the job done. He should find more success once he develops a role within the team.

Wade Morgen 6-1 165lb
Jack Ryan 6-7 200lb

I couldn’t find anything useful on either of these new freshmen. ESPN didn’t list them on Stanford’s 2011 class list and the Stanford web page offered little in terms of useful information. Even Googling the players told me next to nothing about their talents and weaknesses. If you know anything about these guys or have video highlights, post a link in the comments.

Returning Players:

Aaron Bright, 5-11 177lb
Gabriel Harris, 6-2 190lb
Robbie Lemons, 6-3 205lb
Jarrett Man, 6-4 195lb
Anthony Brown, 6-6 210lb
Josh Heustis, 6-7 225lb
Andy Brown, 6-7 210lb
Andrew Zimmerman, 6-8 230lb
Josh Owens, 6-8 240lb
John Gage, 6-9 225lb
Dwight Powell, 6-9 225lb
Jack Trotter, 6-9 225lb
Stefan Nastic, 6-11 245lb

It’ll be all about Stanford’s frontcourt this year. Owens, Powell, Trotter,  Zimmerman, and Gage all have experience and some talent amongst them. Owens and Powell are the cream of their crop and will likely play the 4 and 5 in the starting positions. Look for Bright to lead the backcourt.

Predicted Starting Line-Up:

G – Aaron Bright 5-11 177lb
G – Jarrett Mann 6-4 195lb
F – Anthony Brown 6-6 210lb
F – Josh Owens 6-8 240lb
F – Dwight Powell 6-9 225lb

What to Expect:

Stanford will likely be near the middle to bottom of the conference again. As experienced as their frontcourt is, the talent the players’ possess is far from exceptional.

Owens will likely have the biggest impact as the returning, leading scorer and could average a double-double if he picks up his rebounding game a bit. Owens should shore up the middle with Powell, while Bright and Mann lead the attack from the perimeter.

Stanford plays too much of a slow down offense to compete with athletic teams like UW and UA who like to run. Teams like UCLA have too much strength and size for Stanford to bang with and UO has a much better backcourt.

I could see Stanford as high as 6th and as low as 9th in conference. I’m betting on ASU, CU, and Utah to fill out the basement.

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.

Big win for the Dawgs last night. Now, for the real biggie against Cal on Saturday. The win can get the Huskies back to .500 in conference play, and reassert them as one of the teams to beat in the league.

Here’s some thoughts and observations on Thursday’s big 94-61 win over Stanford:

The Huskies forced 20 turnovers tonight, 20 against Portland State, and 22 against Portland. Coincidentally, these were the three games in which the Huskies looked best all around. Since we’re a team that’s going to live and die with its defense, I love the move to start Justin Holiday, our site”s favorite Husky.

He’s in there for his defense, but the underrated part of the move to start Justin Holiday (and play him starter’s minutes — 26 to be exact) is his impact on the offensive flow. He doesn’t make many mistakes, he never forces his shot, and he’s a good passer.

I liked the move to match Quincy for most of the game against Stanford’s not-so-imposing front line. His focus on aggressive offense and rebounding tonight paid off. Defending Zimmerman or Trotter isn’t going to take anyone out of their game on the other end of the court.

Quincy had a huge dunk off a Justin Holiday steal in the first half that got the crowd going and reminded me how much I love going to big Pac-10 games at Hec Ed.

The Dawgs steadily built their lead tonight all the way through, until garbage time. But their least energetic stretch was still that first five minutes after halftime, which has been the case all season. Strange.

Coach still played 10 guys in the first half and 12 in the game, which I think is too many. That said, it may partially have been due to the foul trouble on Tyreese Breshers (four fouls) and Matthew Bryan-Amaning (three fouls).

When he manages to stay on the court, I like what Breshers does with the ball, but one thing he’s not great at is receiving the pass in the post. With such a wide body, he should be better at shielding himself and gaining possession, but he’s not.

You heard it here: Stanford’s Landry Fields may be the conference MVP when the season is said and done, but Quincy has a much better shot to stick in the NBA. Fields has “Europe” written all over him.

Nice defense by Isaiah against the much taller Jeremy Green. Green averages 17.6 points, and Husky defenders (mostly I.T.) held him to seven tonight. With both scoring leaders held in check, Stanford simply didn’t have anyone else good enough to step up and challenge UW.

Justin Holiday might be the third best rebounder on the team after Quincy Pondexter and Tyreese Breshers.

The Cardinal must’ve blown their coverage at one point, because Isaiah found himself with a clear path to the basket and an easy layup. Seeing it reminded me how rare it is that the Huskies get those kind of easy buckets.

The Huskies shot 0-8 from three in the first half. That’s not going to cut it against Cal.

That “Dancin’ Dawgs” video played on the scoreboard tonight was bad. Very bad.

Thanks for coming!

The least you should know:

The Huskies led wire-to-wire, building a 22-6 lead in the first 11 minutes and never looking back.

Justin Holiday earned his first career start and finished with six points and seven rebounds, but earned high praise from teammates and Coach Romar for his stellar defensive play, which included three steals and a block.

Quincy Pondexter found his offensive game again, finishing with 27 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, and shot 12-16 from the field.

To read the rest of the game post (for free, of course), please click here to go over to UDubSports.com.

The Washington Huskies (1-3, 10-5 overall) will play the Stanford Cardinal (2-1, 8-7 overall) on Thursday evening at 7:30 PM at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

A limited number of tickets may still be available from the Husky ticket office. The game will be broadcast on FSN NW and KJR-950 in Seattle, or your local Husky radio affiliate elsewhere (click here to find yours).

Tale of the tape:

What you need to know about the Huskies:

The Huskies last played on Sunday afternoon in Tucson, where they were beaten by the Arizona Wildcats, 87-70.

The Huskies are unranked for the first time this season.

The Huskies have lost their last three games and look to get back on track at home against the Bay Area schools this weekend.

Quincy Pondexter is in the midst of his least productive stretch of the season right now, averaging 10.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists over his last three games.

Stanford holds an 69-62 advantage lifetime against the Huskies, but the Dawgs won all three meetings last season.

Projected lineup: G – Abdul Gaddy, G – Isaiah Thomas, F – Quincy Pondexter, F – Darnell Gant, F – Tyreese Breshers

Husky to watch:

Senior forward, Quincy Pondexter: While Isaiah Thomas, the Huskies’ other star, will usually get his points in Husky wins or losses, as Pondexter has cooled off, so have the Huskies. Along with ensuring that he shoots himself out of his scoring drought, Pondexter must play with the fire we saw earlier in the season, and channel his energy into crashing the boards and being the emotional leader of the Huskies.

What you need to know about Stanford:

The Cardinal come into the game at 2-1 in the Pac-10 (8-7 overall), most recently defeating USC and UCLA in Palo Alto last week.

Stanford was picked by the media to finish last in the Pac-10, but has been more than impressive at times this season, losing by only a point to Oklahoma State, and taking #2 Kentucky to overtime before dropping the game by eight points.

Last season, the Cardinal finished ninth in the Pac-10, with a 6-12 record (18-13 overall).

Head Coach Johnny Dawkins has two potent scorers in 6’7″ wing Landry Fields (22.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 3.2 apg, 2.2 spg), a Player-of-the-Year candidate, and shooting guard, Jeremy Green (17.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 43.4% 3-PT FG%).

Projected lineup: G – Jarrett Mann, G – Jeremy Green, F – Landry Fields, F - Jack Trotter, F – Andrew Zimmermann

Cardinal to watch:

Sophomore guard, Jeremy Green: Green has connected on at least three three-pointers in nine of his fifteen games this season, and has attempted six or more deep balls in 12 games this season. After the hurting put on the Huskies by the shooting of Rihards Kuksiks and Jamelle Horne in the two games last weekend, the Dawgs must have a plan to ensure that Green does not get so many good looks from behind the arc.

The path to victory:

A humble suggestion: I’m stuck on this theory that tougher defensive assignments since the Pac-10 began may be affecting Pondexter’s offense. He’s an above-average, high energy defender, so it’ll be tempting for Husky coaches (and a great matchup to watch for fans) to have Quincy guard Stanford star Landry Fields. To allow Pondexter to get himself going on offense, I suggest starting Justin Holiday, and having him exclusively guard Fields for 25-30 minutes on Thursday night.

Three ways to score: Too often when the Huskies have had problems on the offensive end they’ve gotten repetitive in their attack: one game overpentrating, the next dumping the ball into the post possession after possession. It sounds elementary, but there are many ways to score, and the Dawgs need to consciously remember that they can shoot, penetrate or get the ball into the post each time they have the ball.

What I expect: