by: John Chase

This is how UCLA’s year has gone.

After looking like the powerhouse of the Pac-12, UCLA suffered some humiliating losses in the early non-con and have had to drag their way out of the basement, back into some semblance of a competitive team. The Bruins have stumbled to a 12-9 (5-4 in conference) record, leaving them tied for 5th place alongside Stanford and Arizona. Their record includes two very ugly home losses to Loyola Marymount 69-58 and a humongous 20 point loss 86-66 to Middle Tennessee.

ESPN penned a nice article a while back about the Wear twins and how they are holding UCLA back. The article argues that the Wear twins are the same player, so playing both on the court at the same time is wasteful and severely reduces game planning ability.

UCLA has yet to tally a quality win, much like the rest of the Pac-12, the big difference has been bad losses to non-tournament teams. Their team has played better as of late, especially with Reeves Nelson no longer part of the team. The Bruins come into this game with two straight wins over newcomers Colorado and Utah after getting swept on the road by the Oregon schools. This has been the Bruins’ story throughout conference play, solid games at home, weak performances on the road. This should be huge and with the Bruins historically playing bad basketball at Hec-Ed, the Dawgs should definitely be considered the favorites coming into the match.

The Bruins are a forward heavy team, lacking in solid guard play, which has certainly been the core of their problems. Lazeric Jones has had to really step up his play for UCLA to find any type of success and has been doing a very reasonable job of playing above his past levels. Jones is currently first on the team in both scoring and assists with 13.4 and 4.6 per game respectively. He is also first in turnovers per game with 2.5, something the Dawgs should be looking to heavily exploit. Personally, I would like to see Tony Wroten guard Jones as Wroten is a much better defender than Gaddy (2 steals per game versus .7 indicates more stringent defense, though Wroten has been known to miss assignments on occasion). Jones is just one of several respectable shooters on the team, hitting 37% of his shots behind the arc and 44% from the field. Jones is a respectable free throw shooter with a 75% average on the season. Keeping Jones in check will be critical for the Husky defense as the UCLA offense runs primarily through Jones.

The Wear twins each average at least 10 points per game (Travis is averaging 12 per game) and 5 rebounds (David is picking up 6 per game). Both are solid post players with a great inside shot and show decent mobility on the wings, though David is the better shooter of the pair with 9 makes on 15 attempts to Travis’ 3 makes on 6 attempts. Travis is the better foul shooter. At 6-10 225lb, the twins are tall enough to do shoot over their defenders, but thin enough to move past them as well. Aziz N’Diaye should have the muscle to take either of them to the rack without too much difficulty and should be able to keep the twins out of the paint as well. Austin Serferian-Jenkins may be undersized compared to the twins, but is much stronger and likely much faster than either, which will be important if they begin to rove around the perimeter.

Josh Smith. The kid could be an athlete, a dominate one at that, but his weight issues continue to hold him back. Smith averages only 17 minutes per game, but is solidly over 300lbs. Smith often uses his girth to push others out of his way, but as I said with the Wear twins, our post players have distinct strength advantages. Smith scores an average of 9.7 points and 5 boards per game. Smith is not a great shooter outside the paint and is almost as bad of a free throw shooter as N’Diaye, hitting only 53 of 93 attempts from the foul line. Smith also averages 2 turnovers per game. If the Dawgs can play tight defense, they can cause real havoc due to the poor ball handling UCLA often displays.

Tyler Lamb and Jermine Anderson may be the most dynamic and potentially explosive players for the Bruins. They each average around 9 points, 3 rebounds, as well as 3-4 assists per game. Both commit nearly 2 turnovers per game. Their shooting percentages are nearly identical and have made 25 and 23 3-pointers respectively. Lamb scored a season high 26 against California, while Anderson had 20 against Chaminade, a DII school, in the Maui Invitational.

Predicted Starting Line-Ups:

UCLA:

Lazeric Jones 6-0 187lb
Jermaine Anderson 6-2 183lb
Tyler Lamb 6-5 200lb
Travis Wear 6-10 220lb
David Wear 6-10 225lb

Washington:

Abdul Gaddy 6-3 185lb
Tony Wroten 6-5 205lb
Terrence Ross 6-6 195lb
Desmond Simmons 6-7 225lb
Aziz N’Diaye 7-0 260lb

Keys to the Game:

• Rebounding - Offensive boards were the number 1 reason the Huskies won their game against the Wildcats last Saturday. Rebounds will continue to be the biggest key to success. The Husky offense has been slumping lately from deep, due mainly to the absence of C.J. Wilcox from the line-up. Speaking of Wilcox, he will not practice the remainder of the season and will be day-to-day for games, much like B-Roy his junior season. Our players have superior strength and size, despite UCLA’s depth in the frontcourt, and must utilize this to box their men out and clear house on the glass.
• Backcourt Defense - The Husky backcourt defense is definitely the strong point of our team and where UCLA’s offense is weakest in terms of ball handling. If the Dawgs can abuse this and get into transition, they stand a very good chance of blowing UCLA out of the water. The UCLA big men are not good in transition, especially Smith, and getting numbers in our favor will be much easier this way.
• Free Throws - I really don’t know what to say that I haven’t already said a thousand times. Free throws win ball games and with some home cooking hopefully heading our way, the Dawgs need to capitalize or risk keeping UCLA in the game. The best way for our team to get and score free throws is by having Wilcox and Ross attack the lanes. They are great foul shooters and are extremely capable in the paint.

Final Thoughts:

This is a very winnable game for the Dawgs and one has to think that with the Arizona win still in the back of their minds, the Huskies are feeling strong and capable. Hopefully this means a big time win and an impressive home showing, something that hasn’t truly happened since the opening tournament. I would really like to see this squad control the game from the opening tip, keeping their foot on the Bruins’ necks until the final minute. Too often, the Huskies slow their game down in the waning minutes and allows the opposition to close the gap. I’m all for getting our bench players in, but at this point in the season and our current weak standing, in terms of a tournament resume, we need all the big time wins we can get. This means going hard the full 40 minutes versus killing the clock.

Final Score Prediction: UW-88 UCLA-74

UCLA finished second in the conference last season with a 13-5 record and 24-11 overall. The Bruins will be a scary team this season. With six returning seniors, Josh Smith, and the Wear twins, UCLA will have a lot of talent especially in the front court.

They will be tall, strong, and skilled. A very dangerous combination that makes them the clear front runner in the Pac-12 and likely a top 20 to top 15 team. Their guard play may be slightly weaker than in previous seasons with the early departure of Malcolm Lee (he went in the second round to the Chicago Bulls and then was traded to Minnesota) and Tyler Honeycutt (picked in the second round by Sacramento).

UCLA brings in 3 new freshmen as well as gaining the eligibility of the Wear twins to pump up their roster. They have 6 players standing 6-8 or taller, including 4 players at 6-10. No one is shorter than 6-0 on the team.

Key Losses:

• Malcolm Lee, 6-5 200lb - Lee was a great PG and SG talent for the Bruins. He was second in scoring behind Reeves Nelson at 13 points per game as well as dishing out 2 assists per outing. His outside shot was a little suspect at only 30%, but he had a dangerous slashing drive attack that gave him a lot of opportunities in the key. Lee had great ball handling and defensive skills that made a huge mismatch for opposing point guards. He had the height to shoot over smaller guards and the speed to move around stronger opponents. Big loss for the Bruins. Lazeric Jones and Jermine Anderson will have to step up their games to fill the gap.
• Tyler Honeycutt, 6-8 188lb - Honeycutt was third in scoring for the Bruins at nearly 13 points per game. He was second in rebounding behind Reeves Nelson and ahead of Josh Smith. In my mind, Honeycutt could have used another year to develop his game, but he and the NBA decided they were ready and it probably has a lot to do with his height. Honeycutt did struggle at times against solid defenders and against UW he had trouble getting open shots (he went 4-12 and 0-6 from the field in two games against UW). Honeycutt is very similar to UW’s Terrance Ross in that he has a wide skill set from outside shooting to driving the lane and crashing the boards. Brendan Lane and Tyler Lamb will likely try to fill the hole left by Honeycutt.

Incoming Freshmen:

• Khalid McCaskill, 6-6 190lb - A new walk-on for the Bruins, replacing Alex Schrempf who has transferred to UW but will not play this season. McCaskill is known for his driving abilities, but also possesses a decent jump shot. I suspect McCaskill will redshirt or see very little if any play time. Even with a lack of talented depth in the back court, McCaskill is a ways back in the line-up.
• Norman Powell, 6-3 200lb - Powell is a slash and drive guard first and foremost. His mid-range and 3 point shot are still in development, but with his speed and athleticism he can create opportunities for himself and others in the open court. Powell will play the 2 as his ball handling skills are rough when going to his left, something that a 1 guard needs to be able to do. Give Powell a year or two to fine tune his game and he’ll be a much better guard for the Bruins.

Returning Players:

• Kenny Jones 6-0 190lb
• Lazeric Jones 6-0 187lb
• Tyler Trapani 6-0 190lb
• Nick Kazemi 6-0 175lb
• Jermine Anderson 6-2 183lb
• Larry Drew II 6-2 190lb
• Matt DeMarcus 6-3 203lb
• David Brown 6-3 185lb
• Tyler Lamb 6-5 200lb
• De’End Parker 6-6 215lb
• Reeves Nelson 6-8 235lb
• Brendan Lane 6-9 223lb
• Anthony Stover 6-10 235lb
• David Wear 6-10 225lb
• Travis Wear 6-10 220lb
• Josh Smith 6-10 305lb

Parker is a JC transfer who averaged about 12 points and 6 rebounds per game. A solid prospect with two remaining years of eligibility, Parker should contribute almost immediately at the 3 position.

Smith still remains to be overweight and out of shape, which greatly limits his ability to contribute in transition plays and often led to sloppy fouls when defending outside the post.

Between Nelson and the Wear twins, the Bruins have the strongest 4 and 5, possibly, in the nation. A lot of rebounding and post scoring ability to be sure. Nelson is a work horse who is the returning leading scorer for UCLA at nearly 14 per game and a team high 9 rebounds. Nelson will likely average a double double next season much like former UW star Jon Brockman. I like Nelson for a possible Pac-12 Player of the Year candidate.

Predicted Starting Line-Up

G – Lazeric Jones, 6-0 187lb
G – Jermine Anderson, 6-2 183lb (After his two game suspension for theft)
G/F – Tyler Lamb, 6-5 200lb
F – Reeves Nelson, 6-8 235lb
C – Josh Smith, 6-10 305lb

What to Expect:

Smith and Nelson will be the leading scorers and rebounders this season, without a doubt. Smith uses his weight to make up for his lack of agility in the post to score against defenders. Aziz N’Diaye will need to keep his foul situation under control against UCLA to prevent Smith from dominating inside.

UCLA has a tough tournament ahead in Maui (which UW participated in last year). UCLA’s success will largely depend on how well the backcourt can move the ball around to feed it inside where their true strength lies.

Expect UCLA to dominate a lot of smaller teams and, even in conference play, they should find a few teams they can push around at will. Teams can beat UCLA by excellent guard play and defense, preventing the ball from moving inside.

UW should be able to compete, but I expect a series split this season with each team winning at their home court. I can’t see UCLA losing to many games in conference and should finish no lower than third, though finishing lower than second in conference should be considered disappointing considering the talent on the team.

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:

• Justin Holiday – Starting with the bad, he shot 1 of 8 from the field and had 3 turnovers. On the positive side, he had 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and a block. He also played outstanding defense on Honeycutt by holding him to 6 points and 0 for 6 from the field.
• Scott Suggs – It was his first game back from his MCL injury and he only played 18 minutes and only took 3 shots but he was a stat stuffer. He finished with 4 points, 3 assists, 1 block, and 2 steals. Taking into account the injury, I’ll take that as a mediocre performance… and it wasn’t like anyone else other than Wilcox was going to be shooting anyways.
• Assists and Turnovers – An even 13 to 13 ratio is only decent. You’d like to see a few more assists and a few less turnovers, but neither number is terrible.
• Shot Selection – The Huskies stopped settling for contested three-point jumpers and tried to find the best option. While they weren’t always falling, it was still a positive thing to see.

Negatives:

• Isaiah Thomas – A bad night for the team’s junior captain and leader. IT was 0 for 6 in the first half and seemed to miss everything off of the front of the rim. He finished shooting 3 for 12 and his free throw shooting and rebounding at the end of the game helped pad his stat line. He seemed really bothered by the Bruin’s size and forced up some terrible shots. He will have better nights, but this won’t be one to remember.
• Aziz N’diaye – He could have posted the worst 6 point and 8 rebound night of all time. Countless missed gimme shots and terrible fouls made me lose at least 3 years off of my life. I haven’t seen any improvement from the guy lately, but trying to play against Joshua Smith is a tough task. At this point, anything he gives this team offensively is a bonus.
• Terrence Ross – He didn’t even come off of the bench in the second half and only played 4 minutes. With Wilcox having the hot hand and Venoy playing well, the bench guard spots were taken. I’m not saying that this is the case, but Romar might not fully trust Ross in crunch-time at the moment.
• Darnell Gant – He played 23 minutes and finished with 5 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 block. I was really wanting more from Gant tonight, especially with Aziz’s struggles. He was wearing a brace on his knee which leads me to believe that the meniscus injury rumors from Wednesday night were not completely untrue.

Overall:

It’s just good to get a win. This could have all but assured the Huskies of a trip to the NCAA tournament and watching the Bruin’s title hopes go down in flames is always enjoyable. The attitude and intensity needed to win was there tonight and I think fixing the other mistakes will follow suit. You could tell that the Husky coaching staff had worked hard to find the answers on offense and defense as the shot selection and defensive strategies were both exceptionally better. I have been one of those “Romar isn’t an X’s and O’s guy” in the past, and tonight he really showed that he can be a top tier strategist. Consider my hat eaten.

Next up is USC and a chance to ride a hot streak into the Pac-10 tournament and beyond. March is officially here and let’s hope it’s a magical one. Bow Down.

I hope everyone has a short memory. The Huskies need to just forget about their disastrous showing against Washington State on Sunday and completely focus on the game in front of them. The Bruins are the hottest team in the Pac-10 as they have won 12 of their last 14 Pac-10 games as well as 8 of their last 9. Their head coach, Ben Howland, finally has his team playing at the high level that he expects and the wins have followed suit. UCLA has more NBA talent on their roster than any other Pac-10 team and some of their late-bloomers are now full fledged stars. This is not the team that the Huskies ran into at Pauley Pavillion on New Year’s Eve. In comparison, the Huskies may have even taken a step back since that day.

While UCLA may have made a few Final Four runs in the last couple years, the Huskies have history on their side. The Bruins haven’t won at Hec-Ed since their 84-82 victory in overtime during the ’03-’04 season 7 years ago. I’m not really sure why the Huskies have been UCLA’s kryptonite but a 6 game home winning streak is quite impressive. Howland’s and Romar’s styles certainly clash as UCLA likes to slow it down and play out of half-court sets and the Huskies thrive on an up-tempo game. I’m not sure how aware the players are of this streak, but I’m sure that most of them remember last year’s game where the Huskies embarrassed the Bruins on an ESPN national broadcast by a score of 97-68. It was the game that began the Huskies hot streak that didn’t end until the Sweet Sixteen, while the Bruins only won two more games and failed to reach the NCAA tournament.

For the Huskies, a victory would make their tournament hopes look a lot brighter and a loss would certainly put them on the bubble. UCLA only needs to win out the rest of their games in order to at least share a part of the Pac-10 title and a loss could put their second place seeding the Pac-10 tournament (and a bye) in jeopardy. The bottom line is that there will be no lack of motivation for either team.

Bruin 101:

The Bruin’s success begins and ends with the forward duo of Tyler Honeycutt and Reeves Nelson. Honeycutt has posted 12.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.9 apg, while shooting 35% from three and Nelson leads the team in points (14 ppg), and rebounds (9.0 rpg). Nelson is in the Jon Brockman mold while Honeycutt has NBA lottery-type size and skills. UCLA wants to feed the paint as much as they can and they have found that most teams can’t match their size and ferocity.

At guard, Malcolm Lee was supposed to be the next great Pac-10 pro-prospect. While he hasn’t quite met those lofty expectations, he still is a very dangerous player from the perimeter. He averages 13.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, but has only shot 31% from three. A guy who has stepped up this year has been Lazeric Jones. He has played the point guard position excellently and it has helped the Bruins’ big men with his recent passing. Jones has averaged 9.9 ppg, 3.4 apg, and 1.1 spg. His defense has been his signature and he completely shut down Mo-Mo Jones against Arizona.

Next up would be the biggest freshman in the nation, and local Kentwood High star, Joshua Smith. He has started to get into game shape as this 300 pounder has been a force down low as of late. On the year, he has averaged 10.8 ppg and 6.2 rpg. Joshua Smith has been an amazing 6th man as his combination of size and skill off of the bench is unmatched in the conference. It has allowed Nelson and Honeycutt to take advantage of match ups against smaller opponents.

Rounding out the Bruin’s rotation are Anthony Stover (who has been starting at center), Jerime Anderson, Branden Lane and Tyler Lamb.

Projected Line-ups:

UCLA

PG – Lazeric Jones – 6’0″

SG – Malcolm Lee – 6’5″

SF – Tyler Honeycutt – 6’8″

PF – Reeves Nelson – 6’8″

C – Anthony Stover – 6’10″

UW

PG – Isaiah Thomas – 5’9″

SG – C.J. Wilcox – 6’5″

SF – Justin Holiday – 6’6″

PF – Matthew Bryan-Amaning – 6’9″

C – Aziz N’diaye – 7’0″

Coach Romar has stated that Scott Suggs is “probable” for the game but will start on the bench with Wilcox remaining in the starting line-up.

Keys to Victory:

• Own the Paint – Both offensively and defensively, the Huskies need to establish their dominance down low. The Bruins have a big line up with 4 players at 6’8 or larger with post skills. Staying out of foul trouble will be key as both Holiday and Gant are going to have get their hands dirt all night.
• Assists and Turnovers – If their is one constant in the Huskies’ losses it has been their lack of ball movement and sloppiness turning it over. With UCLA’s slow pace, the ability to maximize their possessions will be a huge key. Venoy and Isaiah really need to make smart decisions.
• Defense – I want to see the ball swarming, passing lane guarding, turnover forcing, transition creating defense. The Huskies “up-tempo” style all begins with their speed and athleticism on defense.
• Get an Early Lead – The Bruins do not have the kind of team that is built to come from behind. They aren’t the best shooting team and their slow pace doesn’t lend itself to big runs. The Huskies need to stop this trend of slow starts and get up early to force UCLA out of their comfort zone.

Predictions:

It’s going to be a grueling game. I see only two possible scenarios for this one. 1: the Huskies’ feed off of the home crowd energy and have 20+ points off of turnovers that leads them to victory. 2: UCLA’s size forces UW into foul trouble and Gant is unable to defend Nelson or Honeycutt who each go for 15+ while the Husky offense still looks stagnant and lost. In my opinion, both options are equally viable, and I would favor UCLA on a neutral court. The Vegas spread has been set and UW is a 9 point favorite. That seems a little high to me, but the Hec-Ed environment is a huge advantage. I’ll take UCLA +9 but pick UW to win 75-70. Bow Down.

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!

Bret Hartman / LA Times

Ugh. . .

After the game, nearly in tears, Quincy Pondexter talked about how he didn’t think there was any chance the Huskies would lose this game. Me neither, and I’m not sure where this leaves us.

Here’s some thoughts on last night’s game:

Poor Quincy. He really was struggling during his post-game radio interview to keep it together. And, rightfully so. Win this game, and the team could legitimately say they’d turned a corner. Now, though, the road woes hang over them like black cloud.

Conventional wisdom says that home court is worth about 10 points in a basketball game. To the Huskies, though, it looks like it’s worth about 30.

We forced 16 turnovers, which isn’t terrible, but the defensive intensity of last weekend just wasn’t there.

Justin Holiday wasn’t a huge factor tonight. He had two ugly turnovers. And even his defense looked only pedestrian against Nikola Dragovic, who looked good early, but then disappeared late in the game.

Bright side: Abdul Gaddy is looking better every game. I even thought his defense looked okay tonight.

What’s up with the rotation? Venoy played only 12 minutes tonight, and Matthew Bryan-Amaning only four. Sometimes our substitution patterns seem almost random.

Instead of MBA, we get Darnell Gant picking up two costly fouls late in the game, and taking an inexplicable turnaround jumper in the lane when we’re down three points with four minutes to go.

Our interior defense is horrific. We got beat three or four times with simple passes over our entire defense Thursday night.

Reeves Nelson looks a little like a poor man’s Jon Brockman — if Brockman were a whiny little snot. (Sorry, I’m still upset about the game)

Isn’t the midrange jumper something we should be able to hit more consistently than the three-point shot?

Isaiah looked good on defense tonight, but gawd, he needs to find a way to score against the zone. A simple 2-3 turns him from Mighty Mouse to Minnie Mouse.

Dammit. Here’s what I wrote in my notes with 9:53 left in the first half, and the Huskies up 24-21:  Only hanging because shot is falling! Not playing great, but hitting shots.

Final thought: This one would’ve been easier to digest if we’d laid a total egg. But we didn’t. We just didn’t play enough D, and our shot stopped falling in the second half. As Romar said, the effort wasn’t bad at all. But, the result was the same.

Final thought #2: Sure, we could’ve won by 8-10 points if our shot was falling in the second half. But, we also could’ve lost by eight or 10 if our first half shooting hadn’t been so great.

It’s gonna get late early for the Dawgs if they can’t get up off the mat for a win on Saturday.

The least you should know:

The Huskies lost a see-saw battle on a last-second jumper by Mustafa Abdul-Hamid.

The Dawgs shot 58.3% in the first half, building a 41-37 lead, but only managed 20 points on 29.6% shooting in the second.

Quincy Pondexter shot 4-4 from beyond the arc, nearing keeping the Huskies in it all by himself, finishing with 23 points and six rebounds.

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Who:

When: Thursday, 7:30 PM

Where: Pauley Pavilion

Huskies 101: What more can be said about the Huskies’ dominant weekend against Cal and Stanford?

Seeing the Dawgs play so well last week forces the question, coming into this week, of whether this team is capable of sustaining this level of play on the road. The Huskies have not won outside of Hec Ed all season, and likely won’t be able earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament without some quality road wins over the next six weeks.

Husky leader Quincy Pondexter broke out of his mini-slump by averaging 26 points and 7.5 rebounds in the Stanford and Cal games, and earning Pac-10 Player of the Week for the third time this year.

Isaiah Thomas has played within himself more recently, averaging 17.6 points and distributing an average of five assists in the last three games.

Lorenzo Romar seems to have firmed up his rotation, the biggest change being the addition of Justin Holiday to the starting lineup.

Holiday’s pedestrian statistical totals (3.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg) fail to tell the whole story of his impact on the court. Holiday suffered a concussion last weekend, but is expected to start Thursday.

Projected lineup: G – Abdul Gaddy, G – Isaiah Thomas, F – Justin Holiday, F – Quincy Pondexter, F – Tyreese Breshers

UCLA 101: The Bruins have lost three of their last four, and are in the midst of a wildly inconsistent season. No one is accusing the Bruins of being a Final Four contender this year, but at their best, as in their wins against Cal and Arizona State, they’re a dangerous team.

They’ve also had their share of headscratcher losses against teams like Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton.

Guard Malcolm Lee (13.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.6 apg) is, arguably, the most talented Bruin, and Michael Roll (13.4 ppg, 43.3% 3-pt.) is a skilled marksman.

Freshman Reeves Nelson (10.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg) has filled in nicely for the Bruins top post player, Drew Gordon, who left the team for good early this season.

Even in a down year, UCLA will be a formidable opponent for the Huskies at Pauley Pavilion, where the Huskies have only won once since 1988.

Projected lineup: G – Malcolm Lee, G – Michael Roll, F – Tyler Honeycutt, F – Nikola Dragovic, F – Reeves Nelson

The Huskies will win if: They forget that they’re not in the friendly confines of Hec Ed and pick right up where they left off this weekend.

The Dawgs will win if they continue to let defense be their guide. When the Huskies force turnovers, they win.

The Dawgs will win if they can again get out to a fast start and not look back. They have more talent than the Bruins and the first eight to ten minutes of the game will be the best chance to overwhelm UCLA and assert their dominance.

The Huskies will lose if: We see the same team we’ve seen on the road in efforts against the Arizona schools and Georgetown. There’s something about the team’s execution that’s been off on the road thus far, and it’s time to put that in the past.

A humble suggestion: Pain me as it does (since it’s taken me a bit to become a believer), I admit Scott Suggs has been more impressive than Elston Turner this season. Having a reliable outside shooter on the team adds another necessary dimension to the Husky offense. But, neither Turner or Suggs bring much besides shooting, and I’m underwhelmed with the team’s play when both players are on the floor. Great to see Suggs improve, and give Turner the chance to find his shot again, but how ’bout we only see these guys one at a time?

Predictions: The road woes end here. The team can’t afford to look past this one, but I can, and I think we’ve got a battle on tap Saturday against a tough USC team. This one’s all about the Huskies, though, as they continue to roll against UCLA, 81-64.

One of their top freshman, Tyler Honeycutt, is out with a stress reaction in his tibia for 3-4 weeks. Honeycutt had made his way back from a spinal stress fracture, and given the severity of his previous injury, it’s hard to know if 3-4 weeks may be an optimistic timetable for him.

The 6’8″ Honeycutt didn’t score, but started in UCLA’s exhibition game, logging 21 minutes, grabbing three rebounds and dishing three assists.

Best of luck to Tyler for a speedy recovery.

Thanks for coming!

The Dawgs are picked 13th in the nation in today’s preseason USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ Poll, just behind Cal (12th). No other Pac-10 school made the top 25, but UCLA earned the 29th-most votes, just missing out.

USC earned multiple votes at well. Go figure.