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:

• Greg Sequele 6-7 210lb - Sequele is an athletic 4 with great endurance, hustle, and tenacity. He needs to put in work developing his offensive game, but the Cougars should be happy with what he can bring on the defensive side of the ball. He attacks the glass well and is solid in transition plays. He is a good backup for Brock Motum and the other more senior players.
• Davonte Lacy 6-3 190lb - Lacy is a combo guard with a great shot. He can penetrate the lane as well as drop back to the arc and hit. Lacy has the passing skills necessary to not only make the right decisions, but execute them as well. Lacy is known for occasionally forcing too fast of an offense and taking shots early, but that is something that good coaching can quickly amend.

Returning Players:

• Reggie Moore 6-1 180lb
• Marcus Capers 6-4 185lb
• Faisal Aden 6-4 185lb
• Will DiIorio 6-5 188lb
• Mike Ladd 6-5 190lb
• Abe Lodwick 6-7 208lb
• Patrick Simon 6-8 214lb
• Dave Wink 6-8 245lb
• Brock Motum 6-10 230lb
• Charlie Enquist 6-10 235lb

Moore, Capers, and Aden will likely be the backbone of the team’s scoring ability. Lodwick and Motum will shore up the center with Enquist providing relief.

Predicted Starting Line-Up:

G – Reggie Moore 6-1 180lb

G – Faisal Aden 6-4 185lb

F – Marcus Capers 6-4 185lb

F – Abe Lodwick 6-7 208lb

F – Brock Motum 6-10 230lb

This seems like a decently sized line-up though it does make the 3 a tad smaller than some teams might like. Overall, these five players should have enough talent to keep the game close for the first two minutes until their thin depth begins to hurt them.

What to Expect:

WSU is going to be missing Thompson and Casto a bunch this year. They were the biggest reasons the Cougars were able to be so competitive last year. Just look at the Wichita State game or and of the WSU losses versus UW. In 90% of those games, Thompson and/or Casto struggled to get going offensively.

WSU has a roster of secondary players, and by that I mean they would be coming off the bench for teams like UCLA, UA, and UW. Cal could use some of these guys to fill out their own bench, which is lacking in my mind. WSU will finish in the bottom half of the conference, likely somewhere between 7th and 10th. Maybe 6th if they can develop a solid post. Their perimeter will be their best threat.

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.

Who: UW (19-8, 10-5) vs WSU (17-10, 7-8)

When: Sunday, 7 PM

Where: The Hangar at Hec Ed

TV: FSN

The last image Isaiah Thomas and the Dawgs have of their in-state rivals is a sea of red storming the court after their 80-87 loss in late January. The then ranked #17 Huskies underwhelmed and underperformed in their last game at Pullman. The setting has now shifted back to the comfort of Hec Ed and the Huskies will be seeking retribution on their home floor. UW is coming off a win against Seattle U entering Sunday’s game and have won 4 of their last 5. The Cougs on the other hand have taken a nose dive ever since beating the Huskies. After vowing to “run the table” on the Pac 10, Klay Thompson and his Cougs have dropped 4 of their last 6, including a donut registered in the desert last week.

The Huskies are still mathematically in it for the Pac 10 title, believe it or not. Though it is unlikely, Arizona has to lose two of their final three games for the Huskies to even have a chance. After a loss against USC on Thursday, Zona heads to UCLA today for a huge game that could help put pressure on Zona in the final week should UCLA win today.

However, the Huskies can ill afford to focus on what the rest of the league is doing, and will need to focus on their own game. This shapes up to be a great chance for UW to take back the swag that WSU stole away from them a month ago.

Cougars 101: Ken Bone’s squad has been reeling as of late and have struggled to stay in the NCAA picture. Truth be told, barring a Pac 10 Tourney championship, they have little  to no shot of getting into the dance. They will be plenty motivated to be a thorn in UW’s side on Sunday, just to say they are the “best in the state of Washington”. Wow, that hurt to type. Look for Bone to throw a lot of zone defense at UW on Sunday. Given the fact that they started UW’s three game skid by playing zone on UW, I would expect nothing different in their defensive scheme. On paper, WSU does pose a decent threat to steal a game from the Huskies on Sunday:

• Klay Thompson = The Pac 10′s leading scorer at 21.2 ppg is priority #1 for the Huskies on Sunday. Klay had his first good game against UW in January as he registered 25 points. UW had little answer for Klay, even though he was in foul trouble most of the game. UW knows well what Klay can do and will look to achieve the “frustrated face” of Klay Thompson on several occasions before games end.
• DeAngelo Casto = Casto shaved his head. He doesn’t look as intimidating to the naked eye anymore. Though struggling with injury in the past two weeks, Casto has been able to average double figures in his last five games. He remains to be WSU’s best rebounder and top shot blocker. He continues to be a nuisance for opposing teams in the paint and will need to be kept off the boards.
• Faisel Aiden = Yes that’s right, a guy named Faisel spelled doom for the Huskies in January. A definitely front runner for the Pac-10 Sixth man of the year award (if there was one) has proven to be a spark off the bench for Coach Bone. Aiden is a dynamic scorer who’s jump shot proved to be difficult to guard in Pullman. He is averaging nearly 13 ppg and  UW will need to be aware of his whereabouts when he steps on the floor.
• Reggie Moore = Reggie’s back in town yet again. The former Rainier Beach graduate will be looking to show his home crowd his talents by repeating his last visit to Hec Ed with another poster worthy jam. Reggie has been averaging double figures over his last three games and was a big reason why UW couldn’t overcome the deficit in Pullman last game. Look for VO to be all over Moore in this game.
• Marcus Capers = Arguably one of the most athletic guards in the Pac 10, Capers has had little production over his past 6 games, but is always a threat in transition as he can finish as well as anyone in the league.

WSU Likely Starting Lineup:

• G – Reggie Moore, 6’1″
• G – Klay Thompson, 6’6″
• G -Marcus Capers, 6’4″
• F – Abe Lodwick, 6’7″
• F – DeAngelo Casto, 6’8″

Huskies Update: Romar made the announcement this week that CJ Wilcox will return for a repeat performance in the starting line up. Given Romar’s success with having a big bodied shooter in the starting rotation, he will likely keep this formula going into the Tourney. Suggs will be sitting out for the third consecutive game and is hopeful to return against the LA schools next week.

Huskies Starting Lineup:

PG – Isaiah Thomas

SG – CJ Wilcox

SF – Justin Holiday

PF – MBA

C – Aziz N’Diaye

Keys to the Game:

• Keeping TO’s to a minimum = 24 turnovers was the main reason UW lost last game against WSU. Look for Isaiah Thomas and the rest of the guards to keep TO’s to a bare minimum at home.
• Rebounding = Same story, different game. UW out rebounded WSU 44-28 in their last meeting. I expect a similar showing on Sunday.
• Get MBA started early = MBA had a forgettable game in their last match up scoring just six points on 1 for 8 shooting. MBA will be the key to help break down the zone that WSU will likely deploy. Once the inside presence is established, it should open up the UW guards for a barrage of looks from beyond the arc.
• Keep Klay contained = Easier said than done, but look for Holiday to be back to his normal self defensively on Thompson. Holiday looked a step slower in Pullman in January, but since has started to look healthy again and is playing defense like we know he can.
• IT going off = Given IT’s performance the last time we saw him at WSU,  I expect IT to regain his swag and go for over 24 points and 10 assists on Sunday. Thomas has not forgotten about the storming of the court in January and will definitely use that for extra motivation on Sunday.

Game Prediction = UW comes out on fire, much like we saw them against Cal at home. WSU will keep it close for the first 13 minutes, but UW will soon pull away for an emotional win against their in state rival.

UW 92 – WSU 78

Matthew Bryan-Amaning (17 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks) has had games when he’s scored more points, but it’d be hard to argue with the assertion that this was his best game as a Husky. In the first half, the man from the U.K. looked as good as any player on UK, KU, or any other team in the country.

Isaiah Thomas had 13 of his 22 points in the second half and helped the Huskies overcome a big run by the Cougars early in the second half that briefly saw the Huskies lose the lead.

After dominating the first half, going into the locker room up 35-21, the Cougars started the half with a 25-9 run, whipping the Wazzu crowd into a frenzy.

As the Cougars took a 46-44 lead with about seven minutes left, the frenzied crowd celebrated the very real possibility that the night could end in a win for the hometown team. But, three-pointers by Scott Suggs and Thomas gave the Huskies a lead which they would never relinquish.

Observations and analysis:

Matthew Bryan-Amaning’s first 12 or so minutes tonight were the best stretch of his Husky career. Seeing him do it against DeAngelo Casto, the Pac-10′s most underrated player and a (future) legit pro prospect, was encouraging. MBA’s M.O. has so commonly been to play better against bad competition, so this was a true breakthrough for him.

Scott Suggs, minus his shooting, is a very mediocre ballplayer. He’s got the raw materials, but this is a big offseason for him. Lots of work to do.

We can’t turn the ball over 19 times if we’re going to try to win the Pac-10 Tournament.

Now that the Huskies are eliminated from the conference race, I say, root root root for Cal. The more comfortable the Bears feel with their at-large bid hopes, the less likely they’ll bring the heat to the Pac-10 Tournament.

If I’m voting for Pac-10 Player of the Year, I’ve got to pay some attention to the fact that Quincy Pondexter (seven points, seven rebounds tonight) only averages 14.4 points in road games, right?

I don’t mean to be negative, but you heard it here first (and I imagine you’ve thought this as well): Abdul Gaddy, Isaiah Thomas, Justin Holiday, Tyreese Breshers and MBA, with V.O. first off the bench, is not a Pac-10 championship lineup. We need Terrence Jones and another big body.

If the Huskies win their next two, they’d have to go into the Pac-10 Tournament as a semi-favorite. They’d be on a six-game winning streak, finally in possession of a legitimate third scorer, with the highest ceiling of any team competing in Staples that week not called the “Lakers.”

Next up, Oregon on Thursday at 7 PM. No TV, so be sure to get batteries for those transistor radios! (Am I the only one who still uses a transistor radio?)

Thanks for coming!

Ted S. Warren / AP

I’d call it a statement game, but you know how I feel. . . It’s probably just about how you feel. Nothing the Huskies do at Hec Ed really matters until they prove they can do it on the road.

That said, I’d rather win by 28 than by eight. And, I’d rather see the Huskies attack a zone correctly than not. And, I’d rather see Justin Holiday’s Inspector Gadget arms shutting down Klay Thompson in a game that featured two conference Player of the Year candidates.

Here’s some more thoughts on the Huskies’ (dare I say it. . .? okay, fine) impressive win over the Cougs yesterday:

I can’t help but start with a criticism of the Husky bigs. This was the second straight game in which a big man not grabbing a rebound firmly enough led to a dumb turnover. A rebound came into Matthew Bryan-Amaning’s hands, and he just let it fall through, the ball rolling out of bounds. GRAB the ball!

If you have any question about who to root for in today’s Pac-10 Sunday tilt, the answer is Arizona, kind of. The Wildcats are 5-3, alone in 2nd place. Cal is 6-2, in first. If Cal wins, they’re two games ahead in the loss column, of the entire conference. Catching them will be difficult, even if the Huskies finish 8-1. If the Wildcats win, though, we’ll have two 6-3 teams sitting atop the conference, leaving the Huskies and four other teams two games back. So, go Cats!

I try to avoid getting on the refs, because good or bad, both teams play the game with the same refs. But, what’s up with Quincy getting tackled by James Watson and all three officials missing it? That didn’t say much for the caliber of referee in the Pac-10.

By the way, any refs out there reading? I have a bunch of ref-related questions, and think we could do a very fun feature out of an interview with a high school or college ref. Please shoot me an email if you’re reading this…

So, next year, I’m thinking Isaiah will almost certainly be our leading scorer. But, the heart of our team, and the leader? Ladies and gentleman, introducing, senior guard, Venoy Overton. Right?

Wanna hear something interesting about Venoy? In person, when he’s talking to the press, he’s got one of the quietest speaking voices I’ve ever heard. Who knows how he is in familiar, comfortable circumstances, but I’m always amazed by the difference between Venoy’s on-court demeanor the quiet, unassuming kid who comes out to talk to the media.

Speaking of Venoy, really nice examination of his fouling tendencies, and whether he belongs in the starting lineup at Seattle Sportsnet, which does a fantastic job covering the local sports scene.

I know what I said earlier, but if we can beat the Arizona schools next week, we’ve got to be capable of getting a few wins on the road, right? (Dammit, optimistic Josh! I told you to stay asleep until we hit the road for the Bay Area!)

I love how the team works to get Brendan Sherrer the ball when he checks in, and he’s got two points in each of the last two games. What about taking a similar approach with a guy like Justin Holiday, Clarence Trent or Darnell Gant late in a big game? Run the offense with one of those guys essentially “playing” Quincy Pondexter, and get a few possessions to see how these guys look trying to create their own offense. I’m just curious.

Klay Thompson can shoot (generally, but not yesterday), but he’s not an NBA guy yet. He might lead the country in scoring next season, though.

The quality difference between DeAngelo Casto and Matthew Bryan-Amaning is not all that big, but it’s the difference between what the Huskies have and what the Huskies need.

Thanks for coming!

The least you should know:

The game was a tale of two halves if there ever was one. The Cougars led 40-36, and outplayed the Huskies in the first half. The Dawgs, though, won the second half 56-24 and turned the game into a blowout with several minutes left.

Quincy Pondexter had 19 points in the first half and finished with 29 points and 12 rebounds. Isaiah Thomas has only two points in the first half, but propelled the Huskies in the second, finishing with 19 points.

Washington defenders, particularly Justin Holiday, held super-scorer Klay Thompson to seven points on 2-15 shooting.

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

Who:

When: Saturday, 12:30 PM

Where: Hec Edmundson Pavilion

Huskies 101: UW is calling it “The Apple Cup of Hoops.”

I’m calling it the first game of the Huskies’ “Ten and Your In” portion of the season. The task is no easy feat, but it’s nearly impossible to argue that the Huskies wouldn’t earn an NCAA bid — conference champs or not — if they can win the final ten games on their schedule.

The Huskies are fresh off dominating Seattle U. (123-76), after tough losses in Souther California to UCLA (62-61) and USC (87-61)

As we’ve said before, there’s very little the Huskies can do to prove to themselves, or anyone watching, that they can win on the road until they do. So, truly, I’m just excited for this homestand to be finished — assuming the team can win the next three.

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

Wazzu 101: Washington State, in its first year under Ken Bone has been better than expected. The team comes in after splitting last weekend in Southern Cal — defeating USC, but losing to UCLA.

Guard Klay Thompson is tied for ninth in the country in scoring (22.3 ppg) and is second on the team in rebounds (5.0) and assists (2.5). Point guard Reggie Moore (14.4 ppg, 4.6 apg) is one of the best freshman in the Pac-10.

Forward DeAngelo Casto (10 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.1 bpg) is one of my favorite non-Huskies. He’s, essentially, what Husky fans want Matthew Bryan-Amaning to be: a decent, but not great, scorer who finds ways to impact the game even when he’s not in an offensive rhythm.

Projected lineup: G – Reggie Moore, G – Klay Thompson, G – Abe Lodwick, G – Marcus Capers, F – DeAngelo Casto

The Huskies will win if: Hec Edmundson Pavilion does not suddenly disappear overnight, forcing the game to be played elsewhere.

The Dawgs will win if Justin Holiday keeps a hand in Klay Thompson’s face all night. It’s silly to think Thompson won’t get his points, but keeping him in the teens, as opposed to the high 20′s, could be a difference maker.

The Dawgs will win if they pressure the rookie point guard and contain him. Moore has had three 5+ turnover games and they’ve all been on the road. And, since Thompson might go off no matter what the Huskies do, and DeAngelo Casto is, at his best, twice as good as any Husky big man, Moore is the one the Dawgs must shut down.

The Huskies will lose if: The Huskies will lose if Tuesday’s game, which felt more like an exhibition, gave them any kind of sense that they were out of the woods. This is a team that needs to play with a chip on its shoulder, and play as the underdog. Let’s hope nobody on the team looks at the (way too large) eight-point spread on the game.

The Dawgs will lose if they only don’t find something new on offense. This is really a note about every game after this one, but they’ve got to get someone going as that third option. The second time around the lineup in baseball, a pitcher needs something new to fool hitters. And the second time around the Pac-10 schedule, the Dawgs need something new too. Paging Mr. Elston Turner.

A humble suggestion: Give the three-guard lineup (IT, Gaddy and Venoy on the floor all at once) a try again at some point tomorrow. Not to start, of course, but as a change of pace. It didn’t look good early in the season when we tried it, but we’re not doing much inside anyway. Put those guys on the court with Holiday and Quincy, allowing Quincy to guard Casto, and see what happens. Just a thought. (Could be a bad thought, admittedly.)

Predictions: I have as much faith as I had in the Huskies coming into the season at home. The second half against Oregon was a fluke — this is a top-25 team at home. I predict another strong performance, devoid of “cool jackets” and all of the other ugliness we’ve seen at times.

Another win. Another game closer to showing they can do it on the road. Huskies, 86-79.