Husky Basketball Mid-Season Update

By Kevin Calderhead

Truthfully, when conference play started, I was about two bad games away from being completely done with the Huskies. They were playing like they deserved to finish in eighth place in the conference, as predicted. Jernard Jarreau tore his ACL two minutes into the season opener. In their first four games, they shot 24% from beyond the arc. After losing to #10 UConn, the UW seemed to play a little better, winning their next two before Pac-12 play. The Dawgs were 8-5 before playing 11-2 Arizona State, and going into the game I was less than optimistic. I actually didn’t watch it, mostly because it was on Pac-12 Network (DirecTV, can you please sign a contract with the Pac-12 already), but also I just figured they would get blown out.

           

Well, around halftime, I checked the score on my phone. I remember saying sarcastically to my friend: “Hey, let’s guess how much the Huskies are losing by now!” The page loaded, and I was shocked: Washington 40, Arizona State 23.

The Huskies ended up winning the matchup 76-65. This game was followed by a close loss at #1 Arizona in which UW was actually ahead by two at the break. Washington then played Utah and #15 Colorado at home, and beat them both. Most impressive was the 71-54 defeat of Colorado; the first win against a ranked opponent since 2011 after losing their previous twelve contests. The Dawgs have turned it around and have won seven out of their last nine games. They are 3-1 in conference games, which has them tied for third place in the Pac-12.

What changed? It’s not C.J. Wilcox, who has been consistent the entire year; playing well enough to put himself in the NBA draft conversation. I think one of the factors is the performance of guard Andrew Andrews. The Dawgs have won the last five games in which Andrews scored more than 10 points. Freshman guard Nigel Williams-Goss has also been more consistent; turning the ball over less often.

CJ Wilcox is the clear leader of this Huskies team.

Dean Rutz

Despite being more successful as of late, the Huskies still have one major problem: rebounding. The loss of Jerreau is showing, as the Huskies have had to rely heavily on Perris Blackwell for the majority of their rebounding. He leads the team with 7.6 RPG, but the next four leading rebounders on the team are all guards (Anderson, Williams-Goss, Wilcox, Andrews). A surprise to me has been Mike Anderson, new to the team this season from Moberly Area CC. He has helped pick up the slack and is averaging 6.6 boards per game.

This week, the Huskies are traveling to the Bay Area to play Cal and Stanford.

           

Big picture time again. March Madness. Looking forward from this point, will Washington make the tournament?

It is possible. There are 14 games left in the season. UW is now 11-6 (3-1 Pac-12), and if they can win at least 11 out of the last 14 games (final record of 22-9) and play well in the Pac-12 tournament they could be selected. 11 of 14 is a lot, but their schedule is fairly easy from here on out; the only ranked teams that the Huskies will play from here on out are #21 Colorado and #25 UCLA, but the rankings could change. Let’s not forget Cal and Oregon either, both of whom the Huskies play twice from here on out. Another key to making the tournament is to upset better teams, like UCLA, Cal and Oregon. The remaining games are evenly split between home and away: seven at Hec Ed and seven on the road. And regardless of how many games they win or lose, if the Dawgs win the conference tournament they automatically make the March Madness bracket. In my opinion, Washington has an outside chance of making the tournament.

So midway through the season, I can say with confidence that I think the Huskies will finish higher than eighth place in the Pac-12. With Arizona around, they probably won’t take first in the conference but a top three finish is definitely feasible. In regards to the NCAA tournament, only time will tell.  

Huskies Basketball: Taking a Glance at the Near and Far Future

The life of a Husky fan can be so sweet and joyous at times, but so frustrating at others. There is always the high of a big win and a low of an unbelievable loss. This season will be a typical season for Husky fans, with huge wins like, perhaps, those over Arizona or UCLA, but also huge losses against teams like Albany. True fans always stick with the team through the tough times and bumps in the road and even though this is one of the hardest things to do, most Husky fans survive through this brutal test of survival. The Huskies extended future looks bright, but in my opinion, the near future could end up to be a struggle.

Aziz N'Diaye played well Tuesday, but the team suffered a big loss.

Joe Nicholson – US PRESSWIRE

To start off with the most vivid point on my mind right now, I will start talking about this highly discouraging Albany loss. Even though this loss was one of the worst of the Romar era, I think it is a good thing this team lost to Albany. This team needs a reality check, and I think they were promptly handed one Tuesday night. With tough non-conference games against Seton Hall and possible Ohio State coming up, the Dawgs needed something to happen to whip them into shape. I think this loss will do just that. However, speaking of the loss, I think this can all be placed on Romar’s hands and rightfully so, after the game, he stated it was 100% his fault. Romar should have and could have kept Aziz in the final play of the game to be a shot blocker, but chose to go with the guard Hikeem Stewart so he could switch screens easier (even though he didn’t switch one screen). The Huskies need to learn to play hard and win without one of their best players and I think this game gave the Huskies some experience in to what that feels like as Scott Suggs came out early with a concussion. While CJ Wilcox was mediocre, I think Andrew Andrews shined and will turn out to be a star in the future. I think losing Aziz next year will hurt the team a bunch, but I strongly believe that Perris Blackwell will be able to step in and contribute from day 1. In the end, I believe this game will turn out to really be a blessing in disguise because this kind of game gets everyone’s attention and pushes players to work harder when they want to stop working. If the team doesn’t figure it out themselves, Lorenzo Romar will force them to figure it out. I mean there is a reason why he has been the coach of the Dawgs for what seems like forever.

Look for Andrew Andrews to blossom into a star this year.



Elaine Thompson / AP

 

These early non-conference games will tell us a lot about how the team will perform and look this year. With a new offense going in and many new players, the Dawgs will have to work out the kinks and make sure everything flows before actual conference play starts. Many people thought that the Europe trip would help with this, but it has clearly not helped so far. Again, time will only tell how well this offense works out. It is way to early to judge how much of an impact the new coaches and system have on the team. I think we will be able to judge these aspects of the team by the time conference play actually starts. Look for the Dawgs to have a solid year in the Pac-12, maybe not a tournament caliber year, but a year that is viewed by many as straight up solid. I don’t expect anything huge out the Huskies team this year, but perhaps that’s just me.

Even though I think the Huskies might struggle a bit this year, I think the future looks very bright. With Darin Johnson signing his NLI Wednesday and Nigel Williams-Goss signing his Friday, Romar adds two highly skilled and talented guards to his arsenal of players. Each have qualities that will significantly improve the team and if CJ Wilcox leaves for the league, which I don’t think will happen, these two guards will come in very handy. Aaron Gordon is a huge remaining target for the 2013 class for Lorenzo Romar and I think that if Romar doesn’t secure the commitment of Aaron Gordon, he could be looking at a future on the hot seat. Kameron Rooks is a 7′ center out of California and is another prospect the Dawgs are looking at. He is more of a back to the basket type player, but can also step out to hit some mid-range jumpers. He is a priority for Lorenzo Romar and the staff, but not their main one as Aaron Gordon holds down that role. If the Huskies can come away with a class of NWG, Johnson, Rooks and Gordon, they will be sitting very pretty for the 2013-2014 season. If you add in the transfers and more experienced role players, there could possibly be an Elite 8 birth in the season, who knows. The far future hinges on the players Romar ends up bringing in with the 2013 recruiting class so it’s a good thing he already has a solid start to the class.
Overall, the Husky basketball program has a solid future ahead of them. This being said, the program could have an amazing future ahead of them if the chips fall in all the right places. I think the likeliness of this happening is pretty substantial and I think there soon could be some glory days for Washington basketball. It just may not be the days right around the corner. You can’t always have instant gratification, right?

The Huskies look to add Aaron Gordon to the mix and make it a huge 2013 recruiting class.

Scout.com

Overall, the Husky basketball program has a solid future ahead of them. This being said, the program could have an amazing future ahead of them if the chips fall in all the right places. I think the likeliness of this happening is pretty substantial and I think there soon could be some glory days for Washington basketball. It just may not be the days right around the corner. You can’t always have instant gratification, right?

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Marshall