Washington Basketball: Grading the Huskies in Near-Upset of No. 11 Marquette

Washington gave the No. 11 Marquette Golden Eagles a run for their money on Tuesday night in Madison Square Garden as part of the Jimmy V Classic. 

The Huskies battled all game against Marquette and intermittently controlled the game's tempo against the undefeated team. 

Although Washington emerged with a loss, which sinks their record to 4-3, there were many positive notes in the Huskies' near-upset of Marquette. 

Here is an assessment of Washington's performance Tuesday night. 

Performance:

15 PTS, 3 REB, 0 AST, 4 BLK, 1 STL

Positive: C.J. Wilcox played a great role as a leader against Marquette, keeping the intensity at a maximum for the Huskies. 

He performed not only on offense with 15 points, but also helped the Huskies significantly on defense with a game-high four blocks. 

Areas for improvement: As a 6'5" guard, Wilcox is in stuck between being a passer or rebounder. However, he hasn't really been much of either. 

Wilcox is averaging 1.6 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game and could be a better all-around player for the Huskies. The 6'5" guard should be in there for more rebounds. 

Grade: B+

Performance:

19 PTS, 9 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK

Positive: Terrence Ross had a monster game against Marquette, scoring 19 points and almost achieving a double-double. 

Listed as a guard, Ross plays the role of a forward for the Huskies, and his domination on the boards was crucial to Washington's ability to stay in the game against Marquette. 

Areas for improvement: Ross turned the ball over four times on Tuesday against Marquette. He is currently averaging 2.1 turnover per game, turning the ball over in every game so far and allowing two or more turnovers five times. 

Although he is a very valuable player to the team, Washington needs Ross to be more careful with the ball. 

Grade: A-

Performance:

4 PTS, 13 REB, 2 BLK

Positive: Aziz N'Diaye dominated the glass on Tuesday night, bringing in a game-high 13 rebounds. The Huskies out-rebounded Marquette, 41-28 (a difference of 13), which kept them neck-and-neck against the Golden Eagles. 

N'Diaye was also a big presence on defense, blocking two shots.

Areas for Improvement: At 7'0", Aziz N'Diaye is a big force in the paint, but his offensive production needs to be a little stronger as the Huskies starting center. 

Although N'Diaye is a great rebounder, averaging 9.3 points per game, he needs to put up more points for the Huskies with his height advantage. He currently averages 7.6 points per game and has scored less than five points in a game three times. 

N'Diaye is a great rebounder, but the Huskies need him to use his height as an advantage to score more points. 

Grade: C+

Performance:

14 PTS, 2 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL

Positive: Darnell Gant made the most out of his offensive opportunities, shooting 6-for-9 from the field and 2-for-3 from the three-point line. The senior forward facilitated as well, dishing out a season-high four assists. 

His offensive efficiency helped the Huskies stay competitive with Marquette. 

Areas for Improvement: Gant has put up a relatively consistent 9.3 points per game this year, and while the Huskies could use a little more offensive production from him, his main area of improvement concerns rebounding. 

Gant is averaging 4.1 rebounds per game, and the Huskies could use more rebounds from the forward. It's important to consider that center Aziz N'Diaye is Washington's main rebounder, and Gant's rebounding opportunities are subsequently limited to an extent.

He has thrice pulled in only two rebounds in a game; however, a Washington player had 10 or more rebounds in all of those games. 

Grade: B+

Performance:

4 PTS, 2 AST, 2 TO

Positive: Guard Abdul Gaddy has been a solid asset for the Huskies this year, but didn't have his finest game against Marquette. He has twice scored 15 points in one game this season, but only scored four against Marquette, all of which were in the first half. 

Gaddy plays an important role as a facilitator for Washington (5.3 APG), but had an off-game in all aspects on Tuesday night. 

Areas for Improvement: Averaging 9.7 points and 5.3 assists for the Huskies, Gaddy is a steady contributor to the Washington offense. 

The only main area for improvement for Gaddy is on defense. If he steps it up defensively, he'll be a great all-around player. 

Grade: D

Performance:

13 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST

Positive: Tony Wroten made every one of his 22 minutes off the bench count on Tuesday night, scoring 13 points with six rebounds and three assists. That is quite an impressive stat line for Washington's sixth man.

Only this isn't a rare performance for Wroten. He averages 13 points per game and 3.8 assists per game. At 24 minutes per game, he plays as much as a starter, yet Lorenzo Romar has the freshman coming off the bench.

Wroten may take Abdul Gaddy's starting position if Gaddy does not begin to perform more offensively for the Huskies.

Areas for Improvement: Wroten's most evident freshman folly is his ball-handling skills and basketball vision. He currently averages 4.3 turnovers per game and has had five or more turnovers in a game four times. That's the equivalent of a turnover almost every five minutes.

Wroten had three turnovers against Marquette. If he can reduce the turnovers he will be a complete player and one of the best sixth men in the country. 

Grade: B+

Performance:

8 PTS, 7 REB, 1 AST 

Positive: Desmond Simmons put together a good performance in 21 minutes coming off the bench for Washington. He turned in on in the second half when the Huskies need it the most and made two clutch free throws to put the Huskies up by one when they were down with 3:31 left in the game.

This was Simmons' best performance for Washington, and he will be a good starter for the Huskies next year as a sophomore. 

Areas for improvement: Although he averages 14.7 minutes per game, Simmons has gotten into foul trouble quite a few times as a bench player and averages 2.1 personal fouls per game. He has thrice committed three fouls in one game, committing three fouls in nine minutes on one occasion. 

If Simmons can cut down on the fouls, he'll see more playing time. 

Grade: B

Although the Huskies lost, they played a great game and had a chance to upset the No. 11 team. This Washington team has a real chance to win the Pac-12. 

Had the Huskies called a timeout in their last hurried drive, the game's result may have been different, but let's not get too caught up on that. 

Look out for the Huskies this year!