Washington Huskies Basketball

Stanford Cardinal (18-12, 6-12) vs. Washington Huskies (24-7, 14-4)

Thursday, March 12, 2009 – 2:30 PM PST

The second quarter final game of the Pac-10 tournament features the No. 9 seed Stanford Cardinal against the No. 1 seed Washington Huskies.

The Huskies swept the season series between these schools, winning the first game at home, 84-83, and then by a score of 75-68 at Maples Pavilion.

Jon Brockman—19 points, 18 rebounds—scored the game-winning basket with 4.6 seconds left to lift the Huskies to the home victory.

Washington dominated Stanford on the glass by a 44-28 margin; however, the Cardinal sank eight three-pointers to keep them in the game.

In addition to Brockman’s big game, Isaiah Thomas scored 18 points, while Matthew Bryan-Amanin dropped 17 to go along with six boards. Quincy Pondexter scored 14 points and also had six rebounds.

For Stanford, Anthony Goods was the high-scorer with 19 points.

Three other players finished in double figures—Lawrence Hill with 16, Mitch Johnson with 12, and Landry Fields had 11 points with a team-high seven rebounds.

When these teams met a month later, the Huskies snapped a 15-game losing streak at Stanford behind 20 points from Pondexter.

Brockman had another double-double with 13 points and 12 boards. Thomas contributed 17 and Venoy Thomas chipped in with 11 points and five assists.

While the Cardinal lost the rebounding edge by only five boards this time around, they were miserable from the foul line. Stanford converted only nine of 17 shots from the charity stripe.

Fields scored 22 points and grabbed 10 boards for Stanford. The only other Cardinal players to reach double figures were Goods with 12 and Jeremy Green with 11 points.

Current line: Washington -4.5

Stanford is 12-13 against the spread with a record of 5-4 as an underdog.

Washington is 15-12 against the spread with a record of 12-10 as the favorite.

The Huskies will advance to the semis because they’re the better team and because they’ll have fresher legs.

Steve’s pick: Washington -4.5

With a Saturday victory over Arizona, the Washington Huskies completed their journey from “nearly worst” to first.

The win clinched no less than a share of the Pac 10 regular season crown, after the program finished last season near the bottom of the conference.

It’s that feel good story that’s always popular in sports. At least, that’s how it appears at a glance.

But when you take a gander at these Huskies, and those of the year prior, there isn’t much difference. When you conduct a thorough search of the Pac 10, there you’ll see the answer for how Washington bettered their preseason projections to become the leader of the conference.

The Pac 10 underwent a major overhaul in the period between last season’s end and the current season’s beginning.

This brought about more change and shifts in power than seen in any other conference. The shake up weakened favorites, and breathed new life into the underdog. But as the creatures of habit that we’ve come to be, we failed to recognize or acknowledge the impact on future standings.

In the 2008 NBA draft, six of the first 15 picks were players from the Pac 10, including three of the first five.

In all, 12 conference players were selected to play in NBA gymnasiums, and only two programs were granted exit immunity.

Washington and Oregon State were the only Pac 10 schools not represented in last year’s draft, and likewise, it’s the Huskies and Beavers that showed the most improvement from one calendar year to the next.

UCLA, who once had a stranglehold on the conference, is missing Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute from the previous roster.

Stanford lost the Lopez Twins, and USC is without O.J. Mayo.

Jerryd Bayless (AZ), Ryan Anderson (Cal), and Malik Hairston (Cal) are all gone.

The Huskies were 16-16 (7-11, Pac 10) after the 2008 conference tournament, and fell under .500 with a loss to Valparaiso in the CBI tourney.

They’ve rebounded to a recent record of 22-7 (13-4), and own a share of the Pac 10 championship.

But a more telling tale is their record against ranked opponents, with Washington posting a 3-3 mark this year, compared to 2-8 last season.

They only improved by one victory, and played four less opponents in the AP top 25.

The fewer opponents are not a result of scheduling, but a reflection of the conference’s power decline, and having fewer ranked programs than the year before.

These barking dogs didn’t rise to the top with a sudden surge of skill. They’ve merely benefited from Pac 10 losses that crippled the powers around them. 

As a result, the same Huskies team that didn’t qualify for the NCAA tournament a year ago, will easily gain entry in this year’s basketball festival. 

But like others from the weakened Pac, don’t expect them to dance for long.

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With the conference season finally wrapping up, I think that the Huskies' strengths and weaknesses can be identified. Unlike past seasons, this seasons' guard play has been tremendous.

The arrival of Isaiah Thomas and the emergence of Justin Dentmon has made this team into an elite contender in the country. Now that Dentmon does not have point guard duties, he has reverted into a role that he has always bee more comfortable in, the two-guard position.

For Thomas, he has naturally fit into Lorenzo Romar's system and seems to be able to finish or get to the free throw line at will.

Along with the guard play, the whole team has been playing some "Trademark Husky Basketball." Do you remember the style of game played by Nate Robinson, Brandon Roy, Bobby Jones, and Will Conroy?

These guys played an up-tempo style of game that encouraged on-ball pressure defense and a high-octane offense. This team has reverted back into this style and has been reaping the benefits of it.

The weaknesses are few, but the Huskies do have some. In the Huskies' four conference losses, every post-game analysis points at two factors as to why the Huskies lost. One of them is sharing the basketball.

Though the play of Thomas and Dentmon has been stellar, at times, they have not shared the ball and as a result turn the ball over or have taken a bad shot. In the rare times that the Huskies' offense has stalled, it has been because of the failure to find an open teammate.

Secondly, the Huskies defense—which has surprisingly been an upside this year—has sometimes fallen into a lull. The defense is especially a weakness when either Jon Brockman or Matthew Bryan-Amaning are in foul trouble.

Teams with strong offensive-minded forwards will be able to take advantage of Brockman and Amaning. What separates UW from UCLA is the Bruins' 40 minutes of hard-nosed defense. Right now the Huskies are at 35 minutes.

If the Huskies can keep on playing the way they are, making it to the Sweet 16 is a possibility. No other team in the country can rebound the ball like the Huskies and it's hard to find a team that can defend the Huskies straight up without having either Brockman, Thomas, Dentmon, or Pondexter lighting them up.

It's finally nice to have a a good team playing in Seattle.

Maybe this is God's way of saying sorry for the Sonics?

Game Line: ASU + 1

ASU heads up to Washington for the Pac-10 conference game that may decide who finishes in first place.

ASU is firing on all cylinders. Their zone matchups are impenetrable, their offense is fluent and efficient, and with Blake Griffin out, the Sun Devils now have the best player in the country in James Harden.

In the beginning of the season, I was not sold on the Sun Devils. They were winning games, but it was hard for me to believe that they could be a top 10 team in the country.

I believed that if Arizona State made it to the tournament, their lack of size in the frontcourt would inevitably cost them.

Jeff Pendergraph has turned into an amazing defensive player. He holds his place in the zone very well, not to mention he is 6'11", 260 lbs.

PG Derek Glasser reminds me a lot of one of those throwback guards in the '80s. He runs the team smoothly and has a high assist to turnover ratio. He is the guy that makes big plays down the stretch for the Devils when they need it most, not Harden.

Glasser may turn into the next John Stockton if Harden stays one more year.

Arizona State had a lot of problems when they played Washington at home. Washington had a huge scoring burst that ASU couldn't keep up with, and the Huskies ended up getting the best of the Sun Devils.

ASU had an off weekend, losing to both Washington schools. My hunch is that ASU finishes the 2009 season perfect.

Quincy Pondexter and Jon Brockman will be difficult to stay with for the Devils. I believe Harden will match up on Pondexter, and Pendergraph will match up on Brockman within ASU's zone defense.

ASU swept UCLA playing zone, and my hunch is they find a way to win this game as well.

The Pick: ASU Moneyline

The University of Washington Huskies (20-7, 11-4) are in unfamiliar territory, alone at the top of the Pac-10 Conference standings with four games (including three in the Pac-10) left on the schedule.

This is a big deal for the 'Dawgs because they have not won an outright conference title since the Final Four team of 1953 did so. Washington teams led by Detlef Schrempf won shares of the title in 1984 and '85.

Thursday brings Arizona State (21-5, 10-4) to Bank of America Arena. This is the second meeting of the Huskies and Sun Devils, the first being played on Jan. 31. Washington won that matchup against then-No. 14-ranked ASU.

Four of the top players in the conference will share the court in this showdown.

First, there's the mainstay in the middle for U-Dub, Jon Brockman. This big man leads the Pac-10 in individual rebounding and is the top boarder for the No. 5 rebounding team in the nation.

Next, there's Huskies guard Justin Dentmon. He's fifth in the conference in scoring and would certainly receive my vote for Pac-10 Player of the Year.

Edging out Dentmon for the fourth spot among leading scorers in the conference is teammate Isaiah Thomas. This Fabulous Freshman (or "Diaper Dandy," according to Dicky V.) is a virtual lock for Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.

For Arizona State, James Harden, future lottery pick and 21 PPG scorer, is the star. He leads the conference in scoring, is 11th in rebounding, ninth in field goal percentage, eighth in assists, and third in steals.  UW did a remarkable job holding him to only four field goals in the last bout; his first bucket came with 3:22 left in the first half.

If Washington holds on and wins this contest, these two nationally-ranked teams will be No.s 1 and 2 in the conference.

It would be a big step for the Huskies, who have to face the Wildcats of Arizona on Saturday in another rematch. In the first meeting, the 'Cats pulled it out in the desert.

With the 'Dawgs having won 15 of 16 home games this year, I am sure they have a solid advantage over all teams that enter the BOA.

With some solid play, the University of Washington should win their first outright title in 56 years.

So, I'm starting to wonder if a few members of the Associated Press (AP) or ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls might be using the dartboard picture above, substituting team names for numbers.

There have been some pretty egregious poll results during the year, but there are quite a few that I truly don't understand today.

I'm sure each team that I go after will have its defenders, but these seem to be some of the more offending errors, in roughly ascending order of Phelpsishness:

5. Florida State enters the AP poll at No. 23 and the Coaches poll at No. 25

It is ludicrous that the Seminoles are ranked this low. What exactly do they have to do? All they've managed in the past several weeks are road wins over Clemson and Virginia Tech, plus home wins against Miami (FL), Virginia, and Georgia Tech.

Their two losses during this span were against UNC on a buzzer-beater by Ty Lawson and at Wake Forest, who was ranked No. 7 at the time.

FSU has a 21-6 record, are tied with Duke and Clemson for second in the ACC, and they are a game ahead of Wake Forest. I think it's safe to say their resume is better than quite a few of those ranked ahead of them in the Coaches poll, especially (Texas, Butler, UCLA, and Xavier come to mind).

4. Xavier falls from No. 16 to No. 19 (AP)

So, let me get this straight. The Musketeers lose to Charlotte, a team that was 9-15 (3-7 Atlantic 10), but beat up on George Washington (8-16, 2-10 A-10), and you get to stay ranked in the top 20?

To make matters worse, Xavier has dropped three of five, losing to Duquesne, Dayton (by 13), and the aforementioned Charlotte. If that doesn't knock a team out of the top 20, I don't know what will.

3. Butler falls from No. 21 to No. 24 (AP) and drops from No. 22 to No. 23 (Coaches)

This is a classic example of pollsters looking at the results, without knowing the details of the game.

It was more than obvious that Stephen Curry's ankle was not at 100% and a quick check of Davidson's results shows that they are not even remotely the same team without Curry. The Wildcats were blown out by 18 points when they played the Citadel without him. So, I'm not too impressed with Butler's win.

During the same week, Butler lost to one of the mediocre Horizon teams, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and last Sunday night, they lost to a horrid Horizon team, Loyola (Chicago), at home no less. This would seem to indicate to all but the "highest" of pollsters (and I don't mean those standing on a mountain) that Butler does not belong in the top 25.

2. UCLA drops from No. 20 to No. 22 (AP) and slips from No. 15 to No. 19 (Coaches)

How does this team keep its ranking? No. 19? Really?

They defeat Washington on a Thursday (their first conference win since Feb. 4) but then get taken down by Washington State on Saturday at home.

This is after getting swept in Arizona to both of those Pac-10 teams, leaving UCLA with a 9-5 conference record, good for third. Yet Washington, who split the season series with them, has won four of five, and has a game and a half lead on UCLA, ranks just one position higher at No. 21.

The coaches must have had the really good ganja, because they place Washington two spots lower than the Bruins.

1. Texas enters the Coaches poll at No. 24 and the AP Poll at No. 25

Yes, Texas knocked off Oklahoma (at Texas). Was this really all that surprising? Blake Griffin was injured during the game, for starters.

Secondly, during the same polling week, the Longhorns got hammered by Texas A&M 81-66. They have racked up recent conference losses to Kansas State and Nebraska, in addition to more forgivable losses to Oklahoma and Missouri. That makes them 3-4 in their last seven conference games.

Meanwhile, Utah (left out of the poll) is over 60 points behind them, despite having a better record (19-7, 10-2 MWC) in the best mid-major conference and winning seven in a row and nine of 10. The Utes weren't playing pansies; the streak includes quality wins over the best foes in the MWC: BYU, San Diego State, New Mexico and Wyoming.

These aren't the only examples; just some of the more obvious ones.

It is clear to me that far too many pollsters are simply looking at scores or voting for a team because they are "supposed to be good" (e.g., UCLA), rather than spending the necessary amount of time to do the research correctly.

The coaches probably have a valid excuse when it comes to time; the media does not. And if a media member claims that he doesn't have time, then he (or she) needs to give over the duty to someone who does.

This has been an ongoing trend, and it renews my desire to see every member's ballot, every time.

Now that I've probably pissed off at least four teams' fan bases, I can't wait to hear what the rest of you think. Have I overreacted or is this a valid criticism?

I wrote this for my school newspaper that was published last week, enjoy my deep personal narrative...

We all have obsessions. Some obsessions are healthy like eating your fruits and vegetables, while some obsessions are unhealthy like eating junk food. I don't know where exactly to place my obsession with Ryan Appleby within that spectrum. However, I do get a persistent disturbing preoccupation whenever the topic of Ryan Appleby comes up.

First off, the question of "Who is Ryan Appleby" needs to be answered. To some, he is a former Washington Husky basketball stand-out with funny hair and a wicked jump shot. To me, he is one of the greatest basketball players to ever walk the earth. I try hard not to underestimate his abilities, but watching him play is like hearing Mariah Carey hit her high "C".

The way he plays the game of basketball is just so beautiful. I truly lost my "basketball innocence" after witnessing him on the hardwood. But this feeling after watching him play started to bother me.

I did not know what do with it.

Every time I picked up the basketball I started to play exactly like Ryan Appleby. For better or for worse my teammates noticed the difference in me. They saw me turn into a 3-point shooting maniac who would solely concentrate on hitting that long-range shot. I just couldn't help myself. If Ryan Appleby could hit a record nine 3-pointers in one game, why couldn't I?

I got really good at shooting long range shots. But as time went on, my other basketball skills including my dribbling and passing skills deteriorated. Even my friends saw the change in me and as a result they started to criticize Ryan Appleby.

They saw him as an un-athletic ball hog that couldn't play defense and help his team win games. Was I an un-athletic ball hog? I just brushed off those negative comments and I soon became a 3-point specialist.

No one could stop me.

But when Ryan Appleby graduated last year, my whole perspective changed. This is where things started to go downhill. I could no longer be like Ryan Appleby. I had to face reality and realize what kind of player I had transformed into.  All good things must come to an end and my unhealthy obsession with Ryan Appleby started to wane.

After months of contemplation, I have come to terms with my obsession of Ryan Appleby. You see, Ryan Appleby played the game of basketball with so much passion. He wasn't the most athletic player on the court most times, but he compensated with a deadly 3-point shot.

He must have worked tirelessly for that shot, but as a reward he became one of the most celebrated shooters in Husky basketball history. That is an accomplishment.

After graduating last year, Appleby was drafted by the Idaho Stampede, a competitive national basketball developmental-league team. But Ryan Appleby decided to forgo his chance with the Stampede citing the loss of passion that comes along with playing pro sports.

He now teaches basketball at Emerald Basketball City Academy where he is passing on his passion of basketball to future youth. He is doing what he loves for a living.

Now that's a healthy obsession to have, isn't it?

The rebuilding of Arizona after losing a legend of a coach in Lute Olson, James Harden taking the stage as scoring king, what could Mike Montgomery do in Cal, could the Beavers possibly be as bad as last year, fall of Stanford, fab freshman in UCLA, and Demar DeRozan a.k.a. the new OJ Mayo in USC.

The Pac 10 was filled with headlines entering the 2009 season, so it is understanding that you miss little things like let's say Isaiah Thomas. Not the Isiah Thomas, but it is understanding if you get the two confused just watching them play.

I doubt even Washington knew what they were getting, considering he was behind three other freshman entering the season due to academic reasons. They did not even know he was going to be allowed to play for a while.

But he did not care, he studied up and nailed his ACT, it was all only more motivation for the underdog. Standing at only 5-foot-8 he is always battling people underestimating him. That goes double for the Huskies team, which went 16-16 last season and losing in the first round of the CBI.

In the start of this season it looked like they were doomed to repeat, starting 2-3 but playing a good game versus No. 18 Florida.

Combining their athleticism with a stingy defense is leading the Pac 10 with a 6-1 conference record. Their only loss came in triple overtime, in which Washington led for all but one of the game's 55 minutes to a good Cal team.

You have to give credit to the Huskies leading scorer and distributor; Isaiah is averaging 16 points and dishing out almost three assists per game, but you can not forget about the leading rebounder.

Jon Brackman is averaging just under 11 rebounds per game, including out rebounding the mighty Kansas forward Cole Aldrich 19 rebounds to Cole’s nine. He helped beat both USC and UCLA with a combined 21 rebounds in the two games.

            Quickness is also a major key with Venoy Overton, Justin Dentmon, and Isaiah Thomas leading the way. Together they held Jrue Holliday to 8 points and Darren Collison to 12 on a combined 34 percent shooting from the field and 1 for 8 behind the arc. Not only can they defend but they can score, oh can they score. Averaging 44 percent of the teams 78 points they are the main reason for the Huskies offensive success. 

            "Being ranked among the Top 25 is certainly a compliment to where our program is right now," Huskies coach Lorenzo Romar said. "It is really unfortunate that a Top 25 ranking in mid-January doesn't guarantee us a place in the NCAA Tournament in March.  "Of course, where we finish is more important to our program than where we stand right now. But overall, the recognition is a positive thing."

            After slowly dropping since their sweet sixteen appearance in 2005 Romar, who played basketball for the University of Washington from 1978 to 1980, is ready to get his team back up. They were in the Top 25 after being out for the last two years. He has them playing good basketball doing really good staying in games and finishing them off. During their 7 conference games Washington has outscored opponents 47-31 in the last two minutes of the games. Not only that but during their latest 13-wins-out-of-14-games-streak they have outscored opponents by 114 points during the second half.

They step up to the free throw line poised and confident, just like coach taught them. They have been taught to win and now that they have the taste of it they want nothing more.

"I wouldn't say we're back. It's a new beginning," the Huskies' surging senior guard Justin Dentmon said. "We are starting a new legacy."

"(It's) fun, but it comes with a lot of responsibility as well," Brockman said of being ranked again. "That puts a lot of responsibility on us. But it's better than the alternative."

With new confidence along with the talent from some good recruiting classes, it all looks like the Huskies will be dancing come tourney for the first time since 2006. Can someone say sleeper team?

Here's some news and notes from around the Pac-10....

California's 66.7 percent field-goal percentage against Oregon was the best any Pac-10 team has registered in conference play this year. Theo Robertson of the Golden Bears still leads the nation in three-point percentage, shooting 55.2 percent. 

Cal's Patrick Christopher is just 13 points shy of 1,000 career points, currently sitting at 987 points.  Teammate Jerome Randle is right behind at 957.  Randle is also ninth in career 3-point field goals made at 125, and tenth in career assists with 313. Randle is also first in career free-throw percentage at 85.7 percent.

This is just the third time Washington has started 6-1 in the last 25 years. Washington has won 13 of their last 14 games. It is the first time the Huskies have been in sole possession of first place in the Pac-10 since January 2005.

It is just the third time Washington has started 6-1 in the conference in the last 25 years. The only time the Huskies ever had a better start through seven games was 1953 when they went 7-0.

Last week, Washington averaged getting to the free throw line 41.5 times a game.  If they keep getting to the line this much they will be hard to beat.

Jordan Hill’s 30 points and 18 rebounds against Houston was the Arizona junior's first game of his career that he broke the 20-point and 15-rebound plateaus. Oklahoma's Blake Griffin, on the other hand, has put together 10 such games so far this year.

Aubrey Coleman’s face stomp of Chase Budinger was the most classless act I have seen in years.  He should have been suspended multiple games for that. Each high-five he got while leaving the game should have added a game to it.

Oregon State’s three conference victories so far match their total of the last two seasons combined.

Joe Lunardi currently has Arizona State, California, UCLA and Washington getting in the dance.  It is hard to see any other Pac-10 teams really making a push.  USC has been too inconsistent still and they are the only other team with a shot in my mind.

Check Lunardi's bracket out here.

Player of the week - Calvin Haynes, Oregon State

Haynes averaged 22 points a game this week.  Haynes shot 64 percent from the field, including 7-for-12 from 3-point range and a perfect 5-for-5 from the line.  He also averaged four rebounds a game in Oregon State’s 2-0 week.

Honorable Mention:

Isaiah Thomas averaged 20.5 points while leading the Huskies into first place in the Pac-10 this week. Jerome Randle of Cal averaged 21 points, 6.5 assists, and 3.5 rebounds a game in two games this week. In Jordan Hill’s only game this week he scored 30 points and had 18 rebounds for Arizona.

Team of the week - Washington

As well as Oregon State is doing, Washington held court at home against USC and UCLA.  Walking away with both victories vaulted the Huskies into first place.  The team has won 13 of their last 14 and is on fire.

Game of the week

Arizona’s comeback against Houston this week was impressive.  The Wildcats were down nine with less than a minute to play. 

Arizona’s furious comeback can partly be attributed to Aubrey Coleman’s blatant disregard for Chase Budinger’s face.  After he stepped on Budinger’s face and was ejected, Arizona mounted a comeback. The Wildcats scored 55 points in the second half.

Best game of the upcoming week:

01/31 Washington at Arizona State – Washington has yet to play one of the top-tier teams (Arizona State, UCLA, Cal) on the road.  It will be a great chance to see James Harden go up against Isaiah Thomas.  Arizona State has a chance to snap Washington’s four-game winning streak and get the Sun Devils back into a tie for first place.

Team Rankings:

1. Washington (15-4, 6-1)

2. Arizona State (16-3, 5-2)

3. UCLA (15-4, 5-2)

4. California (16-4, 5-2)

5. USC (13-6, 4-3)

6. Oregon State (9-10, 3-5)

7. Stanford (13-4, 3-4)

8. Arizona (12-8, 2-5)

9. Washington State (11-8, 3-4)

10. Oregon (6-14, 0-8)

For the detailed team rankings and my Pac-10 notes check RushtheCourt every Thursday.