Huskies’ Trip East Could Mirror Their Season
NEW YORK – Washington’s 91-85 loss to Syracuse in the consolation game of the NIT Season Tip-Off could be a mirror of their season. In that game, they generally showed well and looked promising, but they just didn’t have enough. With the overall strength from top to bottom of the Pac-10, it’s possible that in March, their season could be summed up much the same way.
The Huskies certainly don’t lack talent, and that was evident Friday night. They aren’t the most experienced team, as they start two freshmen and a sophomore, but they aren’t any more youthful than some other college teams these days. In short, they have the ingredients to see some postseason play after not doing that last year, and they look like a team talented enough to finish in the first division in most conferences.
On Friday night, the Huskies were in the game throughout, even leading for a good portion of the first half. They led by as many as nine just after the halfway point before the Orange went on a 15-0 run to take the lead for good. Three turnovers and an offensive foul during that stretch didn’t help matters.
After that stretch, the Orange led the rest of the way, and the Huskies tried to play catch-up. They did some of that when Syracuse got sloppy late in the game, but by then it was too late.
There were some bright spots in this game for the Huskies, who held a large 54-31 edge on the glass. They executed against the 2-3 zone defense very well at times, even forcing the Orange to switch to a man-to-man in the first half. They frequently got dribble penetration and ball movement inside, which gave them some good chances.
“Our guys did a good job of passing the ball inside and out, and reversing the floor with it,” said Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar. “I thought we got really good looks. I thought when they went man, we were less efficient in that the ball began to stick in our hands and we didn’t move it as much.”
The rebounding edge was no doubt helped by a combination of Syracuse’s youth and the fact that with a zone defense, players on the defensive team don’t have clear rebounding responsibilities. The Huskies had 26 offensive rebounds, equaling the 26 defensive rebounds the Orange had. But credit also has to go to the Huskies, who have a good rebounder inside in Jon Brockman (who was limited to 10 points and seven rebounds) and an active forward in Quincy Pondexter, who had a good night with 20 points and 15 rebounds. Freshman Matthew Bryan-Amaning is another in a similar mold, as an athletic power forward.
Besides athleticism, the Huskies’ backcourt showed some promise. Venoy Overton showed well, and along with junior Justin Dentmon gives them two point guards on the floor, although Dentmon has a little bit of a score scorer’s mentality. They combined for eight assists and three turnovers on Friday night to go with 27 points. While the Huskies had 21 turnovers, few came from the guards, as backup guard Tim Morris didn’t turn it over.
“With the way we play, the more players on the floor that can handle the basketball, the better,” said Romar. “When they’re out there, I don’t think you can pressure us.”
Romar came away from the two games in New York more positive than one might imagine a coach would after his team went 0-2. He’s happy with the way Overton has played thus far at the point, and feels he can work with his team on what they need to do.
“I think that things that we didn’t do well to allow us to win the game are fixable,” Romar said.
One of those things is defense, which was a problem last season. Opponents shot 45 percent against the Huskies last season, and on Friday night the Orange shot 52 percent from the field. In the first five games, opponents are shooting over 46 percent against them, although they are forcing just over 19 turnovers per game.
Their issues may be fixable, but in another month, the Huskies will have a tall order ahead to do that. The Pac-10 looks to be the best conference in the country, and it would be a shock if any team went through the conference undefeated. The conference could legitimately send nine teams to postseason play, meaning that the oft-cited phrase by coaches that there are no off-nights in the conference will be much more than just coach-speak.
Next month, the Huskies will get shooter Ryan Appleby back, giving them their entire team. That will make the offense more balanced and give them a more reliable shooter, but that alone won’t change their fortunes and it won’t fix the defensive problem. It’s also a good, not great, talent boost on a team that plays in a conference with no shortage of talent.
The Huskies exit New York with a pair of losses and a hopeful coach. They have talent and some experience, all of which wasn’t quite enough in their two games in New York. It’s not inconceivable that the same could ultimately be said for them in the Pac-10 later this season.
