Record 2-1
Games
Western Kentucky 73-55 W
#10 Auburn 88-66 L
San Diego 66-63 W
Recap
The Huskies opened the season ranked in the Top 25 with lots of expectations; despite a slow start against Western Kentucky, the Dawgs used a big second half run to put the Hilltoppers away. That set up a showdown against #10 Auburn.
The Huskies came out slow and never got in any rhythm. Auburn was physical and took it to Washington all night, harassing them on defense and driving right through the 2-3 zone on their way to a 22-point victory. UW got into foul trouble with their big men early and Noah Dickerson fouled out early into the second half.
Returning home to face an experienced San Diego team, the Huskies fought and clawed their way to a victory. USD exploited the high low option in the defense and made mid-range jumpers all night to put pressure on the Dawgs. In the second half the reserve squad used a swarming defense to create a 19-2 run and the Huskies led by 8.
Hameir Wright and Naz Carter showed large flashes of growth in their sophomore seasons leading on the offense and defensive sides of the ball to bring the Dawgs back in front. After a USD timeout and substitutions, the lead was gone, and the game started swinging back and forth. Jaylen Nowell and Noah Dickerson put the offense burden on their shoulders and matched USD bucket for bucket. The defensive finally held on in the final minutes accompanied with strong free throw shooting down the stretch.
Analysis
If the Huskies were going to finish week one 2-1 this was the way to do it. The loss on the road to Auburn will not be a negative when looking at their resume. Home wins over a pair of mid-majors is nothing to write home about but it certainly beats the alternative. This team has not peaked or even showed close to its potential. They’re still finding ways to win these games while ironing out details of the defense and what rotations work well together.
This team has had issues being very streaky. If Dickerson gets in foul trouble the team stops looking inside and starts shooting threes. So far, they have been cold and have had multiple 4-6-minute stretches without a made bucket. The lopsided runs against San Diego and Western Kentucky came from great energy on the defensive side of the ball leading to transition opportunities.
The Huskies need to get themselves to the line more, especially Jaylen Nowell. He entered the San Diego game having attempted just FOUR free throws. He has a great mid-range jump shot and has been scoring, but when Dickerson goes to the bench, he needs to attack the rim. Making up for Nowell’s lack of attempts is Naz Carter. He has been 9-11 from the line so far while averaging 10 pts off the bench. That’s good for third on the team despite playing just 18 minutes.
Moving forward the Huskies need more out of Matisse Thybulle on the offensive side of the floor, under 8 pts per game so far. That accompanied with the fact none of the three freshmen have been able to score and this offense is managing just 68 points per game. Timmons has been starting games but seeing less minutes than anyone outside of the freshmen and has offered very little in the scoring department.
As a team the Huskies are shooting a mere 28% from long range and a lot of that has to do with poor ball movement. Three games into the season the Huskies have an assist to turnover-ratio below 1.0. If they can create more ball movement in the half-court offense, there should be better looks for the perimeter shooters instead of contested threes after dribbling in place. An improvement in the rebounding category could also go a long way in helping this team put games away. Right now, they rank 317th in the country with only 31 rebounds a game. Zone defenses don’t usually rebound well but this team has the length and athleticism to grab boards if they commit to it.
Looking Ahead
Vancouver Showcase
11/18 Santa Clara
11/20 Texas A&M
11/21 Minnesota
