It’s been two months since the Washington Men’s Basketball team has had to bounce back from a loss but that is the exact situation they find themselves in going into Saturday’s contest at Washington State. Here are some things the Huskies will need to do to get back into the win column.
With this being rivalry week for Washington, they have two additional days to stew over their disappointing loss to Arizona State. Not to beat to death the old cliche but it’s not that they lost but how they lost getting pushed around inside and settling for outside shots. Washington State was having a nightmare of a season… Until they went to Arizona last week. Double digit wins over Arizona and Arizona State gave the Cougars their first Desert road sweep in 12 years.
Saturday @ Washington State Cougars (10-14, 3-8), 5PM @ Friel Court on ESPNU
Opponent Notes: The Cougars are led by reigning Pac-12 player of the week Robert Franks. Franks leads the Pac-12 in scoring at 22.6 points per game. He’s also 5th in rebounding with 7.7 per and he averages 2.7 assist per game. Franks is a pure shooter 53% from the field and 39% from beyond the arc. He’s on fire of late going 22 of 34 in the Desert (64.7%) shooting 12 of 18 from beyond the arc (66%) and he averaged 32.5 points and 10.5 rebounds over the two games.
How did CJ Elleby getaway to Washington State? When Daejon Davis and Jaylen Nowell graduated from Garfield Elleby transferred over from Cleveland for his senior year and was lightly recruited. The Cougars found a real gem in the 6’6” freshman who looks to be the front runner for Pac-12 freshman of the year. He is averaging 15.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3 assist and 1 steal per game while shooting just a tick under 40% from beyond the arc.
Injury Update: Washington hopes to have Hameir Wright after he missed the past two games with flu-like symptoms. The extra rest will also benefit Noah Dickerson’s sore ankle. The Cougars are much healthier than the last time the two teams played, a game Franks missed with a hip contusion.
Schedule: Both teams played the Seattle U Redhawks and University of San Diego in non-conference play. The Cougars lost to Seattle by 9 on the road while the Huskies beat them by 8 at home. The Huskies beat San diego by 3 at home, the Cougars fell by 7 at home.
Last Time: Washington State is the first team Washington will have seen for the 2nd time this year. The last game was a 85-67 blowout for Washington made notable by David Crisp coming out party (23 points, 3 for 4 from three). Jaylen Nowell added 20 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assist while Mattise Thybulle was perfect on all four shots, all three 3’s and all six free throws. Elleby finished with a double-double in his return home with 26 points and 10 rebounds.
Matchup to Watch: Perimeter Shooting
The Cougars attempt more 3-pointers than any other Pac-12 team, 45% of their shot attempts come from beyond the arc. In the last meeting 27 of the Cougars 49 shots were 3’s but they only converted 11 (40%) of them. Washington took 20 but made 11 (55%).
If the Cougars are willing to settle for 3-pointers that would really play into Washington’s favor. The Husky interior defense looked vulnerable in Tempe. Washington shot 32 3’s against ASU only making 10 (31%), you can bet Mike Hopkins will emphasize getting points in the paint against the Cougars who lack any semblance of a rim-protector.
Prediction: It’s funny how times change. I remember covering this rivalry 10 years ago when current Virginia head coach Tony Bennett roamed the sidelines of Pullman. His teams played a lot of zone and wanted to control the clock in their half-court offense while the Huskies tried to get up and down the court under Lorenzo Romar. Now the Cougars are led by Ernie Kent whose fast-break offense has the Cougars 3rd in the Pac-12 in scoring at 77.5 points per game but they also find themselves 11th in scoring defense.
Teams can win with many styles in college basketball but there is something to be said about teams that are methodical with the ball (Bennet’s team is currently #4 in the nation with it’s only losses to Duke). Kent’s team resembles some of Washington’s recent teams in that there is some individual talent that can score but a lack of identity on the defensive side of the ball. The Cougars didn’t particularly play great defense in their wins over the Arizona schools, those teams just shot abysmally and didn’t play with any confidence.
The good news for Washington is that they are coming off a loss and won’t be caught overlooking the Cougars. I think they will get back to their identity of taking their time until they get a good shot unlike last week where they took contested long shots early in the shot-clock. The kids have to remember they can’t erase a double digit deficit in one possession.
I am sure Franks will try to emulate some of what ASU’s Zylan Cheatham did against the Huskies, finding soft-spots in the high post of the 2-3 zone. But I don’t think Franks has the supporting cast of scorers around him to make Washington pay. The Huskies get back in the win column Saturday before a much-needed trip home.
Final Score: Washington 75 Washington State 67
