ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi suggested that Washington won a weak Pac-12 and would be one and done in the NCAA tournament. The Huskies ensured they will play at least one more game as they put the clamps on one of the nation’s best offenses for a 78-61 win over Utah State.
The Aggies jumped to an early 11-3 lead but Washington used a 9-0 run to jump ahead and added an 11-0 run at the end of the first half to lead 40-28 at the intermission. Washington forced Utah State into 12 first-half turnovers and the Aggies had no answer inside for Dickerson who scored 14 of his 20 points in the game’s first 20 minutes.
The Aggies made some adjustments at half-time and eventually cut the Huskies lead to one on a 3-pointer by Sam Merrill but back to back 3’s by Naz Carter pushed Washington’s lead to seven. The Aggies employed full-court pressure that at least four Washington turnovers in their back court but the Aggies were rarely able to convert them into points as Washington’s defense held the line.
Mattise Thybulle iced the game with a 3-pointer with 2:48 to go that put Washington up 72-58 ending any chance of a realistic comeback.
Keys to the Game
Washington made Merrill look like an average player
In earlier games against ranked opponents Washington forced some of the top guards in the nation such as Gonzaga’s Josh Perkins and Auburn’s Jared Harper into bad shooting nights so it wasn’t a huge surprise they were able to take away Utah State’s leading scorer. Merrill came into the game averaging 21.2 ppg but didn’t score the first 25 minutes of the game and finished with.just 10 points on 2 of 10 shooting (2 of 8 beyond the 3-point line). It was his second lowest scoring total of the season and he was also forced into a season-high 6 turnovers.
Defense travels
The Aggies were held 18 points below their season average of 79. Washington forced the Aggies into 21 turnovers and they shot just 35% from the field. Washington’s defense looked a little vulnerable in the Pac-12 Tournament but that was against teams facing the Huskies zone for the second (USC) and third (Colorado & Oregon) time. The Aggies took a while to adjust to the Huskies length and defensive pressure and by then Washington had built a relatively comfortable lead.
Noah Dickerson was the best player on the floor
Dickerson has long been known as a strong low-post threat but he excelled on both ends of the floor against the Aggies finishing with 20 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 7 of 13 from the field. Against a taller, more athletic defender in Neemias Queta Dickerson attacked the reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year with a mix of strength and technique including an impressive reverse layup just beyond the reach of the Portuguese shot-blocker. On the defensive end Dickerson had 2 steals and a block and helped the Huskies hold Queta to 4 of 12 shooting from the field.
Outlook: As impressive as the margin of victory looks the Huskies have a lot to improve on. The number of mental errors they made for a senior-laden team was mind-boggling and kept the Aggies in the game longer than they deserved. Whether it was David Crisp fouling out with 8 minutes to go in the game, Jaylen Nowell running the baseline when it wasn’t a made basket for a turnover or Thybulle making an inbounds pass nowhere near Dickerson the Huskies have plenty to clean up.
Not only did the Huskies earn some validation with their win over the Aggies, the Oregon team that has given the Huskies fits of late upset fifth seeded Wisconsin to show the Pac-12 isn’t as bad as the naysayers suggested. The Mountain West on the other hand saw its only two teams Nevada and Utah State go one and done.
Barring a miracle from Iona (which leads at press) the Huskies will play North Carolina, the same team they fell to 86-83 in their most recent NCAA Tournament run on March 22nd, 2011. On to the player grades…
Wright – 7 – Wright put in another solid shift finishing with 3 points, 3 rebounds 2 assist and a block. He played good interior defense and made his only 3-point attempt.
Dickerson – 10 – While Dickerson statistically played an excellent game. There were so many things you won’t see in the box score that he did well. He took a charge late in the second-half on Merrill that erased a basket and he is a big reason the Huskies Queta struggled to finish around the rim.
Nowell – 9 – Nowell bounced back from an abysmal game against Oregon. He finished with 19 points on just 7 shots thanks to going 2 for 2 beyond the arc and 9 of 10 at the line. He also had 5 rebounds and 5 assist. Many of his 5 turnovers came in the second half as the Huskies struggled to break full-court pressure. I don’t fault Nowell too much because once Crisp fouled out nearly 100% of the ball-handling fell on him.
Thybulle – 8 – Thybulle put on a defensive clinic with 5 steals and 3 blocks. It was encouraging to see the National Media give him his due even though Kenny Smith erroneously compared his game to Klay Thompson’s. Thybulle finished with 10 points and deserves some credit for playing the last 7 or so minutes with 4 fouls, but I would note he picked up his 3rd in frustration after missing a layup and with him out the game the Aggies immediately went on an 11-3 run. Ideally his fouls would be made going for steals or blocks on the defensive end, not in frustration after a missed shot or turnover with no real chance of a takeaway. He’s too valuable to sit on the bench in foul trouble and with four fouls he has to tone down the aggressiveness that makes him so good.
Crisp – 6 – Crisp hit two big 3’s, his first with Washington trailing 5-0 to start the game and his next one pushing the Huskies lead to double digits on a find from Nowell. He finished with 8 points but his ball-handling was missed against the press. Crisp picked up his fifth foul on a 3 on fast break where he clearly pushed off on Merrill going for a layup. He had Carter and Nowell trailing him with clear lanes to the hoop it was a truly unfortunate play.
Timmins – NR – Timmins played very sparingly as the Aggies full-court pressure led to Hopkins going with some smaller lineups in the second half.. He had a dunk attempt blocked in the first half by Queta.
Carter – 10 – When the Huskies looked shell-shocked after the Aggies cut their lead to one, Carter didn’t seem phased and answered with back to back 3’s. He finished with 13 points, a steal and a block but most impressive was his passing. He had four assist including a savvy dish in the second-half where he drove the lane and avoided a man waiting for the charge by handing the ball to Dickerson for a two-hand slam. Carter played with fire and I don’t think the Huskies win this game without game.
Green – 6 – Green played a season-low 11 minutes but he made his moments count hitting a 3-pointer to push the lead to 12 in the second-half and grabbed 2 rebounds.
Bey – 8 – Bey is really starting to flash, he cracked double digit minutes for just the fourth time this season and he scored on a nice runner while also grabbing 3 rebounds. Once Crisp fouled out Bey entered the game and gave the Huskies two rangy long defenders at the top of their zone with himself and Thybulle. The Aggies went on a scoring drought and Washington started to pull away.
Crandall, Q. Bernard, E. Hardy, T. Rice – NR – Short cameo for the end of the bench, props to Hopkins for allowing them to play in an NCAA Tournament game.
Pre-Game Prediction & Actual
P: Washington 68 Utah State 60
A: Washington 78 Utah State 61
