The Huskies Got Beat By Wazzu
Yesterday we wrote that the Huskies would beat #10 Wazzu, and we were wrong. Don't be that surprised, it happens a lot.
What was most frustrating about the game is that Huskies could have easily won.
Several times in the final four minutes UDub had the ball down one, and instead of dumping it inside, which had worked all game, the Huskies resorted to the offensive scheme that has made us weep all season: A guard dribbles the ball around until the shot clock runs down, everyone panics, and finally a forced shot is missed.
As the game got tighter down the stretch the Cougar defense concentrated on stopping the Husky big men, who scored only once in the final five minutes. To quote Seattlest Seth, "Hawes didn't take a shot in the final 5:33. WHAT THE MOTHER FUCKING FUCK????"
The Cougars dared Washington's guards to beat them, which is a lot like daring ice cubes in a microwave to melt.
It was quite fitting on Valentine's Day to realize how much we love competent guard play. Last night, our heart was broken.
Justin Dentmon: 2 for 12, 9 points. Missed five shots in the final 3:30.
Ryan Appleby: 3 for 8, 9 points. Aired his final three three point attempts.
Adrian Oliver: 23 minutes, 2 points. Rushed a three after the Huskies finally cut the lead to three, missed it badly.
"A mighty pain to love it is,
And 'tis a pain that pain to miss;
But of all pains, the greatest pain
It is to love, but love in vain."
The Huskies now face their highest ranked team of the week with a Saturday morning trip to Pittsburgh, who after crapping the bed against number one seed killer Louisville, they will be angry and ready. Eeek!
Meanwhile the Cougars look like a legit Final Four team. They close out on jump shooters better than any team this side of the Detroit Pistons, and their post defenders make up for their lack of height and bulk with intelligence. Ivory Clark may be the smartest post defender we've ever seen. He must study film on Brockman because he was mirroring the big man's moves exactly. They looked like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, except that instead of getting dipped, Clark finished the dance by swatting Brockman's shit back in his face. And we can't ignore how the Cougs battled through some awful officiating. We didn't hear anything about it in the news, but apparently even brushing up against Spencer Hawes is a foul now. Total star treatment. We're not sure of the particulars of this new rule, but we think that if any Coug had actually fouled Hawes, he would've been summarily executed. (We further think that Hawes won't get such special treatment from Big East refs at Pitt. Just a hunch.) The Cougs, 1/2 game behind UCLA, could very well end up with a #1 seed in the tournament, and we'll be rooting for them all the way. Their next game is a week from today at Oregon.
Wazzu has now beaten Gonzaga once and Washington twice. However, before they can declare themselves kings of the state, they must find a way to schedule a game in Whitman's Sherwood Center and tangle with Skip's band of Fighting Missionaries. Only then will we know who owns this state, and we guarantee a Whitman College victory.
