UW Basketball: Huskies can’t stop the bleeding–lose to U of A and ASU.

This last weekend, Alaska Airlines Arena was a house of horrors for the University of Washington Huskies, dropping both games to each PAC-12 Arizona schools. Losing:

Friday, Feb 13th  86-62 versus Arizona

Sunday, Feb 15th 78-68 versus Arizona State
UW lost its 6th and 7th straight game this weekend, which is the longest in coach Lorenzo Romar’s tenure.  UW will need a miracle in the PAC-12 tourney to get to even the second or third tier tourney.

Against the Wildcats, the game was never really in doubt.  In the 1st half Arizona had a 21-2 run and never looked back.  The  Wildcat defense was stifling and the offense firing on all cylinders.

With 12 minutes left to go, the Huskies had a lead before Arizona Sate scored 10 straight.  And again with 7 minutes left, UW had a 5 point lead only to watch ASU’s Gery Blakes go crazy scoring 16 of his 20 points down the homestretch to win it for teh Sun Devils.

Pitiful in-the-paint defense and poor shooting form the field have plagued this team; one can’t help but feel that this team sorely lacks the depth to make up for loss of Robert Upshaw.  The expelled 7 foot center lead the nation in blocked shots, single-handedly changing the landscape of the interior defense.  The drop-off in talent is a gaping vacuum.  We have seen a month of PAC-12 opposition crash the boards and drive the lanes with little opposition.

What worked

Nigel Goss-Williams, who was limited to 7 points under a suffocating defence of the Wildcats, dropped 20 versus Arizona State.

Andrew Andrews scored 18 and 19 points in back to back games.  The 6’2 guard also had 14 rebounds in two games.

What didn’t work

Shooting from the field has been atrocious.  Against the Wildcats the Huskies shot .379 from the field and against the Sun Devils .352.  The Huskies were also out-rebounded by a total of 23 rebounds over two games.

The Husky bench has been atrocious. Reserve center  Gilles Dierickx and gaurds  Darin Johnson & Quevyn Winters put up a meager 15 points over two games.  The lack of production has offered little relief for the starting 5.

Key players

Arizona  was led by an amazing effort by Stanley Johnson with 20 Pts, 8 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Blk.   Andrew Andrews for UW finished with 18 Pts, 11 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl.

Arizona State Sun Devil Gerry Blakes had a stellar game with 23 Pts, 7 Reb, 3 Ast.   UW’s Nigel Goss-Williams finished with 20 Pts, 5 Reb, 6 Ast, with an additional 18pts by Andrew Andrews.

Next Up

The Huskies play Washington St in the Palouse Sunday Feb 22nd at 5:30 (ESPN U).

Pac -12 standings