Gant’s Moustache: The Cure for the Oregon Hangover

I am still feeling kind of down about the loss to Oregon, but I wanted to share a tiny ray of sunshine.

Last year, we finished 1-1 when we went down to Arizona to play—and ended up 14-4 in the Pac. If we can somehow win both of these games on Friday and Saturday, it will erase the damage done to us by Oregon at home.

I am hoping the following 10 things happen during these few games to push us toward a 2-0 record in the desert, and erase the Oregon Hangover:

1.       Our defensive intensity remains high, but we pay close attention to making sure guards are not allowed to penetrate the paint so easily.

2.       Romar starts consistently subbing players in and out so that every guy can get into a rhythm and truly understand his role.

3.       Scott Suggs and Justin Holiday get more minutes; and Elston Turner and Clarence Trent get fewer. (I like these guys, but think an 11-man rotation is like having two closers on a baseball team. Nobody ends up getting the job done because their role is not clearly defined.)

4.       Justin Holiday continues to be one of the best passers on this team and best defensive player, but hits a few more jumpers and gains some confidence offensively.

5.       MBA is more assertive offensively and Bresheers gets more scoring chances in the post.

6.       Quincy continues his All-American season and the Huskies make sure he touches the ball on every half-court possession. (Quincy isolation was the only thing that worked for us in the half court against Oregon.)

7.       Gaddy‘s shots start falling and his playing time increases because of it.

8.       Venoy makes better decisions late in games and keeps scoring 12-14 points per contest, easing the pressure on IT and Quincy.

9.       IT’s threes go in at about 40% and he also starts making better decisions late in games.

10.   Our big guys hit foul shots and don’t shy away from contact.

I would love to hear your thoughts (and your top- ten lists.)