Huskies lose to Aggies 63-64
by: Griffin Bennett
In the sloppiest game in recent memory, the 22nd ranked Dawgs tried to scrap their way to a win but came up short as Isaiah Thomas’ game winning shot attempt was blocked as time expired. In a brutal game that was infuriating to watch, Romar’s offense was stagnant all day as A&M denied the ball to the middle. Time after time, the Huskies struggled to get their half court offense going and turned it over 20 times. The fact that it was even a one point game was an even bigger shock. A team with so much potential and skill should not have been made to look so helpless. The Huskies still don’t have a signature win over a good team and the remaining schedule lacks any ranked teams left. We may all have to take a big slice of humble pie and admit that this team is far from perfect.
Positives:
- Free Throws – During one of the ugliest games ever, the Huskies went perfect from the line going 16-16. It was the only thing that kept the game close and it could have been a blow out without it. It was one step forward in a game that took many steps backwards.
- Venoy Overton – He was the only semi-effective player on the court and was the only guard, other than Suggs, to have a positive assist-to-turnover ratio of 3 to 1. While 7 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block aren’t overly impressive, it was the best stat line that a Husky player posted.
Negatives:
- Half court offense – It’s just terrible. I will love Romar forever, but his half court offense as never gotten better since Cameron Dollar left. He was Romar’s best X’s and O’s coach and the problem seems to rear its ugly head whenever the Huskies play a talented team. The clogged toilet offense is so frustrating to watch as the off-ball players seem lost and confused. This team will go nowhere if the issue isn’t fixed soon.
- Field Goal Shooting – All of it. 20 of 53 from the field and 6 of 22 from three are horrific numbers. They took contested shots all night and rarely found an open player. Kudos to the Aggies defense, but a great team needs to figure it out.
- Turnovers – 20 of ‘em. Absolutely unacceptable. 11 to 20 assist to turnover ratio and sloppy passes and dribble all night. I’ve seen fewer turnovers in a bakery.
- Isaiah Thomas – Bro, what’s the deal? Two assists and six turnovers? I know you’re trying to draw the foul, but running out of control between players caused you to have 3 traveling calls. 2 for 7 from the field and 1 for 4 from deep isn’t going to cut it from a scoring guard. You need to figure out your roll on this team because what you’re doing now isn’t working. I hate to say it, but the team played better with you off of the court tonight. I know you’ll figure it out and I’m not worried. Keep working and lead this team to where it needs to go.
- MBA – This is becoming a serious problem. He is weak in paint and get’s boxed out and out rebounded every night. He has taken a serious step backwards and gives the Huskies no presence in the paint. His line: 27 minutes, 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 4 turnovers, and 3 fouls. Is that a joke, MBA? 27 minutes and FOUR rebounds? Have fun on the bench, because it’s where you belong. Aziz played only 13 minutes and had 7 rebounds and 0 turnovers. He needs to play more minutes and I was disappointed that he wasn’t on the court at the end of the game.
- Rebounding – Huskies lost the battle 28-35. MBA is a joke, Gant is becoming a perimeter player, and Aziz is the only effective guy we got. The Aggies got 15 offensive boards as the Huskies refuse to box out. I want Breshers back.
Summary:
It’s time to pick up the pieces and start over from scratch. No one should be guaranteed a starting spot anymore and everyone needs to look in the mirror and ask themselves one question: How bad do I want this? With Holiday out due to some questionable calls, who is the leader of this team? There is no go-to-guy in the waning minutes as this team sorely misses Quincy Pondexter and hasn’t found a viable replacement.
Even with the expectations being so high for this team, they obviously don’t warrant being ranked in the top 25. There are so many questions still to be answered and with Pac-10 play coming up quick, there is little time left to find the answers. It’s starting to feel like last year all over again and that’s not a good thing. This team is far too talented to play like it does, and it’s making me crazy. I probably should let myself cool down before I write a game wrap, but I don’t think I’d be as honest. There will be better days, but our Final Four dream seems miles away.