Husky Hangover: Nevada Edges Out Washington 76-73 OT

Take a deep breath Husky fans. Breathe in, breathe out. Get a paper-bag if you need one. This is not the end of the season nor the time to call for a coach’s job.

This is just a young team proving that they have no clear leadership and no real fundamentals when it comes to playing together.

I wasn’t able to watch the Husky game live which proved to be a blessing. I knew the outcome before I watched the game, I read the frustration on twitter, heard the anger from fans, and thus when I turned on ESPN3 to watch the replay. I knew what was going to happen.

I knew the Huskies would have a bunch of early turnovers and be down 11-4. I knew the Huskies would not be able to run any sort of half-court offense, I knew Aziz N’Diaye was trying his hardest to get a pick and roll going, I knew Tony Wroten would try to foul in the final seconds by not succeed (or not get it called depending on your opinion), and a handful of other things about the game.

This helped me when watching, to analyze the game to look for the positives and help you as the Husky fan take a deep breath after your “Husky Loss Hangover”.

5 points I want you to consider:

• The Huskies have immense amounts of talent. They were easily the most talented team on the court last night, they were the most talented team against St. Louis. This is a positive because if they can work out the kinks-they will win not only “easy” match-ups but more difficult ones too.
• The Huskies are one of the youngest teams in the country. Romar has a couple of juniors and one senior (that is currently playing). To look at those 3 you will not see anyone that will or has stepped up as the leader of this team; Darnell Gant, Aziz N’Diaye, and Abdul Gaddy. None of them have really stepped up to lead and to be fair no one on the team has. We are hoping guys like Terrence Ross who is a sophomore will lead, Tony Wroten who is a true freshman will lead, or [insert name here] who is a sophomore or younger to lead this team. This transitions us nicely into point number 3.
• How good of a team can this be if there is a leader on the floor? Romar is yelling his guts out on the sideline, he is hoping they will use fundamentals and high basketball IQ, he is leading from the sideline. BUT how much better can this team be if they have a leader on the COURT? Isaiah Thomas didn’t start this way, he had the swag but not the leadership ability, he had to develop it and some of that came through tough losses. Scott Suggs coming back from injury may be the best thing that will happen all year for this team. HE HAS TO STEP UP AND LEAD.
• This team plays to their opponent’s skill level- what seems to be the most frustrating part of this team, is they let opponents either A. hang around with them even though the Huskies are better or B. they let opponents beat them even though they are the more talented team. This is something young teams do, they let their opponent stick around or control the game/lead and the better team (the younger team) is fighting to get back in it or stay in it through the entire game. This can be fixed when the fundamentals are fixed. They need to learn to step on their opponent’s throats (figuratively).
• The Pac-12 is in shambles this year. If this Husky team can fix their issues, they have a shot to run away with the Pac-12 or at least battle amongst the top teams. The talent is there, fundamentals can be taught.

Take a deep breath. This season is not lost. The coach should not be fired. Husky fans be patient with this young team and trust that they will learn. It may take a couple embarrassing losses in New York for them to buy-in but it the season can still be an exciting one.

And didn’t a lot of you tell me that Nevada was a trap game? Regardless, breathe in- breathe out.