Oregon Trip speed bump for Washington Basketball Team
After winning consecutive games against nationally-ranked Arizona and Arizona State, the Washington Basketball team success ground to a halt as they lost consecutive games to both Oregon and Oregon State
Everything was coming up roses for the Washington Basketbal team. They had a strong start to the season, capped by successives wins over nationally-ranked Arizona State and then Arizona. In fact, their success gave fans hope for an NCAA Tournament invitation, and even a national Top-25 seed.
The Huskies suffered two tough losses in Oregon this weekend, and was a small shot to the team’s tournament hopes. As of right now, Joe Lunardi still has them in the tournament as an 11 seed, but it’s going to be a grind after the sweep in Oregon.
Still Winless in Eugene
The Dawgs still haven’t come out on top in Matthew Knight Arena since it opened in 2011. This loss was eerily similar to the UCLA loss, where the team simply couldn’t score. Winning on the road in the Pac-12 is tough, especially in Oregon. Still, the team got demolished.
Oregon Forward Kenny Wooten simply dominated the Huskies, with 12 points and 7 blocks in 21 minutes. Noah Dickerson continues to amaze Husky fans, but he had trouble getting free against Wooten. The Huskies shot a paltry 27.8 percent from the floor. With that accuracy, you aren’t going to win many games. David Crisp and Jaylen Nowell shot a combined 6-25. Despite coaches insisting on slowing down and getting good looks, they looked hurried and wreckless whenever they set up to shoot. And in the end, that is all that really needs to be said about the way this game went.
Another Shocker in Corvallis
Every team has a game where they struggle to make shots, and Corvallis looked like a perfect bounce back. It seemed that way when the Washington Basketball team took a 13 point lead with just eight minutes to go. Oregon State’s Stephen Thompson never should have been in position to hit his three with 0.4 seconds left.
I don’t know if it was fatigue or simply trust issues, but Mike Hopkins ran a seven-man rotation against Oregon State. The only bench players to see time were Dominic Green and Nahziah Carter. Green struggled from the floor, going 0-4 from three point range while the Huskies seemed to limp to the finish. They turned the ball over 19 times while fatigue really showed, with four starters playing 40+ minutes, including David Crisp who played 50. A learning experience for Mike Hopkins, the Huskies will look to bounce back this weekend at home against Utah and Colorado.
The Positives
Naz Carter played incredibly well, especially against Oregon State, and he should see more time down the stretch. Matisse Thybulle continued to impress, both offensively and defensively, showing his range against Oregon State. Thybulle went 4-6 from three-point range, and added four more steals to his single season record in Corvallis. Jaylen Nowell continued to show he can be an elite scoring threat, putting up 23 points in Corvallis. And of course, there’s Noah Dickerson. Dickerson is going to be the key to a deep run in the Pac-12 tournament.
Next: Has Bryan Penn-Johnson noticed Washington Basketball’s success?
A deep run in Las Vegas might be what pushes the Huskies over the top and into the tournament. With 4 of the last 6 games coming at home, the Huskies are still in great position to make their first tournament since 2011.