LOS ANGELES — The Washington Huskies eluded retribution on the first leg of their Los Angeles rematch tour. The finale figures to offer a more imposing challenge.
The Huskies beat UCLA in Seattle on Jan. 1, and they beat the Bruins again on Thursday night, 86-84, despite blowing a 19-point lead and falling behind late in the second half. The victory clinched their first sweep of UCLA since the 2010-11 season.
And it set up another big game here on Saturday afternoon.
That’s when Washington visits the Galen Center for a noon tip-off against the USC Trojans, whom the Huskies also defeated in Seattle in early January, an 87-85 victory that required a 22-point second-half comeback.
The Huskies (14-6, 6-2 in Pac-12) are tied with Oregon atop the Pac-12 standings as the conference schedule nears its halfway point, a surprising position for a team that features six freshmen in its eight-man rotation and was picked in the preseason to finish in 11th place.
And it’s probably most remarkable that they’re 3-1 on the road, victors now over Washington State, Arizona State and UCLA, the lone blemish a 99-67 pasting at Arizona on Jan. 14.
Beating the Trojans, then, would be another step toward changing the complexion of what has already been an unexpectedly successful season. If the Huskies return home with a 7-2 conference record before games next week against ASU and Arizona, an NCAA tournament bid would become that much more attainable.
UW coach Lorenzo Romar, speaking after Friday’s practice, said the Huskies have improved at a pace faster than what he expected. And he emphasized again the importance of UW finding ways to win games — close games, especially — before they actually started to “get it.”
“I always thought because of the learning curve with so many new players, that around this time is when we would start to get it,” Romar said. “I didn’t know what our record would be, but I think we’re probably further along. We got further along quicker than I had anticipated.”
But … the Trojans (16-5, 5-3) are pretty good. And they were pretty good when the Huskies beat them on Jan. 3. And the Huskies almost certainly would not have beaten them on Jan. 3 if star USC guard Julian Jacobs hadn’t left the game early in the second half with a sprained ankle. It was his departure, after he scored 15 points in 18 minutes, that spurred UW’s furious comeback.
Jacobs, a 6-foot-4 junior who averages 12.4 points and 5.9 assists per game, is healthy now. USC is 12-0 at home this season. So the Huskies should know what they’re up against. That is: a high-leaping, fast-paced team that shoots 38.9 percent from 3-point range and has six players who average between 10.8 and 12.6 points per game.
“They were athletic and quick and had so many guys that could score and make plays, so we definitely remember that,” Romar said. “So we know in spite of us coming back, this is going to be a serious challenge for us. But on the flip side, as I look at our game from (earlier this year), I think there’s a marked difference. … I think we’re a better team than we were on that opening weekend.”
As for USC: “If they improved from the time we played them,” Romar said, “they might win a national championship. I just think they were already good when we played them. We weren’t there.”
Are the Huskies there yet? The Trojans should provide an accurate barometer.
Tip-ins
Noah Dickerson, a freshman forward, injured his left foot, below the ankle, during Thursday’s win at UCLA. He led UW in scoring with 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Romar said Dickerson sat out of Friday’s practice, but he expects that he will be able to play at USC. … UW’s win over UCLA improved the Huskies’ RPI rating to 53rd, up from 72nd. Seven Pac-12 teams are ranked 51st or better. … Romar said he thinks the Huskies’ constant foul trouble is hindering their defensive aggressiveness in the second half of games, which might be why Pac-12 opponents shoot 49.8 percent from the field against them after halftime. “I think that may take the edge off a little bit,” Romar said, adding that he’s also tying to give players more rest in the first half to avoid fatigue.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
