SEATTLE — An odd stat to consider while waiting for the start of today’s Washington men’s basketball game:
It is entirely possible that a week from now, the Huskies will own more Pacific-10 Conference titles (one) than Pac-10 Player of the Week awards (zero) this season.
Washington has been in contention for the regular-season title all year, is alone atop the standings now, and needs only two more home wins to clinch its first outright conference title since 1953. Yet somehow, the Pac-10 powers that be have decided that no Husky has been worthy of the weekly individual honor this season.
But the Huskies aren’t complaining about the season-long snub, instead it’s become something of a point of pride as they head into their second to last conference game today.
In fact, a lack of individual honors might be the biggest reason why the Huskies are on top of the Pac-10 standings this late in the year.
Every Pac-10 team but first-place Washington and last-place Oregon has had a player honored so far this season. While the Ducks’ abysmal record offers an easy explanation for their lack of recognition, Washington’s has more to do with the balance that has made the Huskies so good this year.
“I think at our program with our philosophy, if we can have four or five in double figures, we’re at our best,” Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said. “Rarely do we have anyone averaging 20, 21 points per game. It’s about where it is now, 16, 15, 14, 12. We try to share the basketball, and it makes you, in my opinion, a little more difficult to defend.”
While the Huskies lead the league in scoring, their leading scorer, Justin Dentmon, averages just 15.8 points per game. Isaiah Thomas is a close second, having scored two less points this season for an average of 15.7, while Jon Brockman averages 14.9. Quincy Pondexter has brought his average up to 11.5 with strong play in the second half of the Pac-10 schedule. Against Oregon earlier this season, all four scored 20 or more points. And on top of all of that, Matthew Bryan-Amaning has twice led the team in scoring.
“I don’t know that you can focus on one player when you play Washington,” Arizona coach Russ Pennell said. “They’re very balanced. … You’d like to keep Brockman off the glass, that’s where he can really kill you, but you also have to contain Isaiah Thomas’ penetration and Dentmon’s shooting and Pondexter. The list goes on. I love their team and I love their lineup, and if you start focusing on one guy, somebody else on their team is talented enough to beat you.”
The Huskies balanced scoring is complemented by overall team depth. The Huskies regularly go nine deep with their rotation and don’t have a player averaging more than 30.6 minutes per game.
“It’s all about team with this group… I think everyone realizes that,” said senior forward Brockman, who won the weekly Pac-10 player award three times last season.
Brockman might have the best chance to end Washington’s Pac-10 Player of the Week drought if he can lead the Huskies to another win today and build off the 21-point, 11-rebound performance he had Thursday.
While the Huskies are akin to a diversified stock portfolio, the Wildcats are not.
Arizona is largely a three-man show. Chase Budinger, Jordan Hill and Nic Wise all play 35.5 minutes or more per game and they account for 70 percent of their team’s scoring. But even with a heavy reliance on its talented trio, Arizona (18-10, 8-7 Pac-10) has been one of the conference’s best teams in the second half of the season.
“When they’re playing at the top of their game — and I’m not just throwing this out there — they’re literally good enough to beat anyone in the country,” Romar said. “I say that because I watched their game earlier in the year against Kansas, I watched their game against Gonzaga, and I’ve watched them during their win streak, and when things are clicking for them, wow, they are tough to deal with.”
Washington battles the Wildcats today after a tough overtime victory against Arizona State on Thursday. But the short turnaround before a crucial game doesn’t worry Romar.
The Huskies have played well on Saturdays this season, especially on the road, and Romar said the team’s depth has a lot to do with how the players respond to the quick turnaround between Thursday and Saturday games.
“I don’t think there’s any question about it, no doubt about it, that’s helped us tremendously,” he said. “On Saturdays, rarely have we come out and looked like we’ve been sleepwalking. We’ve been able to come out and be pretty fresh.”
Being able to come out fresh has a lot to do with the Huskies’ depth and versatility.
“Being able to have that versatility, it makes us pretty dangerous, because it just gives us that many more weapons we can throw at people,” Brockman said. “Whatever area they leave open — they’re going to have to leave something open in order to defend us — when we can capitalize on that opening, it makes us a tough team to deal with.”
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more on UW sports, check out the Huskies blog at heraldnet.com/huskiesblog
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