SEATTLE – The question comes down to heart.
Washington’s disappointing home loss Thursday to USC could or could not have lasting effects this season. Should the Huskies dwell on the things they did wrong – and there were many – the results could mean a long, hard season.
“We’ll see what we’re about,” UW coach Lorenzo Romar said. “If we have any substance, we can come back from this. I think we do.”
The Huskies (5-6 overall, 0-3 Pac-10) get a shot at redemption tonight by playing UCLA (7-3, 3-0), a team that mirrors USC in many ways. Both teams have superb athletes who can run the floor and play great pressure defense.
That will give Washington the chance to show that the season-high 29 turnovers it committed against the Trojans were a fluke. Washington’s backcourt, especially, appeared tentative with the ball and played into the hands of USC defenders.
“It’s a matter of us figuring out these defenses,” guard Will Conroy said. “Teams are making adjustments on the way we play and taking away some things that we like to do. They got their hands on a lot of balls and forced us to swing it around the perimeter.”
Too often, that resulted in casting off from 3-point range. It didn’t work. The Huskies were 10-for-28 shooting from beyond the arc.
They also failed to penetrate the middle because of USC’s aggressive 2-3 zone. It especially hurt Washington in the first half, when it fell behind, 40-26. Before intermission, the Huskies went to the free throw line just twice, a great indication of how much they struggled to get the ball inside. It was better in the second half, but the damage had been done.
“When we made our adjustments and got it into the middle, we started breaking down their defense,” Conroy said.
Not only that, but USC’s speed negated Washington’s fast break, a necessary component of Washington’s game. The Huskies had just two fast-break points to USC’s 14.
Although Washington whittled the lead down to three at one point in the second half, turnovers again took them out of the game. Again, USC plugged passing lanes and Washington failed to pound the middle.
Nate Robinson turned the ball over seven times. Conroy had six turnovers. Five for Mike Jensen. Four for Tre Simmons.
The thrust tonight is to make the necessary corrections against a team just as quick and athletic as USC.
“This team is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” Conroy said. “This team is never going to quit. We just have to play more consistent.”
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