SEATTLE — University of Washington men’s basketball coach Lorenzo Romar spent the first eight minutes of his weekly Tuesday press conference talking about the need for his Huskies to improve on the defensive end.
Come Thursday night, he might have a 7-foot answer.
Junior center Aziz N’Diaye, who is not only UW’s tallest player but also its most intimidating defender, is expected back from a sprained knee when the Huskies play host to Cal State Northridge on Thursday. While N’Diaye was out, UW gave up 172 points to UC Santa Barbara and South Dakota State.
“In the last two-and-a-half games, defensively, if we were to pick an MVP of our defense, there’s no doubt it’s Aziz N’Diaye,” Romar said, referring to the effect his big man’s knee injury had after he came out one minute into the second half of the Dec. 10 loss to Duke. “You take him out of the game, we fall down a little bit further.”
Romar, who plans to bring N’Diaye off the bench Thursday night, wouldn’t go as far as to say that the 7-footer would have been the difference in Sunday’s loss to South Dakota State. But the coach is eager to get him back onto the floor.
“He blocks two (shots) a game, and he changes about two or three shots a game, and I think there are probably three or four other times they just don’t shoot because he’s there,” Romar said. “His presence is huge. … In a lot of ways, he’s our most valuable player because of what he does that way.”
Of course, just getting a fly-swatting big man back in the lineup won’t cure all of UW’s defensive woes. The Huskies’ guards have allowed too many opposing point guards to drive past them, while a perimeter made up of long-armed defenders has been unable to get out on 3-point shots and into the passing lanes.
Romar said the Huskies expect to deflect 26 passes per game, but they’ve fallen far short of that number on at least two occasions — at St. Louis and in Sunday’s loss to South Dakota State. He cited a team statistic that the Huskies have gone 0-5 this season when they deflect fewer than 26 passes while going 5-0 in games when they’ve gotten their hands on 26 or more.
He added that, based on a roster that includes three guards who are 6-5 or taller, he’s been surprised by the lack of tipped balls. He’s also somewhat surprised by how long it has taken his young team to grasp the defensive concepts and develop team chemistry.
“I thought we’d be a better defensive team than we have shown here,” he said. “… This year, obviously, it’s taken us longer to get it down.”
Until the Huskies (5-5) start playing better defense, UW basketball could continue to fight an uphill battle.
“The No. 1 thing we’re looking at is becoming a better defensive team,” Romar said. “The way we play defense is a catalyst for everything we do. When we don’t defend, things don’t go well for us.”
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