SEATTLE – It sits at 16-4 and is ranked No. 16 in the nation. It is the highest-scoring team in the nation and is only one game worse than last year’s Sweet 16 team.
Yet at the mid-way point of the Pacific-10 Conference season, there isn’t quite the same excited, optimistic feeling surrounding the Washington men’s basketball team that there was last season – or even a month ago for that matter.
Instead, there are questions about the Huskies’ point guard play, their defensive consistency, and their depth. At 5-4 and in sixth place in a weak Pac-10, there is even concern that this team could somehow be left out of the NCAA Tournament.
“We’re not where we’d like to be, but we’re still 16-4,” senior guard Brandon Roy said. “We still have a long season. We need to play with more a sense of urgency, but it’s not like we’re having a bad season.”
It’s a testament to how high the program has risen that a 16-4 record and Top-20 national ranking is seen as a disappointment. But Washington started the season 11-0, including a victory against Gonzaga, and there was talk that maybe this young team would be able to go further than many expected.
But a loss at home to Washington State showed that the Huskies were not good enough to simply show up and win in the Pac-10. They recovered to sweep a pair of games at UCLA and USC but struggled to beat Oregon State at home, then lost at California and Stanford last weekend.
“There are some games that we’d like to have back,” forward Bobby Jones said. “But we can’t do that. All we can do is look ahead and keep trying to get better. We know we’re still a good team, we just have to do a better job of focusing every game.”
Indeed, Washington’s biggest issue has been its consistency. The Huskies can look unbeatable at times, and minutes later allow open looks and make sloppy passes. When they look good, they look like a team that can go a long way in the postseason. When they look bad, they remind everyone of how different this team is from the one that featured now-departed Will Conroy, Nate Robinson and Tre Simmons last season.
“I’ve been saying it all season, this is a team that is a work in progress,” UW coach Lorenzo Romar said. “We have guys who are learning to play the college game, and guys who are learning to play new roles in the college game. We do need to do a better job of playing with top effort all the time. But for a team that has so many people learning to do different things, I think we’re doing pretty good.”
There is plenty of positives to look at. The team can score with anyone, and when it wants to, it can be a stifling defensive unit. Roy has been the best player in the Pac-10, and there are plenty of other options who can score. Jon Brockman has given the Huskies a big lift with his rebounding and toughness, and his scoring is developing.
Ryan Appleby can change a game with his shooting. Mike Jensen continues to get healthy after sitting out the non-conference season with a shoulder injury. And there’s a possibility that freshman Harvey Perry will return from a back injury in February to give the Huskies another ball handler and defender.
“We haven’t had the injuries that other teams have had, but we have had some adversity,” Romar said. “We haven’t had this team, the one we would like to have going into the postseason, all healthy and ready at the same time.”
Here’s a look at the Huskies’ frontcourt and backcourt:
* Backcourt: Roy has done it all this season. He’s the only player in the Pac-10 who ranks in the Top 10 in scoring, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, assists and steals. He’s the league’s leader in scoring in conference games (22.8) and 3-point percentage and ranks second in assist-to-turnover ratio. His biggest issue has been fouls (fouled out three times). Freshman Justin Dentmon did not look like a freshman in the non-conference season, confidently running the offense and showing an ability to score. He has lately shown his youth, struggling to score and turning it over too much. He’s still played pretty good defense and rebounded, but he must get back his earlier confidence for this team to win.
The top backcourt reserve has been Appleby, the Florida transfer from Stanwood. It’s clear that Appleby may not be able to handle point guard duties yet, and his relative lack of quickness has hurt him on defense. But the guy can shoot, making twice as many 3-pointers as anyone on the team and shooting 42.9 percent on 3s. Sophomore Joel Smith has been a disappointment, averaging just 4.6 points. His outside shooting touch is not there, he’s made some poor passes and taken some bad shots. His improved play is a big key. Brandon Burmeister has given the team a lift in limited action.
* Frontcourt: This is clearly an improved group from last season thanks to the addition of Brockman. The freshman from Snohomish is a force on the boards, averaging 7.6 a game in league play, and is getting more comfortable on offense. Jones, playing on the wing more this season, has been hampered by a bad ankle that has made him inconsistent on offense, though his defense is still strong. Jamaal Williams is scoring well, but sometimes forces shots and isn’t always reliable defensively.
Jensen has been decent since his return but has not made as big an impact as he’s capable of. His outside shooting and rebounding could really help this team. Hans Gasser has been a surprise, playing well in 12 minutes a game and giving the Huskies some size and some shooting, but lately he has been losing minutes. Freshman Artem Wallace has not played much in league play.
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