PORTLAND — When talking about his team on Friday, Purdue coach Matt Painter referred to defense as the staple of his team.
That’s not surprising considering the Boilermakers, Washington’s opponent in today’s NCAA tournament second-round game, hold opponents to 59 points per game and 38.8 percent shooting. But what Painter said next might surprise a casual basketball fan, though it reinforces what the Huskies have been saying all season.
“Our staple is defense, and after watching Washington, I would say the same thing,” Painter said. “I would say their staple is on the defensive end getting into people and trying to cause havoc.”
Painter went on to call Venoy Overton “The best on-ball guy we’ve seen all year.”
To which any Husky would probably say: finally, somebody noticed.
It’s easy to look at Washington’s up-tempo style and Pac-10-leading 78.7 scoring average and assume the Huskies win with offense. But all season the Huskies have prided themselves on defense, and in the later part of this season, they’ve been winning with defense more than offense.
Going back to a February win over USC, the Huskies have shot over 45 percent just once not counting a game against Seattle U, and have scored over 73 points just twice in that span, again, excluding a win over Seattle, which is in the process of transitioning to Division I. Yet the Huskies are 7-1 in that stretch thanks in large part to their defense.
“It feels good that people are recognizing our defense, because a good offense comes from a good defense,” said senior guard Justin Dentmon. “I hope we keep playing like this, I hope we don’t break our chemistry. If we keep playing like this, it’s going to be hard to beat us.”
Brockman feeling fine
Senior forward Jon Brockman crashed hard to the floor during Thursday’s win, and said a day later he isn’t feeling any ill effects save for a slightly sore wrist. That’s a scenario any Husky fan would have been OK with after watching Brockman hit the court.
“(I’m sore) a little bit in my wrist,” said Brockman, who turned 22 on Friday. “It was just something to throw some ice on, I didn’t even take any ibuprofen. It’s just a little stiff. Miraculously, I was alright. I don’t know how. At first when I landed on the ground, I was like, ‘All right, something’s got to be broken or hurt or something from that.’ But I was fine.”
Overton’s homecoming
Venoy Overton may have played his high school basketball at Seattle’s Franklin High, but he got his basketball start here in Portland, where he lived until eighth grade. Overton moved to Seattle to live with his mother, but still has a lot of friends and family in Portland, many of whom he has seen or talked to this week.
“All my family’s down here, I’ve still got a lot of friends here,” Overton said. “This is my hometown… Saturday almost all my family is going to be at the game.”
Midwest- Northwest connections
While most of the Huskies and Boilermakers have not crossed paths, there are a few connections between the teams. Purdue coach Matt Painter, a long-time assistant at Southern Illinois before becoming a head coach, recruited UW senior Justin Dentmon, who is from Carbondale, Ill.
“I’ve know him since the sixth grade,” Painter said. “He loves to play basketball. And he’s a tough matchup because he can play that point and forces a two a lot of time to guard him. He’s just a good overall basketball player and he’s made huge strides under coach Romar.”
Additionally, a few players in today’s game crossed paths on the AAU circuit, as Isaiah Thomas and his Friends of Hoop team played against E’Twaun Moore and Robbie Hummel, who played on the same AAU team. None of the parties involved in that game seems to remember the details well, however, as Moore and Hummel think their team got the better of Thomas’ squad, while Thomas remembers his team winning.
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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