Ross scores career high 32 as Huskies destroy Northwestern 76-55 in NIT sweet 16

By Kshell

Terrence Ross put on a performance for the ages scoring a career high 32 points making six three pointers as the Washington Huskies(23-10,14-4) advanced to the elite 8 of the NIT winning over the Northwestern Wildcats(19-14,8-10) 76-55. The Huskies finally played up to their abilities in blowing out the Wildcats. The Huskies offense started off slow in the first half but still led at halftime by seven points. In the second half the offense woke up as Ross and C.J. Wilcox combined to make 10-23 from three point range. The Huskies dominated the rebounding battle this game 42-24 against the undersized Wildcats and both their PG's Tony Wroten and Abdul Gaddy had seven assists in the game. The Pac-12 regular season champions showed why they should be playing in the NCAA tournament as they are a deep team who can beat you in so many different ways. The Huskies feature two high NBA talented players in Ross and Wroten. The Huskies also have good NBA prospects down the road in Aziz N'Diaye and Wilcox. For Lorenzo Romar to have his team still focused on the task that needs to be done speaks a lot about this team. The Huskies now have just one home game left then hopefully they'll make a return trip to New York City.

The game started off slow for the Huskies as they found themselves trailing 17-9 to the Wildcats. That is when the defense picked up as the Huskies started to force turnovers going on a 23-6 run to lead 32-23 eventually leading at halftime 39-32. The Wildcats trailed despite shooting well making 11-19(57.8%) from the field, five for eight(62.5%) on three pointers and five for nine on free throws(55.5%). The Wildcats were led by John Shurna who scored 14 points on four for five shooting including three three pointers also had five rebounds. They were also led by JerShon Cobb who scored six points on two for four shooting. The Wildcats main problem was 11 turnovers in the first half.

For the Huskies they shot poorly making only 13-37(35.1%) from the field, 5-21(23.8%) on three point range and were perfect on eight free throw attempts. The Huskies outrebounded the Wildcats 19-14 including 11-2 in offensive rebounds. They were led by Terrence Ross who scored 15 points on 4-10 shooting including three for seven on three pointers. He was perfect on four free throw attempts grabbing five rebounds. Aziz N'Diaye scored six points on three for six shooting with two rebounds. Tony Wroten had just two points on one for five shooting but provided five rebounds with four assists. C.J. Wilcox scored nine points on three for nine shooting with one three pointer and three rebounds. The Huskies would look to extend that lead in the second half hoping their shots would finally fall.

In the second half the Huskies put the Wildcats away as Ross began the second half hitting three straight three pointers. Then C.J. Wilcox poured in on the action drilling three straight three pointers as well. The Huskies outscored the Wildcats 37-23 in the second half to win 76-55 in one of their most complete efforts of the season. The Wildcats cooled down in the second half making only 7-32(21.8%) from the field giving them 18-51(35.3%) overall. They shot 9-24(37.5%) from three point range and 10-17(58.8%) from free throws. They were led by Shurna who scored 24 points on 6-12 shooting from the field, five for seven on three pointers while making seven of nine from free throws. He also pulled down six rebounds with four steals and a block shot.

For the Huskies they shot 27-63(42.9%) from the field including 14-26(53.8%) from the field in the second half. The Huskies shot the three ball plenty making 11-32(34.4%) from beyond the arc and 11-14(78.6%) from the free throw line. They out rebounded the Wildcats 42-24 including 19-8 in offensive. They were led by Ross who scored 32 points on 10-21 shooting including 6-14 from three pointers while making all six of his free throws. Ross grabbed eight rebounds while having two steals and a block shot. C.J. Wilcox off the bench scored 20 points on 7-13 shooting while making four for nine on three pointers and made both free throws. Wilcox also had six rebounds including four offensive. Aziz N'Diaye scored 11 points on 5-11 shooting with seven rebounds and two steals. Abdul Gaddy scored five points on two for six shooting with a three pointer. He did fill up the stat sheet with four rebounds, seven assists, a steal and a block shot. Tony Wroten only scored two points on one for five shooting but had eight rebounds. He also had seven assists with two blocks. Desmond Simmons scored four points making his only shot with two rebounds. Martin Bruenig brought down the house with two points on an athletic dunk. Darnell Gant was held scoreless missing all five of his shots but had four rebounds including three offensive. This was a big win for the Huskies who played one of their most complete games of the season.

For the first time in school history the Huskies are advancing to the elite 8 in the NIT. The Huskies will have one more home game left in the season and they will host one of their rivals the Oregon Ducks. The Huskies who did win the Pac-12 regular season championship are continuing their good play as of late. The Huskies are proving that the loss to Oregon State in the Pac-12 tournament was just a fluke. The Huskies can't control what the selection committee thought they didn't do all they can control is the games they are playing in the NIT. So far the Huskies are playing good basketball games which hopefully can translate into next season for the NCAA tournament.

Observations:

- Wilcox had his stroke going once again drilling four three pointers as he scored 20 points while grabbing six rebounds. Wilcox was in line for a big year before the injury set in. After that injury he struggled coming back but has been in a groove now for over a month. In the past four games Wilcox is averaging 18.3 PPG with 4.8 RPG. He is shooting 25-45(55.5%) from the field during this four game stretch which includes 12-27(44.4%) from three point range averaging three three pointers a game. He is also 11-15(73.3%) on free throws during that stretch.

For this season Wilcox is now averaging 14.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks. He is shooting 43.9% on field goals, 40.8% on three pointers and 83.5% on free throws. He is making 2.3 three pointers a game. Had Wilcox not missed those three games more importantly that California game the Huskies would be playing in the NCAA tournament. For Wilcox who will for sure be back next season this NIT experience is good for him to work on his game for next season.

- It was nice to see Aziz N'Diaye break out of his slump. In the previous three games N'Diaye had averaged just 6.0 PPG and 5.0 RPG with 4.3 fouls per game. N'Diaye has been fighting foul trouble lately but not this game. In this game N'Diaye played 30 minutes for only the fourth time this season. In those 30 minutes N'Diaye scored 11 points on 5-11 shooting with seven rebounds and two steals. N'Diaye like Wilcox will be another player who will be here next season so this game experience is good for N'Diaye who will be expected to have a big year next year. N'Diaye was selected first team all defensive team.

For the year N'Diaye is averaging 8.1 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.1 blocks per game and 0.6 steals per game in 23.5 minutes per game. He is shooting 53.1% from the field. N'Diaye has played two seasons with the Huskies now mostly as a starter will have one more year left. His presence in the paint allows the Huskies to use more defensive looks because he is such a force in the middle. Now N'Diaye is starting to improve as a scorer as he has scored in double figures this year in 11 games out of 31. He has also grabbed double figures in rebounds in seven games as well. N'Diaye improvement for next year will be a big determining factor if the Huskies make the NCAA tournament next season or not.

- Darnell Gant scored zero points in his second to last home game as a Husky. Yet Lorenzo Romar praised Gant after the game because like usual Gant was guarding the other teams best player. Although Shurna still scored 24 he didn't go off on the Huskies like Ross did to the Wildcats. That is what the Huskies will miss most in Gant is his versatility on defense much like Justin Holiday last season. Gant didn't put up huge numbers but he is more valuable than some fans may think.

For the season now Gant is averaging 7.1 PPG, 5.3 rebounds per game, 0.4 steals and 0.2 blocks. Gant is shooting 45.4% from the field while shooting 32.9% from three point range making 0.7 three pointers a game. Gant will now be playing in his final game at home this Tuesday against the Oregon Ducks as the Huskies have won 99 games in Gant's career.

- Tony Wroten for the second straight game in the NIT didn't look to score but make his teammates better. Wroten scored a career low two points making only one of five field goal attempts. He did record eight rebounds, seven assists with two blocks. He also had five turnovers as he is showing why he should come back for another year. Interesting note on Wroten in games he shoots the ball under 10 games the Huskies are 6-2 including winning their past five games. Wroten is averaging 5.7 assists per game in his last six games as he is working on that part of his game.

For the year Wroten is averaging 16.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.9 steals and 0.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.2% from the field. In the NIT in two games Wroten is averaging only 5.5 PPG but 7.5 APG. He is also averaging 4.5 RPG. Look for Wroten to be more aggressive next game against the Oregon Ducks as he is averaging 15.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG and 4.5 APG this year as the teams split the season series.

- Terrence Ross had one of those special games that makes you think us Husky fans won't get to enjoy anymore. Ross was terrific scoring 32 points on 10-21 shooting, making 6-14(43.6%) on three pointers while grabbing eight rebounds. Ross got the Huskies back in the game in the first half then in the second half put the Wildcats away. Ross has been on fire as of late. In the last five games Ross is averaging 21.2 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.6 steals and 0.8 BPG. During that stretch he is shooting 40-79(50.6%) from the field and 17-39(43.5%) from three point range making 3.4 three pointers a game. In this two game NIT Ross is averaging 27.5 PPG and 6.5 RPG. He has made nine three pointers so far. Ross on the year is averaging 16.0 PPG and 6.5 RPG. He is shooting 46.0% from the field and 36.9% from three point range making two full three's a game. Ross is a terrific talent and is projected to be a late first round pick in this loaded draft. Hopefully Ross returns to the Huskies like his teammate Tony Wroten so the Huskies can make some noise this upcoming season.

- I'll give Romar credit for having his team prepared to play in a tournament that nobody wanted to play in. The Huskies are proving the selection committee wrong and should be in the NCAA tournament. Romar isn't letting his team be distracted and they are focused. The Huskies are playing some of their best ball of the season in the last 1.5 games which has been sad to see. Romar has seen his team win 99 games over these four years. The Pac-12 coach of the year now must do his biggest recruiting job this offseason. Unlike most recruiting pitches where you beg kids to come to your school Romar will be begging two kids in particular to stay at his school in Ross and Wroten. If those two come back next year the Huskies won't be playing in the NIT elite 8 instead could be in the NCAA tournament elite 8. As is the Huskies are one win away from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

All the Huskies have to do now is beat the Oregon Ducks at home something they have done two years in a row and 10 of the last 11 at home. The Huskies have dominated the Ducks in the Romar era but also dominated the Oregon State Beavers as well but that didn't stop them from losing to the Beavers in the Pac-12 tournament. Only one home game is left this season and both the Ducks and Huskies are proving they were more than capable of doing well in the NCAA tournament. The Huskies are playing well especially at home where they are 17-2 and with one more win they'll have a return trip to Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Huskies are making the most of this NIT opportunity and are now one game away from going to the mecca of basketball. If Ross keeps playing the way he is playing the Huskies will keep winning and he'll be a very rich man next season.

Huskies clinch at least a share of Pac-12 title with 80-58 blowout win over USC!

By Kshell

Playing down in L.A. where Darnell Gant grew up the senior has a great opportunity to clinch his fourth conference championship in four years. Gant provided a big game scoring 14 points and grabbing nine rebounds as the Washington Huskies(21-8,14-3) blew out the USC Trojans(6-24,1-16) 80-58 clinching at least a share of the Pac-12 regular season title. For Gant that means he has won a Pac-10 regular season title as a freshman(2009) and won back to back conference tournament championships(2010 and 2011). Now he has won at least a co-regular season championship this year and with a win over the UCLA Bruins on Saturday will have won an outright conference title. The Huskies took care of business against the Trojans outrebounding them 47-20 as they knew exactly what was at stake.

The Huskies knew this game was important and treated it as such. They began the game on a 13-4 run. After the Trojans went on a mini 7-3 run to pull within 16-11 the Huskies went on an 8-0 run lead to 24-11. From there the Huskies cruised into halftime with a 40-26 lead. The Huskies shot 16-37(43.2%) from the field, three for eight on three pointers(37.5%) but just 5-12(41.7%) on free throws. They out-rebounded the Trojans 29-10 including 14-1 in offensive rebounds. The Trojans shot 11-26(42.3%) on field goals, two for five(40.0%) on three pointers and two for three(66.7%) on free throws. The Trojans were led by Garrett Jackson scoring 10 points on five for seven shooting with five rebounds. Byron Wesley scored eight points on three for nine shooting including two free throws.

For the Huskies they were led by Terrence Ross scoring 11 points poin five for nine shooting including a three pointer with three rebounds. Senior captain Darnell Gant scored seven points on three for four shooting including a three pointer while pulling down six rebounds. Tony Wroten scored six points on two for nine shooting and just two for five on free throws. He did however grab seven rebounds including four offensive while dishing out four assists. Abdul Gaddy scored six points while making both his shots including a three pointer and free throw. Desmond Simmons scored five points on two for five shooting with four rebounds including three offensive. The Huskies dominated the half and looked to continue that in the second half.

After starting the second half on a 4-0 run to take a 44-28 lead the Trojans fought back. The Trojans went on a 14-5 run pulling to within 49-40. Terrence Ross then hit a three pointer for the Huskies as the Huskies went on a 7-0 run to lead 56-40 as the game wasn't close again. The game ended with Wroten throwing an alley-oop pass to Martin Bruening for the dunk as the Huskies won 80-58 outscoring the Trojans 40-32 in the second half. The Trojans shot 23-51(45.1%) from the field, 3-10(30.0%) on three pointers and 9-16(56.2%) on free throws. They were led by Byron Wesley scoring 23 points on 10-18 shooting with five rebounds. Garrett Jackson finished with 14 points on six for nine shooting.

For the Huskies they shot 31-67(46.3%) from the field, 6-13(46.3%) from three point range and 12-23(52.2%) from free throws. The Huskies dominated the glass with 47 rebounds to the Trojans 20 including 18-3 advantage on offensive rebounds. They were led by Terrence Ross who scored 18 points on 8-13 shooting including two for three on three pointers. Ross pulled down seven rebounds with a steal. Darnell Gant playing in his second to last regular season game scored 14 points on six for eight shooting while making two of three three pointers. He also grabbed nine rebounds including three offensive. Abdul Gaddy scored 12 points on four for six shooting including making his only three point shot and three for four on free throws. Gaddy also had five assists. Aziz N'Diaye scored eight points on three for six shooting with seven rebounds and a block shot. C.J. Wilcox scored eight points as well on 3-10 shooting with a block shot. Tony Wroten scored seven points on 2-13 shooting and three for seven at the foul line. He did grab eight rebounds including four offensive with six assists, two steals and a block shot. Desmond Simmons scored five points on two for five shooting with seven rebounds including three offensive and two steals.  Martin Bruenig scored five points  and grabbed two rebounds in only four minutes of playing time. He also made both shots including a three pointer. The Huskies saw 12 guys play with 10 guys scoring at least one point. While the Trojans had just eight guys play and only six score. The Huskies defeated an opponent who is down and they took advantage of that.

After the Huskies won against the Trojans there was no celebration as Lorenzo Romar made sure his team knew there was still unfinished business. The goal for the Huskies this week wasn't to win a share of the conference title but to instead win the conference title outright. Prior to 2009 the Huskies hadn't won the conference title outright since 1953 and now they have a chance to do that for the second time in four years. This Huskies team who graduated three key seniors last year, lost Isaiah Thomas to the draft and Scott Suggs has a chance to do something the two previous teams couldn't do which is win a regular season conference title. Something the Brandon Roy/Nate Robinson teams couldn't even do. This team who lost some terrible games in December has a chance to make some history at Montlake as only one team(1984) has ever won 15 conference games in a season as well. This team has accomplished quite a bit and now they have a chance to finish the job at UCLA this Saturday.

Observations:

- In front of NBA scouts Tony Wroten had an off game. He kept missing layups and was 2-13 while shooting just three for seven on free throws. He also had four turnovers. With that said Wroten still showed his value grabbing eight rebounds(four offensive) and dishing out six assists with two steals and a block shot. Wroten will run away with the freshman player of the year and with a big game against UCLA on Saturday could win player of the year in the conference as well.

For the season now Wroten is averaging 16.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 3.6 APG. He is shooting 44.8% from the field and averaging 2.0 steals per game. Wroten tends to play big in big games and this game was never in doubt. Look for Wroten to have a big performance against UCLA and in the Pac-12 tournament. Depending on what he does in the NCAA tournament will determine if he comes back or not. If Wroten returns back to the program the Huskies could be the favorites to win the conference title.

- Darnell Gant has had an up and down career with the Huskies. He came to Washington as the highest rated power forward in the country. He was forced to redshirt his first year at Washington then as a redshirt freshman started 34 out of 35 games for the Huskies who won the regular season Pac-10 title. As a sophomore he was a starter but was quickly benched and rarely played. As a junior he made some starts but was a key guy off the bench. This season Gant started the first 14 games before being benched. He has now started the last three games and has played well the last two games. Gant in the last two games is averaging 8.5 PPG and 8.0 RPG while shooting 7-11(63.6%) from the field.

Gant's leadership and play will determine just how far the Huskies will go. So far this year Gant is averaging 7.3 PPG and 4.8 RPG in 23.2 minutes per game with 17 starts. He is shooting 46.7% from the field and 34.4% on three pointers making 0.7 a game. Gant who is from LA. has a chance for the fourth straight year to receive a  conference championship ring in his hometown. This would be the type of storybook ending all Husky fans would love. The Huskies have won 97 games in the four years Gant has been at UW meaning no other four year stretch in Huskies history has seen more wins. If the Huskies reach the NCAA tournament no player will have played in four NCAA tournaments with the Huskies or have played in eight games which Gant will do. His career is almost over but Gant is hoping to prolong that career as long as possible.

- The big reason the Huskies won this game is the domination on the rebounding. The Huskies won the rebounding battle 47-20 including a 18-3 edge in offensive rebounding. They outrebounded the Trojans 29-10 at halftime with a 14-1 edge in offensive rebounding. The Huskies didn't shoot well from the field, three point range or free throws. The Huskies defense at times was lacking but one thing that was consistent was the rebounding. This was big since last game against the Cougars the Huskies were out rebounded by a team who ranks 248th in the nation in rebounding while the Huskies are top 10 in the nation. The Huskies get the job done as a team on rebounding as Aziz N'Diaye leads the team at 7.6 rebounds per game, then Terrence Ross who is a guard is next at 6.7 per game. Desmond Simmons is third at 5.4 per game in only 19 minutes. While Tony Wroten the point guard is fourth at 5.0 then Darnell Gant averages 4.8 per game. The Huskies have several guys including guards who can crash the boards which has been the key to success all season long.

- Terrence Ross rebounded nicely from his two point performance and fouling out against the Washington State Cougars. This game Ross started off early scoring 11 of his team high 18 points. When the Trojans pulled to within single digits at 49-40 it was Ross who hit a three pointer to start a run for the Huskies to finally put the Trojans away. Ross had a good game scoring 18 points on 8-13 shooting including two for three from three point range. He also grabbed seven rebounds in the process. The three point shooting was key because prior to that Ross had been 1-11(9.1%) from three point range last two games and 6-31(19.4%) in his last six games. Ross also hasn't attempted a free throw in two straight games and four out of six games. Ross needs to be more agressive going forward. Ross like his teammate Tony Wroten can win the conference player of the year award with a big performance on Saturday against the Bruins. Ross will make the first team all conference team as well as play in the NBA eventually.

For the year Ross is averaging 15.2 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks. He is shooting 45.5% from the field, 35.7% on three pointers making 1.8 a game and 74.7% on free throws. Depending on how well Ross plays throughout the season will determine how far the Huskies go in the NCAA tournament if Ross will leave. If Ross and Wroten both leave the Huskies will be in a transition year. I think if Wroten comes back the Huskies can survive Ross leaving and still make the NCAA's. If both Wroten and Ross come back the Huskies could be talking preseason final four and find themselves ranked in the top 15 heading into next year. These next few weeks are critical for Ross and Wroten's future at this program.

- Lorenzo Romar for the fifth time in his coaching career at Washington will have won some sort of conference championship. In 10 seasons at Washington Romar has produced eight winning seasons and has won 19 games or more eight times. He has won 20 games or more six times. Romar has a chance to win his second outright regular season conference title with a win against a team he was an assistent for so many years(including winning a national championship). With that win that would basically clinch Romar going to the NCAA tournament for the seventh time in the last nine years at Washington. He also improves to 13-7 all-time against the Trojans who had defeated the Huskies three out of four and five out of eight. This was a program the Huskies had struggled with and the Huskies won both games by over 20 points. Romar the veteran coach just like that has been down this road before and will remind his team to keep calm. In 2005 the Huskies were in the same position but lost to Stanford on the road while in 2009 they finished the deal defeating the Washington State Cougars to clinch the title. Like every year Romar is at Washington his team has improved as the season has gone on which is the sign of a good coach. Can this finally be the year Romar moves past the sweet 16? We'll find out in a few weeks.

Now this long season comes down to one regular season game for the Huskies. The Huskies have a chance to have their banner read "2011-12 Pac-12 regular season champions" rather than "2011-12 Pac-12 co-champions". Both banners would look nice but obviously the banner that doesn't include the words "Co" would look better. The Huskies took care of business in the conference through the first 17 games winning 14 of them and hopefully they can finish the deal this Saturday at UCLA. This has been a great ride which will remind most fans of the 2003-04 team which featured a young roster who finally matured and went on a winning streak. The Huskies will take on a Bruins team they have defeated four times in a row. The Huskies did their job against the Trojans and now they know there is just one game left. As Romar told his team the Huskies goal wasn't to share it was to win the conference outright. Beating the Trojans was nice but the celebration won't happen until the Huskies defeat the Bruins.

Huskies destroy Trojans 69-41 to remain in first place

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(16-7,9-2) continue their recent winning ways running their winning streak to five games in a row after destroying the USC Trojans(6-18,1-10) 69-41. The Huskies have won eight of their last nine games as their defense has vastly improve during that stretch. The Huskies saw 11 guys score a bucket for them tonight and they outrebounded the Trojans 49-16 as the Trojans who have just six players on scholarship once again were simply outmatched. The Huskies needed a win like this as their last three wins prior to this one were won by single digits including two at the buzzer. The Huskies were led by freshman Tony Wroten who played injured but scored 13 points, dished out eight assists and grabbed six rebounds all while committing just one turnover. The Huskies dominated the glass led by Terrence Ross who scored 10 points while pulling down 14 rebounds which ties a career high. His 14 rebounds were only two rebounds shy of the entire Trojans team who only had 16. This was a total team win as all 10 active scholarship players(plus Austin Seferian-Jenkins who is on a football scholarship) scored for the Huskies as Lorenzo Romar was able to play his young bench. For Romar this was a big win as the Trojans had won the last two in Seattle including three out of four in Seattle as well. The Huskies with that win are still in sole possession of first place which after getting destroyed by South Dakota State at home earlier in the year didn't at all seem possible.

The first half featured plenty of missed shots by both teams. After the Trojans began the game leading 7-4 the Huskies went on a 9-0 run which was capped at 15-2 to lead 19-9. The Huskies would lead at halftime 29-19 over the struggling Trojans. The Trojans shot 9-34(26.5%) from the field while missing all nine three point attempts and making just one of four free throws. They were led by Garrett Jackson who scored 12 of their 19 points on 6-11 shooting. While Maurice Jones had just two points on one for eight shooting and Greg Allen was held scoreless missing all six shots including five from three point range. The Huskies shot 12-35(34.3%) from the field but made just 2-13(15.4%) from three point range and three of six from free throws. The Huskies led due to outrebounding the Trojans 22-11 including 7-2 on offensive rebounds. The Huskies were led by Tony Wroten who scored nine points on three for seven shooting and three for four on free throws. He also had three assists and three rebounds. Darnell Gant provided eight points on three for six shooting including two three pointers. Shawn Kemp Jr. once again added a spark off the bench scoring six points making all three of his shots including a nice alley-oop dunk. Terrence Ross struggled shooting scoring just two points on one for five shooting but had eight rebounds.  The Huskies would put the Trojans away in the second half.

After the Trojans mini run to pull within 29-23 the Huskies would go on a 9-0 run to extend the lead to 38-23. With the Trojans still hanging around trailing 44-33 the Huskies put the game away going on an 18-0 run to lead 62-33 before eventually winning 69-41 to remain in first place. The Huskies outscored the Trojans 40-22 in the second half. They held the Trojans to 17-59(28.8%) shooting from the field, 1-16(6.2%) from three point range and 6-13(46.2%) from free throws. The Trojans were led by Jackson who scored 15 points on 7-14 shooting. Allen continued his miserable shooting scoring just five points on 2-13 shooting including 1-10 from three point range.

As for the Huskies they shot 28-58(48.3%) from the field but just 2-14(14.3%) from three point range and 11-18(61.1%) from free throws. The Huskies outrebounded the Trojans 49-16 and had 14 offensive rebounds. They were led by Wroten who scored 13 points on five for nine shooting while making three of four free throws. Wroten also added eight assists, six rebounds with only one turnover. Terrence Ross scored 10 points on three for nine shooting making all four free throws. He also added 14 rebounds, two steals and a block shot. Aziz N'Diaye scored nine points with five rebounds including a block shot. Darnell Gant scored eight points with seven rebounds including two three pointers. Abdul Gaddy scored six points but had six assists with three rebounds. Shawn Kemp Jr. scored six points off the bench for the Huskies. Austin Seferian-Jenkins scored five points with three rebounds as the Huskies improve to 5-0 in games he has played in. C.J. Wilcox scored just four points but added two block shots. Martin Bruenig also scored four points with a block shot as well. The Huskies reserves outscored the Trojans reserves 29-0 as they won by 28 points overall.

The Huskies basketball program is heading in the right direction defeating the Trojans by the amount that they did. They are winning the close games and now blowing out the bad opponents. Not since the 2003-04 season have I seen a Romar team evolve like this during the season. The Huskies have so many ways of beating you while earlier in the year it was only one way. Today the Huskies didn't shoot well at all yet still won by 28 points. They will face a big challenge going on the road to the Oregon schools which Romar in his career has had great success with but last year saw his team get swept which derailed their season. This current Huskies team has the talent and are finally seeing their depth improve as more players are starting to step up which can only help them get better as a team down the stretch.

Observations:

- The Huskies shot just 2-14 from three point range yet won by 28 points. The reason was they dominated the glass 49-16 including 27-5 in the second half. Terrence Ross who didn't have a good game scoring wise had just 10 points but did tie a career high with 14 rebounds. Usually in the past the Trojans were the much more physical team than the Huskies. This year that wasn't the case. The Trojans leading rebounder had just five rebounds while the Huskies saw Ross pull down 14, Darnell Gant pull down seven, Tony Wroten pull down six, and Aziz N'Diaye pull down five. The Huskies in the Romar years have always been a good rebounding team regardless if they have a stud rebounder like Jon Brockman or not. The Huskies showed in this game and in a few other games that they will out work you for those rebounds which will turn poor shooting performances into victories.

- Heading into this game there was a 50/50 chance that Tony Wroten would even play. Well Wroten did play and in my opinion played one of his best games of his career. Wroten let the game come to him for once as he scored 13 points on five for nine shooting while dishing out eight assists and grabbing six rebounds. He also made three of four free throws while committing just one turnover. Wroten played a calm game for once. In the last three games Wroten is now shooting 13-16(81.2%) from the free throw line so hopefully that problem is over. For the year Wroten is averaging 16.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 3.5 APG with 1.8 steals as well. Wroten is the runaway for freshman of the year in the Pac-12. Wroten should see himself as the first Huskies player ever named to the first team all Pac-12 team as a freshman. Wroten will most likely see freshman all-american status as well. Wroten is having the best freshman season for a Huskies player since Isaiah Thomas led the Huskies to a Pac-10 regular season title during the 2008-09 season.

- This was a big win for Romar defeating the Trojans. The Trojans had won two in a row in Seattle and three out of four in Seattle. The Trojans had also defeated the Huskies six of the last 10 games in the last five years. Even with all that Romar still leads the Trojans 12-7 as he dominated the series early like the Huskies dominated the scoreboard tonight. For Romar this team is kind of bucking the trend which he has set. Usually Romar teams who are successful have terrific upperclassman play and if they don't they struggle. Why this team reminds me of the 2003-04 team which was full of youngsters like this team is. That team also had some bad losses in the non conference season but went on a run in the Pac-10. This team is doing the same as Romar tighten his rotation  a bit but is slowly extending that rotation as Seferian-Jenkins has joined the team plus Kemp Jr has played well this week giving the Huskies a spark. Romar appears to be pulling the right strings as this team went from underachievers to possibly slight overachievers in the same season.

The Huskies did what every team does who wants to win a conference regular season championship. They found a way to blow out an opponent when they didn't shoot particularly well. The Huskies played championship defense making the Trojans go one and done several times while extending their own possessions with second chance opportunities with 14 offensive rebounds. This was a total team effort as 11 guys scored and 11 guys pulled down a rebound. The Huskies were able to rest some key guys while some youngsters got a chance to score. The Huskies saw their freshman score 32 points led by Wroten scoring a team high 13 points. This team is in sole possession of first place which is the latest in the season they have been in first place since winning the conference back in 2008-09. This program has won a regular season championship then back to back conference tournament championships the last three seasons. With the way this group is playing right now look for another conference championship banner to be hanging up in the rafters soon.

Huskies remain winless on the road; Buffaloes win in blowout 87-69

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(8-6,2-1) failed yet another road test losing to the Colorado Buffaloes(10-4,2-0) in Boulder, Colorado 87-69. In a game which the Huskies led by a score of 14-5 the Buffaloes ended the half outscoring the Huskies 35-16. The Huskies once again on the road failed to make their shots, failed to make defensive stops and just seemed liked they didn't even want to be there.

With just three Huskies scoring in double figures while allowing 49% shooting from the Buffaloes the Huskies were once again no match on the road as they now fall to 0-5 on the season away from home. This young talented squad appears to be suffering a similar fate as the 2006-07 team which had young freshman Spencer Hawes and Quincy Pondexter along with sophomore Jon Brockman all of which are playing in the NBA currently. Lorenzo Romar must figure out a way to maximize the talent of a team that features two lottery picks and another player who could be playing in the NBA as well.

In the Huskies first trip to Boulder since 1996 when freshman superstar Tony Wroten was only three years the Huskies got off to a terrific start leading 14-5. That is when everything started to fall apart as the Buffaloes started to outhustle the Huskies on both ends of the floor and the Huskies simply stop making their shots. Then Romar put in freshman Martin Bruenig is when the Buffaloes went on a run. While Bruenig's stint was short it left an impact as he missed a dunk and two layups while also giving up two three pointers and a few offensive rebounds. Before you knew it the Buffaloes had ended the half on a 35-16 run leading the Huskies 40-30 at halftime.

The Buffaloes shot 16-38(.421) from the field while draining three for six three pointers. They were led by Carlon Brown who scored 13 points on 5-10 shooting including two three pointers. Andre Roberson added six points on three for three shooting with eight rebounds and Sabatino Chen scored six points on three for six shooting as well. For the Huskies they shot miserable shooting 13-41(.317) from the field while making just 2-10 three pointers. They were led by C.J. Wilcox who scored nine points on 4-10 shooting but just one for seven on three pointers. Terrence Ross added seven points on three for seven shooting including a three pointer and seven rebounds. Tony Wroten scored six points on three for seven shooting but missed both free throws while adding three steals. The Huskies had an uphill mountain to climb in the second half.

The Huskies were outscored 47-39 in the second half to ultimately lose 87-69 in a game that wasn't even that close. The Buffaloes shot 27-55(49.1%) from the field making 8-14(57.1%) of their three pointers and 25-28(89.3%) from their free throws. The Buffaloes had five guys in scoring figures and another score eight points. They were led by Brown who scored 18 points on 7-11 shooting including a perfect three for three on three pointers. For the Huskies they shot miserable making only 27-72(37.5%) of their field goals, 4-20(20.0%) of their three pointers and 11-16(68.8%) of their free throws. They were led by Wroten who scored 21 points on 9-16 shooting, six rebounds, three assists and seven steals. He also turned the ball over five times and shot just three for eight on free throws. Wilcox scored 19 points off the bench on 6-16 shooting including three for nine on three pointers but was a perfect four for four on free throws. The last Husky to score in double figures was Terrence Ross who scored 13 points on 6-15 shooting with a three pointer while adding 10 rebounds. The Huskies had too many other no shows as they had three other starters combine score eight points. Desmond Simmons had a nice game scoring six points on three for seven shooting with five rebounds as he continues to be the Huskies only productive big man.

All in all, this was another long list of bad losses for this years Huskies team. This was your standard Romar loss which featured poor substitutions, poor big man play, too many turnovers and nothing that resembles a half court offense. What doesn't resemble a Romar team is the piss poor defensive effort which is becoming a bad trend for this particular team in losses. The Huskies also need some of their upperclassman to step up and take control. Pretty hard to be a leader when you aren't playing well. This was the second straight game Darnell Gant was a complete non factor while Abdul Gaddy pulled a no show this game as well. The Huskies inside play was terrible on both ends of the court while Wroten is being asked to do too much. This Huskies team is at a crossroads right now which is they can simply play it out and go to the CBI despite three guys who appear to be NBA talent or they can focus and try to make something out of this season that appears headed down the drains very quickly.