Red hot Ducks embarass Huskies 82-57

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(16-8, 9-3) team bus arrived to Mathew Knight arena 45 minutes late due to a traffic accident. Unfortunately for Husky fans the team decided to not show up at all as the Oregon Ducks(17-7,8-4) destroyed the Huskies 82-57. The game was over from the opening tip as the Ducks started the game off leading 11-2. The Ducks shot extremely well making 56.4% of their field goals and 53.8% on three pointers. The Ducks also had four guys in double figures. While the Huskies shot just 36.4% from the field and 12.5% from three point range with only two guys in double figures. The Huskies who came into this game having won five games in a row and were in sole possession of first place regressed this game. The Huskies went back to their old habits of acting as if they didn't want to be at the gym. This is the second straight year the Huskies have lost at Oregon after winning the previous two seasons down in Eugene. Now the Huskies will hope to avoid what happened last year when they were swept in Oregon which ultimately cost them a chance at a Pac-10 regular season title. With this loss the Huskies are now tied with California for first place in the Pac-12 standings.

The first half was a disaster for the Huskies who were getting ran out of the gym from the opening tip. The Ducks sprinted out to an 11-2 lead and didn't look back. The Ducks eventually led 49-26 at halftime over the Huskies. In the first half the Ducks made 18-29(62.1%) from the field, six of eight(75.0%) from three point range and 7-11(63.6%) from free throws. They outrebounded the Huskies 21-16 and outscored the Huskies 12-0 on fastbreak points. They were led by Garrett Sim who scored 13 points on five for eight shooting including three for three on three pointers. He also added five assists. E.J. Singler scored nine points on two for four shooting including a three pointer and made all four free throws while grabbing six rebounds. Devoe Joseph who struggled in the first meeting scored nine points on four for six shooting with a three pointer. Carlos Emory scored six points on two for two shooting and two for three at the free throw line. He added five rebounds as well.

For the Huskies they shot a disasterous 10-33(30.3%) from the field, one for eight(12.5%) from three point range and 5-13(38.4%) from the free throw line. Their leading scorer was Desmond Simmons who scored five points on two for three shooting while making his lone free throw attempt. He also had four rebounds as well. Tony Wroten scored four point missing all three of his shots while going four for eight at the foul line with three rebounds and two assists. Aziz N'Diaye scored just four points on only two for six shooting missing all four free throws but did grab four rebounds. Terrence Ross continued his poor first half play this season scored just four points on two for eight shooting missing all three three point attempts.

In the second half the Ducks outscored the Huskies 33-31 to hang on for the blowout win over the Huskies 82-57. For the Ducks they shot 31-55(56.4%) from the field, 7-13(53.8%) from three point range and 13-23(56.5%) from the free throw line. They also outrebounded the Huskies 39-34. The Ducks were led by Emory who scored 16 points on seven for eight shooting with eight rebounds. The Ducks saw Sim, Singler and Joseph all score 13 points as well. For the Ducks this was a huge win as they put them one game from the Pac-12 lead behind the Huskies and California. Had the Ducks lost they would have been three games behind the Huskies not to mention the Huskies would have had tiebreaker. This win keeps their conference title games alive along with their NCAA tournament hopes alive. As for the team they defeated the Washington Huskies have to go back to the drawing board.

This was an embarassing loss for a team who is competing for a conference title. This is too late in the year for the Huskies to experience a type of loss like this yet here we are with a blowout loss. The Huskies offense never showed up as they shot just 24-66(36.4%) from the field, 2-16(12.5%) from three point range and 7-18(38.9%) from the free throw line which is embarassing. They were led by Tony Wroten who scored 14 points on 4-10 shooting and 6-13 shooting from the free throw line. Wroten had four steals, four assists, three rebounds but six turnovers. C.J. Wilcox shooting slump continues since he has came back from injury scoring only 10 points on 4-13 shooting making two of seven from three point range with six rebounds. Terrence Ross also under perfromed scored just eight points on 4-12 shooting missing four three point attempts but added five rebounds. Desmond Simmons the only guy who played well had eight points and seven rebounds. Aziz N'Diaye scored six points and four rebounds. Darnell Gant scored just four points with just two rebounds off the bench. Shawn Kemp Jr also scored four points as well. The Huskies didn't play a good game at all as Lorenzo Romar has to once again go back to the drawing board as his immature team simply doesn't get it.

This Huskies team needs to eventually take this season seriously. Romar also has to stop being so in love with his veterans. Abdul Gaddy played the most minutes this game having played 36 of a possible 40 minutes. In those 36 minutes Gaddy scored just two points while dishing out one assist. Romar needs to realize that Wroten, Wilcox and Ross need to be on the court together all at once for the majority of the time which means less Gaddy. If this team is ever going to achieve what they need to achieve this season Romar has to pull the plug on the Gaddy experiment and bring him off the bench. If Romar continues to start Gaddy the Huskies could be playing in the NIT. In 32 career conference games all of which he has started Gaddy has scored in double figures just five times while scoring four points or less 16 times.

The Huskies let the Ducks back in the conference title race and failed to put them down. Instead the Huskies will now be in a win or go home mode the rest of the season. Due to the conference being weak and a terrible showing in the nonconference season the Huskies can't afford to drop too many more games if any. This was a terrible loss and Romar must once again get his young team focused on the prize. The Ducks embarassed the Huskies for the second straight year down Eugene.  Now the Huskies are hoping to avoid losing back to back games down in Corvallis for the first time since 2002 and 2003 season. The Huskies had owned the state of Oregon but having lost three games in a row in the state after winning five times have changed. The NCAA tournament is still within reach but Romar must make the necessary changes it takes or the tournament won't happen this year.

Eli Manning proves only ELIte quarterbacks win super bowls!

By Kshell

This past Sunday the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 21-17 to win their fourth super bowl championship. In doing so quarterback Eli Manning defeated Tom Brady for the second time in the Super Bowl. Eli playing in the house that his brother Peyton[Manning] built etched his name amongst the elite quarterbacks today. Eli [Manning] also proved a trend that has been developing in today's NFL as well. This year in the NFL you saw three guys pass for over 5,000 yards including Drew Brees and Tom Brady breaking Dan Marino's single season record for most passing yards in a season. This was the year of the quarterback as 10 quarterbacks passed for over 4,000 yards and 20 over 3,000 yards. Three quarterbacks threw for over 40 touchdown passes, five went over 30 touchdowns and 14 over 20 touchdowns. All this without four-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning who missed the entire season. The proof is in the pudding if you don't have an elite quarterback you aren't winning a superbowl.

Besides putting up big numbers these elite quarterbacks are also taking home super bowls. In the last five super bowls(two teams so 10 quarterbacks) here are the following super bowl quarterbacks: Tom Brady twice(2 regular season MVP, two first-team all-pro's, seven pro bowls, single season record holder for touchdowns in a season and two SB MVP's), Eli Manning twice( two pro bowls, two SB MVP's), Ben Roethlisberger twice( Rookie of the year, two pro bowls), Peyton Manning(four MVP's, five first-team all-pro's, 11 pro bowls, SB MVP), Drew Brees( one first-team all-pro, single season record holder for passing yards, six pro bowls, SB MVP), Aaron Rodgers(MVP, one first-team all-pro, single season QB rating record, two pro bowls and SB MVP), and Kurt Warner(Two MVP's, two first-team all-pro's, four pro bowls and SB MVP). As you can see that is an impressive list considering seven quarterbacks have combined won nine regular season MVP's, 11 first-team all-pro, 34 pro bowls and eight super bowl MVP's. Since 2003 the following quarterbacks have won a super bowl: Tom Brady(three times), Ben Rothlisberger(twice), Peyton Manning, Eli Manning(twice), Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers. As you can see this is a quarterbacks league the days of Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson winning super bowls are over. Those quarterbacks I listed unless they self destruct will be going to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. This is why the Seattle Seahawks must act fast because currently they don't have that quarterback(you could argue that they never have).

The Seattle Seahawks came a long ways since last year having five pro bowl players to the zero they've had the last two years. The Seahawks finished with the same record as last year at 7-9 despite a defense ranked in the top 10 and a running back who went to the pro bowl in Marshawn Lynch. The reason for the Seahawks struggles to put it simply was they had no quarterback. While not being bad Tarvaris Jackson also proved he isn't good either. Jackson has never made a pro bowl in his career. Last season with the Seahawks Jackson passed for 3,091 yards(15 games, 14 starts) completing 60.2% of his passes with 14 touchdowns to 13 interceptions on the season. His quarterback rating was 79.2 which looking at these numbers aren't bad. The problem is those numbers aren't good and like the previous paragraph stated you need elite quarterback play to be winners. Jackson is the defination of average to below average. In his career his rating is 77.7, has a completion percentage of 59.4%, touchdown to interception ratio of 38-35 and a starting record that sits at 17-17. Jackson is a servicable quarterback who can be a spot starter if your franchise quarterback is missing one to four games. Anything more from Jackson and your season will be doomed. Which is why the Seahawks must take some chances this offseason on landing that elite quarterback.

The Seahawks this offseason have three choices at the quarterback position and only three options. The first option is through the draft whether you trade up, wait for a guy to fall to you or grab him later on in the draft. The next option is to go hard for quarterback Matt Flynn of the Green Bay Packers who is set to be a free agent this offseason. The last one has the best possible short term value but also could be the most disasterous which is signing Peyton Manning. The Colts have basically said they are drafting Andrew Luck and both they and Manning are working on the exit strategy. Tomorrow in a piece I'll be writing I'll further explore this very topic on what the Seahawks should do going forward with their quarterback problem. If this piece has taught you anything is that the days of game managing quarterbacks hoisting the lombardi trophy appear to be dead for now. Sure Alex Smith, Mark Sanchez and Joe Flacco can lead you to a title game appearance but those guys aren't playing on Super Bowl Sunday. Those guys aren't hoisting the Lombardi trophy either. The Seahawks franchise has already tasted title game appearances and super bowl appearances. We want the whole thing right now which is a Super Bowl championship trophy! If the Seahawks are to ever get that trophy they must find an elite quarterback or expect many more Super Bowl Sunday's where the confetti drops down and it isn't blue and green. If you want to win a championship you must acquire an elite quarterback there is just no way around it.

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.

Seahawks Cortez Kennedy elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame!

By Kshell

The year of the 12th man in 2012 has started off with a big bang as former Seattle Seahawks standout Cortez Kennedy has finally been selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. For Kennedy the former defensive tackle he'll become only the second Seahawk elected into the hall of fame(the Seahawks have had guys who played for them elected) joining legendary wide receiver Steve Largent. He had been passed over in the past but will finally be shrined in Canton, Ohio. Kennedy spent his entire career with the Seahawks from 1990-2000 where he was an eight-time pro bowler, three-time first team all-pro and won the defensive MVP in 1992 on a 2-14 team. Kennedy was the reason why Seahawks fans still cared about the franchise in the 90's.

Kennedy was the third pick overall in the draft coming from the University of Miami. During his rookie year he held out all of preseason and had a minimal impact starting just two games. That year the Seahawks went 9-7 little did Kennedy know he would only taste one more winning season. In 1991 he made his first of many pro bowl appearances with 73 tackles with 6.5 sacks as the Seahawks went 7-9 and fired Chuck Knox. In 1992 was a strange year for Kennedy as the Seahawks fell apart going 2-14 but individually Kennedy had his best season. During that year Kennedy made the pro-bowl, was named first team all-pro and was named defensive MVP. That year Kennedy recorded 92 tackles, 14 sacks, forcing four fumbles while recovering another fumble. In 1993 and 1994 the Seahawks would go 6-10 as Kennedy was still a monster earning another pro bowl appearance and first team all-pro status for the second and third straight seasons. Kennedy had established himself as not only the best Seahawk but one of the best NFL players in the game.

Growing up as a kid in the 90's the Seahawks were the worst team in Seattle by far. I'd rather watch the Cowboys, Packers or 49ers play in the mid 90's than the Seahawks. When the Seahawks were on playing defense my dad would make me watch saying "Kris watch #96 he is one of the greatest Seahawks ever and will be in the Hall of Fame someday". As I grew older I became a huge fan of Kennedy's as he again made the pro bowl in 1995, 1996, and 1998. In 1999 a new sheriff came to town in Mike Holmgren. Kennedy playing in his second to last season at the age of 31 years old made the pro bowl again in 1999. More importantly Kennedy finally tasted team success as the Seahawks played on Monday Night Football for the first time since 1992 and he sacked Brett Favre three times on the big stage as the Seahawks won 27-7 over the Green Bay Packers. Later that year the Seahawks won the division title meaning Kennedy would finally play in a playoff game. The Seahawks would lose to the Dolphins 20-17. The following year Kennedy finally showed his age as the Seahawks were in a transition year going 6-10. He was released then after the 2001 season finally announced his retirement.

The next move this franchise needs to make is retire the #96 as no Seahawks player should ever be allowed to wear that number. Kennedy is a legend and should be joining Largent and Walter Jones with his jersey in the rafters. Kennedy who played on the Seahawks during our worst era never once complained, never once threatened to leave and still never complains about it. Kennedy is still very much active with the Seahawks having raised the 12th man flag twice already, has been inducted in the ring of honor and was named an honorary captain for the NFC championship game. I wished Kennedy could have played for the Seahawks in the Knox era or Holmgren era so more people could know the greatness of Kennedy. For Kennedy he played in 167 games(missing only nine games in his career) with 153 starts. He recorded 568 solo tackles with 58 sacks. He also had three interceptions, forced 11 fumbles and recovered six of them. His most memorable fumble recovery was against the San Diego Chargers and former Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf. He picked up the Leaf fumble and rumbled 39 yards for the touchdown in 1998. Kennedy was a great Seahawks player and on the first home game his jersey should be hung up in the rafters as he is the only second Seahawk player to ever make it to Pro Football's Hall of Fame.

This day has been long overdue for most Seahawks fans and Kennedy. As you saw with Tim Brown, Andre Reed and Chris Carter though better late than never as those greats are still being snubbed. Kennedy was a star on a crappy team but he still played hard. To win defensive MVP as a defensive tackle is impressive as is. To do it on a 2-14 team when nobody is watching your games or caring about your team makes it even more special. Kennedy is the first player I remember growing up watching in this city who is in the Hall of Fame so this is pretty special to me. Kennedy was the reason fans cared about this franchise. Kennedy was the face of this franchise for a decade as they went through their worst stretch. Now Kennedy is finally being rewarded by going to the hall of fame. 2012 is supposedly the year of the 12th man well this year has began quite nicely for the Seahawks. Congrats Cortez Kennedy you deserve this honor!

Ross explodes in second half comeback as Huskies win 8th straight at home vs Bruins 71-69!

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(15-7, 8-2) found themselves trailing at home by 10 points to the UCLA Bruins(12-10, 5-5) who were looking to win for the first time in Seattle since 2004. That is when Terrence Ross carried the Huskies down the stretch as the Huskies outscored the Bruins 16-4 to end the game. Ross scoring 10 of those points to score a team high 22 points for the Huskies to extend their streak over the Bruins. More importantly for Lorenzo Romar's team is the fact his Huskies are in first place after winning back to back games on ESPN at the buzzer. Both times his team came up with a huge defensive stop to prevent overtime as the Huskies have now won four games in a row and seven of their last eight games. This game the Huskies overcame the injury to Tony Wroten and foul trouble to Aziz N'Diaye. This team is starting to come around and finally play like a team who will be dancing come March.

In the first half the Huskies got off to a nice start up 6-2 led by Aziz N'Diaye scoring the first four points for the Huskies. The Bruins responded by going on a 12-3 run to lead 14-9. Which the Huskies would then respond with a 10-2 run to go up 19-16. Later in the half the Huskies would go on a 7-0 run to lead 28-24. Trailing 34-33 right before halftime Terrence Ross hit an impossible shot to give the Huskies a 35-34 lead at halftime.  The Bruins made only 15-36(41.7%) of their field goals while missing all three three point attempts. They were kept in the game by Kentwood High School star Joshua Smith who scored 14 points off the bench on five for six shooting while making four of five free throws. The Wear twins stepped up as well as David Wear scored eight on four for seven shooting with four rebounds while Travis Wear had six points on 3-10 shooting with seven rebounds.

For the Huskies they shot well in the first half making 15-30(50.0%) from the field and two for four on three pointers. The Huskies were killed by 10 turnovers giving the Bruins too many chances. They were led by senior Darnell Gant who scored 10 points on four for five shooting including two three pointers. Abdul Gaddy scored six points on two for four shooting making two three point plays the old fasion way. Tony Wroten scored five points on two for five shooting making his lone free throw. He also added three rebounds and two assists but had four turnovers. Aziz N'Diaye scored four points on two for three shooting while grabbing five rebounds but had two quick fouls. That allowed Shawn Kemp Jr to earn some minutes as he scored four points on two dunks that reminded fans of his father Shawn Kemp plus he also grabbed two rebounds. Terrence Ross like he has in the past struggled in the first half scored just four points on two for four shooting. Like he has all season long he saved his best for the second half.

The second half was a game of runs as the Bruins led 54-47 as the Huskies went on a mini 4-0 run to pull within 54-51. The Bruins would go on a 9-2 run at that point as Lazeric Jones would drill three straight three pointers to give the Bruins a 63-53 lead as Hec Ed was quiet.  Trailing 65-55 the Huskies started to attack the Bruins by going to the free throw line as C.J. Wilcox hit four straight free throws as well as Terrence Ross. The Huskies had gone on a 6-0 run with just free throws pulling within 65-61 as Romar pulled the hurting Wroten who was too hurt to continue. Ross went down and drilled a three pointer as the Huskies pulled within 65-64. Ross would hit a reverse layup to give the Huskies a 66-65 lead over the Bruins. The Huskies then forced a steal as Gant finished the play off with a dunk as the Huskies lead 68-65 capping a 13-0 run. The Bruins finally scored to pull within 68-67 that is when Ross hit a three pointer with a man on him to give the Huskies a 71-67 lead as the Huskies had just gone on a 16-2 run. After a Bruins bucket the Huskies put the ball in Ross hands once more and for the first time all second half he missed after making his first seven shots in the second half. The Bruins had the ball with less than 20 seconds left with one timeout elected to play it out. Norman Powell who had scored just two points up until then tried a floater with three seconds to go on the baseline but the ball rimmed out as Smith tried to put it back in Ross poked the ball out of his hands in mid air as the Huskies held on for the 71-69 victory.

The Bruins lost the game despite a career game from sophomore Joshua Smith who scored 24 points on 9-13 shooting while making 6-10 free throws with nine rebounds. Lazeric Jones scored 11 points on 3-12 shooting but made 3-5 on three pointers. David Wear finished with 10 points on five for six shooting with four rebounds while his brother Travis scored eight points on just 4-15 shooting with eight rebounds.

For the Huskies they were led by Ross who scored 22 points on 9-12 shooting with two three pointers, four rebounds, a steal and two blocks. Ross scored 18 in the second half on seven for eight shooting. Tony Wroten who played hurt all game scored 13 points on 4-11 shooting but was a perfect five for five on free throws. Wroten also added five rebounds, two assists and a steal but had five turnovers. Darnell Gant off the bench scored 12 points on five for nine shooting with two three pointers with two steals and a block. Aziz N'Diaye who fought foul trouble all game long scored seven points on three for four shooting with 11 rebounds. Abdul Gaddy scored seven points on two for five shooting while making three of four free throws. He also had five assists but had four turnovers as well. C.J. Wilcox scored six points on one for four shooting but was perfect on four free throw attempts. Shawn Kemp Jr. off the bench scored four points on two for three shooting in 11 minutes. The Huskies as a team shot 26-50(52.0%) from the field, 4-10(40.0%) on three pointers but made 15-20(75.0%) on free throws which proved to be the difference.

This was a big win for the Huskies as they continued their dominance over the Bruins .The Huskies have now won eight straight at home against the Bruins(three final four teams in that stretch) and four games overall in a row against the Bruins. Since 1997 the Huskies are 13-3 at home against the Bruins as well as Seattle is becoming a giant thorn to the Bruins. This is two years in a row where the Bruins had the Huskies beat until someone caught on fire for the Huskies in the second half. Last year that was Wilcox this year it was Ross who had done the same thing against the Washington State Cougars. This team is now winning these close games and winning it with defense as their defense prevailed at  the buzzer against the two best programs in the conferece on ESPN both games. This was a huge win for Romar's team who now sits in first place all by themselves.

Observations:

- Aziz N'Diaye really had to battle this game not only against a motivated five-star talent in Josh Smith but more importantly foul trouble. N'Diaye began the game with four quick points but finished with only seven points. N'Diaye did record 11 rebounds and I noticed when he was in there Smith wasn't running wild. When N'Diaye had to site Smith was going off on Gant, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Desmond Simmons and Kemp Jr as well. N'Diaye is a tough defender and this year on offense can score around the basket unlike last year.

This year N'Diaye is averaging 8.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 1.3 blocks per game with 0.5 steals per game. N'Diaye is also shooting 53.8% from the floor as well. His free throw shooting has been horrid lately making only 3-22 from the foul line. N'Diaye who isn't a good free throw shooter is better than that. The Huskies need him to at least be halfway decent so they can throw him the ball more. This year with those 11 rebounds that is the sixth time this year N'Diaye has grabbed double digit rebounds. So far in Pac-12 play N'Diaye is averaging 8.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG and 0.7 blocks per game. With N'Diaye in the middle the Huskies have a guy who can change the game defensively in the paint which they've never had in the Romar era.

-  Senior Darnell Gant who grew up in Bruins country this has to feel extra sweet for him. Gant in the first half carried the Huskies scoring 10 of 12 points including two three pointers as the offense struggled. Gant stretches the floor well his shooting ability and does set good screens. One major flaw in Gant's game is his rebounding and this game he had just one rebound. Gant has to become a better rebounder going forward. Gant has never been one of the best players on the Huskies but is a nice glue guy for the program. He is looking to become the first every Husky to have played in the NCAA tournament all four years. So far Gant has played in seven NCAA tournament games and eight Pac-10 tournament games in his career. He is one of the few guys on this roster who has been battle tested.

For the season now Gant is averaging career highs in points and rebounds. He is averaging 7.7 PPG and 4.7 RPG. He is shooting 48.8% from the field and 35.6% on three pointers making 0.7 per game. In Pac-12 play Gant is averaging 6.6 PPG and 3.9 RPG which he needs to step it up. Gant is the lone senior and the only guy who is battle tested on this roster. The Huskies will need more from him going forward if they wish to make him the first ever player to have played in four NCAA tournaments with the Huskies.

- This was a great game for the Tony Wroten haters as Romar pulled him and the Huskies went on to win with Wroten sitting on the bench. Wroten also played hurt and still scored 13 points in this game including making all five of his free throw attempts. In fact Wroten has made 10-12 from the free throw line in the last two games so hopefully the Pac-12's leader in free throw attempts is starting to improve a little bit on making them. Wroten is still having a productive season that should earn him first team all conference at the end of the year. Wroten is averaging 16.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.3 APG and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 47.7% from the field. In Pac-12 play Wroten is averaging 17.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.1 APG and 2.2 steals per game. As you can see in conference play he has stepped his game up in every statistical category. If Wroten can shoot his free throws like he has the last two games he could be unstoppable.

- From a pure talent standpoint Terrence Ross might be the most talented player Romar has ever had including Brandon Roy. Ross can drive to the hole, blow by you for an alley oop dunk, record key blocks and has a really nice shot. Ross this year has been an enigma at times in that he disappears in the first half almost every game. Yet in that same game he seems to catch fire in the second half. Ross is averaging 18.0 PPG in his last four home games.....in the second half alone. This game was no different after scoring just four points on two for four shooting Ross scored 18 points on seven for eight shooting with two three pointers in the second half. Ross really bailed the Huskies out this game with Wilcox having an off night and Wroten hurt that left it up to Ross who took over down the stretch. During that 16-2 run Ross scored 10 points for the Huskies to lead them to this crucial win.

For the season now Ross is averaging 15.4 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.1 steals per game and 1.1 blocks per game. He is shooting 45.8% from the field, 39.4% on three pointers making 2.0 three pointers a game and 72.1% on free throws. Ross is having a first team all conference type of season but he is capable of being first team All-American if he just would play like he does in the second half for an entire game. In Pac-12 play Ross is averaging 16.1 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks. He is also making 2.2 three pointers a game. Like Wroten in conference play he has stepped up his game. With Ross, Wroten and Wilcox the Huskies have three guys who are capable of going off on you at any moment.

- For Lorenzo Romar the former UCLA assistent this has to be a very satisfying win. This was his 500th career game as a head coach in his college career. Romar also improves to 11-9 all-time against the Bruins and considering he lost his four games to them that is really impressive. The Bruins are a basketball powerhouse while the Huskies simply aren't. During that stretch the Bruins went to three straight final fours and yet Romar has the upperhand. The past two games had to be satisfying for Romar to see his young team finally get it together to beat two elite programs in Arizona and UCLA on ESPN. These were big time wins for this Huskies program and both wins were close wins as well for the Huskies a team who typically struggles in the close games. The Huskies are now 3-3 in games decided by five points or less after winning these last two games.

For the Huskies who now sit atop the conference at 8-2 with all the hostile road trips out of the way the Huskies team who is on a run can continue this run. This season reminds me a mixture of the 2003-04 season and 2009-2010 season where it took a while for this team to get going but once it did they didn't look back at all. Romar has a very talented squad and he has them playing at the level that his tournament teams always tend to play. For Romar to be at Washington for 10 years and to have a winning record against both Arizona and UCLA is incredible and unthinkable before his arrival to Montlake.

The Huskies season has turned around as Romar is finally allowing his stars to take over games. This game was a great example of that as Ross was the only guy to shoot final three minutes minutes Gant's breakaway dunk. The Huskies basketball program has accomplished a lot but they have never reached the NCAA tournament four years in a row. With wins over Arizona and UCLA this team is inching closer towards that goal. For these young Huskies to overcome blowing a huge lead against Arizona to win and now make a huge comeback to defeat the Bruins is a confidence builder for sure. For Ross who saved the day hopefully he can finally play a complete game so this team can become unbeatable especially in this conference. For the Huskies this is now four wins in a row and four wins in a row against mighty UCLA as well.

Huskies finished with ranked recruiting class third straight year

By Kshell

For the third straight year Steve Sarkisian has landed a ranked recruiting class for the Washington Huskies. The Huskies are ranked 22nd in the nation on scout.com and 20th in the nation on rivals.com . This has been a strange offseason for Sarkisian and I'm sure he is happy this recruiting process is finally over. This offseason has seen two coaches leave while firing three other coaches. This class also dealt with the devastating blow of losing four of the five top in state recruits which saw three going to conference rivals. The Huskies for the bulk of the recruiting season were ranked near the bottom of the conference below Oregon State, Utah and Colorado. Even on signing day the Huskies were dealt a blow as talented four-star recruit Jordan Payton decommited 14 hours after committing to the Huskies to commit to the UCLA Bruins. Sarkisian did steal plenty of recruits on his own on the last day as well. Most of the guys Sarkisian stole late were on the defensive side of the ball which is a big plus since hte offense appears Rose Bowl ready.

This class features 25 recruits which has 12 offensive players, 11 defensive players and two kickers. Of those 25 players the Huskies landed 15 from the state of California, five from their home state of Washington, three from Hawaii. They also landed three-star wide receiver Kendyl Taylor from Arizona and four-star quarterback Cyler Miles from Colorado. Based on Rivals rankings the Huskies had one five-star recruit, five four-star recruits and 14 three-star recruits. Based on Scouts rankings the Huskies have one five-star recruit in safety Shaq Thompson, three four-star recruits and 15 three-star recruits. The Huskies aren't quite recruiting at a Pac-12 championship level but they are recruiting at a nice level unlike the previous coaching regime.  In this following post I'll describe each of the big recruits the Huskies had landed in this class.

Jeff Lindquist- QB:

Jeff Lindquist is a four star quarterback according to both rivals and scout.com from Mercer Island. Lindquist had committed to the Huskies last May of 2011 as Sarkisian was hoping to have Lindquist build on the state of Washington.  Lindquist chose the Huskies over the Stanford Cardinal early in the process. He is the 8th rated quarterback in the nation per scout.com and 7th rated in the nation per rivals. com. During his high school career he was a three year starter where he showed he is a good pocket quarterback who can also scramble. Lindquist as a sophomore threw for 1,474 yards with 13 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. He also ran for 519 yards with 11 touchdowns. Then he had a breakkout junior year throwing for 1,993 yards with 15 touchdowns to nine interceptions while rushing for 1,015 yards with 18 touchdowns. As a senior Lindquist threw for 1,303 yards with 11 touchdowns to six interceptions while rushing for 555 yards and 12 touchdowns(in only six games). Lindquist who 6'3" is the type of quarterback most schools dream about committing to them. For the Huskies who have Keith Price for two more years and a guy they are high on in Derrick Brown the most important position in sports will be loaded. Adding Lindquist to your class is a great get for most schools. Well Sarkisian did land another four star quarterback as well only this guy was out of state.

Cyler Miles - QB:

Cyler Miles was another big get for Sarkisian back in June. Then Miles had second thoughts in late January about USC decided to stick with Washington only to have second thoughts again on signing day to eventually stay with the Huskies. What the Huskies are getting in the 6'4"Miles from Mullen High School in Denver Colorado is a four star recruit according to both scout and rivals.com. Scout has him ranked as the 13th best quarterback while Rivals has him as the 2nd best quarterback in the nation(35th overall player). Besides beating out the Trojans for Miles the Huskies also beat out Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Baylor, Clemson, the home state Colorado and Colorado State, Illinois, Pittsburgh, Vanderbelt, and two powerhouses Florida and Oklahoma State. During Miles junior season he led Mullen high school to a state championship where he completed over 70.0% of his passes for 2,131 yards with 20 touchdowns to just two interceptions while rushing for 256 yards with six touchdowns while catching a pass for 40 yards. In the U.S. Army all-american game which has the games top high schoolers going up against each other Miles was named the game MVP as he was seven for eight passing for 155 yards with a touchdown while rushing for another. He also had an 80 yard touchdown pass wiped away due to Zach Banner getting a costly holding penalty. The quarterback position is in good hands with Sarkisian landing these two four star quarterbacks.

Jaydon Mickens - WR:

When you land two talented quarterbacks they will need someone to throw the ball to which is the case with Jaydon Mickens. Mickens who is only 5'8" but runs a 4.4 40 is electric in open space. Mickens comes from Dorsey High School in Los Angeles, California and is a  four-star recruit according to both scout and rivals.com. Mickens is the 45th ranked receiver in the nation on scout and 11th ranked receiver in the nation on rivals. During his senior year Mickens was an all around athlete as he caught 32 passes for 558 yards(17.4 YPC) with seven touchdowns, he also ran the ball 82 times for 378 yards(4.61 YPC) with 13 touchdowns. He even attempted 32 passes on the year for 238 yards passing. Mickens had offers from Arizona, Arizona State, California, Hawaii, SMU, UCLA and USC. For his hat announcment it was down to Washington, Washington State and Oklahoma State. He immediately faked putting on the Cougars hat then tossed it away before choosing the Huskies hat. Although the Huskies lost the talented Jordan Payton they still landed Mickens along with three other receivers who were all three stars so the receivers at Montlake should be just fine.

Brandon Beaver - CB:

This year the Huskies also landed some talented defensive players which is key seeing how they scored 56 points in a bowl game and lost. The Huskies landed the talented 6'1" Brandon Beaver out of Dominguez High School in Compton, California. Beaver also played in the Army All-American game and depending on the site is where he is ranked. On scout.com he is a three star recruit and is the 27th ranked corner in the nation. On rivals he is a four-star recruit and is the 12th ranked corner in the nation. Beaver many suspected had committed to the Huskies a few weeks ago which caused a huge storm on twitter which beg the question do recruiting sites do more harm than good? As Beaver almost went to other schools due to that. Beaver chose the Huskies over Arizona, Arizona State, Boise State, Colorado, Fresno State, Nebraska, New Mexico, New Mexico State, SMU, Tennessee, and UCLA. Then it came down to Utah and Washington State who Beaver passed over to put on the Purple and Gold. This was the last guy that Sarkisian snatched up on signing day as this was a huge signing for the Huskies as their secondary has been poor for quite some years. With Beaver who is a tall physical corner that will allow Wilcox the freedom to blitz more in the future.

Pio Vatuvei - DE:

While the Huskies may have lost Payton they did steal defensive end Pio Vatuvei from the USC Trojans on signing day as he was a USC commit. The 6'2" 280 pound Vatuvei is a three-star on scout as he is the 43rd defensive end in the country. While on rivals he is a four-star as he is the 11th ranked defensive end in the country. Coming from Patterson high school in Patterson, California Vatuvei was a very nice defensive addition by Sarkisian. Vatuvei chose the Huskies over Arizona, Boise State, California, Colorado, Fresno State, Idaho, Nevada, USC, Utah, Utah State and Washington State. Basically every school on the west coast wanted him including the Trojans who only had 15 scholarships to give out. The Trojans gladly gave one of their 15 to Vatuvei which should tell you how incredible of a prospect he could be. Sarkisian knows if he wishes to be the coach that he expects from himself he will need his defense to step up.

Shaq Thompson - Safety:

Sarkisian made some major noise two days prior to signing day when landing the consensus five-star and #1 safety in the country Shaq Thompson from Grant Union High School in Sacramento, California. Thompson who is 6'2" who also played in the Army All-American game is the biggest Husky out of state recruit in a long time. When Sarkisian landed Thompson it created a buzz throughout the social networking scene and came at a good time. That was the same day Sarkisian lost out on Banner but the fans quickly forget as they landed Thompson. Thompson is a five-star recruit on both rivals and scout while being the #1 rated safety in both. On scout he is the 3rd rated player overally in the entire country while on rivals he is the 4th overall player(1st in California though) meaning the Huskies have reshaped their defense in a big way. Thompson who was originally a Golden Bear commit chose the Huskies over the Michigan Wolverines, USC Trojans, UCLA Bruins, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Florida Gators, Arizona State Sun Devils, Oregon Ducks and of course the California Golden Bears. Thompson is the crown jewel of this recruiting class and whatever the Huskies are paying Tosh Lupoi was well deserved.

This recruiting class showed that Sarkisian is still a good recruiter and unlike the myths out there he is also a good closer. Sarkisian signed seven guys on the February 1st or January 31st which doesn't even count Payton who decommitted 14 hours later or Miles who re-assured he was staying at Washington. Of those seven that Sarkisian snatched at the last moments four were on defense and two were on the offensive line. Sarkisian brought in two highly touted quarterbacks, five offensive lineman, five defensive lineman(four of which are ends), and four guys in the secondary including two highly touted guys in Thompson and Beaver. Despite only having a month to recruit for Lupoi and Wilcox the Huskies staff did a fine job. Look for next offseason to have even more fireworks which is a good thing going forward. Also due to the depth on the team already look for Sarkisian to redshirt another 18 or so kids like he did last year. The Husky football program is heading in the right direction and Sarkisian closed out this class with a bang.

Seattle Sounders come into this season with a much different look.

By Money Mike

Well we've had another long and busy offseason, but we're only five weeks away from getting back to business again. Sorry I'm two weeks late with this article. A couple weeks ago, I let my mother borrow my laptop and she ends up breaking my power cord. I was hoping to get a new one in the next couple of days, but instead I had to wait until last night to get a new power cord, but now that I have it, I'm gonna give you guys my personal opinion on this team regarding how they are on paper compared to last year, are they better defensively, are they one of the top contenders for the Supporters Shield, the MLS Cup, etc. Lately, the MLS website has been all over the Los Angeles Galaxy, talking about how unstoppable they're gonna be this season (that's what they think, lol!) because Edson Buddle back as well as Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane, Mike Magee and David Beckham is staying in LA for another two years.

As for the Seattle Sounders, well, it's been a busy offseason. The primary focus this offseason was getting a new goalkeeper as well as two outside backs. The Sounders found all three by acquiring goalkeeper Michael Gspurning, right back Adam Johansson and left back Marc Burch and following the departure of Erik Friberg, they added a little depth in the midfield with the addition of Christian Sivebaek and Cordell Cato.

I think Seattle definitely one of the top teams that will contend for the MLS Cup title with LA and maybe Real Salt Lake as well. First things first though, we need to get past the quarterfinal. That injury to Mauro Rosales on the last week of the regular season really hurt us in our chance of getting to the Cup final. But that was the past, right now, it's time to move on to the 2012 season. The Sounders look to have everthing in place now with Michael Gspurning between the pipes and Adam Johansson and Marc Burch on defense. Right now the only concern for me is, which of our draft picks will make the team this season?

Currently the roster is sitting at 28 players. Prior to the Supplemental draft, I liked the chances of both of our SuperDraft picks Andrew Duran and Babayele Sodade making the squad, but then the Sounders make four picks in the Supplemental Draft plus trade their rights to Leone Cruz to Real Salt Lake for their Supplemental pick Andy Rose.

I still like Duran's chances, but I don't have much hope for Sodade now because one of our four selections in the Supplemental Draft was Jason Banton from English club Leicester City F.C. Prior to his short stint with Leicester City, Banton spent some time in the Arsenal youth system, then he joined the Blackburn academy in 2008 and stayed there for about three years before spending six months in the Liverpool youth system. He recently made one appearance for Burton Albion during his short loan stint from Leicester City where he made no appearances. You know, I was quite surprised that nobody cashed in on this kid in the MLS SuperDraft. I was expecting him to be taken in the first round. Too me, I think this was a huge pick.

Besides Banton, the Sounders also selected Tim Pontius from UC Santa Barbra, Abdul Aman from the University of Washington, and Wes Feighner from Cal Poly. Aman was just cut from the team a couple of days ago so that leaves us with Banton, Pontius, Feighner, Rose, Duran, Sodade and a few trialists on this team like Andrew Weber, Alex Caskey, Harlinton Gutierres and Ever Alvarado.

Now asside from all of that, I'm pretty sure some of you guys have been keeping track of Steve Zakuani and his road to recovery from that broken leg he suffered in Colorado following a two footed challenge by that Stupid Prick who goes by the name of Brian Mullan. There were times last season when I forgot Zakuani was on this team and I don't know why, because there was absolutely no doubt in my mind or in anyone's mind that he is an important player on this team. I've kept track of his road to recovery and last I heard, he was aiming to return in late may-early june at least sometime during the summer. Of course we have our Designated player Fredy Montero who has scored 34 league goals in this three years here in Seattle and will continue to add to that all season long. Again, the Sounders have everything put in place, our backline looks a lot better than last year, plus we have Michael Gspurning who brings a little more height in goal. For the new players, it's just a matter of getting the hang of playing together.