91-57 UW Win vs Bellarmine Review + Season Preview

[Seattle or Bust]

Decided to nab a ticket last minute to go to the game. Paid $11 for a half court seat at center court which tells you how popular the Husky basketball program is right now.

Concerns:

Slow starts - Maybe it was because it was the first real game of the year, but the team came out sleep walking. They looked totally surprised by Bellarmine's speed/energy and played really, really sloppy for the first 12 minutes of the game. At the 8 minute mark I believe they trailed by 3... something like 25-22. So many turnovers, stupid fouls and lapses on defense marred most of the first half until a run to close the half out. I really have to question Hopkins' starting lineup choice... it just seems to lack energy. Pondexter let out a huge "FUCK" from the bench when they were losing late in the 1st half and it's what everyone was thinking.

No post play - While Kepnang ended up with 8 points, they were mostly dunks that came from lobs when the off defender went to help against the driver. Kepnang had a full foot in height over every guy who was on him so the fact that he and the rest of the centers didn't get more done inside is troubling. Meah played about 1 minute, had 2x fouls and a turnover and was quickly benched. The kid from Nebraska didn't fair much better. This lack of depth and talent here is a real concern.

Way too many 3 pointers - Thankfully they shot 50%, but 20x 3's isn't a stat I'd expect to see when UW's players had a height advantage at almost every position.

Lack of an offensive plan - Again, it seems as though Hopkin's and Co. have 0 plan on offense. It's so disjointed... rarely is there a bucket scored from anything that looks like it was planned.

Positives:

A better shooting team than we've had in a while - while I'm not happy that they shot 20 3's... it's clear this team has some shooters and the shooting comes from 4 positions on the floor which may be tough to defend.

Guard play - aside from a few lapses on defense, all guards who played the bulk of minutes were fantastic.

Man to man D - the Dawgs turned up the intensity with a few minutes to go in the 1st half and the man to man D really took off. Gone are the days of the zone which is funny because it's probably the team that is most equipped to play it since the Thybulle days given the length of their 2's and 3's. They held Bellarmine to just 34% shooting and forced 20 turnovers... it seemed Bellarmine got overwhelmed as the game went on.


Players:

Koren Johnson - He was the best player on the court, despite some lapses on defense. He's lightning quick and made many contested layups in the paint. He got boiling hot in the 2nd half and hit 4x 3's in a row. I'd be surprised if he's not contending for an All P12 team this year.

Keion Brooks - Brooks looked lethargic and disinterested in the first half where he only scored 4 points and committed 3 turnovers. He turned it around in the second half with 18 points, hitting a couple nice 3's and jumpers while also finishing a bit around the rim. Truth the be told, he should have dominated this game given his height advantage and the slow start is concerning. His lack of aggression and will power was also concerning.

Nate Calmese - He had a really quiet 13 points but I was left pretty impressed by him. He's very crafty and has a lot of skill ball handling, driving and finishing. It was weird, he looked super gassed the entire time but just kept producing. He had a nasty cross over to 2-hand dunk to finish the game. He doesn't look the part but he's pretty good.

Paul Mulcahey - He almost fucked around and got the rare college triple double. He finished with 9 points, 8 boards, 7 assists and it was extremely quiet. Honestly... I like him as the point guard and Koren Johnson as more of a shooting guard. To have a guy his height (6'6) who handles the ball well get 8 boards is a big luxury. I'd like him to search for his shot a bit more... he seemed hesitant.

Franke Kepnang - Lots of energy and some fun dunks but man, it's amazing that a guy can play basketball for so long and lack so many basic fundamentals. You're telling me that can't teach him just a couple basic post moves to keep teams honest? If it's not a dunk, he's got nothing. He was solid defensively and def altered some shots.

Moses Wood - He has some really nice length at 6'8 for the 3 spot and has some clear skill on offense. Missed a couple open 3's but he's someone that can be a real weapon if other's are double teamed to score on the perimeter.

Anthony Holland - Played some really heady defense with 2 steals and block in limited minutes. When he came in it seemed to really settle the defense down. Didn't think he'd get much playing time this year so this is a nice development.

Wilhelm Briendbach - Despite the 8 rebounds, I left pretty disappointed in him. I remember watching him at Mater Dei on Youtube where I was pretty impressed by his skill and he developed a little bit of a cult following due to his dominating good teams while rocking goggles. He looked overmatched physically and seems to have lost a little bit of confidence on the offensive end in his college career. I hope he can do more.

Braxton Meah - As stated, he played for 1 minute... committed 2x fouls and a turnover and was promptly benched. Not a good debut... and not a good sign for a team that's lacking at center.

[D-train]

Wow, $11. Unreal. Terrible start but easy win. Love that they can score. Its WAY early but last season in their Exhibition game and 1st game they scored 164 points. This season 194.

Thanks for the recap! Game tipped off at 11:30pm here!

[D-train]

Here's the highlights. Seeing a lot more skill offensively!

https://www.google.com/search?q=husky+b ... 0s3zU,st:0

[Michael K.]

Great break down, thanks Seattle or Bust. Didn't want to put SoB...LOL. And thanks for the highlight link DT.

Curious about all the three pointers. Seems to me that shot is a HUGE part of the game now, and if we hit that many? Maybe we finally have some shooters. I also wonder if we knew we had the height advantage so assumed we'd be able to crash the offensive boards if the three was missed?

[D-train]

Next up is Northern Kentucky Thursday. They lost to Middle Tennessee state by 17 after winning their exhibition game to something called Mt. St. Joeseph 85-31. Imagine how bad that MSJ team has to be. 1800 students.

https://nkunorse.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule

[Seattle or Bust]

Next up is Northern Kentucky Thursday. They lost to Middle Tennessee state by 17 after winning their exhibition game to something called Mt. St. Joeseph 85-31. Imagine how bad that MSJ team has to be. 1800 students.

https://nkunorse.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule

How bout this score?

[D-train]

Next up is Northern Kentucky Thursday. They lost to Middle Tennessee state by 17 after winning their exhibition game to something called Mt. St. Joeseph 85-31. Imagine how bad that MSJ team has to be. 1800 students.

https://nkunorse.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule

How bout this score?

Damn it! I bet $100 on Cal St. Stanislaus +75. lol

[D-train]

Holy shit they only lost by 4 points to Nevada. We play Nevada on Sunday.

John Wade III scored seven points for Stanislaus State, which played the game as an exhibition, its second against a Division I program in less than a week, following an 84-80 loss at Nevada on Wednesday. The Warriors made only 9 of 58 shots from the field (15.5 percent) against the Gaels and managed just one assist against 17 turnovers.

[D-train]

Pac 12 is undefeated!!!

Nobody has talked about what our schedule with look like next year. Shall be very interesting.

https://pac-12.com/mens-basketball/standings