Dawg's get Cardinalized azz rash? Game Thread Thu. 1/9/20 6PM

[rockycola]

The PAC-12's conference leader, 12-2 Stanford Cardinal hosts the 11-4 UW Huskies at 6 P.M. tonight.

This could be a game that sets the tone for both teams for the rest of the season. Current Bracketology has both of them in the NCAA 64 dance along with Arizona, Oregon and Colorado. There is a long way to go before any team's selection is made.

Game is a toss-up. Stanford is led by junior 6'9" Oscar da Silva, 17.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.3 apg and shooting 60.4% from the field.
Scrappy freshman, 6'1" guard Tyrell Terry scores at a 15.1 clip, somehow fights and claws for 5.2 rpg and dishes 3.3 apg.
6'7" frosh forward Spencer Jones: 9.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg
Saddest to mention is 6'3" junior guard, Daejon Davis out of Garfield. Twice a UW commit, took his talents to Stanford after Romar was canned. I think he'd be starting if he had stayed (but other recruiting dominoes would have changed the roster makeup, so who knows). He's got the brains to go to Stanford, there's that. Davis: 9.1 ppg, 3.6 apg.
The Cardinal has four players averaging 40% plus from 3-point land. Here is where this team can beat the Huskies if the defense isn't right tonight.

Huskies can't start off timid and cold. Watch the fouls. Can McDaniel play a mature game to match his talent tonight. Stewart may eat Cardinal stew and lead the team to victory.
College Basketball Power Index
Last Updated: January 9, 2020 at 12:45 AM PT
The College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward. BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Strength of Record (SOR) is a measure of team accomplishment based on how difficult a team's W-L record is to achieve. Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day's rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections. Numbers update daily.

RK.....TEAM...............CONF.....W-L........BPI-RK.....SOS-RK.....SOR-RK
6........Arizona............Pac-12.....11-3.........6..........141..........50
9........Oregon.............Pac-12....12-3.........9...........24...........12
41......Colorado...........Pac-12 ....12-3.........41..........91...........30
66......Oregon State......Pac-12.....11-3........66..........269..........68
74......USC.................Pac-12.....12-3........74...........78..........25
75......Stanford...........Pac-12......12-2........75..........251.........37
80......Washington.......Pac-12....11-4........80.........159.........69
93......Arizona State.....Pac-12.......9-5........93...........57...........78
104.....Utah...............Pac-12......10-4.......104..........62...........54
130.....Washington St...Pac-12......10-5.......130..........347.........163
139.....UCLA..............Pac-12.......8-7.......139..........107.........164
200.....California.........Pac-12.......6-8.......200...........64.........182

There are only 351 D-1 teams. Wazoo Cougs are 347th in Strength of Schedule.

[rockycola]

Expected starting lineups and a great write-up about the game from Lauren Kirschman from The Tacoma News Tribune.

UW Huskies-Stanford Cardinal: What to watch for
BY LAUREN KIRSCHMAN
JANUARY 09, 2020 05:00 AM
STANFORD (12-2, 1-0 Pac-12) VS. WASHINGTON (11-4, 1-1 Pac-12)

When: Thursday, 6 p.m. PT

Where: Maples Pavilion

TV: FS1

Radio: KOMO 1000 AM/97.7 FM

Projected starters

Stanford


G Daejon Davis, Jr. (6-3, 185): 9.1 ppg, 3.5 apg

G Tyrell Terry, Fr. (6-2, 160): 15.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg

G Bryce Wills, So. (6-6, 195): 6.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg

F Oscar da Silva, Jr. (6-9, 225): 17.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg

F Spencer Jones, Fr. (6-7, 195): 9.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg

Washington

G Quade Green, So. (6-0, 170): 11.6 ppg, 5.3 apg

G Nahziah Carter, Jr. (6-6, 205): 13.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg

F Jaden McDaniels, Fr. (6-9, 200): 13.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg

F Isaiah Stewart, Fr. (6-9, 250): 19.5 ppg, 9.1 rpg

F Hameir Wright, Jr. (6-9, 220): 5.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg

Outlook: Washington split its first two Pac-12 games, falling to UCLA before beating USC in arguably its best performance of the season. Stanford is coming off a conference-opening victory over Cal. The Cardinal’s only losses this season came against No. 6 Butler and No. 3 Kansas.

Limiting turnovers will be a key factor for the Huskies. They’ve struggled with ball security all season, averaging 14.9 turnovers per game, and Stanford is a team that forces mistakes. The Cardinal average 8.6 steals per game.

“We’ve got to handle the ball,” UW head coach Mike Hopkins said Tuesday. “There’s no getting around that. That’s been every game for us where we can be better. And transition defense is going to be huge. They really push the ball in transition.”

Stanford is led by junior Oscar da Silva, who is averaging 17.0 points per game this season after averaging 9.5 points last year. The Huskies beat the Cardinal twice last season. But in the second win — a narrow 62-61 victory at Stanford — da Silva finished with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds.

“He’s so versatile,” Hopkins said of da Silva. “He could be in the high post, he could be on the 3-point line, he’s a great offensive rebounder, he’s driving the ball better to the basket. And then defensively, he’s huge on his double-teams. That length and that athleticism is what makes them a really, really good defensive team.”

Thursday’s game will indeed be a battle between two of the Pac-12’s top defenses. The Cardinal lead the conference in scoring defense, giving up just 58.3 points per game. They are third in field goal percentage defense (38.5%). UW is third in scoring defense (63.1 ppg) and first in field goal percentage defense (36.9%).

Stanford also ranks second in the Pac-12 in 3-point shooting at 38.7%. Spencer Jones (45.7%), Tyrell Terry (40.3%) and Daejon Davis (44.8%) are all shooting better than 40% from beyond the arc.

“Spencer Jones, he’s one of the best shooters that I’ve seen,” Hopkins said. “They’ve brought in a couple of guys that can really, really shoot the ball. It’s going to be a great test, they’ve had one of the best preseasons of any team in our league. This is a team that no one is talking about.”

Read more here: https://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/c ... rylink=cpy

[Michael K.]

Heard Green is academically ineligible until March, so I bet he didn't start.

[D-train]

I can not believe what an extreme challenge it is for these guys to handle a basketball.

[rockycola]

Heard Green is academically ineligible until March, so I bet he didn't start.

Ouch.......next Dawg up!

[rockycola]

McDaniel with 10 boards already, still 5 minutes to go in the 1st half.

[rockycola]

McDaniels coming of age tonight.

[Michael K.]

McDaniels coming of age tonight.

And Stewert is terrible. If they get it together at the same time we'd be dangerous.

[rockycola]

McDaniels coming of age tonight.

And Stewert is terrible. If they get it together at the same time we'd be dangerous.

Stewart is really off, isn't he? Very unusual.

[Michael K.]

If this team can't figure out the turnovers I simply don't see how they dance.