Interesting week in the P12

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D-train
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Interesting week in the P12

Post by D-train » Wed Feb 02, 2022 2:38 pm

The So Cals are playing the AZs so if we sweep in the Bay area we can make up ground. WSU beat Colorado Sunday so they still only have 3 losses as well. Stanford beat Cal in a makeup game last night so both teams will be running on fumes when they play us.

https://pac-12.com/mens-basketball/standings
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Re: Interesting week in the P12

Post by D-train » Fri Feb 04, 2022 12:38 pm

Great start. We destroyed Cal and Cougs had no problem with Stanford. Both should sweep the Bay.

Cougs are 36th in Net ratings and would make the tourney if the season ended today. Standings are tightening up at the top behind AZ.

https://pac-12.com/mens-basketball/standings
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Re: Interesting week in the P12

Post by D-train » Fri Feb 04, 2022 1:32 pm

This is sweet. I am watching the replay right now with my coffee at 5:30am PST. Call me crazy but loving the P12 network right now. lol
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Sibelius Hindemith
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Re: Interesting week in the P12

Post by Sibelius Hindemith » Fri Feb 04, 2022 3:45 pm

Wow, UW has a legit shot at making the CIT or maybe even the CBI. Woohoo!!!

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Re: Interesting week in the P12

Post by D-train » Fri Feb 04, 2022 3:50 pm

Sibelius Hindemith wrote:
Fri Feb 04, 2022 3:45 pm
Wow, UW has a legit shot at making the CIT or maybe even the CBI. Woohoo!!!
Not great but better than the Cracken or the SeaBitches.
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Re: Interesting week in the P12

Post by Michael K. » Fri Feb 04, 2022 10:38 pm

WSU still has a makeup with Oregon on the schedule. I wonder if we will make up the WSU game? Jee, wonder what this season might look like if they had been ready to play from the get go? Wasn't there about three REALLY bad losses?

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Re: Interesting week in the P12

Post by D-train » Sat Feb 05, 2022 1:01 am

Michael K. wrote:
Fri Feb 04, 2022 10:38 pm
WSU still has a makeup with Oregon on the schedule. I wonder if we will make up the WSU game? Jee, wonder what this season might look like if they had been ready to play from the get go? Wasn't there about three REALLY bad losses?
Yeah, unfortunate but there were so many new guys I guess it took awhile to figure it out. But that is on Hop for running a program with a revolving door.
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Re: Interesting week in the P12

Post by D-train » Sat Feb 05, 2022 1:25 am

By Percy Allen
Seattle Times staff reporter
BERKELEY, Calif. — Mike Hopkins is pulling out some old tricks to keep the Washington men’s basketball team grounded and humble amid its greatest stretch of games in three years.

Before this week’s trip to the Bay Area, the Husky coach had his staff lay out mouse traps throughout Alaska Airlines Arena and around the locker room to warn a resurgent UW team against buying into praise from media and fans who blasted them with painful criticism early in the season.

“Don’t eat the cheese,” Hopkins said. “It’s all about you got to have that chip on your shoulder. We’re underdogs every time we play. If we can keep that and have that mentality, then we’re going to try to be the hungrier team every time we go out and compete. In some games, we may not have shot the ball they way we want to, but we won because we were gritty.


“The combination of both is a pretty darn good thing. … But I always say, you can’t always control shooting. What we can control is the energy we bring and the mindset we need to have. So yeah, don’t eat the cheese.”

There’s plenty of cheese or praise being piled on Washington, which has won 6 of its last 7 games and 7 of its last 9 contests to improve to 12-8 overall and tied for fourth in the Pac-12 at 7-3.

It’s been a strange and surprising ascension for the Huskies, which started the season at 5-5, including upset nonconference losses at home to Northern Illinois, Winthrop and Utah Valley.

“In the preseason, I’ve said it multiple times how good we feel this team can be,” Hopkins said. “Now it’s a matter of when are they going to do it? Are we going to do it the first five games? Is it going to be the 10th game? Is it going to be the 15th game? That’s where the staff has done an incredible job. We just kept growing together and you’re starting to see that chemistry.”

Halfway through the Pac-12 season and with 10 conference games remaining, Washington is poised to make a postseason run, which is a remarkable turnaround for a team that was 5-21 last season and picked to finish 11th in preseason predictions.

Pac-12 men’s basketball standings
Winners of 6 of their last 7 games, UW has risen to fourth in the standings

Team Conf Overall Home Away Strk
Arizona 8-1 18-2 12-0 4-2 W2
UCLA 8-2 16-3 10-1 5-1 L1
USC 9-3 19-3 19-3 9-2 W2
Oregon 7-3 14-7 9-3 4-1 W2
Washington 7-3 12-8 7-4 3-3 W3
Washington St 6-3 13-7 9-4 4-1 W4
Stanford 6-5 13-8 9-2 2-5 L1
Colorado 5-7 13-9 9-4 2-4 L3
Arizona St 2-7 6-13 4-5 2-5 L4
California 2-10 9-14 9-5 0-7 L9
Here are three observations on Washington.

Can UW really win an NCAA tournament berth ?
Sure, why not? But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.

Washington ranks No. 126 in the NCAA’s NET, which is a primary tool in NCAA tournament at-large selections. UW is also No. 129 in KenPom rankings.

The Huskies would need to improve those numbers dramatically in the next five weeks or else their best chance of landing a spot in the Big Dance is winning the Pac-12 Tournament much like Oregon State did last year.

In the NET rankings, Washington is 0-2 in the all-important Quad 1 matchups.

Still, there are plenty of chances to collect quality wins starting Sunday at Stanford. UW barely beat the Cardinal 67-64 on Jan. 15 after building a 22-point first-half lead and the rematch feels like a coin flip even though Stanford (13-8, 6-5) is seemingly staggering while posting a 3-4 record in its past seven games.

Washington returns home next week to face another struggling team, Arizona State (2-7, 6-13), that’s riding a four-game losing streak.

Then UW’s schedule gets interesting with a three-game stretch that begins with a home game against No. 7 Arizona followed by road contests at No. 19 USC and No. 3 UCLA.

Washington has six of its final 10 games at home, including a makeup game against UCLA that has yet to be rescheduled and a rematch with Oregon, which humiliated the Huskies 84-56 two weeks ago.

It should be noted, KenPom predicts UW will finish 2-6 in the remaining games on the schedule, not including postponed contests versus UCLA and WSU.

“We just got to keep getting better,” Hopkins said. “We play a really good Stanford team on Sunday and right now that’s the only thing we’re focusing on. I can’t remember the last time we got a sweep on the road.

“Defensively, we’re starting to feel what we can do in the zone. … We got some weapons out there (offensively) and ways to win. But for us, we know we can always hang our hat on defense. As good as we’re playing, we can still get a whole lot better.”

Can Terrell Brown Jr. win the Pac-12 Player of the Year award?
Surprisingly, Brown has put himself in the conversation for the Pac-12’s most prestigious postseason award due to his explosive offensive performances.

The Husky senior guard leads the league and ranks sixth in the country while averaging 21.6 points per game.

The next closest Pac-12 player is UCLA’s Johnny Juzang at 17.7 while Arizona’s Ben Mathurin is third at 16.9.

“Certainly Terrell is in the discussion,” Pac-12 analyst Don MacLean said. “But at some point you got to ask are you really going to give it to Terrell or a guy like Ben Mathurin after Arizona finishes 18-2 or whatever they end up? We’ve seen this before. (Does the award go to) the best player on the best team or the guy that’s putting up numbers?”

In addition, Oregon’s Will Richardson and USC’s Isaiah Mobley are candidates to claim the Pac-12 POY. Dark-horse candidates include Arizona’s Azuolas Tubelis and Colorado’s Jabari Walker.

“That’s the list right now and I’m guessing one of them will get it,” MacLean said. “If Washington gets a top-four finish and bye (into the Pac-12 Tournament), then I think you can make a case for Terrell.”

Brown also leads the Pac-12 with 2.4 steals per game.

Is Mike Hopkins still on the hot seat?
Sorta.

I always felt Washington needed to win half of its games, which would allow Hopkins a chance to make a viable case why he should return next season beyond the guaranteed $9.3 million and three years on a deal that expires in 2025.

There’s no question his brand of basketball can win in the Pac-12. The former longtime Syracuse assistant was 48-22 during his first two years at UW, while guiding the Huskies to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2019.

The only question was whether Hopkins could turn things around after compiling a 20-38 record the following two seasons?

Last summer, Hopkins revamped the roster with seven newcomers, including six transfers. He never wavered in his commitment to his beloved 2-3 zone and essentially turned the offense over to Brown, who rewarded his faith with a storybook season.

“I’ve been doubted my whole life,” Hopkins said. “I’m better in the underdog role. Look at my staff. Quincy Pondexter didn’t start until his third year. Will Conroy is a chip-on-his-shoulder guy. That’s just who we are. I never take anything personal. I know the type of business that we’re in.

“But I also know when you surround yourself with good people and you got good talent, then you can mold those guys and get them to play together and anything is possible. That’s the greatest thing about sports.”
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Re: Interesting week in the P12

Post by AZOldDawg » Sat Feb 05, 2022 3:00 pm

I still think we are a real big man away from swimming in the deep end offensively. For whatever reason Grant has been a bust and Riley simply isn't a D1 caliber athlete. We are kind of like the old Nolan Richardson back when I could shoot the three and dunk on Darren.

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Re: Interesting week in the P12

Post by D-train » Sat Feb 05, 2022 11:26 pm

Cougs played down to Cal's level but took care of business in the end for their first sweep in the Bay Area since Bill Clinton was being Sworn into office. Anyone remember that big Wind Storm in 1993?
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