Phew! The Huskies got passed a feisty San Diego team in what, to me, felt like a must win game. After getting blown out by a much superior Auburn team, the Dawgs needed a victory, and although it wasn't the beat down we all were hoping for, they showed some resilience, and pulled it off.



Washington shot a measly 41% from the field, and 26.3% from the 3 point line. Not what you'd expect from a veteran team against a mid-conference school, but the silver lining was that the Dawgs shot 88% from the free throw line (to USD's 63.6%) and forced 17 turnovers (UW had 8). Those were the difference makers in this game, limiting turnovers and sinking our foul shots. The Huskies couldn't make a bucket, aside from Naz Carter and Jaylen Nowell, so those foul shots really saved us.



Some concerns... Our seniors need to step it up.



Yes, Noah is still Noah, averaging 15.3 PPG, while shooting 55% from the field and 85.7% from the line. However, he has been getting into foul trouble way too early, and needs to find someone to pass it to after getting double teamed down low. It could be that other players need to get open when Noah's trapped, but it seems to me that Noah is trying to prove that he can still muscle in buckets down low while being doubled.



Matisse Thybulle, David Crisp, and Dominic Green need to get it going. All of them are averaging 38.5% or lower from the field (Dom at 18.2%), and are shooting less than 27% from the three (Matisse at 15.4%). You can look at Matisse's defense, still averaging 3 blocks and almost 3 steals a game, and see a bright spot, but that doesn't matter if our point guard can't move the ball around (2.7 assists per game) and our 3 point specialist can't make a shot.



Some bright spots... Hameir and Naz are showing potential.



Both Nahziah Carter and Hameir Wright played significant minutes against San Diego, and made a significant impact. Naz had 11 points on 4 of 8 shooting in just 19 minutes, and Hameir had 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks on 3 of 6 shooting in 29 minutes. These two sophomores are going to be extremely important in the success of the Huskies this season. Wright is showing that he can hold his own on the block, and Naz can really get to the bucket whenever he wants. He just needs to get a little better at finishing.



All in all, I am extremely happy Washington can get a break before the Vancouver Showcase on Sunday. The Dawgs have a lot to work on in practice if they hope to beat the likes of Texas A&M and Minnesota. A&M has Gonzaga tonight, so we'll see how their team is against a tough opponent, and Minnesota has already beaten a tough Utah team.



Tune in for some scouting reports for the Vancouver Showcase.



Go Dawgs