Initial (Over)Reactions

This one hurt. The Dawgs played one of their best first twenty minutes of road basketball all season and were not able to clinch the Pac-12 regular season championship outright. Washington still has hope for the title, as California travels to Palo Alto to face Stanford tomorrow. The Dawgs had their chances today and simply did not capitalize.

UW played a flawless offensive first-half as the Bruins and Huskies tried to show the national audience that the Pac-12 isn’t that bad (i.e. Oregon up 34-2 on Utah after 13 minutes bad). Despite shooting over 50% from the field, Washington was up just three at the break.

UCLA knotted the score at 55 before the Huskies showed their newfound road resilience and responded with a 5-0 run.  The Bruins continued to fight during a three-minute stretch where only four points were scored and found themselves with a 65-64 lead and five minutes remaining. Abdul Gaddy knocked down a huge three pointer that gave UW a 67-65 lead. The Bruins got it back to 69-all when the Huskies gave up back-to-back offensive rebounds that ended in a David Wear tip-in with 44 seconds left that left UCLA up 2. Then the next possession happened.

Abdul Gaddy, who had been playing a marvelous game, took a screen at the top of the key from Darnell Gant. Washington’s lone senior had an open look from three until Tyler Lamb closed out on him. Lamb left his man, Terrence Ross, open on the wing. Gant’s three hit iron and was tipped to UCLA, who managed to not be fouled (absolutely inexcusable) for 10+ seconds. Lazeric Jones iced the game, hitting two free throws with 3 seconds left.

Romar’s play-call had the right intentions, as Gaddy had a career-high 12 assists and just 2 turnovers at the time of attack. Gant shooting the ball should not have happened. With the team down 2 and under 25 seconds remaining, Terrence Ross MUST touch the ball. He is the go-to-guy. Give the kid an iso for crying out loud, nobody on UCLA is anywhere near Ross’ talent level. After the game Romar responded by saying "If we make that one more pass to Terrence Ross, maybe things are a little different.”

No sharing allowed. The Huskies go after an outright regular season conference championship Saturday morning against a UCLA team surrounded by turmoil. Washington has won ten of eleven and will face Ben Howland’s Bruins, who are coming off an emotional 32-point slaughter at Washington State’s expense. Howland and the entire UCLA basketball program were completely exposed by Sports Illustrated special feature this week that uncovered the dirt on how Howland handles his players, especially troublesome forward Reeves Nelson. Washington is looking to complete its first 15-3 conference record since 1984. Did I mention this game was on national television? We can guarantee there will be no shortages in talking points for the announcers.

The Basics

11 A.M. PST. CBS. Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.

Washington Huskies (21-8; 14-3) UCLA Bruins (17-13; 10-7)

“You know, I’ve never been good at sharing”. Darnell Gant couldn’t have said it better following his best game this season in his final homecoming game against USC. Gant’s 14 points and 9 rebounds helped the Dawgs clinch at least a share of the Pac-12 regular season title. A lot is on the line on Saturday. Not only can UW win the conference outright, Washington can also win its’ 15^th conference game tomorrow for just the fourth time in program history and first time since Marv Harshman’s 1984 squad.

The outcome was never in doubt on Thursday night, as UW quickly jumped to a 24-11 lead in the opening ten minutes. Terrence Ross led the charge with 11 points and 3 rebounds in the first half. The Huskies absolutely dominated the boards in the opening twenty minutes, heading into the break with a 29-10 edge on the glass and a 40-26 lead on the scoreboard.

USC put up a fight and cut the lead to 49-40 with 13 minutes remaining. Terrence Ross hit a three on the ensuing possession and the Huskies responded with a 7-0 run and ended up cruising to the finish line.

The Trojans showed some signs of hope for the future as Byron Wesley looked like a legitimate Pac-12 basketball player (one of the few on USC’s roster). Wesley finished with a career-high 23 points on 10-18 shooting. How does Maurice Jones lead this team in scoring? Jones struggled getting off any shots inside the arc because of UW’s length. Wesley deserves to take 20 shots a game playing for a team this bad.

Woofs

Rebounding: USC simply does not have the athletes to hang with UW. The Huskies completely crushed USC in the rebounding battle, finishing with 49 boards to the Trojans’ 23. The Dawgs’ added 18 offensive rebounds while limiting USC to 3. It really doesn’t matter how well a team plays when they hold such a significant rebounding advantage.

Darnell Gant: Pro Game played arguably his best game of the season, going 6-8 from the field (including 2-3 from deep) and finishing with 14 and 9. Gant was aggressive offensively, not passing up open looks when given the opportunity. His postgame interview reassured Husky fans that the Dawgs are hungry and motivated to take out UCLA on Saturday.

Terrence Ross: He has official taken on the leadership role of this team. Who was the guy to answer when USC cut the lead to single digits in the second half? Ross. That’s all that needs to be said. He continues to show why he is the deadliest player in the league.

Abdul Gaddy: This was the stereotypical Gaddy performance against weaker teams as he finished with 12 points and 5 assists. He was aggressive with the ball and showed shooting prowess from the outside. Please translate this to bigger games Abdul.

“Meh”: Notable Average Performances

Tony Wroten: Wroten was all over the board tonight with 7 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and a block. However, he went 2-13 from the field and committed 4 turnovers. Tone manages to produce in other categories when his shot isn’t falling and Dawg fans should be happy that he dished the ball against a team that had no player who could come close to slowing him while driving.

Whimpers

Free Throw Shooting: 12-23. Nobody shot above 50% from the line besides Gaddy, who was 3-4. This won’t get it done come tournament time and is a huge hit to the progress that the Huskies were seemingly making from the line. Tony Wroten is ultimately the X-factor for how UW looks from the line and he went 3-7.

C.J. Wilcox: Wilcox struggled mightily from the field, finishing 3-10 and just 8 points. He was missing his usual automatics from deep and had problems when driving into the lane. On a positive note, Wilcox is continuing to get open shots and he is a serious threat when they go down.

Finishing Thoughts

Darnell Gant doesn’t want to share. Lorenzo Romar doesn’t want to share. Hell, nobody outside of Berkeley wants to share. UCLA is up next for the Huskies on Saturday. The Bruins responded to the recent Sports Illustrated article, which essentially tore down their entire program, by dismantling Wazzu 78-46. The Bruins’ emotions are clearly at an all-season high. It’s time for UW to take them down a notch and claim what is rightfully theirs.

The Huskies come into the final week of the regular season controlling their own destiny following a California loss at the hands of Colorado (we owe you one Buffs). Step one seems relatively simple, as the Dawgs travel to USC to take on the Trojans, who are just 1-15 in conference. This year’s Trojans team is the worst set of basketball players that this conference has seen in a long time. The Huskies cruised to a 28-point victory when these two squads faced off in Seattle at the beginning of February.

The Basics

7:30 P.M. PST. No TV. Galen Center.

Washington Huskies (20-8; 13-3) USC Trojans (6-23; 1-15)

                                                                                 Photo Credit: Gopher Hole

The bar has been set and the stakes are high. The state tournament has finally arrived. Every high school player dreams of playing under the lights of the “famous” Tacoma Dome in front of hundreds of fans. Stepping in the gym back in November, each team has one goal, and that is to hoist the 3A State Championship Trophy.

This year’s tournament features eight of the top ten teams in Washington. Each team comes into this tournament with a solid chance of taking home the hardware. Teams are represented from all over the state. Of course, the always dominant Metro League features the most teams with three (Seattle Prep, Rainier Beach, O’Dea), while the WesCo (Mountlake Terrece), Seamount (Kennedy Catholic), KingCo (Lake Washington), Big Nine (Kamiakin) and Greater Spokane (University) all feature one team each. Our state tournament preview is after the jump!

                                                                         Photo Credit: Bob Donnan/US Presswire

With Selection Sunday less than two weeks away, teams across the country are trying to make one final statement to the tournament committee that shows why they are deserving of an NCAA berth. Every year, analysts always seem to say that this is one of the most unpredictable seasons to date. But this year, that statement is valid.

Looking at the Washington Huskies, this is a squad that is 13-3 in Pac-12 play and 20-8 overall. On the surface, those numbers are outstanding. They are numbers that should make UW a lock for the NCAA Tournament. But that is not the case this year. In fact, according to various bracket experts, no Pac-12 team is a surefire lock. Is that just a case of inconsistent play? Partially. But even if they do not want to admit it, this seems to be another case of disregard for West Coast teams. 

Take the Big East. It is reasonable to say that this is not the conference's strongest season in recent memory. Nonetheless, they are projected to get upwards of eight teams into the Big Dance, a few of which will have below .500 conference records. It is quite possible that these teams are all similar in talent, and that talent could surpass anyone in the Pac-12 right now. But, that does not mean the conference should not be ignored.

Damn, why can't I be in high school right now.

Back in my day (which let's be honest, was a year ago), the Metro was awesome, but they never pushed any teams deep in the tournament like they definitely should have. Last year's State champs? Lakes. Boring. Two years ago? Freaking Union! They were formed like five years ago! Prior to that 2010 crap, the Metro league had won every State title since 2002. They had won all but three since 1993! That's what I call domination.

The greats of the Metro, Franklin, Beach, O'Dea, and Prep accounted for all of those 14 championships from 1993 to 2009. But in the last two years, a Metro team hasn't made the final. Lakes, Bellevue, Union, and Enumclaw did as the high schools that have produced so many NBA greats sat back and watched on their couches.

But this year, things are different. While Franklin came up two games short of State, O'Dea, Prep, and Beach make up three of the eight teams remaining in the running for the 3A crown. Not only that, but Beach and Prep are the prohibitive favorites to win it all. The world feels back to normal again.

I am very excited to take over as the new head editor of SeaTown Sports. But first, I'd like to take the time to say that this website would not be possible without the hard work put forth before me by Kevin Cacabelos and his staff.

I have only been at SeaTown Sports for about eight months, and therefore this site has been up and running long before I have ever been a part of it. I'm very thankful for this opportunity.

As a staff, we understand that there are numerous outlets for you to consume Seattle sports news. Whether it is the Seattle Times, 710 ESPN Seattle, Sports Radio KJR, or anything in between, there are plenty of choices. We appreciate your readership.

Our goal is to provide a unique angle on Seattle sports, and hopefully provide insight that you would not find anywhere else. The emphasis on high school sports has and will continue to be an integral part of SeaTown Sports. These athletes from around the state work as hard as those in the collegiate and professional ranks. They too deserve media attention.

But you can still count on various columns regarding the local collegiate and professional teams, as well as previews and recaps of all the games. We strive to incorporate a well rounded approach to Seattle sports, and that means providing you with a wide range of analysis.

This site has grown substantially from its inception four years ago, and we can only hope to replicate that success for the next four years and beyond. For that to happen, reader interaction is key. We welcome your suggestions at any time, and if you have a topic you would like to see covered, we'll do our best to make it happen.

Feel free to email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with any comments. Plus, we encourage you to interact with our staff on Twitter. All of our accounts can be found on the site's "About" page.

Speaking on behalf of the entire SeaTown Sports staff, I thank you for your continued support of the site, and hope that you will continue to come here to stay updated on all Seattle sports.

- Alex Gallant (@seatownsports)

I'm happy to announce that I've handed off head editor duties to Alex Gallant. As you might've noticed, my contributions to SeaTown Sports have reduced in the past couple of months. I've decided to focus my energy towards writing for SB Nation Seattle, but plan on continuing to stay on in an emeritus role here at SeaTown. Alex will be in charge moving forward.

Leaving something that I've put years of work in to is not easy. I never could envision this website meaning so much to my life. I've fostered a passion for writing, received money for something I deemed fun, and have had the privilege of talking to athletes from all levels and countless of other reporters because of this website.

I started this website because I love sports. I started it by staying longer on the computer than I should have. And I started it with my friends. I didn't know what I was doing when I first started it. I sucked at writing, and admittedly still am working to get better.  Looking back at these archives, I've created a memory book of the happiest years of my life. I not only watched sports. I consumed sports. I watched the game, I talked about the game, I read about the game and then finally I wrote about that game. That's how the majority of these posts were written. They were written out of loneliness when I couldn't find anyone else to share my passion for sports with. Over time, this loneliness found an audience and this audience became the reason the staff at SeaTown Sports has penned hundreds and hundreds of posts.

The future of this website is bright. Thanks for your support and for caring about what I wrote these past four years.

Thanks for the memories. Go Seattle.

Best,

Kevin Cacabelos 

Initial (Over)Reactions

A win is a win. A road win is a road win. I don’t know how many times I have said that this season. The Huskies practically made me scratch out my eyeballs during the first twenty-seven minutes of the game before putting together a half-decent final thirteen. I had almost come to terms with how upset I would be losing to a Washington State team, that’s best player is a ginger, until the Cougars Coug’d it with a stretch in the second half where they went 4-17 from the line. That is reason number one why UW won.

Reason two would have to be Ken Bone’s horrific play calling to end the game. The Cougars were down two when Bone called a timeout with 19.6 seconds remaining. Patrick Simon took the shot for the Cougars (it was actually a good look) and airballed a three from the corner. Wazzu is blessed to have some scoring talent in Motum, Lacey and Moore, yet they went with freaking Patrick Simon for their biggest shot of the game. This guy has made one shot in the last fifteen games for the Cougars. After the game Bone said he would run the same play if he had the chance. The term “Cougin’ it” lives on.

I could go on a rant about how poorly UW played today, or about how this team is still playing extremely inconsistent basketball outside of Seattle when tournament time is right around the corner. But today is a day for celebration; the Huskies won in Pullman and one should never take that for granted.

Woofs

Free Throw Shooting: The Cougars finished 6-20 from the line in the second half. The Dawgs were 15-19 during that span and finished 17-24. Those nine points in the final twenty minutes decided the game. The Huskies received a large boost from freshman Tony Wroten, who went 9-12 from the stripe. C.J. Wilcox iced it for UW with two huge free throws to put the Dawgs up 4 with under ten seconds to play.

Tony Wroten: Name me one player that can get score in the paint like this kid. Every team gives him the Rondo treatment, yet he still manages to put up 15+ points night in and night out. Wroten successfully put the team on his back tonight with Terrence Ross being limited to just 21 minutes because of foul trouble. The freshman phenom finished with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

C.J. Wilcox: CJ was incredibly effective off the bench tonight with 16 points on just nine shots. The Cougars were in position to steal all momentum early in the first half before Wilcox hit two threes to tie it 14 apiece. Wilcox was forced to play 33 minutes, his most since returning from his injury, because of foul trouble and did so perfectly, clinching the game with two clutch free throws.

Road Perseverance: The Huskies found themselves down 12 in an extremely hostile road environment and found a way to win. The maturity of this team throughout the season has been stunning. No way UW pulls this one off in December.

Whimpers

Rebounding: The Dawgs were killed by Washington State’s offensive rebounds. The Cougars outrebounded UW 42-35 while collecting 12 offensive rebounds. There were multiple possessions where WSU players had completely wide-open offensive rebounds and putbacks.

Terrence Ross: T-Ross was a non-factor tonight, picking up just 2 points in his 21 minutes of play before fouling out. He was certainly a victim of multiple 50-50 calls, but that does not explain his non-impact. His presence on the floor was important for Wilcox to get open looks, but he did nothing besides that. The fouls certainly toned down his aggressiveness and made him look like the tentative Ross that all Husky fans never want to see again.

Ball Movement: Washington found themselves down twelve in the second half because of zero offensive production. The Huskies scored just four points in the first eight minutes of the second half. Romar’s squad went back to their bad habits of moving the ball around the perimeter with no purpose. It showed how important Terrence Ross is to this team, as without him on the floor all of the penetrating falls on Wroten.

Finishing Thoughts

Washington was extremely lucky to sneak away with a win in this one. UW fell behind twelve with 13 minutes left and I was ready to give up hope. Husky Nation should try to block out the first 27 minutes of this game from their memory. Wazzu is definitely a team that UW should not want to face in the first round of the Pac-12 tourney, as they find a way to make the Huskies play horrendous basketball. California faces a tall task in taking on Colorado in Boulder tomorrow as the race for the regular-season conference championship comes to a close. Go Buffaloes!