| 25 October 2011
Every Tuesday, Brian Elsner (Wait For It Seattle) and I will be answering questions from readers. These questions will vary from sports specific to awesome specific. Keep them coming. If you have a question for us, go to the Facebook page of Wait For It Seattle or SeaTown Sports. Or leave us a comment here.
Washington Huskies sophomore guard Terrence Ross is expected to lead the team in scoring this season.
2011-2012 Husky basketball - will they be a threat to advance past the Sweet 16? - Luis A.
Kevin: They'll always be a threat to advance past the sweet 16, but I don't think they have the necessary big bodies in front this year to make it to the Elite Eight. Darnell Gant probably won't average over six rebounds this season and Aziz N'Diaye probably won't average more than 8 points this season. That kind of production from your two forwards won't help you make it past the Sweet 16. With this said, both of those two guys can run in transition and if the Husky offense plays like Romar intends it to play, then this team can make it all the way to the Final Four depending on certain match ups. I think a better question would be, do you think the Huskies can win the Pac-12?
Brian: This is the most unpredictable Husky team in a long time. Romar has publicly stated that he loves this squad. They are coachable, work hard and are talented. Yet they lack the low post scorer as Kevin mentioned and they also lack the leader they had starting with Nate Robinson. Nate passed it to B-Roy who passed it to Brockman who passed it to Pondexter who passed it to Isaiah Thomas. Isaiah left early and there is no natural successor. I agree with Kevin, the threat is still there. With this squad, we just may not know how good they are until March. It could take a long time for them to figure it all out. Let’s just hope it isn’t too late this season.
Talking about the blowout loss to Stanford, mock turtlenecks and WCC basketball after the jump.
What should I take from Saturday's thrashing? Is Stanford really that good or is UDub not as far a long as i thought and a product of a soft schedule to this point? - Craig A.
Kevin: Both. If Stanford beats Oregon, then they'll be in the BCS national championship game. The Cardinal's offensive line was the best in the nation protecting the best quarterback in the nation. Once Stanford's offense gets rolling, it's difficult to stop it. At the same time, UW is obviously not at the level of where it can compete for a national championship. While the offense is explosive, the defense is still really young and a lot of kinks need to be worked out. By the end of the season, this defense should be fully developed. If the defense can improve, I see another bowl win coming this season.
Brian: I like the phrase Kevin uses: “kinks need to be worked out”. Here is how I would define “kinks”. Talent, strength, smarts, coaching, playmaking. All of those are lacking on the defensive side of the ball and with that you should be worried. You shouldn’t freak out, but you should be concerned. Good teams who are ready to take the next step don’t give up over 37 points per game to ranked opponents as the Huskies have in the Sark/Holt era. They also don’t give up 65 ever. Yet the Dawgs are better this season. Much better. The big test will be this weekend against Arizona. They need this win to get back on track. If not, they could quickly be 5-5.
How do you feel about mock turtlenecks? - Matt A.
Kevin: I didn't know what those were until I google imaged it. And I shutter at the possibility of ever wearing such a hideous form of apparel. There are only two types of people on this world that have worn mock turtlenecks and have gotten away with it: Steve Jobs and baseball players. If you aren't Steve Jobs and if you aren't a baseball player, just stay away from the mock turtleneck.
Brian: Matt, all turtlenecks are a bad idea. My dad loved turtlenecks for a good amount of his work life. He used to rock the sport coat with no shirt and tie, just turtleneck underneath. Of course, he also had a rat tail for years so….
Did the UW game dramatically change your perception of Luck? - Justin F.
Brian: No. I said in my game preview that he is ridiculously good. In fact, I said he might be the best quarterback I have ever seen play college football and I stand by that. People want to argue Peyton Manning or Michael Vick as the best college QB in the past 20 years. Well Manning put up 3287 yards in his last season and his best year featured 22 TD and 4 INT. Obviously very good. Vick ran for 585 yards and threw for 1840 while only throwing 12 TDs. Luck put up these numbers last year as a SOPHOMORE: 70.7% completion percentage (neither Manning or Vick were close), 3338 yards, 32 TD and 8 INT. He is dominating again this season while essentially doing what Manning does as a NFL QB. Luck changes plays at the line of scrimmage. He runs the offense.
He is absurd. #1 pick. Game changer. No one is close.
Kevin: If Michael Vick had the same offensive line as Andrew Luck, he’d put up better numbers. Quote me on that. And those numbers are ridiculous, you can’t really argue against them. I’d much rather have Luck running the Seahawks offense than Whitehurst or Jackson, but it looks like the Seahawks are winning too many games for that to happen. Sigh.
Midnight madness is in the books so WCC predictions: Gaels sweep Lions and Broncos. Your thoughts? - Michael K.
Brian: This question seems biased, but maybe I am reading too much into it. I am not very smart, so Kevin might be able to tell one way or the other. In short, Saint Mary’s will most likely sweep both teams again this year. While the Gaels lose the player of the year in Mickey McConnell, they return virtually everyone else including Rob Jones, Mitchell Young, and Matthew Dellavedova. Not to mention sophomore Stephen Holt who I think is going to be a star in this league. The Broncos will be the best chance at gaining a win for the mailbag Alma Maters as they come off a 24 win season and a CIT championship (don’t forget it!). Santa Clara will have to overcome the loss of their second best player in Marc Trasolini who tore his ACL this summer, but do return a great backcourt in Kevin Foster and Evan Roquemore. LMU won two conference games last year. Let’s not spend anymore time on them.
Kevin: You are smart, but I still have a bone to pick with you. I received a 94% on my national history day paper, but I ended up winning the state contest. Shouldn’t I have received a 100% on that paper if it was the BEST in the state?
Now that I have that off my back, I think St. Mary’s is the slightly better than these two teams but all teams are capable of beating each other. Santa Clara returns practically everyone except for the injured Trasolini, they’ll definitely finish in the top half of the WCC. I like them in their home match against St. Mary’s. And don’t count LMU out. They have as much talent to compete with Gonzaga, Santa Clara, BYU and St. Mary’s. Leading scorer and NBA prospect Drew Viney is out for a couple of weeks, but the team returns three sophomores who saw significant time as freshman. They’ll go at least .500 in league this year and definitely can beat St. Mary’s at home.
--Kevin Cacabelos ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
