Oregon State at Washington

First-year coach Dave Kragthorpe brought his undermanned, 2-4 Oregon State Beavers to meet the 4-2 Washington Huskies & coach Don James.  The Beavers had been shutout in their last 2 games against Southern Cal & Washington State by a combined score of 97-0 as well as losing to Division II Grambling 27-6.  The 38-point underdog Beavers started a freshman at quarterback, Rich Gonzales, after QB Eric Wilhelm had been injured while All-Pac 10 WR Reggie Bynum also missed the game due to injury.  The Oregon State defense intercepted Huskies’ QB Hugh Millen 3 times before the Beavers blocked a Washington punt & recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown with less than two minutes to play to claim The Belt with a stunning 21-20 upset over Washington.  The Huskies took the lead in the 1^st quarter when PK Jeff Jaeger hit a 28-yard field goal but the Beavers responded with a 43-yard touchdown pass from Gonzales to RB Darvin Malone giving Oregon State a 7-3 lead through the 1^st quarter.  Washington took the lead again when RB Vince Weathersby scored on a 2-yard touchdown run but the Beavers again responded with a 20-yard touchdown run by Gonzales giving Oregon State a 14-10 halftime lead.  The Huskies got the lead back in the 3^rd quarter when RB Tony Covington scored on a 14-yard touchdown run & early in the 4^th quarter, Jaeger hit a 43-yard field goal giving Washington a 20-14 lead.  It looked like Oregon State had missed their chance to win the game after they drove from their 19-yard line to the Washington 11-yard line but Gonzales’ 4^th down pass was knocked down by Washington’s CB Demouy Williams with 3:22 left in the game.  The Huskies moved to their own 30-yard line but had to punt when fate stepped in for the Beavers.  Oregon State’s DE Andre Todd broke through the Washington line untouched to block the punt from Huskies’ P Thane Cleland.  The ball bounced all the way to the end zone & the Beavers’ CB Lavance Northington recovered the ball for the touchdown with 1:46 to play.  The extra-point kick by PK Jim Nielsen gave the Beavers the lead at 21-20.  Washington’s final effort ended when Millen was held for no gain on a 4^th & 1 play at midfield with 1:15 to play.  ESPN ranked this game as the 19th biggest upset in college football history.  Gonzales finished with 298 yards passing with a touchdown as well as a rushing score.  Millen threw for 191 yards but was intercepted 3 times in the loss.  The Huskies finished the season 7-5 while the Beavers finished 3-8.  Washington would play for The Belt again in 1990.

The College Football Belt

A trip to the Sweet Sixteen is on the line when the Pac 10 meets the  Atlantic Coast Conference in Charlotte.

The Pac-10 tournament champion Washington Huskies (24-10, 11-7/3rd Pac-10) play the Atlantic Coast Conference’s regular season champion North Carolina Tar Heels (27-7, 14-2/1st ACC) this Sunday at 9:15 a.m. PT in Charlotte, N.C.’s Time Warner Cable Arena (20,200). The 23rd-ranked Huskies earned a date with the No. 7 ranked
and second-seeded Tar Heels in the East Regional round of 32 by beating Georgia 68-65 on Friday. Washington is trying to make its fourth Sweet 16 appearance under coach Lorenzo Romar and the team’s sixth overall Regional
Semifinal since 1984. UW is 8-5 under Romar — who is in his 9thyear leading the Dawgs — in the tournament, and can make back-to-back Sweet 16 appearance for just the second time in team history.

Carolina is 28-1 in NCAA Tournament games played in the state of North Carolina. That includes a 10-0 record in Charlotte, 5-0 in Greensboro, 7-1 in Raleigh and 6-0 in Winston-Salem. Carolina has won 24 consecutive NCAA
Tournament games in the state of North Carolina, last losing on March 11, 1979, to Penn in Raleigh. Six of the last seven times that UNC’s NCAA tournament road has included a stop in the state of North Carolina, the Tar Heels have advanced to at least the Final Four (2009, 2008, 2005, 1998, 1997, 1993). The exception was in 2007, when Carolina played in Winston-Salem but lost in the Elite Eight to Georgetown. Carolina’s last four national championship runs have started with first-round games in North Carolina (2009 in Greensboro, 2005 in
Charlotte, 1993 in Winston-Salem and 1982 in Charlotte).

Washington finds identity in post-season

Romar wows Carolina pre-game now can Huskies do the same

Tar Heels to take on Huskies

There’s little doubting this Thomas

Washington’s probable starters

No. Name ………………………………………….PPG…….RPG… APG
2 Isaiah Thomas (G, 5-9, Jr.) ………………..16.9…….. 3.6…. 6.0
11 Matthew Bryan-Amaning (F, 6-9, Sr.) ..15.3 ………8.0 ….1.6
22 Justin Holiday (F, 6-6, Sr.) ………………10.7…….. 5.3…… 2.2
31 Terrence Ross (G, 6-6, Fr.) ………………..7.7…….. 2.7 ……1.0
44 Darnell Gant (F, 6-8, Jr.) ……………………5.1…….. 3.7….. 0.6

2010-11 North Carolina Roster
No. Player Yr. Pos. Ht. Wt.
1 Dexter Strickland So. G 6-3 180
2 Leslie McDonald So. G 6-4 215
3 Daniel Bolick Sr. G 5-10 175
5 Kendall Marshall Fr. G 6-3 186
13 Van Hatchell Sr. F 6-4 185
15 Stewart Cooper Jr. F 6-5 205
22 David Dupont Jr. F 6-5 195
24 Justin Watts Jr. F 6-4 210
25 Justin Knox Gr. F 6-9 240
30 Patrick Crouch Jr. G 5-11 175
31 John Henson So. F 6-10 210
32 D.J. Johnston Sr. F 6-4 195
35 Reggie Bullock Fr. G 6-7 190
40 Harrison Barnes Fr. F 6-8 210
44 Tyler Zeller Jr. F 7-0 250

TEAM STATISTICS…………….. WASH ……………….OPP
SCORING …………………………………2824……………….. 2388
Points per game ………………………..83.1…………………. 70.2
Scoring margin ……………………….+12.8 -
FIELD GOALS-ATT……………….. 1028-2188 …………..813-1951
Field goal pct …………………………. 4 7 0…………………. . 4 1 7
3 POINT FG-ATT ……………………295-802…………….. 177-546
3-point FG pct . ……………………….3 6 8………………….. . 3 2 4
3-pt FG made per game ………………8.7 ………………………5.2
FREE THROWS-ATT ……………….473-705………………. 585-864
Free throw pct . ………………………..6 7 1…………………… . 6 7 7
F-Throws made per game …………..13.9…………………….. 17.2
REBOUNDS ……………………………..1327 ………………………1182
Rebounds per game …………………..39.0……………………… 34.8
Rebounding margin ………………….+4.3 -
ASSISTS ………………………………….576………………………….. 367
Assists per game ……………………..16.9 ………………………..10.8
TURNOVERS …………………………..413………………………… 508
Turnovers per game …………………12.1……………………….. 14.9
Turnover margin …………………….+2.8 -
Assist/turnover ratio ………………..1.4…………………………. 0.7
STEALS …………………………………..228……………………….. 200
Steals per game ……………………….6.7………………………….. 5.9
BLOCKS ………………………………..177……………………………. 92
Blocks per game ……………………..5.2……………………………. 2.7
ATTENDANCE ……………………154392………………………. 162536
Home games-Avg/Game ……..16-9650……………………… 11-9184
Neutral site-Avg/Game – 7-8787
Score by Periods ……………1st…………. 2nd……. OT…………….. Totals
Washington ………………….1328………. 1469…… 27……………… 2824
Opponents ……………………1093……… 1276 ……19………………. 2388

TEAM STATISTICS………………………………. NC………………. OPP
SCORING ………………………………………………..2632……………… 2323
Points per game ………………………………………77.4………………… 68.3
Scoring margin……………………………………….. +9.1 -
FIELD GOALS-ATT …………………………………955-2116………. 865-2148
Field goal pct . …………………………………………4 5 1…………….. . 4 0 3
3 POINT FG-ATT ……………………………………176-536………….. 243-749
3-point FG pct . ………………………………………..3 2 8…………….. . 3 2 4
3-pt FG made per game ……………………………..5.2…………………. 7.1
FREE THROWS-ATT …………………………………546-819………… 350-537
Free throw pct . ……………………………………..6 6 7……………….. . 6 5 2
F-Throws made per game …………………………16.1………………….. 10.3
REBOUNDS ……………………………………………1457………………….. 1227
Rebounds per game …………………………………42.9…………………. 36.1
Rebounding margin ………………………………..+6.8 -
ASSISTS ………………………………………………….527……………………. 434
Assists per game …………………………………….15.5…………………….. 12.8
TURNOVERS ………………………………………….464……………………… 483
Turnovers per game ………………………………..13.6……………………… 14.2
Turnover margin………………………………….. +0.6 -
Assist/turnover ratio ………………………………..1.1………………………… 0.9
STEALS ………………………………………………..205…………………………. 258
Steals per game ………………………………………6.0………………………….. 7.6
BLOCKS ………………………………………………….186…………………………. 99
Blocks per game ……………………………………….5.5………………………… 2.9
ATTENDANCE ……………………………………..287155………………….. 245281
Home games-Avg/Game ………………………15-19144 ………………..10-11604
Neutral site-Avg/Game – 9-14360
Score by Periods ………………..1st………… 2nd… OT……. Totals
North Carolina ………………….1282……… 1331…. 19…….. 2632
Opponents ……………………….1096………. 1213… 14……… 2323

Notes courtesy of gohuskies.com and tarheelblue.com

Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

By Paul Gotham

Setting: The Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York is the place for the East Regional semi-final as Lorenzo Romar’s No.11 seed Washington Huskies (26-9) take on Bob Huggins and the No.2 seed West Virginia Mountaineers (29-6).

Plot: Pac 10 meets the Big East for a spot in the Regional finals. Both schools seek their first trip to the Final Four in over 50 years. The Mountaineers lost the national championship in 1959. The Huskies advanced to the national semi-final in 1953.

Sub-Plot: West Virginia is 1-9 all-time at the Dome. Thursday’s game marks Washington’s first visit to the Upstate New York indoor stadium. The game pits teams from a pair of conferences that have taken hits of late. The Pac 10 barely earned an at-large bid this year. Six Big East teams fell in the first weekend of the tournament.

Flashback: Washington won the only meeting between the two teams. In 1973, the Huskies downed the Mountaineers 96-79 in the Far West Classic.

The two coaches faced each other seven times in Conference USA when Romar led St. Louis and Huggins roamed the sidelines for Cincinnati. Huggins holds a 5-2 advantage, but Romar’s Billikens knocked off then No.1 Cincy to win the C-USA tournament and grab the automatic bid in 2000.

The teams share four common opponents from the season: Texas A&M, Portland, Georgetown, and Marquette. Washington went 3-1. WVU finished 5-0 against the quartet.

Foreshadowing:  Thirteen Mountaineers have played in the NBA. Joe Alexander is the only current alum of West Virginia basketball in the Association. Twenty-three Huskies have laced them up in the Association. Current players include Jon Brockman, Will Conroy, Spencer Hawes, Nate Robinson, and Brandon Roy.

Conflict: Who will establish tempo, and which players will execute? Washington averages almost 80 a game while allowing 70.  The Huskies opened the tournament scoring 80 on Marquette and 82 against New Mexico. The Lobos held opponents to 67.

West Virginia goes for almost 73 and keeps opponents to 63. They held Morgan State to 50 and Missouri to 59.

Huggins deploys seven of his troops for double digit minutes. Da’Sean Butler leads three Mountaineers in double figures.

Romar uses nine players for at least ten minutes a game. Quincy Pontdexter and Isaiah Thomas are the only two Huskies that score double figures, but combined they score less than half of Washington’s points. Can Romar exploit his team’s depth?

Kevin Jones and Devin Ebanks combine for 25 points and 15 and a half rebounds for the Mountaineers. The Mountaineers hold a +7 advantage on the glass.

WVU will need to slow the Huskies in transition. Thomas and Venoy Overton push the ball from foul line to foul line as quick as any tandem in the country.

Resolution: Strange as it may sound, the Carrier Dome provides some comfort for West Virginia. WVU’s frequent visits during Big East play will create some familiarity. They will need it. Led by Pondexter, the Huskies are playing like they have nothing to lose – because they don’t. Not much has been expected of Washington since some early season struggles. West Virginia shoulders the burden of expectation. Washington does its work in the paint. The Huskies have hit just 188 three-pointers this season. By comparison, Cornell has hit 321. Washington will keep this game close until late in the game where their bench will have chance to make the difference.

Got any comments on the game? Post them here.

The College Football Belt

Leading up to the 2009 NIT Season Tip Off on November 16th, Pickin’ Splinters will be counting down the top 25 of the college hardwood nation.

‘08 – ’09 Results: 26 – 9 (14 – 4 Pac 10) Lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Purdue, 76 – 74.

Coach: Lorenzo Romar 145 – 81 (7 years WU) 238 – 169 overall (13 years)

Key Returners:

Matthew Bryan-Amaning – 6.0ppg, 4.0rpg

Darnell Gant – 3.1ppg, 3.1 rpg

Quincy Pondexter – 12.1ppg, 5.9rpg

Isaiah Thomas – 15ppg, 3.0rpg, 2.6apg

Notable Non-Conference Tilts: 12/3 at Texas Tech, 12/12 vs. Georgetown, 12/22 vs. Texas A&M

Stat of Identity: 8.2 Rebound Margin – Michigan State led the country with 9.3.

By Paul Gotham

Three starters return from a squad that won Washington’s first Pac 10 title since 1953.  With an attacking back court and front court ready to blossom, the Huskies have national aspirations for this season.

Gone is the most prolific double-double man in the NCAA, Jon Brockman. Returning is the explosive guard tandem of Isaiah Thomas and Abdul Gaddy. Instead of Brockman cleaning up on the inside, Quincy Pondexter, Darnell Gant, and Matthew Bryan-Amaning will dominate the paint.

Playing point guard last season, Thomas led the Huskies in assists and turnovers. Gaddy’s arrival will allow Lorenzo Romar to move Thomas to a shooting guard – a position which the sophomore is more suited. Thomas hit 39 three pointers last season. That number will increase with Gaddy distributing the ball.

Pondexter is more than ready to carry the brunt of the load in the paint. At 6’6″ the senior creates match up questions for opponents. Pondexter is capable of finishing from inside, but he is not afraid to step out and knock down a mid-range jumper.

At 6’8″, 225 pounds and 6’9″, 240 pounds, Gant and Matthew-Amaning provide the size necessary to tussle with any team in the country.

Justin Holiday, Venoy Overton, and Elston Turner give the Husky bench some depth.

Brockman closed his career as the active leader of double-doubles with 60.

The College Football Belt

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The College Football Belt

AP Photo/Elaine Thompson

By Paul Gotham

Admitting to something is the first sign of recovery. College football fans outside of Southern California might want to keep that one to themselves.

When the USC Trojans take the field Saturday at Martin Stadium against the Washington State Cougars, they will be in a familiar situation: trying to recover from a national title deflating loss.

Last Saturday, Erik Folk split the uprights with three ticks left on the board, and the Washington Huskies (near three-touchdown underdogs) upset the Trojans, 16-13.  A week prior Washington ended a 15-game losing streak, that began in the Ty ‘Losing’ham era, defeating Idaho, 42-23.

After the game, SC running back, Joe McKnight, stated: “Washington wasn’t the better team, they just outplayed us.” McKnight’s quote is eerily reminiscent of the comments made by another Trojan a few years ago. Moments after their loss in the 2005 Rose Bowl, Matt Leinart remarked: “I think we’re a better football team; they just made the plays in the end.”

That’s okay guys. You just keep saying that, and eventually you will convince yourself it is reality.

In the mean time, USC’s stumbling has become a rite of fall as common as a New York Mets’ implosion.  In ’06 the 10-1 Trojans ended the regular season with a 13-9 loss to the 6-5 UCLA Bruins. A year later the Trojans’ 35-game home winning streak came to an end. Tavita Pritchard completed a fourth and ten pass with 49 seconds remaining as the Stanford Cardinal won 24-23. Stanford entered the game 41-point underdogs.  Oregon State trimmed the Trojans a year ago, 27-21. The Beavers entered the tilt 25-point underdogs.

The constant throughout those upsets is Trojan head coach, Pete Carroll. Last week’s loss carried a different bite than previous setbacks. Washington’s first year head coach, is the former long-time Carroll assistant, Steve Sarkisian. What are the chances the former USC offensive coordinator used the apparent complacency of the Trojans as a motivator?

What could get lost in the mix here is that aforementioned loss to Texas in the national title game. How many coaches in the history of college football have had two Heisman winners in the same back field?  That’s what USC had that year in Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart. Not even Al Davis, the famous collector of Heisman winners, could brag of such a feat. Beyond that, had LenDale White returned for his senior season, he too might have climbed the platform at the Downtown Athletic Club.  Still, Carroll’s bunch came up short, 41-38. Don’t forget the “Bush push” earlier that year that helped the Trojans avoid a loss to Notre Dame.

Carroll supporters will contend that his teams  always find their way into the national champion discussion. There is no arguing that.  One has to wonder if USC’s talent gets them into the discussion, and the coaching falls short.

Yes, Carroll is responsible for bringing the talent to the university. How much of a challenge is that? Let’s see. Prospective players are told that the coach has NFL experience. None of them are old enough to remember that dismal existence. All they hear is NFL, and they think they have punched their ticket.

Next, the teenager gets on a plane and flies to Southern California. Yeah, that’s got to be rough. The kid gets off the plane and it’s 75-85 degrees outside (Because everyone knows – “it never rains in Southern California”). One of the staff greets the recruit and shuttles him off to campus. The prospect doesn’t have a chance to comprehend the traffic, and it really doesn’t matter anyway. Once there, the blue-chipper is introduced to the state-of-the-art facilities. Then a ride on the shuttle takes the delirious youth to the Coliseum.

If none of this works, some of the current Trojans take the recruit on a sight-seeing tour. The first stop is the beach. Done deal. Does anyone else wonder how many kids request a red shirt year so that can spend that much more time near the beach in Southern Cal?

In the past, I have lobbied for a playoff in college football.  Pete Carroll and USC might cause me to change my mind (JD is laughing to the point of incontinence). A playoff would help the Trojans find redemption every year because more than likely they will win the PAC 10.

No, Pete Carroll is no longer the Coach Fredo he was once anointed as.  He has just mastered the ability to overlook his opponents. Here’s hoping the recovery takes a while.

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