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UW - Texas Southern - 6PM
Edwin_Bambino
Member Posts: 2,943
Texas Southern is 0-2 on the season with a 83-66 loss to the Ducks in their last game.
Comments
The UW is averaging 35.5 fts per game (2nd in the nation) so far this season. Talk about refs trying to rig a game for the UW. If the UW could shoot their free throws better they would be 2-0 right now. No wonder these first two games have been horrible to watch as they have no flow and way too many whistles. The refs in both games have gotten the UW into the ft shooting penalty early on in both halves and then try to equal up the calls afterwards as not to show so much one sided reffing bias. Let the players play and earn a win not be gifted one.
Now that Jimmy Lake is gone after 13 games is Mike Hopkins next? He has been stinking it up at Montlake for two plus seasons now ever since he had to rely on his own recruits to lead the program on the court. His mismanagement of Quade greens academic situation, covering up Naz Carter's sexual assault allegations plus the high roster turnover during his tenure not to mention the 12th and 11th place Pac 12 conference finishes the past two seasons are signs of a program going nowhere fast.
UW vs Texas Southern Pre Game Notes
UWDawgPound https://www.uwdawgpound.com/2021/11/15/22779896/texas-southern-game-preview-how-to-watch-uw-washington-huskies-basketball
Go Huskies https://gohuskies.com/news/2021/11/13/mens-basketball-huskies-continue-homestand-against-texas-southern-monday.aspx
The Huskies (1-1) will play their third game in less than a week at Alaska Airlines on Monday when they host Texas Southern from the SWAC. Tip off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. with the game airing on the Pac-12 Network. Jordan Kent and Eldridge Recasner will be on the call.
Gary Hill and Jason Hamilton will call the action on the Husky Sports Network, locally on KJR-AM 950.
The Tigers (0-2) are on a West Coast swing that saw them play at Oregon (L, 66-83) and St. Mary's (L, 58-67) before heading up to Seattle. Texas Southern, under the direction of fourth-year head coach Johnny Jones, was selected to finish first in the 2021-22 Southwestern Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Poll.
UW moved to 1-1 on the season with a bounce-back win over Northern Arizona on Thursday, 73-62. Emmitt Matthews Jr. led UW with 21 points vs. NAU, the third 20-point game of his career, first since he was a freshman at West Virginia (3/25/19 vs. Coastal Carolina, 21 pts).
Coach Hopkins (69-61 at UW/5th Year): Head Coach Mike Hopkins is in his fifth year at Washington, and fifth as a head coach after becoming the 19th head coach in UW history. During his 22 years as an assistant at Syracuse, Hopkins was a part of teams that reached the NCAA Tournament 16 times including the 2003 National Championship, four Final Fours, five Elite Eights and 10 Sweet 16s along with four NIT berths. Syracuse never dipped below a 55.0 percent record while Hopkins was on staff. Hopkins is a two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year, winning the honor in each of his first two seasons with the Huskies as he led UW to back-to-back 20 win seasons with postseason appearances each year. (2018 NIT, 2019 NCAA Second Round).
The Returners: The Huskies have two returning starters from 2020-21, Jamal Bey and Nate Roberts. Bey is the Huskies leading returning scorer at 10.3 points per game and shot a Pac-12 leading 50.8% from three-point range. Roberts average 5.2 ppg and was the Huskies' top rebounder in 2021, averaging 5.7 per game. Cole Bajema, a one-time transfer from Michigan, also figures prominently in his second season at UW. He averaged 5.9 points over the final 7 games after he averaged 1.9 ppg in first 17 games.
Experienced Transfers: The Huskies return only 31.3 percent of their scoring and 42.4 percent of their rebounding from last year, but they are by no means left without experienced players. In fact the Huskies add four transfers from Division I schools -- Terrell Brown Jr. (Arizona), Daejon Davis (Stanford), PJ Fuller (TCU) and Emmitt Matthews Jr. (West Virginia) -- that bring with them 12 years of high-level playing experience. Combined, the foursome who all hail from the Seattle/Tacoma area, have played in 336 games (256 starts), scored 3,238 points, grabbed 1,295 rebounds and dished out 964 assists. Brown enters the year with 1,254 points in three seasons (1 at Arizona, 2 at Seattle U) and Davis has 1,064 career points and 429 assists.
Freshman Additions: The Huskies have two freshmen that are expected to contribute immediately. The local connection is 6-foot-10 forward Jackson Grant from Olympia. He was the Gatorade Washington State Player of the Year and a McDonald's All-American. Also joining the fray is 6-foot-8 Samuel Ariyiba out of Lagos, Nigeria. He was part of the NBA Africa Academy.
Signing Day: The Huskies added 6-7 forward Tyler Lindhardt (Seattle, Wash./King's HS) and 6-2 Keyon Menifield Jr. (Mount Morris, Mich./Phoenix [Ariz.] Prep) to the roster for 2022-23. Lindhardt is the No. 1 rated player in the state of Washington and averaged 21.8 ppg, 12.3 rp and 3.5 apg as a sophomore. Menifield played four years at Beecher HS in Flint, Mich. and was the Michigan Division 3 POY in 2021 after averaging 26 ppg, 9.3 apg, 6.6 spg and 4.7 rpg. He is currently enrolled at Phoenix Prep.
NBA Connections: Not only are there eight former Huskies currently active in the NBA, but there are two former players on the Huskies' coaching staff with NBA experience. Seventh-year coach Will Conroy spent part of four seasons in the NBA, while first-year coach Quincy Pondexter just wrapped up a nine-year career in 2019. The following eight players are currently on NBA rosters: Markelle Fultz (Orlando Magic), Justin Holiday (Indiana Pacers), Jaden McDaniels (Minnesota Timberwolves), Dejounte Murray (San Antonio Spurs), Jaylen Nowell (Minnesota Timberwolves), Terrence Ross (Orlando Magic), Isaiah Stewart (Detroit Pistons) and Matisse Thybulle (Philadelphia 76ers). Additionally, Marquese Chriss began the 2021 season with the Portland Trailblazers.
Halftime: TSU 37 UW 33
The UW is shooting better from the ft line (6-7) but still struggling with their shots from the field (12-33 fg) and from deep (3-14 3fg). UW has 7 first half assists (all from Brown) which is more than they had in the previous two games in which they average 5 ast per game as a team. The UW giving up a lot of offensive rebounds (13) to a scrappy Texas Southern team. UW's press has caused some turnovers for them. They should press some more in the 2nd half.
It'll be interesting to see if Mike Hopkins has any halftime adjustments.
Shooting 36% from the field. 86% at the charity stripe.
Mike 'Dead Man Walking' Hopkins still isn't running anything recognizable on offense as the assists totals show it's mostly one on one basketball as whoever has the hot hand gets the ball-shots. The UW had 9 assists for the game which was much better than their previous two games in which they averaged 5 team assists per game but Brown had all 9 of their assists against TSU. Through 3 games Terrell Brown is averaging 4.3 assists (13 total). The rest of the team is averaging 2 assists per game (6 total).
Langston Wilson did leave the game in the second half after landing hard on his hip and did not return. Wilson had been dealing with a sore backbone before the hip injury. Hopefully he will be alright and if he's injured won't miss a lot of games.
Next Up: Wyoming (2-0) https://gowyo.com/sports/mens-basketball on Thursday November 18th.
Game Recap
Box Score https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore/_/gameId/401373389
UWDawgPound https://www.uwdawgpound.com/2021/11/15/22784433/huskies-pull-away-late-for-72-65-victory-over-texas-southern-uw-washington-dawgs-basketball
Seattle Times https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-husky-basketball/uw-men-overcome-cold-start-to-down-texas-southern-72-65/
Three games into the season and a troubling trend is starting to emerge with the Washington men’s basketball team.
Invariably, the Huskies struggle offensively, especially on the perimeter, while failing to slow down a seemingly overmatched opponent. They fall behind early and eventually regain the momentum with a late surge sparked by a ball-hawking full-court press and man-to-man defense.
It’s a dangerous way to do business for UW, which overcame a sluggish first-half performance Monday night before claiming a 72-65 nonconference victory against Texas Southern at Alaska Airlines Arena.
Terrell Brown Jr. finished with 20 points and nine assists, while Daejon Davis added 15 points, PJ Fuller 11 and Jamal Bey 10 for the Huskies, which improved to 2-1.
The last time the Huskies played the Tigers, they won 88-52 on Dec. 6, 2008, in a game in which UW assistant Quincy Pondexter finished with 13 points and eight assists.
This time, UW looked as if it was in danger of dropping its first ever game against a SWAC opponent after eight straight wins.
Washington trailed for 15:22 minutes in the first half and went into the break down 37-33 after shooting 36.4% from the field, including 3 of 14 on three-pointers.
In the second half, coach Mike Hopkins abandoned UW’s 2-3 zone and switched to a pressure defense that overwhelmed Texas Southern and forced 20 turnovers that led to 25 points.
Still, the Huskies trailed 56-55 with 7:25 left before Fuller drilled a gorgeous step-back three-pointer over a defender. On the ensuing possession, Fuller collected a steal before Brown converted an acrobatic layup while crashing to the floor.
The baskets were the start of an 8-0 run that ended when Daejon Davis hanging in the air for a layup that gave Washington a 63-56 lead with 4:26 left.
However, the Tigers didn’t go away quietly and cut UW’s advantage to 63-60 at the 2:07 mark.
The Huskies converted nine of 10 free throws down the stretch to secure its second straight win.
Washington concludes its homestand Thursday against Wyoming (2-0).
Texas Southern (0-3) started the season with a four-game West Coast road trip that began last week with an 83-66 loss at Oregon and a 67-58 defeat at Saint Mary’s. TSU plays Wednesday at Air Force.
NOTE
Junior center Riley Sorn, who missed the first two games due to a back injury, dressed for Monday’s game but did not see any action.
Mike Hopkins isn’t ready to trash his beloved 2-3 zone defense even if it appears to have nearly cost the Washington men’s basketball team another win.
For the third time in three games, the Huskies struggled offensively, especially on the perimeter, while failing to shut down a seemingly overmatched opponent. They fell behind early and eventually seized control with a late surge sparked by a ball-hawking full-court press and man-to-man defense.
On Monday night, UW overcame a sluggish first-half performance before claiming a 72-65 nonconference victory against Texas Southern in front of 5,315 at Alaska Airlines Arena.
Terrell Brown Jr. finished with 20 points and nine assists, while Daejon Davis added 15 points, PJ Fuller 11 and Jamal Bey 10 for the Huskies, which improved to 2-1.
“The press has been good for us and timely,” Hopkins said noting TSU’s 21 turnovers that led to 27 points. “We got steals. It gets us aggressive. We can go smaller. … We had 15 take-aways (combined eight steals and seven blocks), which is a great stat for us.
“Down the stretch, I thought in the second half with our man (defense), even though we were small, we were gritty. We only gave up four foul shots in the second half. That was a big part of how we won.”
For now, the Huskies will toggle between their three defensive schemes, even though UW has outscored opponents 117-95 in the second half when it has predominantly utilized its man-to-man attack and full-court press.
“Our press has been good,” Hopkins said. “I thought our press changed the game. To be able to have both weapons is a good thing obviously. We still have to get better in our man. We have to get better in our zone. That’s part of the growth.
“We have guys that came from really good man-to-man programs and instinctually have been taught well, and they know how to play it. If we have to use it in a game, we know that we have it. There’s a lot of coaches out there that don’t like playing against a zone. We have to be better at that, but we’re going to adapt to the game. The more weapons that we have, the better for us and the more you have to prepare for it.”
In the first half, Washington was thoroughly outplayed while shooting 36.4% from the field, including 3 of 14 on three-pointers. Texas Southern led for 15:22 minutes and went into the break ahead 37-33.
The last time the Huskies played the Tigers, they won 88-52 on Dec. 6, 2008, in a game in which UW assistant Quincy Pondexter finished with 13 points and eight assists.
This time, UW looked as if it was in danger of dropping its first ever game against a SWAC opponent after eight straight wins.
However, Hopkins turned to the press and a switching man-to-man defense with a small four-guard lineup that included Fuller with starters Jamal Bey, Emmitt Matthews Jr., Brown and Davis.
Washington outscored Texas Southern 39-28 in the second half.
Still, the Huskies trailed 56-55 with 7:25 left before Fuller drilled a gorgeous step-back three-pointer over a defender. On the ensuing possession, Fuller collected a steal before Brown converted an acrobatic layup while crashing to the floor.
The baskets were the start of an 8-0 run that ended when Davis, hanging in the air for a layup, gave Washington a 63-56 lead with 4:26 left.
“We always say energy is contagious regardless if it’s bad or good,” Brown said. “PJ hitting that shot, … we believe in him. We want him to be confident in his shot because he puts so much time into it.”
However, the Tigers didn’t go away quietly and cut UW’s advantage to 63-60 at the 2:07 mark.
The Huskies converted nine of 10 free throws down the stretch to secure its second straight win.
Hopkins bemoaned a 52-29 rebounding disparity that favored Texas Southern but was pleased by a defense that held TSU to just 2-of-18 shooting on three-pointers and UWs diversified offensive attack that produced four double-digit scorers.
“I felt like our offense got a lot better,” he said. “We shared it. We spaced it. We made the extra pass. And that’s how we’re going to win. We obviously have to get better in our zone, but our man-to-man (defense) today won the game especially in the second half.”
Hopkins added: “Very gritty. It wasn’t pretty, but we found a way to beat a good basketball team.”
Washington concludes its homestand Thursday against Wyoming (2-0).
Texas Southern (0-3) started the season with a four-game West Coast road trip that began last week with an 83-66 loss at Oregon and a 67-58 defeat at Saint Mary’s. TSU plays Wednesday at Air Force.
NOTE:
Junior center Riley Sorn, who missed the first two games due to a back injury, dressed for Monday’s game but did not see action.
"We got out-rebounded by 25. Second-chance points was 27. We got 27 off our turnovers. One of our biggest things is, historically we haven't been a great defensive rebounding team. The zone is not a great defensive rebounding defense. But when we do rebound - and we'll get better at it because we've got really aggressive guards - we'll be able to get in transition, and that's where you hurt teams. We obviously have to get better. There's a lot of those long rebounds coming in and everybody's battling. We weren't going in and getting it. In the second half, whatever defense we were, that one group just kept fighting. They just kept fighting for it, going after it, loose balls, very gritty. It wasn't pretty, but we found a way to beat a good basketball team."
SI https://www.si.com/college/washington/basketball/nobody-saw-it-but-huskies-hold-off-texas-southern
Nobody Saw it, But Huskies Hold Off Texas Southern
Smallish crowd watches the UW win its second game in three outings.
It's hard to differentiate University of Washington basketball opponents these days, with Texas Southern, Northern Arizona and Northern Illinois coming from all directions to fill out the non-conference schedule.
For Husky fans, it seems if you've seen one of these geographically christened teams, you've seen them all.
On Monday night, the local disinterest was evident as a crowd barely numbering 1,500 sat through another rugged early-season encounter, watching the UW beat Texas Southern 72-65 at Alaska Airlines Arena.
While much has been made about the Huskies redoing their roster with a bunch of Seattle guys who grew up together — and they do seem to enjoy each other's basketball company — this is still a program that needs to go a long way in winning back their fans.
It took PJ, one of the locals who was called home and a onetime Texas guy at that after playing for TCU, to put the Huskies ahead for good at 58-56 with his 3-pointer right of the key. The UW let the Tigers hang around far too long, but that shot seemed to take the air out of them some.
"PJ hung that shot," said teammate Terrell Brown, the Arizona transfer. "We believe in him. We want to be confident in his shot."
Mike Hopkins' team improved to 2-1, which may not sound like much, until considering the UW finished 5-21 last season. They're nearly halfway to their previous win total.
The Huskies, in coming out of a pandemic-restricted season, no matter who they played for last year, said basketball is starting to look familiar to them again.
"It's great to get back out there and play with competition and fans back," said guard Daejon Davis, a Stanford transfer. "There's a lot of moving parts. We haven't had a real season in about a year and a half."
The maroon-shirted Tigers fell to 0-3 on their four-game Western swing, with only a stop at Air Force in Colorado Springs, remaining. If it's any indication where the UW stands right now after its 7-point win, Texas Southern came up short to Oregon by 17 and to St. Mary's by 9.
"It wasn't pretty, but we found a way to beat a good basketball team," Hopkins said.
The Huskies methodically ran their weave to death, often settling for a short-range jumper from Brown, Davis and now Jamal Bey, with the latter player now looking for his shot more. It works.
Brown led the Huskies with 20 points, while Davis chipped in 15, Fuller had 11 and Bey added 10. Yes, they share the ball. Brown interestingly had all of the UW's 9 assists, too, which was one more than Texas Southern.
Hopkins didn't as substitute much as these teams were never more than four points apart in the opening half and never separated by more than seven all evening.
The coach just left it up to his top six or seven players to shoulder the load and grit out the victory, once more putting them in a late press to unsettle the opponent. Hopkins also got 7 points and 7 rebounds from junior-college transfer Langston Wilson, a high-flying player who's been a little sore lately from landing on the floor in games and in practice.
The UW got beat bad on the boards, 53-29, giving up 29 offensive rebounds alone, but they made up for it by creating 21 turnovers and committing just 11.
"The coach was challenging us," Davis said. "We won with toughness."
The Huskies play Wyoming — with no Northern or Southern designation on the opposing jersey this time — on Thursday night at home, with hopefully a few more fans in the seats for the 8 p.m. tipoff and what should be their toughest opponent yet.