What a game...an instant classic that if covered on the East Coast would be on ESPN Classic tomorrow. I have never seen such energy from the Hec Ed crowd, nor have I ever seen such an amazing performance from both teams. Adam Morrison is the real deal, he was unstopable! Turnarounds, off balance, 3's, plus "and one" dunks...he is a top 5 talent who will go high in the NBA draft. Do I think the results would have been different had not Raivio gone out? Tough question. UW was really containing him and he was not much of a factor even when he was playing. His backup, Pargo, however, did struggle: 2-8 shooting w/ 6 turnovers.
I really liked the play of UW this game. I will even go out on a limb and say that I think this years team is better than last years: stronger balance, more size, and better outside shooting (sorry, I was never much of a Tre Simmons fan). Appleby? Pure shooter and has uncanny range. As a friend of mine indicated last night, "eatin's good in the UW neighborhood." Jamaal Williams and Bobby Jones are solid forwards who are consistant in the clutch. Dentmon? He's a Freshman and he's putting up 17 pts/ 6 assist in a huge game...he's solid. Brockman is still young and looked the part last night....his time will come. I think Brandon Roy was a little to "up" for the game last night. Poor shot selection and 5 turnovers will not exactly get you scouted well in the NBA. To his credit, however, he was given the tough task of guarding Morrison, who NO ONE person could have stopped last night. The one guy that I wish would get more PT is J.Smith. He also has a sweet jumper and great leaping ability. Good news is that he's only a soph, so his time will come. Think how good this team will be when Jensen returns? Final Four here we come.......
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Comments:
Great to see the Dawgs answer the first real test of the season against a very capable Gonzaga squad. SSBG is spot on with assessment of Morrison. The kid was incredible and could have scored another 15 without a doubt. While I'm grateful for the win, the heart to gut it out and the ability to close, I'm a little concerned with a few points of the game last night: 1. Periods of bad shot selection and too many three balls. I know the crowds love it, but when you have the other team in foul trouble, stick with working it inside. 2. UW needs (this means you Brockman) to improve on rebounding. I couldn't keep track of the number of second and third attempts Gonzaga got off a missed shot and picking up their own trash. Note to Romar - how about lessons in boxing out? 3. Transition game. The Dawgs looked sloppy in getting back on D at times and allowed a number of easy buckets. Quality teams will expose that all day long. Huskies looked good in answer to the zone and man-to-man.
Very impressed with Dent, Jamal Williams and Jones. Appleby looks like a hobbit, but if he can rain from long range I'm okay with it. Brockman had some nice early plays on offense - he'll mature into a great player for us if he learns to really bruise guys in the paint.
Nice job jumproping Dom...
who cares? the huskies suck. go cougs.
Awesome game last night. I was there with the old man. Thought the guy was going to Keel over he got so excited. What a weekend for Seattle Sports. Sonics win big over the Pacers and King James. Seahawks DEMOLISH the Eagles and win the division and the Huskies finally beat the Zags for the first time in 7 years. Bank of Ameri.......... ah screw it Hec Ed was on fire. The Student section had a few good ones on Morrison. My favorite was the "Shave your Moustache" chant. Not sure if we should be that excited about the team this year. I think the home court, Ravio and Batista being in foul trouble really had alot to do with the W. I would be happy with a top 20 finish and maybe a few games in the tourney. What I am really excited for is Spenser Hawes next year. The old man has followed the kid for a few years and thinks that with Brockman, Dentmon and Hawes we have a national Championship in the bag.