Thomas hits buzzer beater as Huskies repeat as Pac-10 champions 77-75 over Wildcats!

By Kshell

With the game tied at 75-75 the Washington Huskies decided not to call timeout. Instead the Huskies asked co-captain Isaiah Thomas to deliver once again. At Staples Center Thomas did what Kobe Bryant has done in that same stadium many of times. Thomas dribbled down the clock stepped back and hit a buzzer beater to give the Washington Huskies(23-10,11-7) a 77-75 overtime victory over the #16 Arizona Wildcats(27-7,14-4) to repeat as Pac-10 tournament champions. Just like when these teams played in Seattle Thomas was the star of the game. Thomas scored 28 points, dished out seven assists, grabbed five rebounds and played all but two possessions in three days for the Huskies. Just like the previous meeting this game came down to the wire once again. Momentum had swung so many times this game the difference was Thomas was determined. Thomas became the first player since Sean Elliot to win back to back tournament MVP awards. Now the Huskies are riding high and guaranteed a trip to the NCAA tournament.

The first half was played at a fast pace which favors both teams. The Huskies were led by Thomas who carried the team on his back to keep them in the game. The Arizona Wildcats built a nine point lead but the Huskies would rally to trail by a score of 36-33. The Wildcats shot 13-27(48.1%) from the field but unlike last game were just 4-11(36.4%) from three point range. The Wildcats also struggled at free throws making just 6-11(54.5%). Pac-10 player of the year Derrick Williams led the Wildcats with seven points on two for three shooting with four rebounds. The Huskies had shot 12-28(42.9%) from the field and 5-11(45.4%) from three point range. The Huskies had outrebounded the Wildcats 13-11 as well.

The Huskies were led by Thomas who scored 19 points on six for nine shooting, including three for four from three point range and was perfect in four free throw attempts. Without Thomas the Huskies would have been blown out. The Huskies next leading scorer was Scott Suggs who scored five points on two for five shooting including a three. The Huskies received solid play from big man Aziz N'Diaye who scored just two points on one for three shooting but did have five rebounds while playing tough defense. Thomas needed more help from his teammates which he would receive in the second half.

The second half would feature plenty of momentum swings which would escalate this game to instant classic status. Thomas teammates would decide to step up like Terrence Ross who scored 12 points in the second half/overtime. The Huskies would receive nine points from Matthew Bryan-Amaning as well as he was held scoreless in the first half. The Huskies had built up a six point lead but would then miss six straight free throws which has been their downfall for years now. Then the game looked lost for the Huskies trailing 63-59 with under 40 seconds left. After a miss Thomas drilled a three pointer to pull within 63-62. The Huskies instead of fouling immediately decided to try and press which burned them. Suggs fouled Williams after he had already made the bucket, Williams then hit the free throw which everyone thought iced the game at 66-62. The Huskies freshman would step up huge as Ross would drill a three pointer to cut the lead to 66-65. After two made free throws the Huskies had the ball down three. Thomas sliced through the lane which the Wildcats collapsed on him and he kicked it out to an open C.J. Wilcox who was also scoreless in the first half drilled the three pointer to tie the game. Wilcox scored nine points in the second half. The Huskies had somehow sent the game to overtime.

Then in overtime the Huskies the freshman continued to hit as Ross and Wilcox hit buckets to give the Huskies a 73-70 lead. Then with the Huskies overcoming Bryan-Amaning fouling out on a suspect call the Huskies were clinging to a 75-72 lead. Then Kevin Parrom hit a three pointer to tie the score up at 75-75. Many thinking we would be heading for another overtime but Thomas who probably knew he had maybe one last possession in him. Thomas waved off Romar for the timeout and was going to win it himself. Thomas drove to the top of the key, stopped faded back and swished the bucket with no time left. The first buzzer beater for the Huskies since 2000 when Senque Carey hit the game winner at California. For Thomas he cemented his legacy at Washington forever much like Quincy Pondexter did last year against Marquette.

For the Huskies they finished the game with a repeat Pac-10 championship. The Huskies also beat the top two teams in the Pac-10 four out of five games. The only loss was by a single point as well. The Huskies for the game shot 30-66(45.5%) from the field, 9-25(36.0%) from three point range and outrebounded the Wildcats 37-27. The picture to the right says a thousand words. Thomas was the ultimate warrior this tournament having sat out a combined two possessions in three straight days. Thomas finished as the tournament MVP for the second straight year. Thomas finished the game with 28 points on 10-16 shooting from the field and four for seven from three pointers. Thomas also had seven assists which set a Pac-10 tournament record with 30 assists. Thomas grabbed five rebounds and recorded two steals. He also carried his team in the first half and then with the game on the line Thomas hit the game winning shot as the Huskies showed once again they play their best ball in March. The key was in the second half Thomas received help from his teammates.

For the Huskies you had the freshman step up once again. Led by first team all tournament team Terrence Ross scored 16 points on 7-13 shooting including two for five from three point range. The next leading scorer was Matthew Bryan-Amaning who scored nine points on 3-10 shooting as he fouled out in 24 minutes. C.J. Wilcox added nine points on four for nine shooting including the three pointer to send the game into overtime. The Huskies received good play from their big men off the bench as Darnell Gant scored six points while hitting a three pointer and recorded eight rebounds with two block shots. Aziz N'Diaye showed his value today scoring four points on two for four shooting but pulled down seven rebounds in just 18 minutes. Thomas carried the team in the first half but like always it was a total team effort to win this Pac-10 championship.

Overall the Huskies have just won their second straight Pac-10 tournament championship and third overall. Since 2005 the Huskies have won four Pac-10 championships if you count their 2008-09 regular season title. The Huskies are 23-10 on the year with six of those losses coming by five points or less. The Huskies went 2-0 in that scenario this tournament so if they can solve the close game problems they could go on a run. The Huskies clinched their third straight trip to the NCAA tournament with this big win. The Huskies also proved that you can't ever count them out ever as this is the second straight year they entered the Pac-10 tournament as the third seed and walked away with the title. The Huskies will wait tomorrow to see who they play and where. At least the Huskies know they are going to the tournament which this time last week nobody would have predicted this. The Huskies are now in the NCAA tournament and once you are there anything can happen. If Thomas plays like he did this tournament the Huskies will be a tough team to beat.

Observations:

- Thomas is the tournament MVP which was the most obvious choice since name Charlie Sheen the craziest man in hollywood. Thomas put on an MVP performance and has ended his slump greatly. Thomas scored when the team needed him to like he showed in the first half. He dished the ball to open teammates all week including a great assist to Wilcox to tie the game up. Then like Pondexter last year with the game on the line he stepped it up and nailed the game winning shot.

For the tournament Thomas averaged 19.7 points per game, 10.0 APG, 3.3 RPG, and 2.7 steals a game. Thomas shot 20-40(50.0%) from the field including 8-16(50.0%) from three point range. Thomas also played all but two possessions in three days. Thomas averaged 41.0 minutes a game considering college basketball is only 40 minutes long that is incredible. Thomas proved why he is a winner. Thomas has destroyed the Wildcats this year averaging 20.7 points per game and 9.0 assists per game. He is shooting 21-37(56.8%) from the field and 6-12(50.0%) from three point range. Since he has came to UW he has only won a Pac-10 regular season title as a freshman, then his sophomore and junior year won back to back Pac-10 tournament titles. Thomas also cemented his legacy as a Husky legend and if he comes back next year he'll be the all-time leading scorer and assist man in Huskies history.

- What a roller coaster ride for freshman Terrence Ross this season. Ross who played a combined four minutes in the last home series of the year against the L.A. schools found himself starting this week. Not only that but Ross found himself on the all tournament team unlike with such studs like Klay Thompson, Derrick Williams and of course Isaiah Thomas. Ross came up big for the Huskies all three games. Today Ross finished 16 points with 12 of them coming in the second half. Ross can shoot the three ball and slash to the hole for easy dunks. He is going to be a special player for the Huskies down the road.

Ross finished the tournament averaging 15.3 points per game while shooting 19-36(52.7%) from the field and made 6-17(35.3%) from three point range. Ross provided a lift that the Huskies desperatly were lacking recently. Another freshman who had a nice week was C.J. Wilcox who averaged 13.0 points per game while shooting 13-28(46.4%) from the field including 9-20(45.0%) from three point range. Wilcox hit the biggest three of his life against the Wildcats today to send the game into overtime. The Huskies freshman carried the load along with Thomas this week in L.A. Hopefully the seniors can join them in the NCAA tournament.

- The Pac-10 player of the year Derrick Williams had another strong game. Williams finished the game with 24 points on 8-14 shooting while pulling down 11 rebounds. Williams also played 40 minutes which is quite a lot for a big man. Williams did struggle from the foul line shooting just 8-13(61.5%). Williams for the year against the Huskies has averaged 24.0 points per game with 11 rebounds a game. Williams has shot 24-45(53.3%) from the field against the Huskies.

Williams on the year normally shoots 61.7% from the field. Unlike most teams in the Pac-10 the Huskies have three quality big men on defense in Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Darnell Gant and Aziz N'Diaye. Those three big men make Williams earn each and every bucket he makes. The Huskies play a good defense on him and make him earn his points at the foul line. Although he still puts up numbers the Huskies have done a nice job this year of containing Williams.

- Big win for Lorenzo Romar goes without saying. For Romar he improves to 13-5(.722) in the Pac-10 tournament. Romar has led the Huskies to the championship game four times now where he has won his last three. The Huskies for the second straight year have underachieved in the regular season find themselves playing their best ball at the right time.

Romar has admitted this has been his toughest year coaching yet. When you break down what this team has overcame it is pretty incredible. First the team loses top reserve Elston Turner who transfered unexpectaly. Then the Terrence Jones fiasco where everyone thought he was going to Washington. Then the Huskies lost big man Tyrese Breshers for his career. Then the Huskies lost starting point guard Abdul Gaddy to injury for the rest of the year. You add in the Venoy Overton off the court issues and losing to crappy teams you can understand Romar's statement.

However as I type this the Huskies are right where they want to be. The Huskies are back in the NCAA tournament for their third straight year and sixth time in eight years. Romar has his critics and I have been critical of him in the past I'll admit. Romar made some nice adjustments this week which I'll give him credit for. He changed his starting lineup and instead of playing with other teams style the Huskies are making teams play with theirs. Also with your five best scorers out there the Huskies are no longer slumping on offense. Romar believes in his guys and they believe in him. There is a reason why nobody on that roster is surprised that they repeated as Pac-10 champions. When a coach has confidence in you no matter what happens the players respond. The players responded but Romar deserves all the credit.

All in all, the Huskies continue to amaze me. I don't know what to think of this team. Can this team crap the bed and lose next Thursday? Sure they can. Can this team finally go on a run and make the final four? Sure they can. With this team it's all about matchups and locations rather than seeds. Just remember tomorrow if you don't like the seed we would have killed to be in this spot a week ago when things looked pretty dark. The Huskies received an incredible three day stretch by Thomas that I've never seen before. Thomas knew he had no backup at all and seemed to get better as the tournament wore on. Thomas found a way to win the duel with Thompson on Thursday, hit a big shot on Friday to beat the Ducks then today did everything including hit a buzzer beater. Thomas and the two freshman carried the Huskies this week along with good play from Gant. The Huskies will need their seniors to step up next week if they expect to advance in the tournament. Just remember at least the Huskies are back in the tournament. I give Romar for changing the starting lineup once again. The Huskies are back in the dance and are Pac-10 champions once again.

Huskies freshman come up big in 69-51 win over Oregon in Pac-10 semi's

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(22-10,11-7) held off the pesky Oregon Ducks(16-17,7-11) to win 69-51. The Huskies led basically the entire game over the Ducks but the Ducks just wouldn't go away. Unlike the loss in Eugene where the Huskies didn't play defense the Huskies played terrific defense today. Just like the win in Seattle freshman Terrence Ross who is from Portland, Oregon made his home state team pay. Ross made his second consecutive start had some highlight reel dunks on the Ducks as he scored 13 points. Fellow freshman C.J. Wilcox scored 14 points for the Huskies as the Huskies won in spite of their two first team all Pac-10 players Isaiah Thomas and Matthew Bryan-Amaning combining to shoot 4-20. The Huskies proved why they are a good team in the Pac-10 they can win in different ways. The Huskies will now look to defend their Pac-10 tournament championship tomorrow against the Arizona Wildcats. Isaiah Thomas for the second straight game recorded a double-double and is looking to win back to back tournament MVP's. The Huskies are finally playing well as a team at the right time of the year.

The Huskies had another sloppy first half but the Ducks had an even worse first half. The Huskies did receive great play from their bench as their bench scored 15 points in the first half. The Huskies played terrific defense on the Ducks holding the Ducks to 9-26(34.6%) shooting from the field and 2-10(20.0%) from three point range. The Huskies shot the ball all right shooting 10-24(41.7%) from the field but struggled from three point range making just 3-12(25.0%). The Huskies were 7-10(70.0%) from the foul line. The Huskies took a 30-21 halftime lead over the Ducks. Their first halftime lead since playing Seattle University over five games ago.

The Huskies did have some nice highlights as Thomas threw a perfect alley-oop to Ross for the dunk. The Huskies were led by Scott Suggs who scored eight points on three for three shooting including two three's. The Huskies also received good play from another reserve in Darnell Gant who scored six points on three for four shooting including grabbing six rebounds. Thomas had struggled in the first half with six points on just one for five shooting but did dish out five assists. The Huskies Matthew Bryan-Amaning had just two points and one rebound as he didn't even attempt a single field goal. The Huskies like yesterday received great play from Wilcox in the second half.

The Huskies came out in the second half determined to put the Ducks away. Wilcox began the half with a three pointer. The Huskies then stretched their lead to 44-30. The Ducks tighten up their defense and held the Huskies scoreless for over five minutes as they went on a 10-0 run to close within 44-40. Thomas would hit only his second shot of the game but it was huge. With two on the shot clock Thomas drilled a three pointer to give the Huskies a 47-40 lead. Then later in the game Wilcox provided the dagger as he drilled a three pointer and was fouled. After he hit the free throw the Huskies had a commanding 14 point lead. Then in the final minute as the Ducks were pressing, Ross crossed up his defender with a behind the back move then tomahawk jam on the Ducks. Ross who won the Oregon State player of the year as a sophomore at Jefferson High School is a reminder what the Ducks have been missing out on talent wise. When the horn sounded the Huskies had won 69-51 over the Ducks. For the fourth time since 2004 the Huskies will be in the Pac-10 championship game.

The Huskies won this game with defense. They held the Ducks to 18-56(32.1%) shooting from the field and just 4-24(16.7%) from three point range. The Huskies didn't exactly shoot lights out but shot well enough. The Huskies shot 24-59(40.7%) from the field, 7-22(31.8%) from three point range but made 14-18(77.8%) from the free throw line. The star of the game was Isaiah Thomas who played 38 minutes after playing 40 minutes the previous day. Thomas scored 10 points on 2-11 shooting but had 12 assists with three steals. The other stars were the freshman as C.J. Wilcox led the team in scoring with 14 points on four for nine shooting including three three pointers and making all three free throws. Terrence Ross scored 13 points on 6-12 shooting including a three pointer. Scott Suggs off the bench scored 10 points on three for six shooting including two three pointers. Darnell Gant scored eight points but pulled down a career high 10 rebounds with a block shot. Matthew Bryan-Amaning had a quiet game scoring just six points on two for nine shooting but had seven rebounds and two blocks. Justin Holiday added seven points on three for five shooting with six rebounds. Overall it was a good team effort for the Huskies.

Overall the Huskies accomplished their goal this week. The Huskies of course want to win the Pac-10 tournament for the second straight year and third time under Lorenzo Romar. The Huskies are playing some great ball and when Thomas is getting assists like he has been they are a tough team to beat. The Huskies are getting great games from their shooters recently with Wilcox, Ross and Suggs playing well. If the Huskies can get more production from their seniors they should be fine in the tournament. The Huskies prove once again when they want to they can be the premiere team in the conference. Most importantly the Huskies have proven to themselves they are still capable of playing good basketball. The Huskies will try and complete this great run with another Pac-10 championship. With the way this team is playing right now I'm not going to bet against them that is for sure. It is good to see the Huskies playing good basketball once again.

Observations:

- The picture to your right is of Isaiah Thomas hugging former Sonics legend Gary Payton. Payton is at the game cheering on the Huskies although he is an Oregon State Beavers alum. Payton has stated he is going to work out Thomas this offseason in Las Vegas. Payton also was in the Huskies locker room after the game to give them congratulations.

Thomas is playing like a point guard once again which is good to see. Thomas although he scored just 10 points did dish out 12 assists. The Huskies are now 4-1 when he has 10+ assists in a game. The Huskies are 9-1 when Thomas has 8+ assists. The only loss was a one point loss at Arizona who the Huskies have a chance to seek revenge on. Thomas for this tournament has played in 78 minutes out of 80 possible minutes. So far he is averaging 15.5 points per game and 11.5 assists which means if the Huskies win the tournament he should be the conference tournament MVP.

- Teams don't win conference tournament championships without strong play from their role players. With Bryan-Amaning having an off game and Aziz N'Diaye appearing to be lost Darnell Gant provided the Huskies with strong inside play. Gant scored eight points and grabbed a career high 10 rebounds on the game. In the first half Gant had six points and six rebounds to set the tone.

When people complain about Gant they don't understand the whole story. Gant provides good athletic defense, has improved on his rebounding and can still knock down that open jumper. Gant has improved quite a bit since his freshman year. Today was proof of that as Gant pulled down 10 rebounds while scoring eight points. Gant also didn't attempt a single three pointer which he has fallen in love with. Today was a great game from Gant and the Huskies needed that in the first half.

- The picture to the right is of Thomas congratulating Wilcox after he drilled a three pointer to ice the game. Usually in big games the freshman freeze up and the older guys take over but this year the freshman are stepping up. Wilcox and Ross combined to score 27 points on 10-21(47.6%) from the field and hit four three pointers. Once again Wilcox struggled in the first half but came on in the second half hitting two three pointers. Ross came on strong in the second half scoring nine points as well.

For this tournament Ross is averaging 15.0 PPG while shooting 12-23(52.1%)from the field, has hit four three pointers. Ross has provided several great highlight reel dunks in this tournament already. Wilcox is also averaging 15.0 PPG while shooting 9-19(47.3%) from the field and is shooting 8-16(50.0%) from three point range so far. The freshman are certainly pulling their weight in this pac-10 tournament that is for sure.

- Lorenzo Romar is advancing to the championship game for the fourth time since 2004. Overall Romar is 12-5(.705) in the Pac-10 tournament. To say Romar has been very successful in this tournament would be an understatement. This is the second time in Romar's career the Huskies have reached the championship game in back to back years(2004 & 2005). This shows Romar typically has deep teams as in a three games in three days tournament you need some depth.

The Huskies are managing this run with only eight guys on scholarship and Thomas is your only point guard on scholarship. Romar took a risk by totally shuffling his starting lineup for this tournament. A team full of upperclassman and yet the Huskies find themselves starting two freshman. The Huskies have had 10 different guys start multiple games now. Romar I'll give him praise for making the gutsy decision to suspend Venoy Overton. Romar has the team playing their best ball in the Pac-10 tournament. I'll give Romar credit when his teams have their backs against the wall they almost always respond.

All in all, the Huskies are going back to the championship game. The Huskies are receiving great play so far from Isaiah Thomas, Terrence Ross and C.J. Wilcox. The Huskies will need their seniors like Matthew Bryan-Amaning and Justin Holiday to step up to defeat the Arizona Wildcats. Romar is 2-1 all-time in the championship game including a win over the Arizona Wildcats in 2005. The Huskies have taken care of two Northwest foes who started their decline in the middle of the season. Now the Huskies get a chance to seek some revenge on the Wildcats. The Huskies are 7-6 against the Wildcats in their last 13 games showing this is a tight series. Should be a fun Pac-10 championship game tomorrow with two of the elite teams in the conference over the past couple of seasons. The Huskies have always had a rivalry with the Arizona Wildcats this decade much like the football team did with the USC Trojans in the 1980's and 90's. Everyone expected these two teams to meet in the championship just nobody expected the path the Huskies would have had to take to ge there is all. With Thomas playing good basketball the Huskies are in good shape. Most importantly the confidence is back at Montlake which is key for the NCAA tournament next week.

Huskies overcome big game from Thompson to win 89-87 over Cougars!

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(21-10,11-7) had a huge come from behind victory over their cross state rivals Washington State Cougars(19-12,9-9) 89-87 at the 2011 Pac-10 tournament. The Huskies are the defending tournament champions and just like last year they overcame a double digit deficit to win their first round game. The Huskies unlike last year when they defeated Oregon State Beavers had to win in spite of Klay Thompson's record setting performance. Thompson hit a Pac-10 tournament record eight three pointers while scoring a tournament record 43 points. The Cougars were feeling confident early as they had beaten the Huskies earlier in the year in Pullman and in Seattle. The Huskies overcame all that by having big games from their stars. They were led by last years Pac-10 tournament MVP Isaiah Thomas who scored 21 points while dishing out 11 assists. The Huskies were also helped by both freshman C.J. Wilcox and Terrence Ross. The Huskies also with this win most likely wrapped up their place in the 2011 NCAA tournament. As for the Cougars they are most likely headed to the NIT for the second time in three years.

The Huskies got off to a slow start once again. Just like the previous two meetings the Huskies found themselves trailing at halftime. The Huskies in fact have trailed in their last five Pac-10 games. The Huskies were down by early 20-9 but battled back to within 20-17. Then the Cougars went on a 10-0 run to stretch the lead to 30-17. The Huskies battled back to pull within 40-32 at halftime as Klay Thompson was proving to be too much for the Huskies. Thompson led all scorers with 18 points on 6-14 shooting including four three pointers. The Cougars shot 14-34(41.2%) from the field but just 4-15(26.7%) from three pointers. The Cougars did outrebound the Huskies 18-15. The Huskies were struggling offensively shooting 12-31(38.7%) from the field, 5-15(33.3%) from three point range. The Huskies were saved by Terrence Ross who was making his first career start. Ross scored 13 points on five for eight shooting including three three pointers.

Other notable Huskies in the first half were Matthew Bryan-Amaning who had struggled the previous two games against the Cougars. Bryan-Amaning overcame two early fouls to score eight points on three for five shooting while grabbing four rebounds. Isaiah Thomas scored five points on two for six shooting including a three pointer. Thomas did dish out six assists in the first half. Justin Holiday continued this struggles scoring just three points on one for four shooting but did pull down six rebounds. The Huskies bench was held scoreless which was pretty thin. The Huskies would respond in the second half to make the second half a barn burner.

In the second half the Huskies came out with a 10-0 to take their first second half lead of the year on the Cougars 42-40. Then after that it was was the Huskies five starters trading punches with Thompson who was a one man show in the second half for the Cougars. A key sequence took place with the Huskies up 73-67. After a Cougars three pointer, Thompson hit a three to tie up the score at 73-73. Then the Huskies freshman C.J. Wilcox drilled back to back three pointers to give the Huskies a 79-73 lead. At the end of the game with the Huskies lead 88-85 with less than 10 seconds to go Lorenzo Romar finally did the smart thing. He had the Huskies foul Reggie Moore with under five seconds left. Moore then missed the front end of the one and one but Thompson got the rebound to score his final points of the night cutting the lead to 88-87. The Cougars headcoach Ken Bone then called a timeout but the Cougars had none. Wilcox made one of two free throw's. With 0.4 seconds left the Huskies threw the ball at midcourt and hung on to an important 89-87 win to open up this tournament. Thompson finished with 43 points on 15-29 shooting and 8-14 from three point range. In the second half Thompson was 9-15 shooting and 4-6 from three pointers to score 25 points. That wasn't enough for the Cougars though as they fell to the Huskies.

The Huskies in the second half shot lights out. In the second half the Huskies shot 22-36(61.1%) from the field, 6-13(46.1%) from three point range and even made seven of nine free throws. The Huskies were led by Thomas who scored 21 points on 8-13 shooting including three for five from three point range. Thomas played every single second of this game while dishing out 11 assists and recording three steals. He looked like the first half version of Thomas. The Huskies then had 17 points from freshman Terrence Ross who didn't even play the last game. Ross score 17 points on 6-11 shooting including three three pointers. C.J. Wilcox was also huge scoring 16 points on 5-10 shooting including 5-9 from three point range. Wilcox caught fire in the second half drilling four three pointers. Matthew Bryan-Amaning exorcised his Cougar demons by scoring 16 points on 7-11 shooting while grabbing seven rebounds. Then Justin Holiday finally came on with scrappy putbacks scoring 12 points on 5-13 shooting but grabbing a game high 10 rebounds. The five Huskies starters combined to score 82 points on 31-58(53.4%) shooting from the field. Thomas and the two freshman combined to shoot 11-21(52.3%) from three point range.

Overall this was a good win for the Huskies. The Huskies overcame a big deficit and beat an opponent who historically recently has given them problems. The Huskies also needed this win for confidence as they haven't had a good win in a while. The UCLA game was good for Wilcox but nobody else. While this felt like a team win as five Huskies score in double figures. Six Huskies played more than 20 minutes as well. The Huskies most likely stamped their ticket to the dance next week. Now the Huskies have a chance to get some revenge on the Oregon Ducks who were a major part of the Huskies second half unraveling a bit. The Huskies can go on a run if Thomas plays like he did today. As I've documented before the team goes where Thomas takes them. Well for today Thomas took them far and in his Husky career the Huskies are now 5-1 in the Pac-10 tournament. This marks the first time in Lorenzo Romar's career he has won at least one Pac-10 tournament game in three consecutive seasons. The Huskies overcame a great performance by Thompson and now will advance in this Pac-10 tournament. Most importantly next week they'll be playing in the NCAA tournament.

Observations:

- Thomas was money today when the Huskies need him. Just like when Abdul Gaddy went down Thomas stepped his game up with Venoy Overton being suspended. Thomas hit some big three point shots to break out of his horrific 6-29 three point shooting slump that he was in. Thomas also dished out 11 assists.

When Thomas is dishing out assists the main guy to benefit is Bryan-Amaning who catches the ball and dunks the ball. That is why when Thomas has bad games the Huskies lose because the opponent by shutting down Thomas is taking away two first team all pac-10 players. Thomas in the second half was six for seven shooting with 16 points and five assists. Thomas won the tournament MVP last year and since Thompson is eliminated is on the short list of players who can win it this year.

- The freshman grew up today that is for sure. At the start of the year the Huskies were so deep and returned seven guys I wondered if these freshman would even make an impact. I was wrong as they have made an impact but there has been some bumps on the road. Wilcox in the middle of the season was a no show while recently as of last week Ross played just four minutes.

Today both guys starting(first time two true freshman have started since 2007) played great. First let's start with Ross who had played just four minutes the previous week. Ross wasn't rusty at all scoring 13 of his 17 points in the first half including three three pointers. He also made some terrific athletic moves on the baseline.

As for Wilcox he scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half hitting four three pointers. Wilcox made first team all freshman team while Ross was second team all freshman team. The Huskies will have a bright future with these two. For the game these two freshman combined to score 33 points on 11-21 shooting from the field and 8-16 from three point range. The freshman took turns carrying the Huskies showing that the present and future is still bright at Montlake.

- It was nice to see Matthew Bryan-Amaning break out with a good shooting performance. Partly because of Thomas penetration Bryan-Amaning was allowed to have easy looks but recently he has been missing those. In the last three games Bryan-Amaning has shot 11-33(33.3%) from the field and against the Cougars 4-19(21.1%) from the field.

Well today was a different story as Bryan-Amaning shot 7-11(63.6%) from the field. Bryan-Amaning has had better games but scoring 16 points while shooting 7-11 was big for him to regain his confidence. Bryan-Amaning recently won the most improved player award and was awarded with making first team all pac-10. He is also the only post player on the Huskies roster as Aziz N'Diaye continues to struggle. The Huskies will need more performances like this from Bryan-Amaning. Hopefully this was just the start of good things to come.

- What feels like a decade ago there was once a time when the Huskies owned Klay Thompson. Those days are of course over. Thompson prior to this year was 0-4 against the Huskies and scored just 7.3 points per game while shooting 10-47(21.2%) from the field. As Thompson is showing to the Huskies and NBA scouts he has improved greatly on offense.

After dropping a Pac-10 tournament record 43 points on the Huskies Thompson on the year against the Huskies is averaging 31.3 points per game. He is also shooting 29-60(48.3%) from the field while making 14-27(51.9%) from three point range. To say Thompson has killed the Huskies this year would be an understatement. Luckily for the Huskies by Thompson going off in Los Angeles good chance he turns pro after this year. Thompson showed he is a great scorer. On the year Thompson is averaging 22.1 points per game while shooting 44.7% from the field and 42.3% from three point range. He is also making an average of three three pointers a game so there is some weight to that. Should be interesting how Cougars fans will remember Thompson because if he leaves he will have never played in an NCAA tournament game.

- Last night on facebook and twitter in the middle of talking crap about each other's schools it suddenly stopped. That is when Huskies and Cougars fans realized there is more to life than sports. If you haven't heard by now last night Japan was hit by a bad tsunami. The images on CNN were just horrible and that stopped all sports talk.

To makes matters even worse this is spreading to Hawaii and even the Oregon coast. To my fans in Japan who are reading this, fans in Hawaii and of course those close to home my thoughts and prayers are with you guys. I hope we all realize sports is just entertainment. There are folks in Japan right now who would love to trade places with us and "suffer" with our sports teams ASAP. Keep that in mind tonight as the Huskies take on the Ducks.

- This is a hard transition after my last observation but I'll try it anyways. When the team loses I'm often seen getting on Lorenzo Romar well the team won today. I will give credit where credit is due and today Romar deserves some credit. First he didn't let the team panic when they trailed by 13 points and eight points at halftime. I also will give Romar credit because he showed he learned from previous mistakes.

Take the starting lineup for an example. Romar thought outside the box today by starting Ross(who Romar didn't even play last game) over Aziz N'Diaye. The Cougars start basically one big guy and the rest are forwards or guards. So why start N'Diaye to get in the way? Thankfully Romar did that as the Huskies trailed by eight but Ross had 13 points so it could have been a lot worse.

Romar also at the end of the game doesn't like to foul up three with less than 10 seconds to go in the game. Today he did just that and that won the Huskies the game. By doing that he took away the chance Thompson hits another miracle three(with how he was shooting he probably hits it too) instead he made the Cougars perform under pressure. The Cougars would have to make the first free throw, miss the second free throw, get the rebound and put the ball in. Sounds a lot harder than Thompson hitting a three right? Exactly. Reggie Moore missed the first free throw and although Thompson scored on the putback it didn't matter. Those key coaching decisions by Romar won the game for the Huskies. I will gladly give him credit for when he is coaching like that.

All in all, this was a great win for the Huskies. The Huskies needed some much needed confidence. The Huskies now can't get complicent they still need to impress the tournament committee to get a good draw. The Huskies will be favored to beat the 7th seeded Oregon Ducks tonight. The Huskies have a chance to go back to the Pac-10 championship game with a win over the Ducks. If Thomas and Bryan-Amaning played like they did today the Huskies should have no problems advancing deep. The Huskies unlike last year have a thin bench due to injuries and suspensions. The Huskies will need more than just seven bench points if they expect to keep advancing. I'm glad the Huskies pulled this much needed win out for their mental sakes going forward. It was nice to see the freshman step up in a big time moment. It was especially nice to see two first team all pac-10 guys play well today. Thomas was the MVP of last year's tournament and was the MVP for the Huskies today. Now the Huskies must turn around 24 hours later to try and grab another victory. Just remember guys to enjoy the game no matter the outcome as you saw on CNN last night it could be a lot worst.

Please commissioner Larry Scott move the Pac-10 tournament from L.A please?

By Kshell

Well folks the calender reads March so it's that time of year. That time of year where every conference has a conference tournament to showcase their conference to the nation. While every other conference is racing with Jimmy Johnson behind the wheel the Pac-10 will have the old 60 year old driving behind the wheel. As is often the case the Pac-10 finds themselves as the old man who yells "Get off my porch!". The Pac-10 has everything backwards which isn't the current commissioner Larry Scott's fault but he sure can help things. The Pac-10 has a terrible t.v. contract for football and basketball. The Pac-10 also has without a doubt the worst conference tournament going. A conference tournament that has the worst attendance in the nation can easily be fixed. In this following blog post I'll explain why moving the conference tournament from the nicest arena in the conference and second biggest city in the nation will improve the tournament. I'll suggest the logical venues such as a basic rotation since every Pac-10 soon to be Pac-12 team has an arena that could host such a tournament. I will also think outside the box and suggest a city that doesn't even have a Pac-10 soon to be Pac-12 team.

First I'll explain why Los Angeles is such a bad city to host such a big tournament. First of all Staples Center is way too big. Unless the Los Angeles Lakers are playing behind Kobe Bryant this place has often looked very empty. Just ask the Los Angeles Clippers before Blake Griffin arrived. I'd rather the conference tournament be in a stadium that is slighty too small than too big. Los Angeles also isn't the greatest sports city in the world. There is a reason why the NFL hasn't been there in over 15 seasons. Los Angeles is well known for arriving late and leaving early. It didn't take much effort the Washington Huskies fans to take over Los Angeles when the Huskies swept the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins. Both crowds were split half and half showing Los Angeles has bigger and better things to do. Unless the UCLA Bruins or USC Trojans are playing in the game nobody else cares. The other games will often be empty as you'll see tomorrow when the Apple Cup round three takes place at 8:40 p.m. It's not too late for Scott to make a bold move and move from Los Angeles. Now I've determined that Scott should move from Los Angeles you are wondering where should they go?

I think the Pac-10 soon to be Pac-12 could go two different directions. I'll offer up the most fair solution which is a basic rotation. You could rotate between Phoenix(satisfies the Arizona schools), Oakland/San Jose(Bay Area), Portland(Oregon's), Seattle(Washington), Denver(Colorado), Los Angeles(LA schools) and even Spokane(Washington State). All these places have hosted NCAA tournament games with great success. In the past NCAA tournament games were lame atmosphere's but with the pod system there is more life to them. Last year the Huskies took over San Jose just like the year before at Portland. Spokane has done a tremendous job over the years hosting the tournament. All these places can host an NCAA tournament and some even the elite eight so surely they can host a conference tournament. Plus by rotating it keeps the tournament fresh and I think more of a fan turn out would happen. If your team is struggling say like the Huskies are this year why go? I'll just wait next year to go to Los Angeles. While if it's rotating and let's say the tournament is in Phoenix when spring training is going on some fans might go anyways. With a rotation every fan base will have the opportunity to see their home team at least once in a decade. Unlike other conferences the Pac-10 soon to be Pac-12 has arena's for every group of teams that have had NBA games/hosted NCAA tournament games. The downfall is how can you make noise to the folks on the east coast when it is stuck up in Spokane? Well I have my personal favorite solution that I think fits the fair category, fan excitement category, and making noise back east.

I suggest moving the tournament to Las Vegas, Nevada. Yes that is correct I just suggest Sin City, the gambling capitol of the world, a city that doesn't even have a team in our soon to be 12 team conference. I also have a vision and I know Vegas would work and be the best thing for this conference. Anyone who has been to Vegas is nodding their head in agreement with me right now. If this tournament was in Vegas you wouldn't be reading this instead you would be in Vegas having a great time. The West Coast Conference tournament just finished and it was a huge success. The crowd was into it and there was plenty of fans there. Who wants to watch a championship game where there is more empty seats than people? I sure as hell don't! In Vegas which is the tourist capitol of the world fans would flock in full force to check out the tournament. Vegas offers plenty of things to do throughout the day as well. Not suggesting Los Angeles is some boring city at all but in Los Angeles the bars close at 2 a.m. Not in Las Vegas you can drink all night long. There is tons of casino's and hotels everywhere for people to stay at. Las Vegas also is a cheaper flight than Los Angeles. Las Vegas is still only four hours away from Los Angeles and six hours from Phoenix. Las Vegas would provide fans for something to do when there is no games going on. Las Vegas has so many tourists as well that you'll have more fans who want to go watch the event. Now some people have some concerns which I'll address.

The pictures to the right are of the proposed new sports complexes that could be built in Las Vegas. They would feature a minor league baseball stadium, an NFL sized football stadium(think Super Bowl) and an NBA arena(Hello Kings after they fail in Anaheim in five years). With a state of the art arena you won't feel the pain as much when leaving Staples Center. Another concern I've heard is what about the distractions of Las Vegas? Yes because Los Angeles is such a clean city with zero crime ever. Just look at Elise Woodward and Kim Grinolds facebook status about some guy with a gun in his hotel currently. If players want to get in trouble they can get in trouble in any city. The players are under curfew anyways so nobody would be going out and like I said if they want to sneak out they would anyways. The people who are complaining about Las Vegas "dirty" side are anti-gambling which is totally fine. Just remember those Ned Flanders types probably wouldn't be going to Los Angeles either. Even if Las Vegas never breaks ground on that arena it is at least something worth trying once right? Las Vegas doesn't have a team but has several big time money makers in town. Word would spread to New York quickly about the Pac-10 soon to be 12 tournament(especially if on ESPN or own network). If Las Vegas bombs(which I don't think it will) then at worst you failed one year. Larry Scott needs to try something because the current format is broken.

All in all, I'll stick to my belief that Las Vegas is the best option. I think you'll get more fans to travel to the event. Everyone is looking for an excuse to go to Las Vegas regardless of the time of year. There is a reason why the Las Vegas bowl which typically features a 6th place Pac-10 team always sells out. There is a reason why the NBA summer league is always packed as well because Las Vegas for all that it has is dying for sports. Las Vegas needs sports extremely bad and if the tournament goes to Las Vegas it would be a huge success. Don't waste any time commissioner Scott you can muscle the west coast conference out but I don't know about the Mountain West conference(UNLV is Mountain West). Get in there and try to steal another market. Plant your flag in another conference territory. The Pac-16 isn't dead yet and I predict by 2016 there will be more expansion. This is the perfect way to announce to the nation you are ready to expand. This is the perfect way to announce hey look at us we are the "cool" conference. Las Vegas is a city full of glitz and glamor. The Pac-10 soon to be Pac-12 knows what to do just move the conference tournament to Las Vegas. For once guys think outside the box instead of always being the last conference to adapt to the new way. While the Big East and the ACC is using twitter the Pac-10 is still using myspace. The time is now Pac-10 soon to be Pac-12 to make a stand! Move the conference tournament to Las Vegas mark my words it will be a huge success.

Venoy Overton suspended for Pac-10 tournament

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(20-10,11-7) announced today that senior guard Venoy Overton will be suspended for the entire Pac-10 tournament. If the Huskies are to advance to the NCAA tournament he will be able to play. Lorenzo Romar suspended Overton today after he was charged with providing alcohol to minors. So now the struggling Huskies will have to deal with Overton being out for the Pac-10 tournament. The Huskies just like they did earlier in the year when Abdul Gaddy went down must have guys step up. In particular the Huskies will need Isaiah Thomas to step up.

The loss of Overton hurts the struggling Huskies quite a bit. Overton is the only player on the roster playing his best basketball right now. This also puts the Huskies in a situation where they have no other point guard on the roster. If the Huskies were to advance to the championship most likely Thomas will have to play every single second three days in a row. Thomas has been struggling as of late which makes things even more complicated. Since winning Pac-10 player of the week Thomas in the last six games(3-3,2-3) is averaging 14.8 points per game, 5.2 assists per game, 2.7 turnovers a game. Thomas is also shooting 31-74(41.9%) from the field, 6-29(20.6%) from three point range, 21-38(55.2%) from the free throw line. So despite playing his worst ball of his career Thomas will be asked to take on even more responsibility.

To make matters worse Overton was playing well too. Now in the last seven Pac-10 games Overton has been averaging 9.9 points per game, 3.5 assists, 3.3 rebounds and six steals during that span. He has also shot 20-38(52.6%) from the field. Overton has been attacking the hole. Overton has been the only Husky lately driving the lane instead of settling on three pointers. At the end of the season having a veteran like Overton would have been nice. Overton has played in the second most amount of games ever for a Husky. Overton is the Pac-10 active leader in career assists and steals. Unlike everyone else on the team his play has improved as the year has gone on. For the year Overton is averaging 6.0 points per game, 3.4 assists, 1.2 steals and shooting 42.8% from the field. The Huskies also lose six games of Pac-10 tournament experience and five games of NCAA tournament experience. Overton has played in plenty of big games in his Husky career.

All in all, ultimately Overton is to be blamed. As a senior he was complaining about his teammates about playing hard when he should have looked in the mirror. Yes Overton plays hard but his actions caused a huge distraction and now his penalty might cost the Huskies an NCAA tournament berth. I don't blame Romar one bit for suspending Overton for the Pac-10 tournament. I don't blame Romar one bit for allowing Overton to travel to the team and play in a possible postseason tournament. I know at one point in our lives we have bought or at least shared alcohol with a minor. Just because everyone breaks a law doesn't mean that law doesn't serve a purpose. Hopefully this is a life lesson to Overton and he uses this to help his life out. College is supposed to prepare young men for the real world. This won't change my opinion of Overton's career one bit. He made a mistake like we all have. Now the Huskies might pay the price of his mistake or rally and repeat as Pac-10 champions.