Huskies improve to 13-0 at home with 87-76 win over Stanford!

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies extending their home winning streak to 14 games dating back to last season. The Huskies avenged an earlier loss to the Stanford Cardinal which you can read about here. The Washington Huskies(17-7,9-4) defeated the Stanford Cardinal(13-11,6-7)87-76 in a game that wasn't as close as the scoreboard showed. The Huskies led at halftime 48-31 as they had made 8-20 from three point range including four by Thomas in the final three minutes. The Huskies were once again led by Isaiah Thomas who scored 22 points in the victory. The Huskies also received a season high 12 points from Venoy Overton over the Cardinals. Thomas scored 12 of his 22 points in the final three minutes of the half turning a close game into a blowout. The Huskies will now hit the road down in Arizona for a key matchup that will decide if they have a shot at winning the Pac-10 regular season championship or not.

The Huskies got off to a slow start in the first half but had the lead due to the defensive pressure. The first half was highlighted by Terrence Ross dunk where he was on the right baseline drove to the hoop and threw down a monsterous dunk. Showed great display of athletic ability. Then with about three minutes to go in the game Isaiah Thomas took over drilling four three pointers the last two were even deep by NBA standards. Those three's by Thomas turned a five point lead into a 17 point lead at halftime as the Huskies led 48-31. The Huskies once again in the first half thrived on the three point shot making 8-20(40.0%) from three point range and 17-37(45.9%) from the field.

The Huskies were led by Thomas who was scoreless until the three minute mark then erupted for 14 points. Thomas scored 14 points on four for nine shooting including four for eight from three point range. His backup Senior guard Venoy Overton who is starting to play well was the next leading scorer with eight points on two for six shooting including a three pointer. Scott Suggs added seven points on three for four shooting with just one three pointer. Suggs was attacking the hole more than usual. Then the other two stars Matthew Bryan-Amaning scored six points on three for five shooting and Justin Holiday scored six points on two for four shooting from three point range. The Huskies for the second straight game at home turned it into a blowout. The Huskies for the second straight game didn't look like the team who had lost three in a row to middle of the road Pac-10 teams.

In the second half the Huskies played extremely well. Don't be fooled by the Cardinals outscoring them 45-39. Most of those points came at the end of the game in garbage time. In the second half the Huskies only attempted nine three point attempts. The Huskies instead focused on working the ball inside to Bryan-Amaning and Aziz N'Diaye. In the second half Bryan-Amaning scored nine points while N'Diaye scored six points. The Huskies also had a new face running the point this game. Overton who had been in a long slump finally busted out of it this week. Overton was creating easy buckets for the Huskies big guys. Overton was often seen slashing to the hole creating opportunities for others. The Huskies also shot 21 free throws in the process by being agressive in the second half. Three pointers are more flashy but lay ups although boring are a higher percentage shot.

The Huskies in the second half received two highlight worthy dunks. First N'Diaye caught the ball three from the bucket and threw it down monster jam style. N'Diaye got a technical for hanging on the rim for to long. Another highlight dunk was when Bryan-Amaning missed a hook shot Terrence Ross came flying in for the dunk off the backboard. The Huskies would cruise to an 87-76 win. Thomas led all scorers with 22 points on 6-12 shooting including 4-10 from three point range. Bryan-Amaning scored 15 points on 6-10 shooting while grabbing six rebounds. Overton then scored a season high 12 points on three for eight shooting while dishing out four assists to zero assists. C.J. Wilcox may have broken out of his slump and he played a good all around game as well. Wilcox scored 10 points on three for eight shooting including two for seven from three point range. Wilcox also added two steals and a block shot. N'Diaye finished with nine points on four for four shooting with six rebounds and three blocks. Suggs finished with seven points while Holiday just six as both were scoreless in the second half. Ross may have had just four points both on highlight type dunks but he also added six rebounds with three assists. Overall the Huskies once again with balance prevailed at home as they improve to 13-0 this year at Hec Ed.

What does this week mean for the Huskies? Well that is hard to tell as the Huskies are 13-0 at home with all 13 wins coming by double digits. I don't think this week tells us anything since everyone already knows the Huskies are tough at home. The Huskies can take comfort in knowing that Venoy Overton appears to have put the off the court issues behind him this week. The Huskies can also take comfort in C.J. Wilcox and Isaiah Thomas shooting slumps appearing to be over as well. The Huskies hit tons of threes this homestand and of course that will get all the attention. The Huskies won by blowout fassion by playing some great defense. The Huskies had six blocks and six steals while forcing 19 turnovers by Stanford. When Lorenzo Romar teams are playing at their top potential defense is the catalyst that leads the charge. The Huskies will have a chance to show the nation and especially a certain recruit who was in the stands tonight that next week they are the team to beat in the Pac-10.

Observations:

- Venoy Overton had one of his better games of the year. In today's contest Overton scored 12 points, had four assists and no turnovers. Overton played very smart in his 23 minutes. Overton was a big part of last year's sweet 16 team averaging 8.5 points per game in 23 minutes a night.

Overton prior to this homestand was struggling. Averaging just 4.1 points per game, with 2.6 assists and 1.7 turnovers in the previous 10 games. On this homestand though Overton averaged 10.0 points per game, 5.5 assists per game and one turnover a game. Not jaw dropping numbers but key contributions. Overton is a key 6th man for the Huskies and with Abdul Gaddy gone he can't afford to struggle. With two road games remaining and only one in a hostile environment hopefully Overton's struggles have gone away.

- As I noted last game when Isaiah Thomas shoots well the Huskies win. Today he made 6-12 shots including 4-10 from three pointers. Thomas who is only a career 32.6% shooter from three point range was an outstanding 10-18(55.5%) from three point range after shooting 4-17(23.5%) from three point range the previous three games all of which were losses.

I'd like to see Thomas penetrate the basket more often instead of relying on only three point shots. Thomas is most effective when he is doing that instead of jacking up three's the whole game. As you can see the three ball comes and goes but high percentage two point shots are much more consistent. Thomas only had one assist today to five turnovers but he was mostly playing shooting guard today as Overton ran the point.

- Aziz N'Diaye played his best game in Pac-10 season. He hit all four field goal attempts, scored a league high nine points plus he blocked three shots while pulling down six rebounds. N'Diaye has now blocked three shots in back to back games. After hitting a low point in the season at Oregon State where he scored zero points and didn't even attempt a shot in 12 ineffective minutes he has played well the last three games.

In the last three games N'Diaye is averaging 6.7 points per game shooting an amazing 9-10(90.0%) from the field while grabbing 6.3 rebounds a game. He also blocked two shots a game in that span while averaging 19 minutes a game. Like Overton not jaw dropping numbers but if N'Diaye can at least be a threat to score and stay out of foul trouble the Huskies can go far in the tournament.

I'd like to see the Huskies feature our two big guys more this year. N'Diaye is shooting 60% on the year while Bryan-Amaning is shooting 57% from the field this year. When the big guys are involved they also rack up fouls on the opposing team so more free throw attempts for the Huskies guards. When you get the big guys involved that will draw double teams which will allow open three pointers. On this homestand N'Diaye and Bryan-Amaning combined to shoot 22-31(70.9%) from the field.

Overall this week was nice for the sake of confidence. The Huskies may have cost themselves a chance at winning the Pac-10 regular season title. The Huskies can't worry about the past but about improving their play going forward. Even if the Huskies beat the Arizona Wildcats next week the Wildcats could still win the Pac-10 championship even if the Huskies don't lose another game. The Huskies can't worry about that just about playing good ball which involves Overton, N'Diaye and Wilcox playing like they did this homestand. Thomas to continue shooting well because when he shoots well the Huskies win, when he shoots bad they lose as is mostly the case with most teams star players. Romar teams have been here before and unless the Huskies collapse once again they should make the NCAA tournament for the sixth time in the last eight years. Before we get ahead of ourselves it feels good to win again. Now the Huskies will have a huge test down in Arizona this week especially on Saturday at Tucson where the Huskies haven't won since 2006.

Thomas leads Huskies hot shooting in 109-77 blowout win over Golden Bears

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(16-7,8-4) returned home after losing three in a row on the road. When the Huskies returned home so did their three point shot. In the previous three road games the Huskies shot just 29-87(33.3%) from three point range. Today the Huskies led by Isaiah Thomas shot 17-31(54.8%) from three point range which was the difference. It didn't matter who the Huskies played today as they shot red hot from beyond the arc. For the second time this year the Huskies crushed the California Golden Bears. The Washington Huskies destroyed the California Golden Bears(13-11,6-6) 109-77 which has been the theme all season long. The Huskies are a tough team to beat at home. In fact the Huskies have yet to have a game finish under double figures at home this season. The Huskies responded with a nice home win but eventually must prove they can win away from Hec Ed.

The Huskies came out in the first half ready to show there would not be a repeat performance like we all saw on the road. The Huskies sprinted out to a 21-8 lead then stretched that lead to 40-17. Eventually the Huskies led at halftime 58-34 as the Huskies shot lights out from three point range. The Huskies connected on 10-17(58.8%) from three point range and shot 22-37(59.5%) from the field in the first half. The Huskies even shot a perfect four for four from the foul line. The Huskies outrebounded California 17-9 as well with five block shots. The Huskies had just four turnovers in the first half meaning California had to earn their points. The Golden Bears shot 13-26(50.0%) from the field but didn't hit a three pointer and struggled from the foul line 8-12(66.7%). The Huskies made sure just like the first meeting that the game would be over in the first half.

In the first half the Huskies were led by Isaiah Thomas who scored 11 points and dished out six assists. Thomas shot three for four from three point range in the first half. Matthew Bryan-Amaning scored 10 points on five for six shooting in the first half as well. The other member of the big three Justin Holiday also had a strong half with eight points hitting both three point attempts. The Huskies also had nice contributions from their other two starters Aziz N'Diaye who had six points and four rebounds on three for four shooting. Scott Suggs hit two three pointers in the first half to give him six points in the half. The Huskies starters came out to play.

In the second half it was still the same story. The Huskies kept launching and making three pointers while the Golden Bears couldn't stop the mighty Huskies offense from exploding. For the sixth time this season the Huskies scored over 100 points that is also a school record. The Huskies in the second half scored 51 points while shooting 21-39(53.8%) from the field with 7-14(50.0%) from beyond the arc. The Huskies added six more blocks in the second half. For the game the Huskies shot 43-76(56.6%) from the field and an amazing 17-31(54.8%) from three point range. The Huskies also added 11 blocks and out rebounded the Golden Bears 36-27. The Huskies took care of the ball as well with 30 assists to just nine turnovers on the game. The Huskies had great ball movement and shot the ball exceptionally well from beyond the arc having six guys score in double figures and all nine scholarship players scoring at least six points.

The Huskies received great play from everyone on their roster. Led by Isaiah Thomas who scored 23 points on 7-11 shooting including six of eight from three point range. Thomas also dished out nine assists to just two turnovers. In the process Thomas passed Steve Hawes to move into eight all-time in Huskies history in scoring. Matthew Bryan-Amaning had a good game as well scoring 18 points on 9-13 shooting, pulled down nine rebounds and blocked four shots. For the first time in Pac-10 play the Huskies received good play from C.J. Wilcox who scored 14 points drilling four for seven from three point range. Justin Holiday scored 12 points on 5-10 shooting with two three pointers along with four rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Terrence Ross had a good all around game with 11 points on five for eight shooting with a three pointer. Ross also added four rebounds, a career high six assists and two block shots. Scott Suggs scored 11 points on three for five shooting from three point range. Venoy Overton had one of his better games in a while scoring eight points including a three pointer and dishing out seven assists. Aziz N'Diaye finished with six points but also blocked three shots helping the Huskies in the middle. Darnell Gant also added six points and also added five rebounds. It was a great all around team effor by the Huskies in the blowout win over the Golden Bears.

The Huskies now improve to 8-4 in Pac-10 play which isn't where they would like to be. The Huskies find themselves trailing by one and a half games behind leader Arizona Wildcats. The Huskies now must win out their remaining Pac-10 games to even have a shot at the regular season title. The Huskies today shot lights out and not even Ohio State could have defeated them tonight. The problem is what if those three's aren't falling then what? This win was great but it was kind of fools gold in my opinion. This is the type of win everyone feels good about themselves despite shooting 31 three pointers to just seven free throw attempts. There is still plenty of work to be done for the Huskies. This was a must win and the Huskies took care of business. Lorenzo Romar's teams are pretty tough at home having lost just three games the past three seasons at home. Now the Huskies must take this improved play on the road to try and win the Pac-10 championship. At least the Huskies shooting woes appear to be over which is a good thing going forward.

Observations:

- Isaiah Thomas played like he did when the Huskies were 7-1 in Pac-10 play. Before I praise Thomas for this game I'll take you back to how he shot the previous three games. Thomas was just 10-34(29.4%) shooting including 4-17(23.5%) from three point range. Thomas was averaging just 13.7 points per game with 5.7 assists per game but 5.3 turnovers a game during the losing streak.

For today Thomas was spectatular and reminded me of Michael Jordan against the Blazers in game two of the 1992 NBA finals. He was on fire hitting a career high six three pointers. Thomas shot 7-11(63.6%) from the field and was 6-8(75.0%) from three point range. Both are a far cry from how he shot during the losing streak. Thomas also added nine assists to just two turnovers. I think the three's are a bit of a fluke but the rest is the real Thomas unlike the previous three games. Thomas even hit an incredible three while being fouled in the second half. Thomas was bombing three's like MJ did in that famous game against Portland.

The Huskies will only go as far as Thomas takes this team. Every Husky tournament team has the "guy". In 2005 that was Nate Robinson's team, in 2006 it was Brandon Roy's. In 2009 that was Jon Brockman's team and last year it was Quincy Pondexter's team. This year it is Isaiah Thomas team and when he plays well the Huskies win. When he plays poorly they lose. In the Huskies seven losses this year Thomas averages just 13.4 points per game while shooting 25-78(32.1%)from the field and 8-34(23.5%) from three point range.

In the Huskies 16 wins this year Thomas is averaging 18.3 points per game while shooting 95-189(50.2%) from the field and 34-79(43.0%) from three point range. As you can clearly see where Thomas goes the team goes. Blaming role players for losses appears silly when Thomas averages a difference of five points a game between wins and losses. He also shoots 18.1% higher in field goal range and 19.5% higher from three point range which is an extra made bucket out of five. Those five points could have came in play in the Huskies four losses this year. So just remember if Thomas is playing well the Huskies will win if he playing poorly odds are the Huskies won't win.

- Here is a picture of C.J. Wilcox diving for a loose ball which is the trademark for Romar teams. This was a breakthrough game for Wilcox as he hadn't scored in double figures since December 4th against Texas Tech when he dropped 11 points. Wilcox was just 4-21(19.0%) from three point range in Pac-10 play before today. Today Wilcox scored 14 points but most importantly drained 4-7(57.1%) from three point range. If the Huskies can get Wilcox going that would really help their shooting woes.

Another freshman I felt played really well was Terrence Ross. Ross scored 11 points on five for eight shooting. Ross only shot three three pointers so he was being active slashing to the hole. Ross added four rebounds and six assists to go with two blocks. Ross had a Justin Holiday type of game where he just filled up the stat sheet. In a game where the team scores 109 points hard to get noticed scoring just 11 points. Ross did just that showing his athletic ability and I'd like to see more games like this from him.

Another shooter I'll talk about is Scott Suggs. Suggs scored 11 points drilling three for five from three point range. He was four for eight overall shooting. Suggs has started to come on as of late as a starter which is good to see. The Huskies have struggled shooting from three's lately but not Suggs who in the past four games counting today is 11-28(39.2%) from three point range.

As long as these three wings play well the Huskies can go far. The problem is usually two of these three guys if not all three have a habit of disappearing especially on the road. With some confidence maybe these three can finally start performing on a consistent basis.

All in all, the Huskies did what they had to do. The Huskies have digged themselves a hole under Romar. Romar I'm sure isn't pressing the panic button he has seen his teams struggle in 2004, 2006 and 2010 and all make the NCAA tournament. The Huskies aren't done this year and still have plenty of ball left to be played. Today was a good win but it might have been fools gold. The Huskies shot 31 three point attempts to just seven free throws. The difference today was the Huskies made 17 three pointers while normally they make 8-9 in their losses. That is a difference of 24-27 points which would put this game a lot closer. The Huskies can't expect to shoot this hot every game. They must find a way to win by not just relying on the three point shot. Until the Huskies can win with defense like they have in the past this March will once again end in disappointment. Hopefully the Huskies can start playing better all around ball as Romar is cutting down the nets at Staples Arena for the second straight year.

Rodgers leads Packers to Super Bowl win over Steelers 31-25!

By Kshell

The Green Bay Packers are bringing the Lombardi trophy back home to Titletown, USA. The Packers were led by Aaron Rodgers who will no longer have to look over his shoulder and see Brett Favre's shadow. Rodgers the Super Bowl MVP was near perfect in the win over the Steelers throwing for 304 yards with three touchdowns despite several drops from his receivers. The Packers took advantage of three Steelers turnovers and turned those turnovers into 21 points. Despite a late rally by the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger the Packers were victorious. The Packers have won the Super Bowl for the fourth time in franchise history but first time since 1996 when Mike Holmgren and Brett Favre ran the show. The Packers will celebrate this victory while the Steelers will be kicking themselves as they blew their chance to become elite status. Both these franchises have young franchise quarterbacks so they'll have plenty of chances to get back to this big game. At the start of the year yours truly predicted the Packers would win the Super Bowl which you can read right here.



The Packers in this Super Bowl game never once trailed throughout the entire game. The Packers are dropping some early passes finally started to amount a drive against the Steelers defense. After a dropped pass killed the Packers first drive Rodgers as he would all game would hit his passes on the second drive. Rodgers would hit Jordy Nelson for a gain of nine to set up a third and one. Then James Starks would rush for eight yards for a first down to the Packers 37 yard line. After another first down conversation by Starks to the Packers 46 yard line. Rodgers would hit Brandon Jackson for a 14 yard gain to the Steelers 38 yard line. Then facing a third and one from the Steelers 29 yard line the Packers called for a play action pass to Nelson who had dropped an earlier touchdown. This time Rodgers hit Nelson for the 29 yard touchdown pass to the right corner of the end zone. The Packers would take an early 7-0 lead on the Steelers after a Rodgers touchdown pass.



The game went from bad to worse for the Steelers. After a holding penalty which backed the Steelers to their own seven yard line Roethlisberger would throw an ill-advised deep pass. That pass was intercepted by Nick Collins and was ran back 37 yards for the touchdown to give the Packers a 14-0 lead. Believe it or not that 14-0 lead was huge as no team had ever came back from 14 points down to win a Super Bowl. Collins did receive an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty which would give the Steelers good field position. The Steelers starting on their own 36 yard line would go on a 13 play 49 yard drive which would eat up over seven minutes in time of possession. The Steelers would have to settle for a Shaun Suisham 33 yard field goal to cut the score to 14-3. After the Packers would go three and out the Steelers would have a chance to grab momentum. Roethlisberger would be intercepted once again at midfield with four minutes to go in the half. The Packers would try to take advantage of Roethlisberger's mistake and put the game away.



Aaron Rodgers would waste little time to take advantage of the Steelers mistake. Rodgers would hit Jennings for a four yard gain then would hit Nelson for a gain of 16 yards to the Steelers 33 yard line. Starks would then run for 12 yards to the Steelers 21 yard line. Rodgers would then fire a pass down the middle to Jennings for a 21 yard touchdown with 2:24 left in the half. For Rodgers that would be his second touchdown pass of the first half. The Packers would take a commanding 21-3 lead against the Steelers. No team had ever came back from 18 points down in the Super Bowl. The Steelers would make a game of it right before the half though. You see you can't put a team who has won two Super Bowls in the last five seasons away that easily. The Steelers were left plenty of time to still try and salvage the half and get some momentum going into halftime. This is when Roethlisberger would finally start hitting his passes to make the game interesting.



The Steelers started on their own 23 yard line knowing that they must get a score or any hopes at a championship would most likely end. Roethlisberger on the first play would hit Antwaan Randle El for a gain of 37 yards to the Packers 40 yard line. The Packers on this drive would lose both starting cornerbacks Charles Woodson(2009 Defensive MVP) and Sam Shields. Facing a third and 10 from the Packers 40 yard line Roethlisberger would hit Hines Ward down the middle for a 14 yard gain to the Packers 26 yard line. Facing a second and nine from the Packers 25 yard line Roethlisberger would hit Ward once again down the middle for a gain of 17 yards to the Packers eight yard line. Then Roethlisberger once again hit Ward to complete the drive hitting Ward for an eight yard touchdown pass. Up until that touchdown Roethlisberger had five interceptions to just one touchdown in the Super Bowl. With that touchdown the Steelers close the gap to 21-10 at halftime. The Steelers trailed by just 11 points and the Packers two starting corners along with Donald Driver were out of the game.



The Steelers would begin the second half by three and outing the mighty Packers offense. After a poor punt and penalty the Steelers had the ball at midfield. The Steelers didn't even attempt a single pass on this scoring drive. The drive began with Rashard Mendenhall running for 17 yards to the Packers 33 yard line. Facing a second and seven from the Packers 30 yard line Roethlisberger would rush for six yards setting up a third and one from the Packers 24 yard line. Isaac Redman took the carry on the short yardage situation and ran 16 yards to the Packers eight yard line. That is when Mendenhall capped the drive with an eight yard touchdown drive to cut the lead to 21-17. The Steelers defense would three and out the Packers offense once again. The Steelers then went on a nine play drive to the Packers 29 yard line but Roethlisberger would get sacked. The Steelers would then miss the 52 yard field goal attempt.



The Steelers had all the momentum in the game and it had appeared they were going to complete the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. The Steelers with the ball on the Packers 33 yard line would hand off to Mendenhall who had crushed the Packers to that point but Clay Matthews would force the fumble. The Steelers would turn the ball over for the third time in the game. The Packers then had new life on their own 45 yard line. Facing a critical third and seven from their own 48 yard line Rodgers would hit James Jones who had dropped a few passes already. Jones made a great diving catch on the sideline for a gain of 12 yards to extend the drive. On second and 10 from the Steelers 40 yard line Rodgers would hit Nelson only Nelson would drop the pass. The Packers would have four drops on the game. Rodgers not losing faith in his teammate would hit Nelson on a key third down conversation for a gain of 38 yards to the Steelers two yard line. After getting sacked Rodgers would hit Jennings for an eight yard touchdown to take a commanding 28-17 lead with under 12 minutes to go. That would be Rodgers third touchdown pass of the game. The Steelers weren't willing to go away so easily though.



The Steelers with their season on the line would do what they've done all night which is answer back with a score of their own. After a Roethlisberger completion for nine yards he would hit Mike Wallace for 16 yards to the Packers 46 yard line. Roethlisberger would hit Wallace once again for 14 yards to the Packers 32 yard line. After a holding penalty and a pass of two yards Roethlisberger was facing a critical second and 18 when he hit Ward for a gain of 15 to set up a third and three from the Packers 25 yard line. On third and three Roethlisberger would hit Wallace on a perfect fade pass for the touchdown to cut the lead to 28-23. The Steelers would go for two to cut the lead down to a field goal. Roethlisberger in shotgun would run a play that you would see at Autzen Stadium with the Oregon Ducks. Roethlisberger would take the snap run to his left then option pitch it to Randle El who scored on the two point conversation. With seven and a half minutes to go the Packers would have the ball up only 28-25. This would be Rodgers defining drive and the biggest drive of his life. Like he had all night long he would deliver once again.



The Packers would begin this crucial drive from their own 25 yard line. Rodgers would get sacked on the first play of the drive. Then Rodgers would hit Nelson for a gain of nine yards. After a critical false start penalty the Packers faced the biggest play of their lives which was third and 10 from the 25 yard line. This is when Rodgers despite throwing three touchdowns in the game would complete the biggest pass of his life. He would hit Jennings on a seam pattern down the middle for a gain of 31 to the Steelers 44 yard line. Had the Packers failed there the Steelers would have great field position with over five minutes to go in the game. Starks on the next play would rush for 15 yards to the Steelers 29 yard line. Facing a second and nine from the Steelers 29 yard line Rodgers would hit James Jones for a gain of 21 yards to the Steelers eight yard line. After two short completions the Packers faced a third and goal from the five yard line which Rodgers pass hit Nelson in both hands but was incomplete. The Packers would settle for a Mason Crosby 23 yard field goal to go up 31-25. The Steelers would have two minutes and only one timeout left to try and win the game.



The Steelers would have one last shot from their own 13 yard line. Roethlisberger would hit Heath Miller down the middle for a gain of 15 yards to their own 28 yard line. After a pass for five yards to their own 33 yard line the Steelers would then have three straight incomplete passes. The last one hit Wallace in both his hands but was dropped. Steeler fans including Roethlisberger at the time would argue that there should have been pass interference called. There was no such call and the Green Bay Packers were going to win the Super Bowl! Head coach Mike McCarthy joins legends such as Vince Lombardi and Mike Holmgren as the third coach in Packers history to win a Super Bowl. The Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had to sit his first three years after falling to the late first round. Remember the San Francisco 49ers debated on who to take with the first pick overall Aaron Rodgers or Alex Smith. Rodgers wins the MVP for the Packers and has now won as many Super Bowls as Brett Favre. Rodgers is creating his own legend in Green Bay and the Packers are experiencing a run of quarterbacks not seen since the 49ers had Joe Montana hand the torch over to Steve Young.

All in all the Green Bay Packers are the Super Bowl champions led by Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers was 24 of 39 passing for 304 yard with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Rodgers would have a quarterback rating of 111.5 for the game. His counterpart Ben Roethlisberger would have his struggles early but played well in the second half. For Roethlisberger he would finish completing 25 of 40 passes for 263 yards with two touchdowns but two very costly interceptions. The Packers took advantage of the Steelers turnovers scoring 21 points off the Steelers three turnovers. The Packers themselves did not turn the ball over but were far from perfect. The Packers had a few dumb penalties but many were killed by dropped passes. Nonetheless the Packers led by Rodgers are the Super Bowl champions. Not like Ted Thompson and other Packers management needed "validation" on choosing Rodgers over Favre but today definately gave them that. The Packers are the world champions despite being in the smallest city in profesional sports. Nobody can ever take away this championship from Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers!

Observations:



- Mike McCarthy joins Mike Holmgren and of course Vince Lombardi as Super Bowl winning head coaches in Green Bay Packers history. When the Packers hired McCarthy he was a fairly unknown coach at the time. He had came from the San Francisco 49ers organization. McCarthy hired as head coach after the Packers went 4-12 in 2005. McCarthy was hired over Sean Payton who would join the Saints in 2006. McCarthy in his first year started off slow at 4-8 but the Packers won four in a row to go to 8-8. Meanwhile Payton led the Saints to the NFC title game so I'm sure some fans in Green Bay were thinking they hired the wrong guy.

In 2007 McCarthy in just his second season led the Packers to the NFC Championship game. Led by Brett Favre have a resurgence in his career the Packers hosted the NFC title game only to lose to eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants. That is when the Packers underwent a change which was rough for a coach entering just his third season. The Packers decided to say good bye to Brett Favre despite being one game away from the Super Bowl. The Packers traded him to the Jets for a third round draft pick(Which was traded to move up in first round to select Clay Matthews). In 2008 the Packers suffered only their second losing season since 1993 with Aaron Rodgers.

Last year was another tough year for the Packers and McCarthy. The Packers finally made the playoffs again only to lose 51-45 in a wild Wild Card playoff loss to the Arizona Cardinals. What made the year so tough was that Brett Favre played for the Minnesota Vikings and swept the Packers. The Vikings also played in the NFC Championship game. The Saints with Sean Payton who the Packers passed on won the Super Bowl that year.

This year the Packers were the trendy pick to go to the Super Bowl. The first game of the year they lost starting running back Ryan Grant. The Packers lost 13 players to the IR including stud tight end JerMichael Finley. The Packers had heartbreaking losses this year losing six games by just 20 points. The Packers never once trailed by seven points at any point in this season(20 games including playoffs). The Packers were out of the playoffs with two games to go had to beat the Giants and then the Bears to advance. Then the Packers had to upset the Eagles on the road, Falcons on the road and then the Bears. Now the Packers are the Super Bowl champions and nobody will ever question hiring Mike McCarthy. Seeing how the San Francisco 49ers had McCarthy the whole time but never promoted him. Now McCarthy is kind in Green Bay. The previous two Super Bowl winning coaches have a street named after them when will McCarthy get his?



- What do Tom Brady, Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger all have in common? Won a Super Bowl right? Well that and those are the last four losing quarterbacks in the Super Bowl. Showing that possibly experience in the big game is overrated.

In three of those four guys cases(Warner lost to Roethlisberger) the Super Bowl winning quarterback had never played in the big game before. Brady lost to Eli Manning who before that year had never won a playoff game in his career. Then Peyton Manning lost to Drew Brees who before that year had just one career playoff win. Now Roethlisberger lost to Rodgers who before this year had played in just one playoff game in his career.

Just goes to show you that Super Bowl experience could be overrated as Super Bowl winning quarterbacks are losing to first time quarterbacks. The days of Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson and Rex Grossman starting Super Bowls appear to be over. In the past four Super Bowls all seven quarterbacks(Roethlisberger went twice) have gone to a pro bowl. Since 2003 only Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger have been to the Super Bowl in the AFC. While 10 different teams in 10 years have gone to the Super Bowl in the NFC since 2001.



- This Super Bowl will be remembered as the Super Bowl that Aaron Rodgers finally escaped the Brett Favre shadow. He has been terrific taking over for Favre throwing for over 4,000 in his first two seasons and just missing it in his third season as a starter in the NFL. In the life of the NFL though you are measured by what you do in the playoffs especially if you are a quarterback.

Rodgers heading into this year was 0-1 in the playoffs but that playoff game was hardly his fault. In his first career playoff start the Packers lost 51-45 in overtime where Rodgers threw for 423 yards with four touchdowns including a rushing touchdown and just one interception. This year Rodgers was also on fire in the playoffs passing for nine touchdowns to just two interceptions while rushing for two touchdowns. In his career in five games he is 4-1 while completing 67.8% of his passes for 1,517(305.7 per game) yards. Rodgers has thrown for 13 touchdowns to three interceptions with three rushing touchdowns in his playoff career with a rating of 112.6.

Another decision the San Francisco 49ers fans have to be kicking themselves over. Just like Tim Lincecum with Seattle fans Rodgers is from the Bay Area. Rodgers was stellar for California yet the 49ers chose Alex Smith with the #1 pick overall. The 49ers haven't been to the playoffs since 2002 while the Packers have had just two losing seasons since 1993. The 49ers could have easily had the Rodgers-McCarthy combo instead they sit at home wondering what could have been?

The Packers chose Rodgers although he wasn't a need. The Packers had Brett Favre already who never gets injured as he started 296 consecutive games in his career from 1992-2010. Rodgers was to good of a value to pass up with the 24th pick plus Favre had threatened retirement since the 2003 season. The Packers didn't want to be like the Arizona Cardinals this year where their quarterback retires and the franchise falls apart. Instead the Packers did what the 49ers of the 80's did which was trade a second and fourth round picks to acquire Steve Young. The 49ers had a nice transition from Montana to Young where they enjoyed great success from 1981-1998where they were the premiere team of the NFL.

All in all this is why the Packers are a great organization. Unlike the Seahawks who didn't draft replacements for Walter Jones, Matt Hasselbeck or Shaun Alexander the Packers drafted Rodgers. The Packers had a rough 2008 season but that was one season and now they are World Champions. Just remember Seahawks fans the Packers are mostly a roster of draft picks and the guy who did the drafting for the Packers is current Seahawks general manager John Schneider. The Seahawks are in good hands with Schneider unlike Tim Ruskell who appeared clueless when it comes to the draft. This Super Bowl win was also good for the NFL. Shows why the NFL is the best sport that a small city like Green Bay can hoist it's fourth Super Bowl Championship is incredible. In baseball they would have already moved same goes for the NBA but in the NFL they are one of the better franchises. Well this Super Bowl wraps up a great NFL season. Hopefully in September we'll have a season but we shall see. I'll continue to post about the labor stuff in the offseason so don't worry. What a great season and congrats to the Green Bay Packers on winning the Super Bowl!

I LOVE THIS TOWN

By: PAYNE

First and foremost I would like to thank all of the readers who took their time to read this piece. I hope this is my first of many articles that I would like to share here at SSB. My name is Korey Payne and I am currently a 23 year old student in the Wenatchee area and would one day like to combine my passion for sports along with my love of storytelling.

Growing up 60 minutes from Seattle I naturally was raised as your typical Seattle sports fan. Go Seahawks, Go Mariners, Go Huskies, & Go Sonics (by the way, I haven’t drunk an ounce of Starbucks since our beloved Sonics were deported like a bag of coffee from Columbia). One thing I didn’t pay much attention to as a youngster was wins & losses. All I wanted to see was Shawn Kemp create posters and Ken Griffey blast homeruns. It was great. No matter what time of the year it was I could always count on watching my team go to battle and watch my favorite superstars ship highlights to the sports center express. The sounds of Dave Niehaus, Kevin Calabro, and Steve Raible still give me chills (RIP Dave Niehaus).

I was also very fortunate to attend a number of Husky football camps that were held annually at Evergreen State College where I could spend time with just my grandmother and myself. Of course my favorite college team in the world. Often the likes of Reggie Williams, Marques Tuiasosopo, and Cody Pickett would make their way to the sidelines to show me a little love and engage in a game of catch or take a simple picture. What was simple to them made lifetime memories for me.



As I began to mature however, I noticed one common occurrence between all of my teams. We seemed to never win a championship. While we came up close a few times such as the Sonics in 96, the Mariners 116 win season in 01’, to as close as a couple of NFL referees away from the Lombardi trophy in 2005(2006 Super Bowl). There were also those seasons where we would just flat out stink. And I mean a lot of seasons. Probably more combined than other city if you were to add up total losing seasons from the top 3 major American sports. Wait, I forgot Cleveland is still on the map even after the king left the building (or quicken loans arena in this matter).This pattern was all too familiar and often left me with a lot of heartbreak. Yes, I use Seattle sports as an excuse to why I was a fat loser growing up. But wait, maybe just maybe this was not the worst thing in the world. Let me explain…



Imagine a city rich of sports history, 10+ championships in all three of our major sports. A couple NCAA championships. Maybe even a Heisman or two for Cody Pickett. While this may sound like a dream come true to most and believe me, it does to me as well. What if we become spoiled by these roller coaster marathons with our teams that anything else would just be unpleasant. If the Mariners were looking for their third straight world series title, it would consume the vast majority of our lives for those six plus months out of the year. Die-hard fans such as myself wouldn’t be able to help it. Look how miserable Yankees and Red Sox fans look.

You know that feeling when you’re driving down I-5 on a sunny day and your favorite song is on the radio and it feels like nothing can screw your day up until all of a sudden a black Volvo with Oregon license plates cuts you off and sends your brain to the insane asylum? That has got to be what it’s like on a daily basis for those fans. The constant pressure of needing your team to meet unreasonable expectations from not only the media but yourself. There is that slight chance that we may have it better than them. Our teams upper management are constantly making big moves in each of the off seasons to keep us interested and allow ourselves to quietly think, “maybe this is our year”. Now this thought usually goes away half way through the season but it leaves you just enough time to not get too attached and you are able to go on about your simple life and enjoy that simple life.

Think how nice it is not having to argue with your wife (or husband) about watching too much sports. When your team is 10 games out of first place it makes it difficult to watch every down, pitch, or possession. Of course there will always be those near miracle seasons you put together such as the three I previously listed. We all should know by now that there is no greater feeling that being the underdog and having a chance to shock the world knowing deep down that you knew we had the chance all along. It gives us a feeling of accomplishment like we helped get them there and “were gonna show those idiot east coast fans” that we have a good as shot as any.



Now I don’t want you to think that in some sick way I want to live my whole life without seeing one of my teams going the distance. At the same time a little reflection in knowing that I don’t have it so bad doesn’t hurt. I’m proud to say I’m a Seattle fan no matter where I go and no matter what city I’m in I will represent Seattle sports with a smile on my face knowing that we assemble the greatest group of guys who truly want to be here. I know that every game I go to there is going to be thousands of screaming fans just like myself who have been through the same ups and downs as I have and no matter how bad a previous season ended up they continue to say…There is always next year…

Oregon hand #20 Washington third straight loss 81-76

By Kshell

The Oregon Ducks(12-11,5-6) for the second straight year shocked the Washington Huskies(15-7,7-4) this year by a score of 81-76 in Eugene, Oregon. The Huskies have now lost three games in a row all of which were in the Northwest against teams Lorenzo Romar has historically dominated. What many forget is in the first game in Seattle the Ducks played the Huskies pretty close but the Huskies pulled away late in that contest. The Huskies once again shot to many three pointers and once again didn't make enough three point shots. The Huskies also aren't hitting their free throws and simply not playing good enough defense. The Huskies were off to their best start in Pac-10 play at 7-1 now find themselves a full two games back of Arizona and even trailing UCLA which puts the Huskies in third place. At the start of the year Pac-10 championship was the expectation and March Madness was a given. Now the Huskies will once again have to scratch and claw just to make the NCAA tournament because of this horrible week they just experienced.



The Huskies for the third straight game struggled playing defense in the first half. The Huskies were led in the first half by Matthew Bryan-Amaning who scored 12 points on six for nine shooting. That wasn't enough as the Huskies trailed the Ducks 37-34 at halftime. The Ducks came out hot hitting four three pointers right from the start but quickly slowed down. The Ducks scored 18 points off of Huskies turnovers in the first half. Other than Bryan-Amaning the Huskies didn't receive much from anyone else. Once again Isaiah Thomas struggled scoring only three points as he jacked up three three pointers making just one and only had two assists. Justin Holiday had just five points but had three assists on two for three shooting including a three. The Huskies received a big boost from big man Aziz N'Diaye who had four points but had six rebounds on two for two shooting. Just like the previous meeting Terrence Ross from Jefferson High School had six points both on three pointers.

The Huskies in the first half shot 14-27(51.9%)from the field and 5-12(41.6%) from three point range but still found themselves trailing. The Ducks weren't necesarily shooting lights out as they shot just 14-34(41.1%) from the field and 4-13(30.8%) from three point range. They did shoot a perfect five for five from free throws while the Huskies missed three of four free throws. The Huskies dominated the boards 21-9 in the first half. For the second time in three games the Huskies dominated their opponent in rebounding yet had zero to show for it. The Huskies weren't taking care of the ball in the first half. In the second the Ducks shooting finally woke up and they lived on the free throw line.



The Ducks completed the upset in the second half with better shooting. The Huskies had cut down on their turnovers but the Ducks were very efficent. The Ducks shot 14-28(50.0%) from the field, two for eight from three pointers and 14-18(77.7%) on free throws. While the Huskies shot well themselves 16-32(50.0%) and 6-15(40.0%) on three pointers. The Huskies were just four for seven(57.1%) from the free throw line. Ultimately with the Huskies shooting all those three pointers they weren't getting to the line. The Huskies were upset for the third straight game 81-76. Both teams had four guys in double figures but the game came down to free throws. The Ducks shot 19-23(82.6%) to the Huskies 5-11(45.5%) from the foul line. If the Huskies expect to win again they must get to the free throw line more and when they do make their free throws.

For the Huskies they had four guys in double figures this game. Led by Matthew Bryan-Amaning who scored 21 points on 10-16(62.5%) shooting but had just five rebounds. Justin Holiday busted out of his slump scoring 16 points on six for eight shooting including four of six from three point range. Holiday also had five rebounds and five assists with three blocks. Another Husky who stepped up was freshman Terrence Ross who scored 12 points on 4-10 shooting but four for nine on three's(44.4%). Ross is to good of an athlete to just shoot nothing but three pointers all game. Isaiah Thomas scored 13 points on 5-10 shooting but was just one for five from three pointers. Thomas did have six rebounds and five assists to just two turnovers. Aziz N'Diaye also had a nice game with only five points but had nine rebounds helping the Huskies control the rebounding advantage.

Now the Huskies return home from their disasterous road trip. When they left for the road they had their best start in Pac-10 play in 25 years. Now when they return home they find themselves in third place in the Pac-10. Romar must find a way to turn this mess around. The Huskies have had slumps in the middle of the 2006 and 2010 seasons which guys like Dave "Softy" Mahler has been beating like a drum. Unfortunately just going to the sweet 16 as a average seed wasn't acceptable for this team. This team was supposed to go to the elite eight or possibly even final four. Instead the Huskies will have to turn it around or they won't even play in the NCAA tournament. Losing to all three Northwest schools on the road wasn't supposed to happen this year. Now the Huskies have just seven games left in Pac-10 play to turn this around. The Huskies will finish with five of those seven at home so they should rebound. Will they rebound enough to win the Pac-10? The Huskies will need Arizona and UCLA to fall apart much like they did this weekend. However you want to say it this week was completely unacceptable.

Observations:

- The Huskies were favorites this year because of guard play. The Huskies also played great pressure defense in the past causing turnovers to create easy points. The Huskies this year aren't getting any of that. With the loss of Abdul Gaddy the guard play took a hit but with Isaiah Thomas and Venoy Overton were expected to carry the load.

The reason the Huskies are struggling is Venoy Overton is playing terrible. Overton on the season is averaging just 5.0 points per game which is his worse season since he was a freshman. Overton hasn't scored in double figures since December 29th against USC which was the first Pac-10 game of the season. Since that first Pac-10 game in the last 10 games is averaging just 4.1 points per game with just 2.6 assists per game. Overton is also turning the ball over during those 10 games with 1.7 turnovers a game. He is only getting 1.0 steals a game which is down from his career average of 1.4 steals a game.

With Overton struggling the way he has lately the team simply can't win games. Overton last season was a spark plug averaging 8.5 points per game with 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals a game. The Huskies need that Overton to come back or else their season won't go very far.



- Isaiah Thomas appeared to break out of his slump but still didn't play very well. The good news is Thomas didn't turn the ball over seven times like the previous two games. The bad news is Thomas still isn't shooting very well from three point range. In the team's three losses Thomas has shot just 4-17(23.5%) from three point range. Thomas needs to stop shooting so many three pointers if he is going to miss that much.

Thomas is having a good season but there is to much pressure on him due to Overton playing so poorly. Thomas is the only guy on the team who is capable of getting to the free throw line. Thomas is the only one who is getting assists as well. Thomas has had at least five assists or more in 10 straight games which is when Overton has been playing poorly.



- Romar teams typically struggle in the middle of the season then turn it around. There is also a reason why Romar teams ceiling tends to be just sweet 16. Losses like this past week means the Huskies will most likely receive an average seed so you'll have to go back east to play a stellar team in the round of 16. That is also assuming this team makes it that far. With Overton playing so poorly and the Huskies become so reliant on three point shots this team doesn't look as good as they once were.

The Huskies have also shot 96 two pointers the last three games but 87 three pointers. The Huskies have only made 29 of those three pointers as well. When you are shooting basically a 1:1 ratio of two point field goals and three point field goals you aren't going to win. When you miss three's that leaves you open to transition buckets and you won't go to the foul line at all.

Romar needs to emphasis to his guys to work the ball inside. Matthew Bryan-Amaning despite all his critics is having a great season. They need to figure Bryan-Amaning in the post. The Huskies have athletes like Justin Holiday and Terrence Ross who are capable shooters but Romar needs to have them realize that slashing to the hole is the way to go. This past weeks losses fall squarely on Romar's shoulders and at what point will fans be tired of these type of performances? Or is just making the NCAA tournament the one and only goal?

All in all, the Huskies need to run an offense which features post play. The Huskies need to use their athletic ability to trap and pressure on defense. Use that athletic ability to drive and slash to the hole. If you cut to the hole Thomas will find you with his incredible passing skills. These losses aren't the end of the world and the Huskies could still win a National Championship that is the great thing about March. The goal was to win the Pac-10 and unless Arizona Wildcats fall apart that doesn't appear to happen. The Huskies must get hot and play better basketball if they wish to play in March and advance in March.

Beavers pull shocker in 68-56 upset win over #20 Huskies!

By Kshell

For the second straight game the Washington Huskies(15-6,7-3) were upset on the road to a Northwest rival school. The Oregon State Beavers(9-12,4-6) pull off their biggest win in the Craig Robinson era defeating the 20th ranked Huskies 68-56. This is Robinson's first win over a ranked opponent in his three years as Beavers head coach. Meanwhile the Huskies have to be left wondering what happened? What happened to the team that was 7-1 in Pac-10 play? What happened to the team that was so deep? Most importantly what happened to the play of the Huskies big three Isaiah Thomas, Matthew Bryan-Amaning and Justin Holiday? This loss was a horrific loss for the Huskies who for the first time all season long find themselves in second place looking up at the Arizona Wildcats. The Huskies who had won eight straight over the Beavers including a 31 point thrashing just four weeks ago. Lorenzo Romar will have to regroup his guys before this season falls down the toilet which would be a tragedy given the talent and experience on this roster.



The Huskies once again much like in their previous loss to Washington State decided to not run an offense but instead to jack up three pointers. The Huskies began the game hot from the outside well Scott Suggs didn't making three of his first four three point shots to give the Huskies a nice 11-6 lead. After that the Beavers stormed back and the Huskies stopped making those three pointers. Instead the Huskies after starting off making three of their first four three pointers would go on to miss 12 of their next 14 three point shots. The Huskies found themselves trailing 32-29 before the half with five seconds left. That is when Scott Suggs drilled his fourth three pointer of the game to tie up the score 32-32 heading into the half.

The Huskies not learning their lesson one bit from the Wasington State loss. The Huskies in the first half made just 12-37(32.4%) field goals in the first half. Even worse than that was they shot 19 three poitners only connecting on six of them for a 31.5% percentage. The Huskies only attempted four free throws as they weren't not attacking the rim. The Huskies were also outrebounded by the Beavers 21-19 in the first half. The Beavers shot 12-27(44.4%) from the field and connected on two for six(33.3%) from the three point line. The Beavers struggled making just 6-13(46.2%) from the free throw line. The Huskies were led at halftime by Scott Suggs who scored 14 points on four for six shooting including four for five from three point range. The Huskies stars for the second straight game were struggling. Isaiah Thomas was just two for seven shooting with five points and five assists. Matthew Bryan-Amaning was just two for six shooting with four points and six rebounds. Justin Holiday didn't hit any of his five field goal attempts as he was shut out in the first half.



Just like the Washington State loss the Huskies came out and shot even worse in the second half. Unlike the first half where Suggs carried the team the Huskies had nobody step up in the second half. The Huskies scored just 24 points in the second half while making just 8-25(32.0%) from the field including a horrific 1-10(10.0%) from three point range. Even worse for the Huskies was shooting just 7-15(46.7%) from the free throw line while grabbing just 12 rebounds. The Beavers in the second half lived at the free throw line making 18-25(72.0%)of their free throws. The Beavers also shot 9-21(42.8%) from the field while jacking up just one three pointer in the second half. The Beavers dominated the boards in the second half out rebounding the Huskies 23-12. When it was all said and done the Beavers had defeated the Huskies for the first time since 2007 with the stunning 68-56 win.

In the second half the Huskies struggled as Isaiah Thomas didn't hit a single field goal finishing the game just 2-11. The red hot Scott Suggs was just one for six shooting in the second half with four points. Matthew Bryan-Amaning scored eight points on just three for six shooting in the second half. He didn't receive enough touches as the Huskies decided to instead launch up three pointers. Justin Holiday scored just four points in the game for the Huskies. The Huskies shot just 20-62(32.3%) from the field making only 7-29(24.1%) from three point range. Even more embarassing was shooting 9-19(47.4%) from free throws. When it was all said and done the Huskies had just two guys score in double figures. This was a far cry from the Huskies scoring 103 points on the Beavers just a month ago. There was no "Raise the Roof" or "And one" yells this game. Instead the Huskies find themselves 0-2 on a road trip that should have been three wins.

The Huskies must get back to playing good basketball. This is why the university is paying head coach Lorenzo Romar so much money to coach these kids. The team made zero adjustments from the poor loss against Washington State. The Huskies were still playing terrible transition defense, still weren't attacking the rim and aren't creating enough turnovers. The Huskies are launching three pointers and sitting around feeling sorry for themselves. The Huskies have just eight games in Pac-10 play to turn this around or they'll be in for a rude awakening come selection Sunday. This team at first handled the loss of Abdul Gaddy pretty well but these last two games you are sensing he would have been a difference maker. Romar needs to get the teams focus on throwing the ball inside to Bryan-Amaning and stop launching up threes every single possession or else you might want to cancel your March vacation plans.

Observations:

- Isaiah Thomas just completed a pretty rough two game stretch that may have cost him Pac-10 player of the year. After playing so terrific the entire Pac-10 season Thomas has been down right awful the last two games which isn't a coincidence they were both losses.

Thomas finished today's game shooting just 2-11 with just nine points. He had six assists but for the second straight game had seven turnovers. The last two games Thomas has shot 5-24(20.8%) from the field. He has averaged just 14.0 points per game with 5.5 assists per game but seven turnovers a game is the alarming stat. Thomas is turning the ball over and not shooting very well.

Thomas could be struggling lately because he simply is receiving no help. With the loss of Gaddy and Overton has been MIA since his little incident that has put all the pressure on Thomas. Thomas is the only ball handler on the team and the team can't afford for him to have off nights. When Thomas is struggling to score and take care of the ball the Huskies simply can't win.

- Another big part of the Huskies offense has struggled the past two games in Matthew Bryan-Amaning. Today Bryan-Amaning was 5-12(41.7%) from the field with 12 points and 10 rebounds on the game. Bryan-Amaning has struggled lately due to the fact his teammates are hell bent on launching 60 three point shot the last two games. Considering the Huskies have shot just 64 two point shots the past two games you can see why the big man has been struggling.

Bryan-Amaning the last two games is shooting 6-20(30.0%) from the field and 6-14(42.9%) from the foul line. Bryan-Amaning is averaging just nine points per game but is grabbing 10.5 rebounds a game the last two games. There hasn't been any flexing or screaming of "And one" the last two games. In Bryan-Amaning's defense he simply isn't getting the ball enough and when he does he has to connect on his free throws. Of the three stars I'm actually worried about him the least. The other member of the big three I'm most concerned about I'll about next.

- Where has Justin Holiday's shooting been the last three games? Holiday is shooting just 8-27(29.6%) from the field while making just 2-14(14.3%) from three point range the last three games. Holiday today was just two for eight shooting while tieing for a season low four points. He had four points against Texas A & M when he fouled out in 15 minutes today he played 33 minutes. Holiday missed three easy layups today as well.

Holiday is averaging just 8.3 points per game the last three games. Holiday also isn't getting those steals along with Overton which has been a consistent force for the Huskies in the past. It's hard to win when your three scorers that count on shoot a combined 9-31(29.0%) from the field. The last two games Thomas, Matthew Bryan-Amaning and Holiday have shot 17-64(26.6%) from the field. I don't care who you are you will not win many if any games when your three top scorers are shooting like that.

- The only bright spot in the past two games is the play of Scott Suggs. Suggs scored a career high tonight with 18 points making five three pointers. Suggs slowed down big time in the second half but still nice to see him stroking the shots. When Romar named him a starter at California many raised eyebrows and at first he didn't produce. In Suggs first two starts he shot just two for seven with six points in two games. Since then Suggs in the last three games has shot 14-29(48.2%) from the field including 9-22(40.9%) from three point range while averaging 13.3 points per game.

My only complaint about Suggs is I feel he is to good to settle into being Ryan Appleby 2.0 . He 6'6" and a good free throw shooter I would love to see Suggs attack the rim just a little bit more. When he goes to the free throw line it will most likely be a free two points for the Huskies. Suggs has worked hard from a guy who rarely played as a freshman who I figured would transfer. He has never complained about playing and is a easy guy to root for. Him and Darnell Gant are both guys who maximize their talents. Just a shame not everyone on the roster has heart like these two guys.



- Romar didn't have his guys prepared to play this game which is an obvious statement. The rough part of coaching is when you win you often never get praise but when you lose you take all the criticism from fans such as myself. Don James once said players win games only coaches lose them. For the second straight game the team acted as if they have never seen a zone defense before in their lives.

The intensity isn't there either. Where are the Huskies who full court press and create so many easy buckets? Where is the team that was so guard heavy where they could penetrate the defense for open looks? What happened to Bryan-Amaning being the best post player not named Derrick Williams? So many questions and yet this has been going on for seasons on end. Romar for whatever reason still doesn't know how to win these type of grind it out games. The Huskies run an offense at times that would remind you of watching a city league basketball game at the YMCA. Just five guys looking out for themselves, jacking up three pointers while playing zero defense.

At what point does incosistency become unacceptable or will it ever? Are fans satisfied with the job Romar is doing or do they want more? I don't know what to think at this point. Romar has brought the Huskies to points they have never experienced and this could be what my dad used to tell me "Chuck Knox" Syndrome. "Chuck Knox" syndrome is when you have a successful coach and you become spoiled. Eventually that team fires that coach and you go crashing down. Seattle sports has seen that before with Chuck Knox, George Karl, Marv Harshman, Jim Lambright and Lou Piniella.

In conclusion the Huskies better get their act together fast. The NCAA tournament berth is earned not given to you. I think the Huskies forgot that you have to go out and earn victories as nobody is going to just give you wins. I would like to see the Huskies appear more focus as well. Stop with the twitter all the time, stop with all the stupid gimmicks("And one", Flexing, and "raise the roof"), and start playing Romar ball. Romar ball is when guys are diving on the floor, hustling back on defense, having good ball movement on offense, and most importantly finishing fast breaks. The Huskies have now lost two games in conference to teams who are 4-6 in league play who they have historically dominated recently. Time to take off those "Cool Jackets" and get ready to battle it out. The Huskies dropped a game they can't have back so to make up for it they need to start playing good basketball. I thought the Cougar loss on Sunday would be the wake up call instead I was wrong. If this loss here isn't a wake up call then this team is a lost cause. Here is hoping the Huskies have finally learned their lesson and start playing inspired ball. I guess we'll find out on Saturday what this team is made of.

Huskies complete LOI day with a ranked recruiting class!

By Kshell

Well letter of intent day is finally over and done with. Yes you still have some big fish out there but this recruiting class appears to be over. For the second straight year Steve Sarkisian has produced a top 25 recruiting class. Not since the days of Rick Neuheisel has a Huskies coach recruited this well. The part that makes this class so special is that Sarkisian kept all the big in state recruits home at Washington. As Sarkisian said he snatched up the "big Salmon" and isn't worried about the "guppies" who left to Colorado.

In this recruiting class the Huskies signed 24 kids including nine from the state of Washington including the six highest rated guys. The Huskies still recruiting California snatching up 14 kids. The other was three star safety Evan Zeger from Las Vegas, Nevada. The Huskies have the 19th ranked class according to scout.com and after having the 11th rated class last year shows Sarkisian is bringing in top notch talent to Montlake. Sarkisan brought in two five star recruits and three four star recruits then brought in 16 three star recruits. I'll talk about in depth coming up on the two big five star recruits.


First I'll talk about five star recruit and the #2 rated tight end in the nation Austin Seferian-Jenkins who is from Gig Harbor. Here was the piece I wrote about Seferian-Jenkins back in August which you can read by clicking here. Seferian-Jenkins will most likely start from day one at tight end for the Huskies. Seferian-Jenkins gives the Huskies a big target at tight end with his tall frame at 6'6" and 250 pounds. His 40 time is still 4.68 so don't be fooled by his big body. In his high school career as a tight end he had 126 receptions. As a Junior he caught 62 passes for 1,152 yards with 11 touchdowns then as a Senior recorded 45 receptions. He is a pass catching machine and given that the Huskies lacked a tight end this past season he'll be a welcome addition to the Huskies. Look for him to be a big target when the Huskies are down in the red zone. With a young quarterback this season having a tight end will be important.




The next player I'll talk about is also a five star recruit and also the #2 rated player at his postion which happens to be wide receiver. This player is Kasen Williams from Skyline high school. While Williams was in high school he only won three state championships and this past year finished second place. This was a big signing when the Huskies snatched him up back in August. I wrote a blog post back then about Williams which you can read here. Williams is another big receiver which Sarkisian likes so much, Williams is listed at 6'3" and 215 pounds. Williams joins an already stacked Huskies receiving core which features Jermaine Kearse and Devin Aguilar plus several other receivers who have contributed in the past. Williams will be a great compliment to Kearse this upcoming season. Kearse is mainly a deep target but can struggle with the passes over the middle. Williams lacks speed but has amazing hands while in high school he caught 235 passes for 4,121 yards and 56 touchdowns. Williams might not start this upcoming season but he'll definately contribute and he'll make a huge impact in 2012. The Huskies will be thin at wide receiver in 2012 since Kearse, Aguilar, Jordan Polk and Cody Bruns will be Seniors in 2011(Thanks to Willingham not redshirting anyone during that 0-12 season).

The next big recruit I'll talk about was a guy who many felt was going to Washington State. Bishop Sankey from Gonzaga Prep High School in Spokane had originally committed to Washington State to join Paul Wulff. Sankey decided instead he would rather play in a bowl game sometime in his career changed his mind and went to Washington. The 17th rated and four star recruit at running back might not play right off the bat but he'll eventually be a nice signing for the Huskies. The Huskies are deep at running back with Chris Polk and Jesse Callier. The Huskies also have some other highly recruited players coming back from injuries. Sarkisian preaches competition which is why players come to Washington now. Regardless of your age or what you have done if you are good enough Sarkisian will play you and find room for you. While at Gonzaga Prep Sankey rushed for 4,335 yards in his career and ran for 2,518 yards this year as a Senior. Sankey also ran a 4.46 40 yard dash so bringing this type of team speed is huge.



The last player I'll talk about is another big grab from outside the state. Sarkisian stole safety James Sample from Sacramento, California. Sample made his announcement during the U.S. Army High School all-star game. Sample along with Sean Parker from last year should provide some much needed improvement in the secondary in years to come. Sample is a big safety standing at 6'2" and 195 pounds. Sample is a four star recruit and the #22 ranked safety in the country. According to rivals he is the 9th rated safety in the nation. He recorded 109 tackles as a Senior showing that he has a nose for the ball. The Huskies are trying to get back to the 1990's where they had terrific safety play from Shane Pahukoa and Tommie Smith to Lawyer Milloy to Tony Parrish to Hakim Akbar to Curtis Williams. Hopefully with Sean Parker and James Sample the Huskies can receive great safety play which will allow the defense to bring more pressure on the quarterback.

Now that I've built you up with recruiting I will have to talk about some truths. The sad truth is we don't know if these players will turn out. Odds are at least one or more of these players will "bust" out. Not necesarily one of these four players but one of the "big" recruits will. On the flip side most likely some two or three star recruit that I don't even know will emerge as lead dawg of the class much like Steve Emtman, Donald Butler and Mason Foster did. Like what has been pointed out recently by Jason Chorak in 1993 the Huskies had a C- class yet that class produced more NFL draft picks than any other class in Huskies history. This is all a guessing game as we don't know how these 17 and 18 year olds will be when they are 22 and 23 years old. I remember being excited about Kavario Middleton(five star recruit) coming to Washington and not really caring about Cort Dennison(two star recruit) coming to Washington. The Huskies produced middle of the pack recruiting under Willingham which you saw didn't translate into wins. For how great today feels the Huskies still were only fourth in the Pac-12 in recruiting just four spots ahead of Stanford. In reality nobody knows what will happen we just want to be optimistic about our team.

What many people fail to realize is recruiting is important but that is just one of many steps. If you look up the national champions this decade go back and look at the rankings of their fifth, fourth and three year classes. You'll find with the exception of Alabama(whose second year players were ranked first in the nation), every National Champion had two of those three classes in the top 10 according to the recruiting websites. So recruiting does matter, yes the two star guys like Mason Foster who emerge are nice but so is Jake Locker and Chris Polk who were huge recruits. For all the talk Oregon State Beavers receive for doing so much with so little according to the rankings stop and remember what have they actually won? The Beavers aren't winning any Pac-10 titles ever or beating big time opponents out of conference. You can compete for bowl games without top tier classes which Oregon State has proven but at Washington eventually going to second rate bowl games won't be acceptable. The Huskies will want to compete for Rose Bowls and other BCS bowls. You can't do that with a roster full of two star recruits.

All in all, today was a nice solid day for the Huskies. This was nothing to celebrate by any means as the Huskies were only fourth in the Pac-12 conference this year in recruiting. The Huskies with the exception of Sample didn't really grab any big name recruits outside this state. Sarkisian did a great job of putting up a fence around the state though making sure the top six recruits stayed home at Montlake. This class along with last year is just the beginning of hopefully good things to come for the Huskies. This is simply the first step as now it's up to Sarkisian and the rest of the coaching staff to maximize these kids talents. Don James didn't always grab the best kids but he seemed to always grab the right kids. Hopefully Sarkisian has did just that today with this recruiting class. So far Sarkisian has only had two full recruiting classes in two seasons both finished ranked. Now Sarkisian will be asked to have his football team on the field finished the year ranked. When Sarkisian has the Huskies ending the year ranked that is when the Huskies can finally celebrate!