UW Huskies: Seven Games Left to Climb the Mountain
By Ben Renner
The UW Huskies have seven games to prove themselves worthy of an NCAA Tournament berth. Can they get to the top of the mountain?
UW Huskies coach Lorenzo Romar said after his team’s loss to Arizona 77-72 on Saturday that “when you’re climbing back up the mountain…there comes a defining moment when you have to sustain it.” Indulge me in metaphors for a moment and imagine that “defining moment” as Saturday’s game. The UW Huskies had a chance to make a statement with the NCAA Selection Committee and “didn’t quite get over the top,” as Romar so eloquently put it.
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Heading into the Arizona game on Saturday, the Huskies appeared poised to pull off the upset. Hec Ed was packed with the largest home crowd this season. The Huskies were seeking to redeem themselves after a horrendous loss to the Wildcats in Tucson earlier this season. The game was nationally televised and analysts were getting excited about Romar’s young and exciting team.
But freshman mistakes ruined the Dawgs’ chances to get to the summit. Despite an excellent defensive effort–20 turnovers and 10 blocked shots–they allowed Arizona to collect 17 offensive rebounds. One offensive board in particular sealed the game for the Wildcats and allowed them to escape a raucous crowd with a win.
With a 75-72 lead and possession, Arizona’s Gabe York took a three-pointer and missed it. 6’9″ Wildcat forward Ryan Anderson recovered the loose ball for his seventh offensive rebound, went up for a layup and got blocked by Matisse Thybulle, his sixth of the game. However, because the UW Huskies forgot how to box out in critical moments (as 18 and 19-year-olds will do), Anderson recovered his eighth offensive rebound and was fouled by Marquese Chriss (his fifth and final). Anderson hit two free throws with 17 seconds left and put the Dawgs away.
There were many good signs in this loss. Freshman center Noah Dickerson fouled out in only seven minutes while contributing only two rebounds in his brief time on the court. Yet the Huskies still managed an excellent defensive effort with Malik Dime and Thybulle standing up to Arizona’s bigs inside. They energized the crowd with dunks and bombs. Their senior leader, Andrew Andrews, put up 20 points. But they lost because Arizona’s experienced squad fueled by four starting seniors against the Huskies’ four starting freshman took advantage of freshman mistakes.
Seven games to go, including a showdown in Salt Lake City with Utah tonight. The Huskies are still in good position in the Pac-12, sitting in third place with a 7-4 conference record. They have to close teams out in these final games after missing a golden opportunity to reach the top of the mountain in what would have been a season-defining win over Arizona. No one said it was gonna be easy.