Beaten Down Washington Huskies Prepare for Nevada
By Ben Renner
The Washington Huskies are scuffling after a beatdown by their in-state rivals, the Gonzaga Bulldogs, 98-71. They return home this weekend to take on the 7-2 Nevada Wolfpack.
Husky fans looking for signs of life after two lackluster performances in a row against the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs were sorely disappointed by the Washington Huskies’ performance in Spokane against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Huskies were pummeled 98-71 on Wednesday and never had a chance against Mark Few’s team.
It was a performance that has warmed Washington Huskies coach Lorenzo Romar’s seat to butt-scalding temperatures. This team simply doesn’t pass the eye test as a well-coached team. They looked lazy and confused on defense, and the only offensive game plan appears to be to let Markelle Fultz dribble for a while and try to score. For all the talent and potential of this team, they have been massively disappointing in their 4-4 start to this season.
Former Husky point guard Nigel Williams-Goss (who left the program out of frustration with UW’s lack of preparation and mediocrity) slashed through the Washington defense for 23 points. The Zags only needed another 17 points and eight rebounds from their punishing Polish center Przemek Karnowski to easily beat the Huskies. Washington fell behind early and couldn’t climb back into the game despite double-doubles from Fultz and Noah Dickerson, who scored 25 points with 10 rebounds and 12 points and 15 rebounds, respectively. At one point, the Washington Huskies fell behind 35-10 while allowing Gonzaga to hit 73% of their shots.
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It was a night of poor defense, poor ball handling, and poor shot selection for the Dawgs, which doesn’t reflect well on their embattled coach. After a disappointing season last year, fans called for Romar’s head. It’s been five seasons since Washington has made the NCAA Tournament, despite turning out five first-round picks in the NBA in that time span. Said one coach after a game this year, “they were so ******* bad defensively [that] they looked like they hadn’t been coached.” Ouch. If Washington continues to play this way, Romar will get canned in spite of his excellent recruiting class next year.
Up next for the reeling Huskies is the University of Nevada. The Wolfpack are 7-2 on the season and feature senior guard Marcus Mitchell, who is averaging just over 19 points per game. The game will be at Hec Ed (Alaska Airlines Arena) on Sunday at 5 p.m. on Pac12 Network.