Washington Basketball: Week at a Glance – December 10-16
Washington basketball goes east later this week. They take on the #15 ranked Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturday, December 15 in Atlanta City, New Jersey. The Hokies have a record of 8-1.
This week will again be another big test for the Washington basketball men’s team taking on No. 15 ranked Virginia Tech this coming Saturday. Last Wednesday, December 5 the Huskies took on the No. 1 ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs at the Kennel in Spokane.
The Huskies kept the game close all the way, however, ended up losing 81-79. Gonzaga’s Rui Hachimura the leading scorer for the Bulldogs hit a mid-range jumper with .06 seconds left in the game.
The Huskies leading scorer on the season sophomore guard Jaylen Nowell had another excellent game scoring 26 points. Matisse Thybulle the top defensive player in the Pac-12 had his best outing offensively on the season with 18 points.
The second game of the week for the Washington basketball men’s team took place on Sunday, December 11 back in Seattle at Alaskan Airlines Arena the home of the Huskies. The Huskies won 70-62 over city rival Seattle University Redhawks.
This game was close throughout the first half with the Huskies leading the Redhawks 41-34. The Washington basketball team took a large lead in the game going into the second half of the second period. They were leading 58-38 over the Redhawks around the ten-minute mark remaining in the game.
The Huskies got away from the way they had been playing up to that point. They started playing sloppy basketball, turning the ball over often. The Redhawks took advantage of the Huskies sloppy play and went on a 19-2 run to close the score to a Huskies two-point lead 1:50 remaining in the game the score was 62-60.
The Huskies looked like they would blow this game altogether but were able to get back to playing good ball in those 1:50 minutes remaining in the game. The Huskies outscored the Redhawks 8-2 to give the Huskies the win 70-62. The Huskies again were led by Jaylen Nowell with 18 points. Noah Dickerson playing on an ailing knee had 13 points for the Huskies too.
This coming Saturday we will see how much the Washington basketball team learned from these two games. We can hope they can upset the Virginia Tech Hokies. The Huskies now have a record of 7-3.
Virginia Tech Hokies
The Virginia Tech Hokies come into this game against the Huskies with a record of 8-1. The Hokies only loss came against Penn State Nittany Lions on November 27 in a tight game losing 63-62.
Last week the Virginia Tech Hokies beat state rival VMI Keydets easily 89-68 at home on Wednesday, December 5. They were led in scoring by their second-leading scorer on the season Justin Robinson with 18 points. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, the season’s leading scoring was second with 15 points.
The Hokies had two other players in double digits as well. Coming off the bench Isaiah Wilkins had 13 points in 15 minutes of playing time. The other player for Hokies in double digits was starting forward P.J. Horne with 12 points. Also coming off the bench was forward Ty Outlaw, who led the Hokies in rebounds with 11.
The second game of the week was a win for the Virginia basketball team. This one was even bigger with the Hokies beating South Carolina State Bulldogs at home 81-44 on Sunday, December 9. The Bulldogs have a season record of 2-9.
This game’s leading scorer Nickeil Alexander-Walker led the Hokies with 19 points while Justin Robinson had 16 points. Again the Hokies had two other players in double figures. This time forward Kerry Blackshear Jr. had 12 points while guard Ahmed Hill had 10. Blackshear was busy on the boards as well grabbing 13 rebounds.
For the Huskies to beat the Virginia Tech Hokies they will have play good solid defense. Besides stopping Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Justin Roberts they have to limit their other players who are capable of shooting in double figures. They will have to be able to keep Kerry Blackshear Jr. and Ty Outlaw off the boards as well.
Related Story. Washington basketball: 3 takeaways from Huskies 81-79 loss to Gonzaga. light
Two big keys for the Huskies are not to play sloppy ball and play effective zone defense. Most teams in the NCAA don’t play zone defense especially the 2-3. The Hokies will have to look at staying away from the middle top of the zone where Matisse Thybulle plays for the Huskies. Another exciting game should be on hand this Saturday between the Washington Huskies and the Virginia Tech Hokies.