360 Sports Blog

It’s not often northwest sports fans are on the positive side of a stunning, epic finish to a game.  Thursday night was one of the pleasant exceptions, however, with the 11th ranked Huskies beating the 6th ranked Marquette Golden Eagles 80-78 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The game was a fast paced, up and down thriller. Both teams wanted the win badly, and wouldn’t give up. Early on, the Golden Eagles were down six, but came back to lead. In the second half, the Huskies got down by 15 with about 10 minutes to go. This was caused by a run of weak turnovers, bad shots and all around crap play (ahem, Abdul Gaddy). It looked bleak.

It was at this moment we had a choice: continue the mediocre play and typify the northwest sports norm of underachieving, or be badasses and refuse to back down. The latter was chosen. To quote the Grail Knight from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: “You have chosen – wisely.”

On the Huskies last possession, the game was tied 78-78. It was then that Quincy Pondexter took control, driving to the hoop and banking in a short jumper, despite being bumped in the back (a no call, conveniently). There’s now 1.7 seconds left.

A chess match/head game then ensued, with three consecutive time outs being called – the first two by Marquette, the last by Washington – which had me in turmoil. On the ensuing inbound the Golden Eagles got it to mid court and heaved a desperation shot, which was way too close to going in.

There were several key things the Huskies were able to do well (some of which I highlighted in my previous post):

- Intensity. We kept the pace up, which created countless opportunities and kept the pressure on Marquette. It also helped force turnovers, including the last one which led to the winning shot by QP.

- Matthew Bryan Amaning was a force inside with 3 key blocks and stayed out of foul trouble. Hey was a key size advantage.

- Quincy Pondexter had 11 rebounds and 18 points, despite a shaky first half. He also took over the game when it mattered.

We also had several things we can do better:

- Sit Abdul Gaddy for the entire game. Seriously, just put him in the corner with a dunce cap on. This kid has no fire in his eyes. He lacks passion and heart (Read: get him off the damn court!). In this contest he had three turnovers and zero points in limited play.

Now I’m not saying he is a bad player, I’m saying he’s too young. He’s not stepping up when he needs to, which is creating problems on the floor. Once he matures I’m sure he will be a “go to” guy, but right now he needs to keep his ass on the bench until he decides to show some effort.

- Prevent silly turnovers. This is part of what lead to us being 15 down in the contest. We tried to force passes and flopped on inbounding. I don’t know how to fix this one, but it should change.

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We’re just one day away from the Madness, which will feature two northwest teams: Huskies of UW and the Bulldogs of Gonzaga. The Dawgs have historically underwhelmed in the tournament (losing in the third round as a 1 seed in 2004 and had an abysmal second game last year) while the Zags will probably always be known as the perennial sleeper pick. Below is a quick preview of both games.

Also it’s not too late to join the join the 360 Sports Blog March Madness Pool.

Huskies (11) v Marquette (6):

I think the Huskies match up well in this game, and I expect them to come away with an upset victory. For one, Marquette is a smaller team, which bodes well for our inside man MBA.  Second, they rely on outside shooting, which UW defends well against. Third, depth is an issue for the Golden Eagles, whereas UW has Overton, Gaddy, Holiday and others that can come in and make an impact.

The problem for Washington is maturity and experience, which they displayed in all of the road losses this year. A few guys have been to the dance before, but haven’t had much success. Also, Marquette reigns from a tough Big East conference, whereas the Pac 10 has had an off year. We’ll need to grow up quickly for this matchup.

Keys to the game:

I always love these for their redunancy. Some TBS examples before an NBA game: “outside shooting,” “defending the jump shot” and “rebounding.” Yes guys, we all understand that you need to score more points than the other team to win. You need to prevent the other team from scoring. I swear sometimes they have Magic Johnson write the script for them. With that said, here are few specific things UW can do to help their chances:

- Intensity. Throughout the season, I’ve seen the Huskies play two styles: A lacksidaisical, I don’t give a crap mentality (pretty much every road game) and a ferocious, fast style (the last part of the season/Pac 10 Tournament). The latter must prevail for the Dawgs to win.

- Penetration (that’s what she said). UW does well when they are able to drive the lane, instead of relying mostly on outside shooting.

- Keep Matthew Bryan-Amaning out of foul trouble. He’s our big man inside, giving us a substantial size advantage against Marquette. Keep him in the game and our chances improve.

- Abdul Gaddy. So far he’s played second and third fiddle to Isaiah Thomas and Venoy Overton, insisting on just being a passer. Honestly, he doesn’t look like the top recruit everyone picked him to be.

My previous post compared him to the gay kid on “My So Called Life,” which I remember only because my sister used to watch it all the time. I know he’s young, but if he can step up to the plate and play with up to his ability, he’ll give us a real boost off the bench.

Gonzaga (8) v Florida State (9)

Most of you know I’m not a huge Gonzaga fan, but since they made their name in the NCAA Tournament and they’re in Washington I figured they deserve a mention. They (Gonzaga, 8 seed) take on Florida State (9 seed). I think they’ll get a first round win, but will come up short in the next game against Syracuse. My basis for this: nothing. magic. a hunch. It’s March Madness, I don’t need to explain myself.

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There’s no way I’m going to get all of these right, but that’s the spirit of March Madness. It’s the time when work productivity slows to a halt, trash is talked and pride is on the line. Below are a few hunches/educated guesses to help you with your bracket.

If you’d like to join the 360 Sports Blog March Madness Pool, click here.

March Madness Sleeper Picks:

West region – Here is my first 12-5 upset: UTEP over Butler. UTEP is a very strong 12 seed and should probably be a 10-11. Butler is a smaller team, and UTEP matches up well against them. That’s good enough for me. Tag ‘um and bag’ um.

Xavier (6) over Pittsburgh (3) in the second round. Pitt is a weak 3 seed, I say they go down.

East region -Second 12-5 upset: Cornell over Temple. Cornell is riding a hot streak and Temple’s mascot is an Owl. An owl! Somebody call up PETA, because Temple is endangered!

Washington (11) over Marquette (6) and New Mexico (3). There’s obviously a bit of bias here. My take: The Dawgs are hot, winning the Pac 10 tournament; I think it’s a sham to give them an 11 seed. Though they’ve been characterized by inconsistency this year, they’re coming on strong when it counts.

The play of MBA is going to be crucial as is IT. One quick note: If Abdul Gaddy could actually step up, it’d be huge boost. I know he’s still a youngun, but so far he refuses to engage or step up in big moments, choosing to just pass the ball. I think this tweet from @Sherpaco sums it up best: “Abdul Gaddy really looks like the gay boy on My So Called Life.” So far, he’s playing like it too. Here’s a pic:

Missouri (10) over Clemson (7) No reasoning here, just a hunch.

Wake Forest (9) over Texas (8). Both teams are inconsistent, but Texas is worse.

Midwest region - Probably the toughest bracket, featuring the overall favorite Kansas. It also has Michigan State (5), Maryland (4), Georgetown (3) and Ohio State (2). These teams have historically done well in the tournament, which is bad news for any sleeper making a run.

There’s been a lot of rumblings about the difficulty of this region, as the number one team in the nation gets the hands down toughest schedule, while Duke is left with a relatively easy road to the Final Four.

That said, I’m taking two upsets: Georgia Tech (10) over the state college from the state that shall not be named (7). My logic: no team from the worst state in the Union should be able to win anything. I’m not picking them.

The second: Northern Iowa (9) over UNLV (8). Not much of an upset here, but N. Iowa nearly beat Purdue last year and should have enough to pull it off in the first round.

South region – Only one upset: Siena (13) over Purdue (4) I don’t like Purdue because the knocked UW out of the tournament last year. I know it was the Huskies fault, but that still doesn’t make me like Purdue any more. Also, Siena made a run last year, so I like their experience.

Other teams to watch/teams that I like – Maryland. Back in my college days (circa 2005), some fraternity bros and I took a trip out to the east coast for a convention. A fraternity convention is essentially a get together with representatives from all of the chapters. Thus, you get all kinds of cultures and mindsets. Here are a few I remember:

MIT chapter (the hosts) – Nothing but nerds who spent the entire time playing video games. Imagine someone going out of their way and spending a ton of money to create a ridiculously good time for you. Would you at least get up from your chair to see what was going on?

True story: we get to the MIT house, and there are kids from all over the country. Some playing pool, others playing card games, others just hanging out. Everybody was having a good time. At one point I said “Where are all the MIT guys?” No one could find one, despite being in their house. So I went on a mission to find at least one of their guys. I started opening random doors and going into various rooms, eventually stumbling upon two guys playing either Warcraft or Starcraft. I engaged them and encouraged them to come join the party. Their response: “Maybe in a bit. We’ll see.” They just didn’t care. Too bad.

Note: this took place in the summer when classes were out. Homework was not an excuse.

Texas, Virginia Tech – Nonstop partiers. These boys could throw down.

Yale, NYU – Stuck up, snooty and looked down on everyone. They reminded me of the Omegas from animal house. Thank you sir may I have another?!

Maryland – A carbon copy of the the UW chapter; a sort of swiss army knife of talents – They were easy and fun to hang out with, down to earth and were eager to enjoy every part of the convention. They piled eight into a van and road tripped all the way there. When it came time to boozing, they could do that too. They were our doppelgangers and that’s why I root for them in the tournament.

Though the Terps have a tough schedule, I hope they do well.

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In the spirit of my blogging comeback, I’ve started a March Madness group at ESPN.com. You can access it by clicking here. It’s all free, no obligations necessary. Here are the directions:

Go to the ESPN March Madness website.

Join the 360 Sports Blog group.

Create your entry.

A hint, if you think Marquette (6) is going to beat UW (11), you’re crazy. Look for the Dawgs to go to the sweet 16 at least.

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First off, yes, I’m back. I’ve been on hiatus from the blog. There will be more on this later.

Jeremiah Masoli: Crushing the hopes and dreams of Oregon fans since 2009

I just had to comment on the big news out of Oregon, AKA Washington’s Mexico, with D*cks coach Chip Kelly suspending his star QB Jeremiah Masoli for the entire 2010 season. Masoli plead guilty to a second degree burgulary, a low level felony after stealing two laptops and a guitar from the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity in Eugene.

Chip’s players have been dealing with several off the field incidents, including assault, domestic violence and the aforementioned burglary. You can find the full list here.

Right now, I’m applauding Chip’s swift action. My stance: If you’re a starting QB and/or have a full ride scholarship to a school, you do not need to be stealing laptops from those who cheer you on every Saturday in Autumn. It looks bad on you, your program and your school. The correct action was taken.

Just take a second and consider what would happen if Jake Locker were to be caught in the same situation. First, everyone at the Seattle Times would crap themselves in excitement, leading a media s**tstorm over all of Western Washington. Second, all of the hopes of Washington fans would be crushed (Jake’s known as a stand up guy and the face of Husky Football). You get the idea.

Side note: I went ahead and took the liberty of adding “Masoli” to the Urban Dictionary. Check it out here.

Now, I hope the suspension stays. Last year, Kelly suspended Legarrette Blount indefinitely over the Boise State incident, only to have him come back mid season. Given the circumstances at Oregon, I don’t think this would ‘fly’ so to speak, but I wouldn’t past them to suddenly declare Masoli “a changed man” and have him on the field when they find out their red shirt freshman QB can’t hack it.

Running Back LaMichael James is also suspended for the first game of the season after pleading guilty to misdemeanor harassment.

With no clear favorite in the Pac 10, this is the perfect time for UW to step and reclaim dominance. USC lost a lot of their resources, Cal is always iffy and now Oregon won’t have their man at QB. Seems like the waters are parting for Sarkisian and crew.

And that’s all I have to say about that. You stay classy, Oregon fans.

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According to this report from ESPN.com, Mariners Ace Felix Hernandez has agreed to a multi year extension with the club.

The implications of this are huge. For one, players are buying into what Jack Z has brought to the team. Second, we now have a lockdown on the best starting rotation in the AL West. I say its time to prepare for next October.

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I received the following press release from Zags fan/Media Guru Kelly Roberts, who is helping organize a philanthropic campaign for the Bulldogs. I’m not a big Gonzaga fan, but this seems like a worthy cause.

Bulldog Fans Encouraged to Donate Used Phones at McCarthey Athletic Center this Saturday
 
January 14, 2010 Spokane, WA – For the first time, Verizon Wireless is joining forces with the Gonzaga University Bulldogs to help curb domestic violence with the company’s HopeLine national phone recycling program that has collected over 6.5 million phones nationally since 2001.
 
Fans attending the game against Loyola Marymount on Saturday, January 23 at 5 pm are encouraged to donate used wireless phones and accessories (from any carrier) to benefit survivors of domestic violence through the Verizon Wireless HopeLine® program. Drop boxes will be located around McCarthey Athletic Center entrances by 10 am; gates will open at 3:30 pm. In addition, the drop boxes will be available for phone and equipment donations all week prior to Saturday’s game.  
 
“The Gonzaga University Athletics Department is pleased to partner with Verizon Wireless on this important cause.  The HopeLine program continues to be a source of great support for victims of domestic violence,” said Gonzaga athletic director Mike Roth. “We ask our fans to help support this worthwhile cause.”
 
Nationally, only about 10% of wireless phones are recycled each year. Through the HopeLine program, tons of electronic waste and batteries are kept from entering landfills—and used wireless phones, batteries and accessories from any service provider are then recycled, refurbished and sold. Verizon Wireless uses the proceeds to award grants and wireless phones with airtime to non-profit human services and law enforcement agencies to aid survivors of domestic violence.
 
In 2008, Washingtonians donated more than 34,000 used phones to the Verizon Wireless HopeLine program. The used equipment collections resulted in $312,000 in Hopeline grants, wireless phones and airtime contributions benefitting 19 Washington shelters and domestic violence education programs.
Since HopeLine’s national phone recycling and re-use program was launched nationwide in 2001, Verizon Wireless:
·         Has collected more than 6.5 million phones
·          Awarded more than $7 million in cash grants to domestic violence agencies and organizations in the U.S.
·         Distributed more than 80,000 phones with more than 240 million minutes of free airtime and other features valued at more than $24 million to be used by victims of domestic violence
·         Properly disposed of more than 1 million no-longer-used wireless phones in an environmentally sound way
·         Kept more than 200 tons of electronic waste and batteries out of landfills
Wireless phones and equipment can be donated to the HopeLine program year-round at any Verizon Wireless Communications Store across the country.
 
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving 89 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with  85,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NASDAQ and LSE: VOD).  For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

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With Ohio State beating Oregon last week, it means that Husky fans can still make fun of Duck fans for not having won a Rose Bowl in over 100 years. It also means that the 360 Sports Blog College Bowl Mania challenge has come to an end.

My best buddy and faithful reader Double D of Port Orchard wound up winning the contest. This comes as no surprise, because he wins almost every pseudo gambling contest/sports bet that he and I are involved in. Though the contest was technically a tie (My other bud Big Red had the same amount of points, but lost the tie breaker), the Deezy always seems get the roll.

Example: Last year, we had a substantial bet on our fantasy football matchup. I was up by 17 points going into Monday Night Football; he only had Steve Smith (Panthers version) to play. I always hate holding a beatable lead going into MNF, as I have to wait on pins and needles to see if I get fleeced by the opponent. It makes the games more interesting, but much less enjoyable. Anyway, Smith only had 2 points going into halftime, yet lit up his oppoent for 2 TDs and over 100 yards in the second half. Despite being favored, I lost because the Dallas Cowboys’ secondary refused to play defense.

Double D always wins. Never bet against him. I’m amazed he hasn’t quit his job at the Shipyard and become a professional gambler. Kudos to DD, I owe you a beer.

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Thanks to Bob Condotta’s Husky Football Blog for the info.

According to the LA Daily news, Coach Sark was contacted about filling the to be vacated coaching spot at USC. He declined, stating that he was happy at UW.

I find it very gratifying that in the past two years, Seattle has dismantled the USC coaching staff. Last year Steve Sarkisian and Nick Holt (offensive and defensive coordinators) came to the UW football program and head coach Pete Carroll looks to follow suit as the Seahawks head coach.

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Just got home after a couple beers and contemplating the future of the Seahawks/Huskies. Charles Barkeley is also on Saturday Night Live tonight. He can’t stop laughing during his skit. Is he doing a Jimmy Fallon impression?

I’ve been reading this article which features the impact of Pete Carroll leaving USC for the Seahawks. There are at least three USC commits (out of an already small recruiting class of 14) that have decommitted or are reconsidering their choice of college. Here are some quotes:

Junior college tackle Brice Schwab (Palomar Junior College) has reopened his recruitment after hearing the news.

“I am decommitting,” he said. “Since I am a junior college guy, I am going to return to my junior college and see what happens.

Four Star wide receiver Kyle Prater: “I really don’t know what to say. I’m pretty shocked. I’m just trying to get with my family and my head right,” Prater said. “I’m not going to be in Los Angeles on Monday. It just hurts. I really don’t know what to say. I wasn’t told of anything. I just need to sit down with my family.”

This is good for the Huskies, as these commits will head elsewhere (not necessarily in the Pac 10). If they’re lucky, UW might even land one of them. It will lead to a better power balance and will create opportunities for the dawgs to do well.

If I may quote the Wizard of Oz: Let the joyous news be spread, the wicked old witch at last is dead!

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