Huskies

Before we get to last week’s contest, need to do a little housecleaning and correct an error from the Ohio State game.

I gave the win in the Guess the UW Score contest to ness7 when in fact dddcs had a better prediction by one point. My apologies guys. You’re both winners and are eligible for the season-ending grand prize. And dddcs you’ve got a hot dog and soft drink with your name on it anytime you want to collect.

As for last Saturday’s game, jr_hik is the big winner after predicting Washington would fall 70-60 to Colorado State. The final score was 73-55. Congratulations.

Interesting to note we’re seeing a trend in the guesses and many folks are picking against Washington. Not surprising considering the Huskies’ slow start.

Alright let’s get to the games.

TONIGHT’S SCHEDULE:
Utah (4-1) at SMU (6-1), 5 p.m.
Arkansas Pine-Bluff (1-4) at Arizona State (4-1), 5 p.m. ….. P12N
Northern Arizona (2-3) at No. 9 Arizona (3-0), 5 p.m. ……… P12N
Idaho (1-3) at Washington State (3-3), 7 p.m. ………………… P12N
Seattle University (2-1) at Stanford (4-3), 7 p.m. ……………. P12N
Cal State Northridge (6-1) at UCLA (4-2), 9 p.m. …………… P12N
Saint Louis (3-2) at Washington (2-3), 9 p.m. ………………… P12N

AND THE UW-SLU WINNER IS …

Washington fell behind midway in the first half, trailed by 10 at halftime and never mounted much of a threat in the second half before losing 77-66 to No. 4 Ohio State at the Mohegan Sun arena. The Huskies had no answer for junior forward Deshaun Thomas, who scored a career-high tying 31 points and…

Thought I’d provide a place for folks to comment during the Washington-Ohio State game. Again I’m not on this road trip, but check back later and we’ll provide some analysis. You can follow the action online at ESPN3 and get get real-time updates here.

After Washington’s upset defeat Tuesday, sure enough the predictions were split Saturday in the Guess the UW Score contest.
We’ll see if the Huskies 84-73 win over Seton Hall emboldens anyone to pick UW in what would be a major upset against No. 4 Ohio State.
But before we take a look at the Buckeyes, let’s crown the winner in Saturday’s GTUWS contest and congratulate Pauley who is the big winner with a winning prediction of 87-73. Washington won 84-73.
That’s a fine effort. Better than most who picked a lower scoring game. Contact me privately for your grand prize.
Alright, let’s move on.
TODAY’S SCHEDULE:
Florida A&M (0-2) at Arizona State (1-0), noon ……….. P12N
Washington (2-1) vs. No. 4 Ohio State (2-0), 1:30 …… ESPN2
Colorado (3-0) vs. Murray State (3-0), 5:30 p.m. …….. ESPN2
Belmont (2-0) at Stanford (3-0), 6 p.m. ………………….. P12N
AND THE UW-OSU WINNER IS …

Scouting report: No. 4 Ohio State
Game info: 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Mohegan Sun Arena (10,000 capacity)
TV: ESPN2 (Mike Crispino and Derek Whittenburg.)
Radio: KJR 950 AM and 102.9 FM (Mike Gastineau and Jason Hamilton)
Record: 2-0.
Stats/schedule: Click here.
Game notes: Click here.
Coach: Thad Matta is 223-65 in nine seasons with the Buckeyes. His career record is 323-96, which is the third best among active coaches. He’s coached at Xavier (78-23, three seasons) and Butler (24-8, one season).
Prediction: Picked to finish third in the 12-team Big Ten by media who cover the conference.
Series: Washington leads 8-3.
Last meeting: The Huskies won 67-63 on Dec. 1, 1972.
Previous game: Ohio State beat Rhode Island 69-58 on Saturday.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:
— Deshaun Thomas (right) is the heir apparent to Jared Sullinger who was taken in the first round of the 2012 NBA draft. While they’re similar in size, the 6-7 and 225-pound Thomas doesn’t mix it up below the rim like Sullinger. Still, Thomas is very dangerous. His career high is 31 points and he’s capable of scoring 40.
“Thomas gives defenders nightmares and when he gets on a roll, he can rattle off points from all three areas of the floor.” wrote ESPN.com’s Reggie Rankin.
After scoring 19 points in OSU’s first game, he had 25 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday’s win over Rhode Island. He averages a team-high 22.0 points and 6.5 rebounds. Thomas is dangerous on the offensive glass where he gets a lot of putbacks and draws fouls. He’s also a good three-pointer shooter, who has made 7 of 15 behind the arc this season. The biggest knock
Thomas is OSU’s top returning scorer (15.9 ppg.) and rebounder (5.4 rpg.) from last season. Among the starters from the 2011-12 season, he shot the highest field goal percentage (.520/243-467) while scoring 619 points and grabbing 209 rebounds, 100 of which came on the offensive end of the court. Thomas is one of six Associated Press preseason All-Americans. He was also selected to the Wooden and Naismith top preseason lists.
— Don’t let the rosy cheeks faced looks fool you, Aaron Craft (above) is a gritty, defensive-minded enforcer. He won the Big Ten defensive player of the year award last season. In just two seasons, the 6-2, 195-pound junior guard ranks second all-time at Ohio State with 171 steals. His forte is creating havoc on opposing guards. He has decent quickness and solid ball-handling abilities. But what separates him is his high-energy and motor that allows him to dominate despite the fact that he isn’t a great athlete.
Defensively, Craft is a game-changer. He plays like a bulldog with immense intensity and aggressiveness. He is strong enough and quick enough laterally to apply defensive pressure in the full-court, keep opposing point guards from getting into the lane, as well as disrupt the passing lanes. He puts himself in good positions and uses his body to steer opponents and beat them to spots to draw offensive fouls.
Craft drained five three-pointers and notched his career-best 20 points against Albany. He had 13 points and four assists versus Rhode Island. While it’s a small sample size, Craft has been amazingly efficient offensively this season. He’s connected on 10 of 19 (52.6 percent) from the field and 7 of 13 (53.8) on three-pointers. Craft has a team-high 11 assists, but he’s a good enough shooter that he can slide to the shooting guard position at times.
Craft is a first team all-Big Ten preseason pick. He’s also a first-team academic all-American last season.