LOS ANGELES – Southern California’s defense is designed to force opponents to shift to Plan B.
However, the Washington Huskies’ offense has proven versatile enough to win games with Plans A or B ... or all the way through Plan E, actually.
Five different Huskies have been the top scorers in UW victories this season: Isaiah Thomas, Justin Dentmon, Jon Brockman, Quincy Pondexter and Matthew Bryan-Amaning. Those also happen to be UW’s five leading scorers: Thomas, 16.3 ppg; Dentmon, 16.1; Brockman, 15; Pondexter, 11.2; and Bryan-Amaning, 7.
“It makes it a whole lot easier and a whole lot more enjoyable just because there’s not as much of a load on one individual,” Brockman said. “Me personally, say I’m not scoring: I know there are four other guys who are capable of doing the same thing that I could do, and they’re getting great shots because the defense is keying in (on someone else). Or say if the defense is trying to stop Isaiah, it’s going to open up the block for us.”
That was the situation when the Huskies fought their way to a 78-73 win over USC on Jan. 22 in Seattle. USC coach Tim Floyd had his Trojans mix in some box-and-one defense, and even some triangle-and-two: zone defenses merged with man-to-man coverage of UW guards Thomas and Dentmon.
Thomas struggled early in that game – even though the defense was familiar to him from his high school days. But by the end, he and Dentmon exceeded their season averages with 17 and 22 points, respectively.
“I hate those defenses,” Thomas said. “But as long as we win (it’s OK). You’ve just got to be patient with those defenses and pick your spots. (Coach Lorenzo Romar) was on the big men (at practice Friday) about really setting screens and getting us open.”
The zone parts – the box or the triangle – also made life difficult for Brockman, who had four points and went 0-for-8 from the field against USC.
“It’s just a different look,” Brockman said Friday. “... It definitely compacts things down low. But we have to do a better job of getting shots for each other as a group... all five guys working to get one shot and not worrying about shots on our own. You can’t really create your own much against a triangle and two. It takes teamwork.”
The stakes are high. Washington (10-4) still leads the Pacific-10 Conference race. But that lead is down a half-game over Arizona State, California and UCLA (all 9-4 and therefore even with Washington in the loss column).
A UW loss today combined with a UCLA win over Washington State, a California win over Oregon State, and an ASU win over Arizona on Sunday could drop the Huskies all the way to fourth in the league standings – while also bringing the Trojans (7-6) back into striking distance.
“Obviously, we still control our own destiny at this point,” Romar said. “(If we lose today) we lose control: we’ve got to depend on others, we’ve got to pay attention to other scores more if we’re talking about winning the conference.”
Don Ruiz, 253-597-8808
blogs.thenewstribune.com/uwsports
UW MEN’S GAMEDAY
NO. 22 WASHINGTON (19-7 overall, 10-4 Pacific-10 Conference) AT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (16-9, 7-6)
Tipoff: 4 p.m., Galen Center, Los Angeles.
TV: FSN. Radio: 950-AM.
Series: USC leads 65-64 overall and 37-25 at home. UW won the earlier meeting, 78-73, on Jan. 22 in Seattle. USC leading scorer Dwight Lewis did not play in that game due to an ankle injury, but he will play today.
Statistical leaders: For UW, G Isaiah Thomas, 16.3 ppg and 2.7 apg; F Jon Brockman 11.2 rpg. For USC, G Dwight Lewis, 15.6 ppg; F Taj Gibson, 9.6 rpg; G Daniel Hackett, 4.7 apg.
Scouting report: Senior guard Justin Dentmon (16.1 ppg) has pulled within two-tenths of a point of Thomas for the UW scoring lead. … These are the top two rebounding teams in the Pac-10: UW 41.1 rpg; USC, 36.2. UW also leads the Pac-10 in scoring offense (80.2 ppg), while USC is seventh (68.2). The Trojans are fifth in scoring defense (62.7), while the Huskies are ninth (70.4). USC leads the league in blocked shots (4.8 bpg) and is last in 3-point field goal percentage (32.7) and turnover margin (minus-1.32). … Despite playing in the newest arena in the league, USC is second-to-last in home attendance, averaging 5,409 (ahead of only Oregon State). However, USC has won five straight home games and is 13-1 at Galen Center this season.
Next: 8 p.m. Thursday vs. No. 14 Arizona State, Hec Edmundson Pavilion; FSN.
Don Ruiz, The News Tribune
