• UW-Mississippi St., 1:45 p.m., Ch. 7
• Gonzaga-Akron, 4:25 p.m., Ch. 7
PORTLAND – Washington sophomore guard Venoy Overton is asked which is more embarrassing for a major college basketball player: having his shot blocked or having the ball stolen from him in open court.

Not surprisingly, Overton favors his own specialty.

“Definitely getting picked,” he said. “If you’re a point guard you’re going to get blocked; if you’re going against somebody that’s 6-9 and has hops like Varnado’s got. You shouldn’t feel that much bad. But if another dude that’s around your height takes the ball from you, that feels a little worse.”

Overton was talking about Mississippi State center Jarvis Varnado, whose specialty is blocking shots.

The success of either defensive demon today could determine whether No. 4 seeded Washington or No. 13 seed Mississippi State advances when they meet at around 1:45 p.m. in the first round of the NCAA tournament at the Rose Garden.

It’s the first step of a journey that will conclude with the NCAA title game April 6 at Ford Field in Detroit.

“When I block a shot, it gets my team going to start the fastbreak,” Varnado said. “And it gives us a lift emotionally. Everybody gets into it, and we’re ready to work hard.”

The 6-foot-9 Varnado, thin and long-armed, has blocked more shots that anyone in college basketball the past two seasons: 157 last season, 165 so far this season. He was the Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year.

“(Opponents) are aware of him,” MSU coach Rick Stansbury said. “So probably for every one that he gets, there’s probably a couple more that (the shooter thinks about Varnado) and may not make.”

The Huskies agree that Varnado is on their minds.

However, much of Washington’s offense is generated around the basket, where Isaiah Thomas drives and Jon Brockman makes offensive rebounds and putbacks. So, they say they’re more willing to accept a few blocks than they are to alter the style that has taken them this far.

“I’m never scared,” Thomas said. “So, I’m gonna still do what I do.”

Coach Lorenzo Romar encourages that attitude.

“I don’t think we can change our approach,” he said. “You cannot – cannot – be tentative. … You’ve got to be the aggressor. You can’t back down. You’ve got to go.”

Besides, Romar said steals are much the same as blocked shots. Beyond the direct benefit, they also can get into a player’s head.

So while the Huskies will have to deal with the disruption of Varnado, they figure the Bulldogs will have to deal with the disruption of Overton.

“With a big shot blocker, a person is scared to go to the hoop because he’ll get his shot blocked,” Overton said. “(With steals), a point guard will try to back you down instead of pushing it. I feel like it’s a lot the same thing.”

Overton has come on strong in the second half of the season as a defensive stopper in the backcourt. His chief weapons are relentlessness and quick hands, which contributed to his 47 steals this season. That figure is second on the team to Justin Dentmon’s 51, but Dentmon has played 249 more minutes than Overton.

“(It’s) hand speed and just confidence in yourself that you get that ball,” Overton said. “I came from a high school (Seattle’s Franklin) where defense was very important. Getting those kind of steals is all about timing. And an advantage of coming off the bench is getting to see another person’s tendencies.”

Overton didn’t always see any advantage to coming off the bench.

He started 26 games last season as a true freshman. As a sophomore, he has started one; Thomas started the others.

Meanwhile, coaches worked to convince Overton of the importance of what he contributes – not just steals, but also ballhandling and plenty of attitude.

“I know (not starting) bothered him early,” Romar said. “But again, there are so many examples of guys sacrificing for the team. There came a point where he just said, ‘I’m going to look forward and bust my tail and try to help this team any way that I can.’ And that’s what he did.”

The winner of today’s game will play the Purdue-Northern Iowa winner on Saturday.

Don Ruiz, 253-597-8808

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