Sunday, January 14, 2007

The Monday Morning Wash

Let's open with the basketball team that lost two very close games on the road in the Bay Area. What can you say, the team plays hard, they make freshmen mistakes, they don't have a true point guard, and they have lost more than their share of close one's in their first trip through the Pac Ten. WSU in Pullman is up next and the Cougars are looking like a team that can do some damage this March. Hard to believe the reversal of fortune this year as the WSU program is finally back afte taking around twenty years off.

What can Romar do to turn this all around?

I think they need to keep taking their lumps and wait for a true point guard to enroll. I like Pondexter as the small forward, and he has looked impressive, but the loss of Brandon Roy who could run the team from any spot on the floor is one they won't over come. I have been harping about the loss of Joel Smith to injury this season and if he can come back for the second half this will be a different team.

Let's face it, they aren't terrible, just not good enough to win against quality Pac Ten opponents since the conference season started. There is still hope if they can get on a run.

Pac Ten Power Ratings

1. Oregon
2. Arizona
3. UCLA
4. Stanford
5. WSU
6. USC
7. California
8. Washington
9. Oregon State
10. Arizona State

Oregon beats Arizona

Aaron Brooks banked a shot over two defenders with 2 seconds left to give Oregon a 79-77 victory over Arizona on Sunday night. Brooks finished with 21 points to lead the Ducks (16-1, 4-1 Pac-10) to their second victory over a Top 10 team in eight days. Oregon beat then-No. 1 UCLA on Jan. 6. Oregon is hot, red hot, and while this team is ayear or two late from arriving they have finally put it together and are the best team in the Pac Ten so far this year. Beating a very good Wildcat team on the road was a statement maker for the Ducks's. It looks like Ernie Kent who was on the hotseat to begin the year won't be going anywhere soon.

Thoughts from the Weekend

Did anyone watch the Seahawk's lose to the Bear's on Sunday? Talk about grasping defeat from victory. To bad for this current team because in the Not For Long League their core players are starting to move past their primes. This was a crippled team that got farther than most expected this year. The rash of injuries really kept them from their potential this year, still they made it interesting taking the superior Bear's to the last tick.

Site Changes

We have switched to the new version of Blogger so when you post you can use your old blogger account name, or select a new Google account name. the new blogger will allow me to run the site better and also improve on the graphics quite a bit. You will see some changes over the next couple of weeks when I have time to spruce it up. Once again thanks to all our daily readers who have been increasing through basketball season. Take the time to post to make the blog better!

3 comments:

Unknown said...

The Seahawks game was very disappointing. They just played well enough to lose. It should have been Seattle against New Orleans next week.

The Ducks are the real deal this year. Brooks is playing with confidence and poise and is making good decisions. It is fun to watch them play again which is more than I can say for the last few years.

John Berkowitz said...

The Hawks made too many mistakes to win, pretty sloppy for a veteran team.

The Doc's are real, and they are off to a great start. They have had the talent for a few years, but it is just starting to mesh with the maturity of their point guard. That of course has been UW's secret since Romar has been here, he has had someone that could run the point. Roy of course was a forward, but he was a playmaker, can't think of a real playmaker for UW that has emerged yet.

hairofthedawg said...

Yeah, the Seahawks ticked me off as well. I felt like crap this morning because I stayed up late to watch it. My problem...oh well. They played better than I've seen them play recently, but not good enough to pull it out. They could be radically different next year because a lot of guys are getting old, but I do like the type of player Ruskell brings in and will still enjoy watching them.

You're right about the Ducks Mike. They're playing like I expected them too last year, only better. I just wish I could watch the Huskies more so I could see for myself instead of relying on a radio broadcast. Hopefully they'll still get a few broadcasts over here.

I'd rather the Dawgs win, but in truth, I just like college basketball. Fun to watch regardless of the results.