SB Nation - Jeff Pendergraph

Pac-10 Weekly Wrap - Washington stays on top

Nuss — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:47:53 -0000

Welcome to the latest edition of the 2009-2010 Pac-10 Weekly Wrap, which looks at the state of the conference's hoops featuring my personal power rankings and analysis of the state of each team. It's a day late (we'll usually do it on Monday), but hopefully worth the wait.

The last week was better for the conference than the first couple, but not by a whole lot. On to the rankings and recaps. Guess who's climbing the charts?

1. Washington

Rank last week: 1
Record: 5-0

Nine days between games made for a rusty Washington team against Montana, their only game of the week. The Huskies escaped the Griz with a four-point win after trailing much of the game. I wouldn't read too much into this game, as Montana is a pretty decent Big Sky team with some nice talent.

Bright spot: The Huskies absolutely shut down Montana's best player, Anthony Johnson. He's a Pac-10 talent, and that should be as encouraging as anything. They nearly let the other guys beat them but that can be tightened up. This team still has the potential to be very good defensively.

Question mark: Who is going to lead this team? Quincy Pondexter looked superb through the first four games, but disappeared against Montana's zone. If he wants to be the man, he's got to assert himself in all situations. That's something they've got to sort out before Pac-10 play.

2. California

Rank last week: 2
Record: 4-2

I guess there's really no reason to move them down, given the results: a pair of blowout wins over terrible competition. But I did consider moving them down because Harper Kamp is likely to miss the rest of this season, and Theo Robertson is still on the shelf. This week will tell us a lot -- they really ought to handle New Mexico, Iowa State and Pacific pretty easily if they're as good as everyone wants to think they should be. We'll see.

Bright spot: Despite the loss of Kamp and with a woefully thin front line, the Bears have been one of the best defensive rebounding teams in the country. Hard to believe that didn't make more of a difference against Syracuse and Ohio State. One has to think it'll start making a difference soon.

Question mark: What in the world is their front line rotation going to look like the rest of this season without Kamp? That'll be a huge issue.

3. Arizona State

Rank last week: 3
Record: 6-1

Close loss to Duke combined with two decisive wins -- over a depleted LSU and Arkansas Pine Bluff -- all away from home solidify the Sun Devils as the third best team. However, I'm not sold they can stay here. They were eventually overwhelmed by the Blue Devils' talent, and their win over the Tigers had as much to do with LSU running out of gas as anything else.

Bright spot: The Sun Devils are proving that there still is some talent left in the wake of the departures of James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph. Derek Glasser has been especially impressive -- not bad for a guy who was originally supposed to be a walk-on at USC.

Question mark: Just because there's still talent doesn't mean everyone has been replaced. The Devils have been one of the worst defensive rebounding teams in the country so far, even giving up 44.5(!) percent offensive rebounding to Arkansas Pine Bluff. Yeow.

4. Washington State

Rank last week: 5
Record: 6-0

How far can Klay Thompson carry the Cougs? That will likely be the question going forward. The Cougs face their toughest stretch of the early season, including trips to The Kennel and Manhattan, Kan.. This will either be a big boost to the team, or put them in a postseason hole they'll spend all season digging out of.

Bright spot: Did you know that Reggie Moore has a 133 offensive rating? That's really, really good. He is just simply not playing like a freshman.

Question mark: What's going to happen on a night when the other team takes Klay away? Who will score? There are options, but nothing proven. We might find out tomorrow night.

5. Arizona

Preseason rank: 4
Record: 3-2

Wisconsin and Vandy are both good teams the Wildcats lost to last week, but they needed overtime to beat Colorado. Could have been a really bad trip to Maui without the win over the Buffs. When we say the Cougs will go as far as Klay Thompson can take them, we could say the same about Nic Wise and the Wildcasts.

Bright spot: Wise looks as if he desires to be the man for UofA. Good thing, because it's a young team that needs a strong leader.

Question mark: The Wildcats gave up an absurd amount of free throws in Maui. Aberration, or sign of things to come?

6. Oregon

Preseason rank: 7
Record: 4-2

Think this is too high after losing back-to-back games against Portland and Montana? That loss to the Pilots doesn't look nearly as bad anymore, and the loss to Montana might not either after the Griz nearly beat Washington, too. Obliterating Montana State was good.

Bright spot: Michael Dunigan is back. The Ducks really need him, and are going to continue to need him. He provides an advantage up front in a a conference more or less devoid of big men.

Question mark: The Ducks play three games in two weeks. Can they stay sharp, especially with upcoming games against quality opponents such as Missouri and St. Mary's on the docket. For the second year in a row, it looks like the Ducks might be a victim of scheduling too aggressively.

7. Stanford

Preseason rank: 8
Record: 4-3

Beat Virginia -- we don't have to tell you how far that goes in these parts -- and take Kentucky to overtime? Perhaps we underestimated Johnny Dawkins and his merry band of scholars.

Bright spot: The Cardinal have the same thing going for them that the Cougs do -- a great scorer who can explode on any given night. Landry Fields is averaging 23 points and 9 rebounds. That's good.

Question mark: We're still not sure we actually believe the Cardinal are for real. Can their nonexistent front line really be that small of a factor.

8. Oregon State

Rank last week: 10
Record: 2-3

After the public flogging we gave the Beavers last week, they came up with a nice win over George Washington. Nice job for OSU.

Bright spot: They survived yet another horrible offensive performance to beat GW. This is going to be a constant struggle for the Beavers all year long.

Question mark: Three of the Beavers' five games have been played at 68 possessions or more. What the heck? That's way, way too fast for that team. Perhaps some of their problems come from that.

9. USC

Preseason rank: 9
Record: 2-2

Beat Coppin State, lose to Nebraska. Not a lot to learn here again.

Bright spot: The Trojans are still shooting the ball well -- 28th nationally in 3-point percentage.

Question mark: For as well as they're shooting the ball, they're dead in opponent 3-point field goal percentage.

10. UCLA

Preseason rank: 6
Record: 2-4

What the heck is going on in Westwood? Can't win a game in your own tournament? Your starting center is transferring? Wowzer. If Ben Howland squeezes a berth out of these guys, it'll be considered his greatest coaching acheivement.

Bright spot: They beat Princeton. Yay!

Question mark: Too many to count. Way too many.

Super Early 2010 Bracket

Chris Dobbertean — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:34:30 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

The return of Sherron Collins is a major reason why Kansas is the top overall seed in Blogging the Bracket's Super Early 2010 Bracket. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, file)

Browse more photos »

Well, here it is. This is my first attempt at putting out a bracket based on pure conjecture, so go easy on me. At the very least, we'll all have something funny to laugh at when the real thing comes out in March.

Some of you probably wanted me to put something out as soon as UNC cut down the nets in Detroit, but I wanted to wait until the draft and recruiting seasons played out. The result is a bracket that will undoubtedly be something to ridicule in March, but is better than anything I could've put out in April.

More specifics after the jump.

The power conferences dominate this field, thanks to the confinued dominance of the Big East and a resurgent SEC--and despite a down Pac-10. The Big East may not have the monster year it had in 2009, but it still has nine teams in this early projection. Cincinnati was a late addition thanks to the signing of Lance Stephenson earlier in the week. Marquette and Seton Hall are knocking on the door, as they are in the First Four Out and Next Four Out groups, respectively.

The Pac-10, meanwhile, is lucky to have four teams in. California, Washington, and UCLA are in good position. Arizona's place in the field will depend on how well their highly-regarded recruiting class adjusts to the college game. Arizona State finds themselves just outside the field thanks to the loss of James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph to the NBA, but a good showing in the NIT Season Tip-Off could catapult their season.

The Big Ten returns the same seven teams who made the field in 2009. Michigan State is on my early top line, but Purdue could easily join or surpass them. The ACC has the same number of teams, six, but Derrick Favors-led Georgia Tech replaces Florida State. UNC and Duke both find themselves on the two line right now.

The SEC should recover from a year which saw them earn an 8 seed, a 9 seed, and a 13 seed. Kentucky would have been on my top line had Jodie Meeks not stayed in the NBA draft. Tennessee should be much improved, while Mississippi State shouldn't need to win the SEC Tournament to get in thanks to the return of Jarvis Varnado. Devan Downey and Dominique Archie's return to South Carolina means the Gamecocks will again be a contender. Florida is back in the field for now, but the Gators' place will depend on how well the recruits adapt to Billy Donovan's system. Vanderbilt joins UF among the Last Four In, while LSU finds themselves just outside after the graduation of Marcus Thornton.

The Big 12, however, looks to be very strong. Kansas and Texas should be excellent and if the new recruits can adequately fill in for the Griffin brothers, Oklahoma as a 5 seed may look very silly. I have them with six entrants, much like 2009. but Kansas State replaces Oklahoma State in this bracket.

Outside of the major conferences, it's not looking so rosy at the moment. The only two at-larges come from the A-10 (Xavier) and C-USA (Memphis, as Tulsa has a chance to break the Tigers stranglehold on the league crown this year). This will undoubtedly change as games are played, however.

I'll talk more about teams and their chances at improving their resumes as I dive into early-season event talk over the next few weeks. In the meantime, have a Happy and safe 4th of July weekend!

Poll

Who is your very early preseason #1?

Kansas

38 votes

Michigan State

6 votes

Texas

10 votes

Villanova

3 votes

Kentucky

19 votes

Someone else (feel free to comment)

13 votes

89 votes | Poll has closed

James Harden Goes Third Overall to OKC; Jeff Pendergraph 31st to Sacramento, Traded to Portland

Cory Williams — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:57:38 -0000

Pretty big surprise, but Harden is a quality pick. Check back here for a summary of our coverage of James Harden over the past season, Thunder fans.

Jeff Pendergraph went 31st, and was quickly packaged to Portland for Sergio Rodriguez and the 38th overall pick.

Back in the 2009 Pac-10 Championship game, I sat in the Staples Center and followed Harden's every move against USC, and here is the article. It is very long, but you need to read it to get a grip on how the college game had adjusted to Harden's deliberate style of play.

Daniel Hackett definitely had Harden's number, and I can imagine he will need some time to develop against the superior defenses seen in the NBA.

Potential Draft Picks for the Orlando Magic, If They Buy-In to the Second Round

Ben Q Rock — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:00:21 -0000

The Orlando Magic don't have a selection in tomorrow night's NBA Draft, having traded their first-rounder to Memphis in February's season-saving Rafer Alston acquisition, and their second-rounder to Oklahoma City (then Seattle) as part of the sign-and-trade deal which brought Rashard Lewis to Orlando in 2007; OKC has since shipped that pick to Phoenix.

But there's still a chance the Magic could acquire a pick this year, which is why it's prudent for us to examine whom they might realistically attain. What's realistic, by Magic standards? Anyone in the second round. Not only are first-round picks expensive to purchase--the maximum amount that can change hands is $3 million--but the players selected come with guaranteed deals. So even if the Magic were to buy, say, the 28th pick from Minnesota, they'd still be out $3 million for the transaction, plus another $3 million or so from the first two years' salary of that player's contract. That's quite the financial hit to take on a guy who might never play meaningful minutes.

But second-round picks figure to be more affordable, and with more sellers due to the sheer number of teams with picks to spare. Portland has 4 picks, Detroit and San Antonio have 3 apiece, while, Charlotte, Miami, Minnesota, and Phoenix have two each. So, after the jump, we'll take a look at which second-round prospects might fit-in well with the Magic, should they decide to make a move.

Before proceeding, I'd like to acknowledge Zach McCann of Orlando Magic Daily, who did this sort of exercise first; and to Jon Nichols of Basketball-Statistics, whose list of potential Magic targets also informed this post.

The two biggest areas of need for Orlando this year are power forward and point guard. The Magic will need another big man in the rotation if Marcin Gortat leaves via free agency, as I expect he will. They'll also need a young point guard whom they can groom as Jameer Nelson's backup, as Rafer Alston may be on his way out, and Anthony Johnson's contract runs out at the end of this season.

First, the power forwards. Jeff Pendergraph (6'10", 240 pounds, 22 years old), Jon Brockman (6'07", 252 pounds, 22 years old), and Taj Gibson (6'09.75", 214 pounds, 23 years old) would be my choices, in that order. Pendergraph, as DraftExpress notes, is the nation's most efficient scorer at 1.37 points per possession. Offensively, his scouting report recalls Gortat:

Pendergraph is a meat and potatoes type player, mostly living off scraps offensively. The overwhelming majority of his points come off the ball--cuts, offensive rebounds, pick and rolls, and in transition. He's smart, has terrific hands, and finishes pretty well around the basket-which makes him a reliable target inside.

On the downside, Pendergraph is only an average rebounder and shot-blocker.

Brockman isn't the offensive player Pendergraph is, and he's much shorter, but makes up for it with bulk and hard work. Again according to DraftExpress, Brockman took a backseat on offense this year as freshman Isaiah Thomas came into his own, but he still worked hard on his game. He's also one of the nation's leading rebounders. Unlike Gortat, he's not much of a finisher, but the Magic could certainly use a dedicated rebounder to fill-out their bigman rotation. Brockman could definitely be that guy.

The final power forward on my draft board is Taj Gibson. A tremendous athlete, he has the rebounding and shot-blocking aspects of the game down. The biggest problem with him is his skinny frame. Could he, at 214 pounds, defend NBA power forwards in the low-post? And, on offense, could he muscle through them to finish at the rim? Those two question-marks make him a riskier pick than either Pendergraph or Brockman.

Next, a look at the point guards. The draft is full of them. However, many of them will wind up in the lottery, leaving a lot of iffy players and combo-guards to the second round. I wouldn't select any of these guys ahead of any of the power forwards, but based on the Magic's need at that position, they're worth discussing anyway.

Sergio Llull (6'03", 176 pounds, 21 years old), A.J. Price (6'02", 190 pounds, 22 years old), and Jeremy Pargo (6'02", 219 pounds, 23 years old) round out my draft board. Llull, from Real Madrid, is an ballhandler and decision maker, particularly in pick-and-roll situations, which comprise 46% of his total offense. Fans who have followed the Magic during the Van Gundy era know how often the team uses the pick-and-roll, and having another player who can run it effectively makes the team that much more dangerous. Llull also a willing defender and communicator, although DraftExpress wonders if his frame might be too slight to fight through NBA screens. There's also no guarantee he'd join the NBA, as his guaranteed salary in Europe likely exceeds what he'd earn stateside. If the Magic are to shell out for a second-rounder, they'd want to make sure they're drafting someone who's guaranteed to make the trip. With that said, the way in which Llull's strengths mesh with the Magic's DNA makes him a worthy gamble.

Price is less exciting due to his lack of speed, but on the plus side he apparently possesses good court-vision, runs the pick-and-roll well, and can shoot from the outside. Any point guard who can run the pick-and-roll and hit the three-ball reminds me of Nelson, which is a plus.

Pargo rounds out our list. He doesn't draw many fouls, but makes up for it with his ability to finish around contact in the lane. The biggest knock against him is his tendency to make poor decisions against top competition. One of the reasons the Magic drafted Courtney Lee last year was his poise, his maturity, his ability to immediately compete and contribute at the NBA level. Pargo apparently lacks that attribute, which makes him the least attractive of any player we've discussed here. Still, his speed and playmaking skills would make him a welcome addition to the Magic's bench for the next year or two while he learns the ropes.

Ultimately, as far as second-rounders go, the players I've mentioned in this post are closer to Travis Diener and James Augustine than to Monta Ellis and Paul Millsap. But that's okay. Again, for the right price, Orlando can find itself in a good position to land a decent 12th-man type. And, should that player not pan out, the Magic are free to waive him without financial penalty, as his salary is non-guaranteed. Buying into the second round is a low-risk, medium-reward proposition for the Magic. Should they decide to make a deal, any of these players would be a good fit.

Tuesday Notes: Hammond speaks, athletic testing out, more mocks up

Frank Madden — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 02:50:59 -0000

DX: Athletic testing data from Chicago released. The measurements leaked earlier this week and now the vertical, agility, and strength info is out as well. Jonny Flynn had the highest vertical (40"), DeJuan Blair's hops/quickness looked solid, and Austin Daye tested out about as poorly as possible.
WSSP: John Hammond talks draft. The Bucks' GM isn't letting much slip, and the only guy he even mentions by name is Stephen Curry (in reference to his shooting performance at the combine). Hammond is joining Jeff Weltman at the workouts happening in Minnesota today and tomorrow, where Daye, B.J. Mullens, Jeff Teague and Gani Lawal are the notable names competing in 3-on-3. Jonathan Givony reports:
The early buzz from the first day was that Omri Casspi may have helped himself more than any other prospect, as he showed a great combination of athleticism, competitiveness, and skill-level. Austin Daye had a sub-par day apparently, being able to create his own shot almost whenever he pleased, but being incapable of finishing plays due to his poor physical strength.

Gani Lawal showed potential, but also looked far from being a finished product, while B.J. Mullens really struggled at times against Utah’s Luke Nevill, looking disinterested in what was going on on the court, and appearing to be at least a few years away from being able to play significant minutes in the NBA.
Billy McKinney and Dave Babcock in Oakland for mega-workout being. While Hammond and Weltman are in Minnesota, the other half of the Bucks' scouting braintrust is across the country watching four workouts over two days featuring six players each. Among the players in Oakland are Daye, Mullens, Teague, Lawal (all pulling double-duty) as well as Darren Collison, Terrence Williams, Sam Young, Jeff Pendergraph, Chase Budinger, and Patty Mills.
JS: Hammond not discouraged over draft. A bit more from Hammond, who's probably feeling pretty lonely in arguing for the strength of the '09 draft class. In reality it's probably equal parts politicking (never speak poorly of your own assets) and salesmanship (GMs have to hep sell tickets, too).

"We found ourselves doing that a little bit, even in Chicago," Hammond said. "We'd say, 'We like this guy a little more.' But we know this is part of the ebbs and flows, and there's no finality until draft day."
ESPN: Chad Ford's 2009 NBA Mock Draft, Version 3.0. Until now, Arizona PF Jordan Hill has been usually landing in mock drafts' top 3-5, but Chad Ford's latest suggests Hill could freefall to the Bucks if Washington passes on him at five. Hill might not have the superstar potential you'd want in a top three pick, but at 10 he looks like pretty good value. Jonathan Givony mentions Dallas could also be interested in trading up for Hill at the Wizards' spot.

The Bucks will jump for joy if this scenario happens. Hill is a top-five talent, but if the Wizards pass, he may slip here. None of the other teams are really after a power forward. Hill would be a godsend for the Bucks. They face losing both of their free agents -- Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions -- this summer due to financial constraints. That loss could leave them wide open at both the point and the 4. If Hill is gone, they'll try to find the best player among DeJuan Blair, Flynn and Earl Clark.
ESPN: Chad Ford Chat. Ford briefly mentioned the Bucks in the context of the Pacers' interest in DeJuan Blair. For more on Blair, check out our feature.

The Bucks and Nets would have to pass on him. If they did, I think the Pacers would grab him. Blair showed to be a pretty decent athlete at the combine. He had a 33 inch vertical and a lane agility score that beat Austin Daye and DerMar DeRozan.
ESPN: D.R.A.F.T. Initiative. ESPN is kicking off an in-depth study of the draft, and it's probably not going to inspire much hope for us Bucks fans.

There isn't a Mike Piazza or a Tom Brady lurking in the late rounds, because there are no late rounds. Crunch some numbers, as ESPN researcher Tom Haberstroh did, and the draft could easily do with more downsizing. Beyond the first five picks, the quality falls off rapidly. Beyond the first 10, the selection process is a proverbial crapshoot. Actually, it's not that proverbial; teams drafting after the fifth pick are quite likely to pick a crap player and look back on it while using closely related linguistic variants of the word "shoot."
BUCKS.com: Michael Redd Inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame.
JS: Del Harris retiring

Upset (and Scare) Friday at the NCAA Tournament

MRickman84 — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 22:35:56 -0000

Whew. So there were some close games today. I really thought ETSU could possibly pull it out. Every time Pitt would hit a shot, the Bucs would come back down and drain another one. But there were some teams today who weren't so lucky...

How about those Dayton Flyers! Huggy Bear's problems in the NCAA Tournament continue (last year not withstanding--that was all Joe Alexander). The Big East has looked less than inspiring with Pitt's struggles, Marquette slipping by with a one point victory over Utah State, 'Nova having their hands full with American, as well as the WVU loss.

Really 'Cuse is the only Big East team thus far to really pummel somebody--and that is just because Stephen F. Austin is a terrible shooting team and the Orange play that good zone.

Speaking of Syracuse, what is Jim Boeheim thinking playing Jonny Flynn and Devendorf almost 40 minutes today? The game was never in doubt and Flynn and Devendorf have to be getting tired. This is going to come back to bite them and soon--it might happen in their game against Arizona State on Sunday.

On the subject of Arizona State, this is one dangerous team. Despite an inspired effort from Temple's Dionte Christmas (29 points and four rebounds), the Sun Devils moved on. Superstar James Harden did not have his best game (he hit his first shot from the floor with four minutes remaining in the game), but he scored seven straight points after that for Herb Sendek's squad when it counted and secured the victory.

The Devils also got a great game from Jeff Pendergraph (22 and seven rebounds) and from Derek Glasser, who had 17 in the first half and finished with 22 points and four assists on 6-8 shooting, 4-5 from 3pt.

If Arizona State gets by 'Cuse on Sunday, they could be a possible Elite Eight team. They are that disciplined on offense and that patient on defense.

Missouri coasted as expected--this is one of the better three seeds. Kansas on the other hand, struggled. Kansas is not that good a ball club and they will be exposed and soon. Dayton, if they play their game, could knock the Jayhawks off, but don't expect Bill Self to take the Flyers lightly.

The Oklahoma State-Tennesee game was a slug fest. If Ok State can hit shots, they could stick it to Pitt. The problem is, with those scare games against the lower seeds, sometimes those teams "find themselves" and recommitt. We could see Pitt really explode next game if Oklahoma State isn't careful.

Games to watch tonight: Wisconsin vs. Florida State, USC vs. BC, Siena vs. Ohio State and of course Wake Forest vs. Cleveland State.

Don't worry Vikings. I'm afraid, but hopefully the Deacs are not afraid--they are just ready to go out and stick it to Cleveland State. We'll find out in just a few hours.

Open Thread: Pac-10 Tournament Championship (USC vs Arizona State)

Avinash — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 21:00:09 -0000

Pac-10 championship is at 6 PM EST, 3 PM PST on CBS.

via latimesblogs.latimes.com

This game is interesting from the standpoint of USC since if they win, they're in the dance. ASU is pretty much locked in, so I doubt winning this will mean that much to them. (For those who care about such things, ASU is 1-2 point favorites at most sportsbooks)

You kind of (and I stress 'kind of') root for USC to win so the conference can get five teams in the tourney. They have such good athletes in Gibson and DeRozan that if they got hot, they could make a run in their bracket with some upsets and make the conference look pretty good. Of course they don't play so well as a team; UCLA shot the ball like they had broken glass jammed in their eyes and the Bruins were only down 6 with a minute remaining.

Arizona State, with Pendergraph and Hardin both relatively healthy, and their flop-happy guard Glasser, seem to be the best organized team in the Pac-10. They dominated the Pac-10 champion Huskies for much of yesterday's game, let them have a brief run to take a slight lead, then dominated them some more. Of all the Pac-10 teams they probably have the best chance to make some noise. Yet it wouldn't surprise me if they got bounced early either. Every team in the conference has a weakness.

For those not interested in the men's game, you can speculate in the comments: Who do you feel has the best chance in the conference to go deep in the tourney? Cal has the jump shooters, USC (if they win) has the talent, UCLA has the tradition, Arizona State has the complete team, Washington has the pieces, but who's got the potential in them to make a run?

Game again starts at 6 PM ET/3 PM PT. Women's game starts at 9 PM PT, 6 PM ET and there'll be an open thread for that too.

Poll

Who has the best chance in the Pac-10 to go deep in the tournament?

Cal

16 votes

Arizona State

13 votes

UCLA

14 votes

Washington

10 votes

If they win today, USC

10 votes

If they somehow get selected Arizona

1 votes

Oregon could own them all.

7 votes

71 votes | Poll has closed

Pac-10 Semifinals Preview: #4 Arizona State Sun Devils vs. #1 Washington Huskies

Cory Williams — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:56:54 -0000

ASU has their hands full tonight. After losing both contests to Washington in the regular season, we play our final tilt on a neutral floor, where we are 5-1 on the season (losing only to Baylor in the Anaheim Classic in November).

This is the first time Washington has ever been the #1 seed in the Pac-10 tournament. They are also the only team not to lose two consecutive conference games this season.

What we are dealing with is a consistent, experienced team. Justin Dentmon and Jon Brockman are both seniors, and contribute 30 points a game to the cause.

The dynamic freshman Isaiah Thomas is someone who ASU really has to worry about. He averages 15.4 PPG, 3 RPG, and 2.6 APG. He's a stud who is showing no signs of slowing down.

Some more Washington Husky tidbits:

This was UW's first regular season Pac-10 Championship since 1953.
They are a strong rebounding team, averaging 41 a game.
Jon Brockman has 58 career double-doubles, the most of any active college basketball player.
UW is 7-3 on the road in Pac-10 play (including yesterday's win against Stanford)
Washington lost to California twice this season.
Washington opened up the season 3-3, losing to Portland, Kansas, and Florida before going on a 9 game winning streak.

In the first loss of the season by ASU to Washington, Thomas scored 25 points and we lost by 13.

In the second game, Thomas only scored 11, and we took them to overtime and lost by only 3. Coincidence?

I will be at the game, and will post a detailed recap afterwards. The photo essay that will be up this weekend will be very awesome, so keep on the lookout for that.

Prediction: ASU 84, Washington 79

I think we finally break through tonight, and become a legitimate player in March Madness.

Arizona vs. Arizona State Part Tres

joenewby4040 — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:30:42 -0000

Next Game

Arizona Wildcats
@ Arizona St. Sun Devils

Date: Thursday, March 12, 2009
Time: Noon PDT
Location: Staples Center (19,282), Los Angeles, Calif.
Radio: Wildcat Radio Network (Brian Jeffries/Ryan Hansen)
TV: FSN (Barry Tompkins/Dan Belluomini)

Complete Coverage >

ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS

Arizona State is a #4 seed heading into tomorrow's tournament, up against #5 Arizona. The Sun Devils have lost 3 of their last 4, but could easily have won 2 of those games. They have definitely secured a place in the Tournament and are looking for their first Pac-10 Tournament Championship. The Sun Devils are armed with three potent weapons and a plethora of other feisty starters and bench players that have given the Cats trouble this year. James Harden, the Pac-10 Player of the Year, leads the Sun Devils, while his supporting cast of Jeff Pendergraph controls the paint and dead-eye Rihard Kuksiks can be potent from beyond the arc. The Sun Devils have also enjoyed incredible play out of Derek Glasser and Jamelle McMilan off of the bench. When these guys are on, they are tough to beat.

Enemy #1

The Sun Devils lost three out of their last four games, two of which went into overtime. The first was a loss at Washington 73-70 and the next was to Washington State 51-49. The Sun Devils returned home to Tempe, only to be beaten on their home court by Stanford 74-64. Fortunately for the Sun Devils, their play throughout the year has landed them as a lock for the NCAA Tournament, and their falter at the end of the year won't cost them too much in terms of seeding. The negative side to that is they draw Arizona in the first round of the Pac-10 Tournament who desperately needs a strong showing to solidify their chances of playing after the Pac-10 Tournament.

Look for the Sun Devils to move the ball around the perimeter in order to get Harden or Kuksiks a good look from outside. If it's not there, they should dump inside to Pendergraph and try to get him going. As we have looked at all week, Jordan is going to have to play Pendergraph one on one. We can't afford to double team the Sun Devils while their sharpshooters sit outside and wait to unload. If Arizona's gameplan of shutting down Pendergraph, while effectively challenging three pointers does work, look for Harden to try and take over by cutting to the hoop. These guys are loaded, ready, and can drop serious bombs. Let's take a look at their stats so far this season:

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
James Harden	30	35.7	6.6	13.2	50.4	1.7	4.6	36.2	5.9	7.8	75.2	1.4	4.0	5.4	4.1	3.4	1.7	0.3	2.8	20.8
Jeff Pendergraph	30	32.7	5.6	8.4	66.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.3	4.2	77.2	2.7	5.8	8.5	1.0	1.2	0.5	0.9	2.6	14.4
Rihards Kuksiks	29	32.5	3.7	8.0	45.9	2.8	6.2	45.6	0.6	0.8	75.0	1.0	3.0	4.0	1.4	1.3	0.5	0.2	2.6	10.8
Derek Glasser	29	32.2	2.0	5.5	37.1	1.2	3.0	40.9	2.7	3.2	84.8	0.4	1.7	2.0	4.9	2.2	1.0	0.0	1.6	8.0
Ty Abbott	30	29.2	2.3	6.7	34.0	1.0	4.4	22.7	0.7	1.1	66.7	0.6	3.5	4.1	1.6	1.5	1.0	0.4	2.2	6.3
Jamelle McMillan	29	19.6	1.8	4.2	42.3	1.1	2.9	36.5	0.4	0.7	57.9	0.3	1.7	2.1	1.8	1.2	0.7	0.1	2.0	5.0
Jerren Shipp	30	13.7	1.0	2.3	42.6	0.4	1.3	31.6	0.5	0.8	66.7	0.6	1.0	1.6	0.9	0.4	0.4	0.0	1.2	2.9
Eric Boateng	27	8.0	0.8	1.4	59.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.6	43.8	0.8	1.1	1.9	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.2	1.1	1.9
Taylor Rohde	16	4.6	0.3	0.9	33.3	0.1	0.4	16.7	0.1	0.2	33.3	0.3	0.3	0.6	0.2	0.3	0.1	0.0	0.4	0.8
Kraidon Woods	9	2.6	0.1	0.1	100.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	1.1	40.0	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.4	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.7
Nico Fricchione	4	1.3	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Virgil Sanders	1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	29	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.9	1.4	2.2	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

ARIZONA WILDCATS

The Arizona Wildcats are also on a downward slope, losing 4 of their last 5 games in a variety of disgusting fashions. Their achilles heel of the last 10 games has been their three point defense, which we discussed in detail here. As far as their players go, the big three of Nic Wise, Chase Budinger, and Jordan Hill have each enjoyed incredible success over the season, especially the latter half. Arizona was counted out this year by many, but after an unfortunate face stomp in the Houston game, the Cats got their act together and went on a 7 game winning streak, beating Washington and UCLA during that span.

The Cats have struggled to find their fourth and fifth players who can contribute quality minutes and really bring the whole team together as a unit. At one point, the guy was Zane Johnson, who displayed some great shooting and defensive efforts. His luster faded and recently it has been Jamelle Horne who has been the fifth starter, alongside Kyle Fogg as the fourth guy. This combination seems to be a better fit, with Zane coming off of the bench, giving Horne more minutes.

Better fit than Zane. He's the fifth, for sure.
(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

The Cats are still strongly considered on the "bubble" for making the Tournament on Selection Sunday and many think that they need to win at least one game in the Pac-10 Tournament to be a lock for the NCAA Tournament. Their 19-12 record is impressive, with non-conference wins against Kansas and Gonzaga along with wins over UCLA and Pac-10 regular season champs, Washington.

Look for the Cats to try and speed the tempo of this game. I would hope that the press would be eliminated, as the Sun Devils have played Arizona twice this year, and had no problems beating it either time. Our bench is not deep enough to get into foul trouble, or be winded from press mumbo jumbo. I am also anticipating better three point defense out of our guys tomorrow and hope that Pennell has been hammering that all week. Jordan Hill is going to have to match up on Pendergraph one on one to allow the rest of the Cats to match up with their guys. Easy task if you ask me. Let's take a look at the Cats stats this season:

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Jordan Hill	30	35.7	7.5	13.5	55.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.5	5.3	65.0	3.9	7.0	11.0	1.4	2.9	0.8	1.9	2.9	18.5
Chase Budinger	31	37.5	6.2	12.9	48.2	2.0	4.7	42.9	3.7	4.6	81.7	1.5	4.9	6.4	3.4	2.4	1.5	0.5	1.8	18.2
Nic Wise	31	36.3	4.9	10.9	45.0	1.9	4.5	42.4	3.3	4.0	83.1	0.3	2.1	2.4	4.6	2.9	1.5	0.1	2.4	15.0
Jamelle Horne	31	28.5	2.5	6.0	42.2	0.4	1.5	26.7	1.3	2.1	64.1	1.6	3.5	5.1	1.3	1.4	0.7	0.4	2.7	6.7
Kyle Fogg	31	23.0	1.9	4.1	46.8	0.7	1.7	40.7	1.8	2.4	78.1	0.8	1.5	2.4	1.7	1.2	0.7	0.0	1.7	6.4
Zane Johnson	29	19.6	1.6	3.7	44.3	1.2	2.8	41.5	0.4	0.6	76.5	0.4	1.4	1.8	1.0	0.7	0.4	0.1	1.9	4.9
Garland Judkins	18	12.6	0.9	2.2	40.0	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.6	1.0	61.1	0.4	0.6	0.9	1.2	1.2	0.3	0.1	0.9	2.4
David Bagga	5	1.8	0.4	1.0	40.0	0.4	0.6	66.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.2	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.2	1.2
Alex Jacobson	23	7.3	0.5	1.1	44.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.3	57.1	0.7	0.6	1.3	0.1	0.4	0.0	0.2	0.8	1.1
Fendi Onobun	27	6.4	0.4	0.8	45.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	0.8	47.6	0.2	0.6	0.8	0.3	0.2	0.1	0.1	1.0	1.1
Brendon Lavender	24	4.8	0.3	0.6	42.9	0.0	0.3	16.7	0.2	0.3	66.7	0.0	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.0	0.5	0.7
D.J. Shumpert	3	3.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	1.0	1.3	0.3	0.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	31	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.5	1.3	2.8	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Keys to the game:

Don't Press Your Luck. Please. Don't press ASU. They know how to beat it. They will wear us down. They will force us to double and create fast breaks. We don't have the bench to keep up with running around all night. I voted to ditch the press this week, FYI.
Kuksiks' Arch. Got to get out to guard the three ball. Step in front of screens. Fight through screens. Extend the zone. Whatever it takes, Arizona should do it and make ASU beat us other ways.
Pennell's the Man. I think that Russ Pennell has done a terrific job in a number of ares for the Cats this season. I hope that he has made the necessary changes during the few days off to prepare for ASU and can make the changes during the game. Surely ASU will be ready for us to guard agaisnt the three pointer and will try to change their attack as well. It's going to be a chess match to start out. I hope Pennell comes out on top.

GAME NOTES

CougCenter's All Pacific Ten Awards

Dancing Football — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:22:56 -0000

It's what you've all been waiting for. The much anticipated CougCenter Pac 10 conference awards! Grady, Nuss, and myself all spent way more time than we anticipated on this (If you haven't, try doing it, it is a lot harder than it would seem initially). Twelve pots of coffee, two fist-fights, one trip to the emergency room, and an apology ice cream cake later, we were able to hash out our differences and come up our selections for the best of the best during the Pac 10 season.

We decided to toss away the official format (a ten man first team, why?) and go with first, second, and third teams. Additionally we doled out awards for Coach of the Year, Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, All-Defensive Team, and the All-Freshman Team.

EDIT 9:40 p.m.: You can see how each of the bloggers voted at this link.

We'll start with the individual awards.

Coach of the Year- Craig Robinson

Grady and I were in agreement on this one. Nuss went with Lorenzo Romar initially, but after a satellite phone call from a certain brother-in-law who pointed out that the Beavs probably should have won ZERO Pac 10 games this year, Nuss works for CougCenter and Romar coaches the Huskies, and that Robinson offered hope and change for all agricultural/engineering colleges across the country, Nuss was convinced.

Player of the Year - James Harden

There is really no debate on this one. Harden also takes home the gold in the "beard of the year" category.

Defensive Player of the Year - Taj Gibson

We didn't disagree on this one, but none of us really felt great about it. He led the conference in block% and was 6th in defensive rebounding%. Still, it seems there was no guy you could point to this year and say, "he is the best lock down defender in the Pac 10," like Kyle Weaver last year. Oh yeah, he didn't win the award.

Most Improved Player - Jerome Randle

He no longer had Ryan Anderson to attract the attention of defenses so it was hard for him to find open looks right? Wrong. He improved leaps and bounds in nearly every statistical category. Someone pull some strings and get this guy into the NBA next year, so the pack defense no longer has to deal with him.

Freshman of the Year - Isaiah Thomas

Thanks to johnnycougar for pointing out the ommission. He did a great job with the voting across SBN. You can see his poll results here. We are tired of talking about this guy on this site.

The Best of the Second Best (When ranked by Ken Pomeroy)

The hardest thing about putting together these teams is making them into a group of players that would actually be a viable combination for a coach during a game. The first team (which consists of five players, you know, because that's how many play on the court for a team) is full of guys who played well and were key reasons why their respective teams will be dancing come tourney time.

James Harden	G/So.	The most dynamic offensive player in the conference. No one is more important to his team's success. Top five pick in the NBA draft come April.
Darren Collison	G/Sr.	Fantastic player of both ends of the floor. Top 10 during conference play in offensive rating, assist percentage, and steal percentage.
Jerome Randle	G/Jr.	He's 5-10 and third during conference play in eFG%. Also in the top 10 in assist%. The biggest reason that Cal will be in the field of 64/65
Jordan Hill	F/Jr.	A freak athlete. Added some post skills and a short range jumper this year. Tough to deal handle defensively and offensively. Lottery pick for sure.
Jon Brockman	F/Sr.	Best rebounder in the conference on both ends of the floor. Took a hit in his own personal statistics this year to benefit the team as a whole.

For the rest of the awards, click the link to make the jump. Don't worry, we are all smarter than Pac 10 coaches, and Aron Baynes will not be left out!

The Second Best of the Second Best

Taylor Rochestie	G/Sr.	He. Is. Awesome.
Justin Dentmon	G/Sr.	Close second for most improved player. One of the best shooters in the Pac 10. That's enough about him.
Chase Budinger	G/Jr.	Pretty unstoppable when he gets it going. Tough to match up with at the guard position with his length.
Taj Gibson	F/Jr.	Your aforementioned Defensive Player of the year and USC's most effective offensive option. Tough matchup because of his quickness.
Aron Baynes	C/Sr.	Best part about Baynes this year, those twenty pounds he lost. So much quicker off his feet making him a terror down low for the Cougs opposition.

The Third Best of the Second Best

Josh Shipp	G/Sr.	Seems like he has been around forever. Dangerous shooter from the outside.
Calvin Haynes	G/So.	Easily the scariest scoring threat on the Beavs offense.
Alfred Aboya	F/Sr.	Good offensive numbers. Only a 17.4 shot % though.
Jeff Pendergraph	F/Sr.	Led the conference in eFG%. Making layups is harder than it looks (ask the Cougs)
Roeland Schaftenaar	C/Jr.	Have to love a center who has the #8 assist rate in the conference.

Honorable Mention (guys who received votes, but didn't make the cut):

Anthony Goods, Isaiah Thomas, Quincy Pondexter, Patrick Christopher

The Defenders

Venoy Overton	G/So.	He grabs and pulls, but he knows how to get away with it.
Darren Collison	G/Sr.	The closest thing to a lock-down defender the conference had this year. (can't wait for Casto and Capers next year!)
Jordan Hill	F/Jr.	Gets off the floor quick, can block shots and bother offensive players with his long arms.
Taj Gibson	F/Jr.	I think we've said enough about him.
Aron Baynes	C/Sr.	He. Is. Awesome.

Honorable Mention: James Harden's Beard, James Harden

The New Guys

Isaiah Thomas	G	See past articles. No more needs to be written about this guy on this site.
Klay Thompson	G	Ask Mitch Johnson how awesome Klay is.
Jrue Holiday	G	Didn't quite live up to his billing, but UCLA will probably benefit from that having him stick around for a few more years.
DeMar DeRozan	F	A guy so good he's worth two scholarships and four capital letters.
Michael Dunigan	F	Dunigan is such a fun name to say. Also, solid rebounder and shot blocker. Played more minutes and took more shots than Casto, that's the main reason he is on here.

Honarable Mention: DeAngelo Casto

There you have it. Blood, sweat, and tears went in to creating this. Please feel free now to tear us apart and tell us why we are wrong, we can take it, as long as there is ice cream cake.