SB Nation - Klay Thompson

Washington State 72, LSU 70 (OT)

Nuss — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:10:56 -0000

Final - 12.22.2009	1	2	Total
LSU Tigers	30	32	70
Washington St. Cougars	36	26	72

Complete Coverage >

College Basketball

NCAA Basketball

As the game wound down to its final moments in regulation with the Cougs trailing by two, I just kept thinking about how small the margin is in college basketball. With only ~30 games, there are so precious few opportunities to make statements, and the result of each game is magnified beyond what it probably should be.

If the Cougs lose last night -- which they were on the verge of doing without yet another in a string of spectacular plays by Reggie Moore -- we're talking about a team that can't seem to figure out a way to beat anyone good. It's a team that still has a considerable amount of growing up to do with more than a third of the season gone, and trepidation sets in until conference play starts a week from tomorrow.

But this is what it is, and instead of moping we get to entertain thoughts of grandeur after the Cougs came back for a rousing, 72-70 overtime win over LSU. Instead, we get to talk about how tough they were, how much they've matured, how their potential in Pac-10 play is so great ... all because Bo Spencer's final 3-point heave fell short of the rim.

Is it ideal? No way. But for as much as we like to take a big picture approach to where the team is heading and try to avoid results-based analysis, the reality is that with only 30 games, results matter. A lot. And last night was a huge one. When March rolls around, if this team is in any kind of postseason conversation, this will be a game people point to in favor of WSU.

LSU is only ranked No. 139 by kenpom.com. That's going to change -- dramatically -- when all is said and done. That's a good team that, like the Cougs, is quickly getting better. They've got an absolute beast in Tasmin Mitchell (more on him in a second) and Bo Spencer is really good. They crash the offensive glass with relentless abandon and are disciplined. After the game, Trent Johnson and Ken Bone spent a lot of time shining sunshine you know where, but this time it felt legitimate -- that's a well-coached squad the Cougars just beat.

The Tigers certainly aren't a great offensive team, but the defensive job the Cougars did on them last night was simply phenomenal, especially considering where this team was just a few weeks ago. Early on, it appeared as if Mitchell was going to dominate this game. He was flat-out abusing Abe Lodwick in the post, getting to the rim, drawing fouls, picking up offensive rebounds. Bone reached for Nikola Koprivica early -- before the 16 minute mark -- and from there, everything changed.

The Cougs threw the book at LSU in order to neutralize Mitchell. They played standard man-to-man. They played 2-3 zone. Bone said they even played some triangle-and-two. And it worked: The result was a 95.7 efficiency for the Tigers on 40.0 effective field goal percentage as Mitchell struggled to find a groove. The former was the fourth-lowest of the year allowed by WSU; the latter, the lowest. Without a doubt, this was the best all-around defensive effort of the year for these young Cougs, as the Tigers rarely got an open look. Even the 3s LSU did hit were contested, as breakdowns were minimal.

Johnson lamented after the game that Mitchell didn't get any free throws in such a physical game. While I agree that it was a little odd, I also think it reflected both Mitchell's lack of aggression to the rim and the amazing job both Koprivica and the rest of the Cougar defense did in throwing different looks at him. At times, he looked like he was thinking rather than playing, and at other times he looked like he just didn't want to work hard anymore for a quality shot -- as exemplified by that weak fade-away jumper in overtime.

If you wanted defense, people ... you got it. And that's as exciting as anything else that happened last night as we evaluate this team going forward.

The offense? Well, let's just say it wasn't the prettiest thing in the world, as Bone said after the game that LSU did a great job of making the Cougs look ugly at times. The Tigers played tough, physical defense on them, and they deserve a lot of credit for it. But what's most important is that it was good enough.

Good enough for a huge win to savor for the next week.

Player(s) of the game

Can't go with just one guy here ...

Klay Thompson. With 15:15 left in the game, the Cougs led 44-36. Just over three minutes later, that lead was whittled to two. Klay had eight points, and had been a virtual non-factor -- something I wasn't all that concerned about up until that point, because he had, for the most part, made good decisions that allowed his teammates to score. Jo-Jo texted me and said this was the point at which Klay had to take over. I had a similar sentiment as the Gonzaga game was slipping away; we all know how that one turned out.

Not last night. As if on cue, Thompson hit a 3, had a steal, hit a runner in the lane, got to the rim for a layup, hit a pair of free throws and then found DeAngelo Casto on a pick and roll for an easy bucket. In a span of 4:09 -- at a critical juncture in the game -- Klay had nine points, a steal and an assist. He also would hit another jumper to break a tie at the 6:05 mark and another 3 to regain the lead with 3:50 to go. Quite simply, without Klay's offensive outburst in the second half, we don't win this game.

Reggie Moore. Jo-Jo -- who has been away serving Uncle Sam for the past few months and has only seen the last two games -- also asked me if Moore has the best freshman in the Pac-10. I think that question has been unquestionably answered. Moore played all 45 minutes last night and committed just two turnovers. He did only have four assists (after piling up 22 the last two games), but it was the last one that made all the difference.

With the Cougs down by two with under 20 seconds to go in regulation -- and coming off a forced-and-missed 3-point attempt by Klay on the previous possession -- Moore did exactly what I absolutely was hoping he would do. Knowing that the Tigers would be looking straight to Klay, Moore drove the lane, drawing approximately three defenders right to him. Moore left his feet, but he somehow found DeAngelo Casto under the hoop for the game-tying basket with six seconds to go. Spectacular.

As someone said on the postgame thread, this team now has two clear weapons for teams to contend with down the stretch of games. I can't even begin to describe to you how enormous that is.

Unsung hero

Nik Koprivica. This one was so easy. I asked Bone after the game if it was possible to overstate the impact Koprivica had on this game with his defense on Mitchell. The answer was a flat, "No." For as important as Klay's scoring outburst was, Nik's job on Mitchell was equally important. He was an absolute warrior in the post against a guy who is taller, stronger and more athletic than him, yet somehow he was able to more or less keep the ball out of Mitchell's hands. When Mitchell did get the ball, Nik played sound defense, cutting off the baseline and forcing Mitchell back to the WSU help. He also did as good a job as could be expected boxing out a guy who will be first-team all-SEC come March.

That Nik chipped in 11 points, six rebounds and two assists -- against just one turnover, his first in the past four games -- was just icing on the cake. The redemption story continues.

It was over when ...

Spencer's desperation 3 with a few seconds left fell short of the rim and the Cougs were able to keep the ball out of the hands of LSU in the ensuing scrum -- not a moment before that.

Stat of the game

Prior to last night, the Cougs' two lowest offensive efficiencies came against Kansas State (91.5) and Gonzaga (95.7). Against the Tigers, WSU posted an offensive efficiency of 98.1. And won.

POSTGAME THREAD: Time to get excited, folks

Nuss — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:17:39 -0000

More photos » by Kevin P. Casey - AP

Last time the Cougs got punched in the mouth, they ran and hid. Tonight, they hit back -- and won a game because of it.

Browse more photos »

As I sit here on press row in an empty KeyArena where not 45 minutes ago there was a raucous, screaming sea of 15,000-plus Crimson voices belting out the fight song as the players celebrated a dramatic 72-70 overtime victory over LSU, I have so many thoughts swimming through my head.

But one keeps sticking out: It's officially time to get excited about this team.

I know I run the risk of letting the emotions of one night influence my objective analysis, but there were just so many reasons to like tonight. And I don't have time to get into them all, because I gotta catch the train down to the south end, but I'll just leave you with this.

We won a game, against a good team, without our best offensive effort. I don't have the efficiency numbers in front of me, but running the quick math in my head, this game had about 75 possessions. We scored 72 points.

And won -- with defense, toughness, some timely points from Klay Thompson at a crucial point in the game, and good free throw shooting.

I'll have the full recap up on the site sometime tomorrow morning, but consider this your permission slip.

Get excited, folks. This team is good.

Pac-10 Weekly Wrap: Finally, a quality win!

Nuss — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:50:33 -0000

More photos » by Joe Nicholson - AP

Why is this man smiling? Because he's been the best player in the Pac-10 for the conference's best team, that's why.

Browse more photos »

After a couple of weeks off, the Weekly Wrap is back. I wish I could say that a lot has changed in the three weeks since I wrote the last one of these, but unfortunately it hasn't. The Pac-10 did finally pick up a quality out-of-conference win -- from the most unlikely of sources in USC -- but it did little to offset the perception that this is a weak Pac-10 after numerous missed opportunities.

It's a perception that's not likely to change, despite the conference now being ranked the fifth strongest nationally by kenpom.com (just ahead of the SEC, if you can believe that). If you look at the standings, it's pretty easy to see why. The conference has about five good to really good offensive teams, about five good to pretty good defensive teams, but only two that combine the two (Washington, Cal and ASU). Everyone else is good at one or the other, leading to some pretty uneven performances.

There are some big games on the slate tomorrow night: Cal at Kansas, UW vs. Texas A&M, WSU vs. LSU, and Stanford at Texas Tech. If the Pac-10 is going to get more than just a couple of bids come March, it needs to plant a seed in the minds of the committee that it's just a young conference that is getting better as the season moves along. Winning most or all of those would do wonders for the perception of the conference.

If Cal can beat Kansas -- or, at least, lose a thriller -- all of a sudden, beating Cal in conference means something.

On to the rankings! There hasn't been a lot of movement the past couple of weeks, but I have a feeling that might change by this time next week.

1. Washington
Rank last week: 1
Record: 7-2

The Huskies are still on top, but I sure would feel a lot better about it if they'd actually beat someone away from Hec Ed during the nonconference season. The loss to Texas Tech was a toss-up, but losing in Los Angeles to Georgetown -- in the manner they did -- raises some serious questions about Washington's toughness without Jon Brockman in the middle.

There have been hints of it against other opponents (Montana, Cal-State Northridge), but the Huskies have been able to overwhelm those opponents with their athleticism. Not so against the Hoyas. They've got a tough one against Texas A&M tomorrow, but again, it's at home. In fact, the Huskies don't leave Hec Ed again until Jan. 8.

Bright spot: Quincy Pondexter is finally, truly, unequivocally delivering on the promise he held as one of the top recruits on the west coast lo these many years ago. (Just take a look at his individual stat rankings over at kenpom.com.) That he's not receiving more pub nationally probably is due to the lack of a signature game in a signature win for the Huskies. But if he keeps this up, it won't stay that way for long.

Question mark: Pop quiz time: Where do the Huskies rank in the Pac-10 in adjusted offensive efficiency? First? Third? Try fifth -- behind (in order) Cal, Arizona State, WSU and Oregon. This team has just frankly not been that great offensively, exceeding 1.10 points per trip just three times this year. This is something to keep an eye on, because while the Pac-10 has been bad, there are some really good defensive teams in there. USC showed this week what a great defensive team powered by a fluky shooting night can do to a good team.

2. California

Rank last week: 2
Record: 6-3

The Bears have played three games in three weeks -- their tilt with Kansas tomorrow will be their first in 13(!) days. They started off with a loss on the road to New Mexico -- certainly not a bad loss, per se, but not great for a team that many thought could be the dominant team in the Pac-10 -- then finished up with dominant wins over Iowa State at home and Pacific on the road. They haven't been on TV much in these parts, so I don't have much insight to add; I will be catching the ESPN360 replay of tomorrow's game on Wednesday, since I'll be at the WSU/LSU game.

Bright spot: Theo Robertson is back. Need I say more? An offense that's already very good will get even better -- if he can stay on the floor.

Question mark: Tomorrow night is bigger than big for Cal. If they can hang with -- or outright beat -- the Jayhawks, the Bears' ceiling likely becomes a No. 2 seed. If they get blown out? Maybe a No. 3, but more than likely a No. 4 or No. 5, since there just don't remain any chances for great wins on their schedule. (Sorry, Huskies -- you no longer qualify.)

3. Arizona State

Rank last week: 3
Record: 8-3

The Sun Devils just keep chugging along, showing that experience just might be the difference maker for this team. They did lose to Baylor at home, but only by three while giving up 69.0 effective field goal percentage. It's a loss that smacks of the kind of loss that teams featuring zone defense suffer from time to time. Of more import to me is the nice win against a good San Diego State team. Still pretty clearly the third best in the conference, and the Pac-10's best chance for a third at-large bid if they can separate themselves from fourth place once league play starts.

Bright spot: Derek Glasser has been doing his best Taylor Rochestie on steroids impersonation this year. They're similar in so many ways, but Glasser's shooting has been insane -- his offensive rating is currently 130.5 with a high assist rate. He's been better than I ever thought he could be.

Question mark: There's a saying in football that the defenses often start out in front of the offenses at the beginning of the year. Well, in college basketball it seems experience starts out in front of inexperience, and that's the case with ASU. Which makes me wonder: Will this team continue to get better? Or will they get passed by other teams that would seemingly have more talent as they gain more experience?

4. Washington State

Rank last week: 4
Record: 8-2

Well, the Cougs missed an opportunity at Gonzaga, got whipped by K-State and soundly beat Idaho and Portland State. The funny thing is that we all thought this was going to be a roller coaster. While there aren't any "good" wins on the slate, there aren't any bad losses, either. That's a pretty enormous testament to what Ken Bone is doing. If the Cougs cap the nonconference slate with a win over LSU, it has to be considered a rousing success. The Cougs are a solid No. 4 in these rankings.

Bright spot: Marcus Capers. Come back this afternoon to find out why. (We call that a teaser in the news biz!)

Question mark: The Cougs are one of those teams that feature a very good offense, but so-so defense. Hence, all the attention we pay to the defense -- it really could be the difference maker in terms of getting this team to the postseason. Signs point to the defense getting better, although some of that might be explained by simple regression in terms of opponents' 3-point shooting. We'll learn more tomorrow against a team that's as athletic as we are.

5. USC

Rank last week: 9
Record: 5-4

Too big of a jump here after whipping Tennessee at home, you say? Too much value placed on one very good shooting night from a bad offensive team, you say? Well, at least they've shown that they can do it, which is a heck of a lot more than we can say for most other teams. After all, look at five through 10 in this conference and tell me who deserves to be higher than USC.

That's what I thought.

Bright spot: It's not a total fluke the Vols shot just 2-of-22 from 3-point range against the Trojans -- they're 23rd nationally in effective field goal percentage allowed (although it has been built mostly on stingy 2-point defense). Kevin O'Neil is following the Bennett rebuild blueprint to a T: Play superlative defense until the offense catches up.

Question mark: Will the offense ever catch up this year? It has been positively horrendous at times, and one good night doesn't make us believe everything is OK.

6. Oregon

Rank last week: 6
Record: 6-4

They can't beat a decent team on the road (Mizzou, Portland) and can't beat a decent team at home (Montana, St. Mary's). I guess they get credit for nearly beating the Gaels, but I know most people were expecting a lot more out of this team -- especially Duck fans. There have even been rumblings that it's time for Ernie Kent to go. I'd like to take this moment to remind everyone that I said I thought the Ducks wouldn't be very good until next year, and I stand by that statement.

Bright spot: Freshman Jamil Wilson has a knack for rebounding (14.1 OR% and 19.3 DR%) and blocking shots (3.5%). So that's nice.

Question mark: Will Kent's job status become a distraction? Especially if they win their last two nonconference games (as they should) and then start off Pac-10 play 0-2 coming through UW and WSU on New Year's weekend (as they might)?

7. Arizona

Rank last week: 5
Record: 4-5

The Wildcats have played the second-toughest nonconference schedule in the Pac-10, and it shows. These guys needed a patsy-filled schedule as bad as anyone, and instead they've played the likes of Wisconsin, Vandy, UNLV, Oklahoma and San Diego State -- all losses. They played tough in Maui and play well at home, but their last two games on the road have been convincing losses (OU and SDSU).

Bright spot: Jamelle Horne is rebounding like a power forward (21.3 DR%), despite being roughly the size of Klay Thompson. It's part of the reason the Wildcats have been surprisingly effective on the glass despite none of their actual big men rebounding like big men.

Question mark: Five times this year, the Wildcats have scored less than .92 points per possession (1.0 being average). Four of those five were against the good teams on their schedule. That's a scary thought heading into conference play.

8. Stanford

Rank last week: 7
Record: 5-5

We know moral victories don't really count. But losing by one at home to Oklahoma State and by eight on the road at Northwestern -- two teams that should be in the top half of their conferences -- says something about the way Johnny Dawkins has his Cardinal fighting. They are not going to be an easy win for anyone once Pac-10 play starts.

Bright spot: Landry Fields is really good -- so good that I'd probably place him in the No. 2 spot behind Pondexter in the Pac-10 POY race at the moment.

Question mark: Will the Cardinal keep bringing their A-plus effort if they don't soon get a favorable result? They've got a chance to get one tomorrow against Texas Tech.

9. Oregon State

Rank last week: 8
Record: 5-5

No shame in losing on the road to Nebraska. But Illinois-Chicago? Really? It seemed like the Beavers finally had some things figured out after beating George Washington and Colorado. Then the pitiful effort on the defensive glass against the Flames. They now possess arguably the two worst losses in the Pac-10. This is a tough, tough team to figure.

Bright spot: The offense seems to be coming around -- above 53 effective field goal percentage in five of the last six games. That's pretty good.

Question mark: Now that the Beavers have kissed any chance of an at-large bid goodbye -- and make no mistake, that was the goal heading into the season -- will they pull it together enough to be consistently tough in the league?

10. UCLA

Preseason rank: 10
Record: 3-7

The Bruins are yet another victim of aggressive scheduling. Normally, that's not a problem for the Bruins, but it's led to them losing six of their last seven, five of those by double digits. I'm tempted to say this could happen to anyone with enough early defections, but can you honestly picture North Carolina or Duke or Kansas sinking to these depths under their great coaches? That's what's so weird about this.

Bright spot: The Bruins really do seem to be getting better, even if it's not reflected in the win column. I watched them play Notre Dame on Saturday, and while the Irish aren't exactly a great team, they're a solid Big East squad, and the Bruins competed. They do seem like they still care.

Question mark: Just how much potential is there for the Bruins to improve? Certainly, they're not as bad as they've shown. But I just don't see the kind of talent on the floor I once did. Unless Ben Howland knows something I don't know, this is a bottom half of the conference team, even if they start playing significantly better.

Coug of the Decade: Nomination time

Grady. — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:02:05 -0000

More photos » by Danny Moloshok - AP

Yep, we gave this guy an award last year.

Browse more photos »

It turns out we're not the first to throw out a "Coug of the Decade" idea. Actually, WSU Football Blog is doing a poll of Coug Nation to find out who the offensive and defensive "Cougs of the Decade" were in football. A cool idea, and a worthwhile argument to have among our football faithful. Cougs of the Decade. See how it's plural? That means I'm not stealing the title as we get set to do our version. Of course, you could also make the argument WSUFB is riding the coattails of our wildly successful Coug of the Year competition last year, won by ~~Benedict~~ Tony Bennett in a landslide. Oh, if I could only go back in time and find a way to rig it for Kyle Weaver... Anyway, great minds think alike in the blogosphere. I actually do promise I discussed my idea for a CougCenter Coug of the Decade competition with Jeff and Craig long before I found out WSU Football blog was doing a different yet kind of similar thing.

So what's Coug of the Decade? This award ranges through all sports, players, coaches, mascots, humans, animals and maybe even inanimate objects to find the most transcendent and influential Cougar sports figure of the decade.

The setup is very similar to last year's COTY competition, only this time the acronym is COTD, which isn't as cool. A 16-human field whittled down over time to the top 2. Then, we have ourselves a winner. They don't get a reward, other than the intense personal satisfaction that only winning this competition or climbing Mount Everest can provide.

This is a lot more complex than looking at just the previous year. So we need your help. Who do you want to see in the bracket? Where should they be seeded?

We have a lot of coaches potentially vying for the title: Mike Price, Tony Bennett, June Daugherty and my favorite dark horse contender... one Mr. Dick Bennett. And don't forget about the non-revenue sports: Matt Potter and Jane LaRiviere may be worthy contenders, as is our old volleyball coach Cindy Fredrick and the man who is reviving the same program after she left, Andrew Palileo.

Then, the players. Let's start with basketball. Taylor Rochesite is a sure thing in my mind to make the field. As are Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver. And that one big Australian guy. But what about some of the lower profile stars? Is Robbie Cowgill worthy? Thomas Kelati, Jeff Varem or Marcus Moore (if you really want to go back in time)? Klay Thompson? He may very well win this award for the next decade.

Over on the football side, there are a number of worthy contenders. Jason Gesser for sure. How about Heisman candidate Jerome Harrison? (Remember when we had Heisman candidates? Simpler times.) Or oft-maligned but actually really pretty good quarterback Alex Brink? On the defensive side of the ball we have your Marcus Trufants, Will Dertings, Rien Longs and Mkristo Bruces of the world - among others. Are all of those guys worthy? Just a couple? That's what we'll try to sort out in the next few days.

Finally, there's the non-Sport category. AD Jim Sterk has to at least get a nomination for what he's done with basketball (men's and women's), regardless of what you think of his football hires. Butch T. Cougar won a Capital One Mascot of the Year competition, yet again proving our school's dominance in meaningless internet polls (like this one!). Should he get a nod? And then we could even go further away from Pullman: Go 2 Guy Jim Moore and the S-R's Vince Grippi have been valuable assets when it comes to quenching our thirst for Cougar sports information and commentary. How about Keith Gilbertson or Tyrone Willingham, for curbing the enthusiasm of Husky football fans for several glorious years? Actually, not those guys. But the possibilities are endless.

The best thing is - at least in my opinion - that there's no clear cut favorite. And that's what makes it fun. Yes, it is a meaningless internet poll. As meaningless as those internet petitions that, for whatever reason, a large number of people seem to think actually may accomplish something. Even though a surprisingly large number of signatures come from Bart Simpson and George W. Bush.

However, Coug of the Decade is also a fun topic of discussion, and a chance to agree/disagree with your fellow Coug fans. So let's dive in. Comments below.

Some highlights from the individual KenPom rankings

Grady. — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:12:55 -0000

More photos » by Dean Hare - AP

The numbers don't lie. Reggie Moore is awesome.

Browse more photos »

Did you know...

Klay Thompson is seventh nationally in the percentage of shots he takes relative to the rest of his team? Klay fires off 37% of all Cougar shot attempts.

DeAngelo Casto is 31st nationally in block percentage? I know, that's not very surprising. He was 41st last year as a freshman. But still cool.

Reggie Moore is 16th nationally in free throw rate? Again, not a huge shock. However, he's also 69th nationally with a 127.5 offensive rating. For comparison, Klay Thompson is 257th at 118.4.

And the real surprise...

Marcus Capers is 17th nationally in free throw rate. One behind his teammate. Wow.

It's very early and small sample size, grain of salt blah blah blah. We're just having some fun with numbers telling us some things we already know (Klay Thompson and Reggie Moore are beasts offensively, Casto swats everything), and some things we didn't (Marcus Capers may actually provide some offense after all, by getting to the line).

And it was already brought up, but I love looking at our team page and seeing that our Cougars are the 333rd youngest team in the country. This team has some crazy upside. Of course the sports gods hate us, and so I'm sure the Pac-10 will peak in overall talent once again at the exact same time we do.

Is the Pac10 a one-bid league?

SFBE.NF — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:48:25 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

Browse more photos »

That was probably the talk in and around the Honda Center yesterday following the John Wooden Classic, as both Washington and UCLA put on unimpressive performances in losses to Georgetown and Mississippi State, respectively.

The Hoyas came out in the second half realizing they were taller, bigger and better then the soft Huskies, and subsequently went on a 19-0 run over an eight minute span, winning 74-66. The key? Pound the ball inside and keep it away from Isaiah Thomas' hands.

UCLA confirmed that they aren't even worthy of being bashed, they just stink. Mississippi St. was laughing by the second half, scoring at will from all parts of the court en route to a 72-54 victory. This all coming in-front of the man who turned the Bruins into one of the most glorious programs in all of college basketball. How embarrassing.

Meanwhile, since you probably weren't paying attention, Arizona showed no fight in a loss to San Diego State, Nebraska snuck by an Oregon State team hoping for a bailout from the prez, and St. Mary's comfortably held off Oregon in "The Pit."

And, after receiving a bevy of pre-season attention, Cal has gone quietly into the night, currently sitting at 6-3 with their best win coming at home over Iowa State.

The bottom line: not one team in the Pac 10 makes the rest of the country nervous. ConferenceRPI ranks them ninth overall after last night's slate of games, sitting comfortably behind the Atlantic 10, Mountain West, and Conference USA. With the regular season just a few weeks away, that's the window of opportunity to secure a "big win" you hear shutting.

More frightening numbers and statistics that better quantify the conference's lackluster play has been noted by SBNation's Chris Dobberdean.

At least Klay Thompson is still fun to watch.

Washington State 75, Air Force 68

Grady. — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 07:29:35 -0000

NCAA Basketball Stats

Once again, we make things interesting late in the second half by letting an opponent creep back in the game via turnovers and sloppy defense.

I was hard at work (hardly working?) today so I don't have a lot of thoughts to provide. I did get to hear some of the radio broadcast, but I'll leave it to you in the CougCenter comment army to provide some insights of your own. Likes? Dislikes? Frustrations? Exuberance? A win is still a win.

Player of the Game: Reggie Moore. 16 points (4/6, 1/3 3pt, 7/7 FTs), 10 freaking assists, 2 boards and only 3 turnovers. A double double for the talented freshman. I miss Tony Bennett a whole lot less when I remember Reggie wouldn't be on this team if he was still here.

Unsung Hero: Nikola Koprivica. 8 points (3/7, 2/3 FTs) and 11 rebounds. Wait, what? 11 rebounds. That can't be right. Nik. 11 rebounds. It's not a typo. I'm in shock. Maybe this performance explains Bone's irrational hatred of Abe Lodwick, who started again but only received 7 minutes because... who knows? Turnover issues, maybe? Also, this game saw 20+ minutes given to Koprivica, Harthun and Enquist. I'm really only OK with Nik getting that kind of PT, what with being our sixth man and only senior and all. However, I'm still excited to see Harthun get some shots down and get some significant game experience. But hey, 14 minutes for Brock Motum! That's what I'm talkin' bout.

It was over when... Klay drained a three to make it 74-64 with 31 seconds remaining.

Stat of the Game: The Cougs held the Falcons to 22.7% three-point shooting. Not bad considering that was a huge issue for us earlier this season.

The importance of taking care of the basketball

Nuss — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:46:56 -0000

More photos » by Dean Hare - AP

When Klay Thompson is doing this instead of giving the ball to the other team, he gives his teammates their best chance to help him out.

Browse more photos »

I know I said I wasn't going to be around much, but I really wanted to carve out a few minutes to highlight something for you.

Up until this point, the Cougs' offensive efficiency (what's that?) has been tied almost exclusively to how well they've shot the ball, which is really just an extension of whether Klay Thompson's is scoring efficiently. And, the reality is, if you shoot the ball well, you can survive turnovers -- something the Cougs proved against Mississippi Valley State, Nicholls State and (especially) San Diego.

Note: Average offensive efficiency is around 100; average eFG% (right now) is 48.7; average TO% (right now) is 21.1.

Opponent	Off. Eff.	eFG%	TO%
Mississippi Valley State	128.6	51.6	24.6
Nicholls State	121.0	65.9	24.8
San Diego	137.6	73.2	25.1

But when you combine a lot of turnovers with a poor shooting night -- again, on this team, mostly due to whether Klay is up or down because he's by far the team's most prolific shooter -- you get what we got against Gonzaga and Kansas State:

Opponenent	Off. Eff.	eFG%	TO%
Gonzaga	95.7	45.2	23.6
Kansas State	91.5	48.8	33.1(!)

This really makes a lot of common sense -- if you turn the ball over, there really is only one outcome to the possession: You don't even get to shoot and the team heads back the other way. It's a negative outcome every single time.

However, by simply taking a shot, you have a number of potential positive outcomes: make, miss with an offensive rebound (something this team has proven it's prolific at) or a foul (another thing this team has proven prolific at). Taking care of the basketball isn't just one of those antiquated, trite coachisms; it really does help your offense out. (See Maryland, 2008-09.) Even if your team isn't particularly good at offensive rebounding or foul shooting, you can sometimes pick up points thanks to simple dumb luck where a rebound falls into your hands.

Which brings me to last night. Despite posting only a pedestrian 48.3 eFG% (due largely to 33 percent 3-point shooting), the Cougs were able to achieve a 112.7 offensive efficiency rating. That's not spectacular, but it's certainly good, and it all started with WSU only turning the ball over on 13.3 percent of its possessions. In fact, after turning the ball over six times in the first 13 minutes, the Cougs turned it over just four more times the rest of the game.

Here was the effect last night. The Cougs' offensive rebounding percentage -- the number of available offensive rebounds the Cougs came up with -- was 38.7. That's in the same ballpark as the Gonzaga and Kansas State games (39.5 and 35.3, respectively). The difference, of course, is that there were many more offensive rebound opportunities last night. Against KSU, they only came up with eight offensive rebounds. Last night, it was 16 -- the Cougs were able to extend eight more possessions by simply taking care of the ball. They converted all of those opportunities into eight second chance points, and while that might not seem like much, this was a 12-point game in the end. Those eight points mattered.

Klay didn't have his greatest night of the season against Idaho. And for once, it didn't destroy our offense. That is huge, and is going to be a key for this team going forward. They don't possess a lot of good shooters to drive the offense (something that probably drives Ken Bone batty, but that's a conversation for another day), so they've got to play to their strengths on offense -- getting offensive rebounds and getting to the free throw line -- which can only be done if they take care of the ball and get the ball on the rim as they did last night.

Washington State 76, Idaho 64

Grady. — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:48:53 -0000

NCAA Basketball Stats

Vandals vs Cougars recap

One of the trends I've noticed from obsessively following a sports team for the past seven years is that I tend to find positives in the losses (hey, at least so-and-so played well...) and find negatives in the wins. It's the weird counter-intuitive stuff that creeps in to your head after you've over-analyzed something for long enough. I can only imagine how crazy most head coaches must be, since they think about this stuff 24 hours a day, and their teams almost never put together a completely perfect game.

Tonight, this is probably the angriest I've felt after a win in a long, long time. The Cougars had a 27 point lead in the second half. 27 points! Then, Ken Bone's brain took the night off, essentially playing our second team (with a starter or two mixed in) for the next ten minutes and letting Idaho creep back in. Worse, a running offense became a completely halfcourt one; the equivalent of when a football team that passes like crazy but runs the ball on three straight plays because they are trying to run the clock out. That's something called 'playing not to lose', and it is horrible. More teams lose playing to avoid a loss than teams that actually play win the game (of course, when they do go for the win, like Belichick on 4th and 2 - and fail - they get plastered by the media, creating hoards of spineless coaches who continue to give up on what their team does best in the name of "just hanging on").

Like we saw in the Gonzaga game, we can no longer feel safe with a large lead like we did in the clock-controlling Bennett area. This team can blow leads in games if they lose their aggressiveness or defensive intensity. And while Idaho never seriously threatened, they cut a 27 point lead down to seven with a minute left (darn you, halfmullet!). I would love to believe that our seven point lead with a minute left is safe, but you'll have to excuse me for not: I was at the Stanford game in 2004.

I get that Idaho is a very good team, and realistically we are only 5-10 points better than them. Problem is we didn't play our best team for a good portion of the second half, and it turned a big blowout into a semi-close game. Was Bone trying to rest players? Probably. But if so, it didn't matter since the starters had to essentially play the entire final five minutes just trying to hang on. Play those guys earlier, and you don't get into that situation in the first place. Sacrificing a lead in the name of rest is never a good idea in my opinion. Charlie Enquist and Mike Harthun got a huge number of minutes during a stretch in the game where quite frankly they didn't deserve it. Give them 8-9 minutes with a comfortable lead late, not with ten or fifteen left to play. That's an eternity in college hoops.

On the other hand: wow. This was a big victory. For a moment, we dismantled a very good ball club eight miles away from their home. A 21-2 run blew it open, fueled by what we had been craving: more three-point shooting. And it wasn't just Klay: role players like Abe and Nik got into the act, and in the blink of an eye the Cougars had almost built a 30 point lead. Of course in several more blinks Idaho had nearly erased all the goodwill we had built, outscoring us by 20 until the final minute. That's not great, but then again we aren't a juggernaut, and we aren't going to bury a team like Idaho by 30 points. It was just nice to think for a second that we could have.

Anyway, it's a great win. It really is. We took down the Vandals in all four factors, defended the perimeter, protected the ball and hopefully made Mac Hopson wish he'd never have transferred.

But for goodness sakes, please finish the job. Earlier.

Player of the Game: DeAngelo Casto - A dominating night on the boards with 14 rebounds (5 offensive) and 13 points, all against a physical Vandal front line. Great night for D.

Unsung Hero: Klay Thompson - That has to be about as quiet a 25 point night as you'll ever see. A lot of it has to do with an inefficient night shooting (9 of 21) and three turnovers. However, he wins this award thanks to his nine boards and overall point production. I can't give this award to Reggie Moore every time.

It was over when... Reggie Moore hit two free throws to put the Cougars up nine with under a minute to play. It's just so sad it took that long to get to our "It was over when..." moment. Ugh.

Play of the Game: Abe's back to back threes! (Klay missed one in between, but whatever) They were huge in the context of our ridiculous 21-2 run. Downside: they were the only two shots he made and for some reason Bone still thinks Abe is good enough to start but not good enough to get more minutes than Koprivica.

Stat of the Game: I'm not usually into plus/minus, but tonight it was very telling of how this ball game played out. It also features a ridiculous spread from top to bottom. Hat tip to BigWood:

Thompson 33
Moore 27
Lodwick 25
Casto 21
Capers 17
Watson -15
Enquist -27
Koprivica -35
Thames -37
Harthun -39

Like I said, we aren't as good a team out there when our best players are on the bench. Duh. Now, Kenneth, please play Abe Lodwick more. He's actually pretty good.

One final thought: ZZU CRU - it would have been nice if you had shown up for this game. I get that it's cold, but this was a rivalry game against a quality opponent. I could tell the Vandal fans understood that, but outside of a couple key stretches, most of our student section didn't. Yes, I'm calling you out, because you're better than that.

AUDIO: CougCenter Podcast, Episode 18

Nuss — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:57:49 -0000

You know, I thought this whole "figure out why we're losing" thing would be limited to the football podcasts. Guess not.

Click play below to listen to Craig, Grady and I break down the Gonzaga and Kansas State losses, as well as discuss what can be done to get Klay Thompson back on track, how the defense can get right, and why you all should be legitimately concerned about Idaho tonight.

As usual you can listen to the audio via the player below, or visit our podcast page for myriad subscription options. You can also find us in the iTunes directory under keyword "CougCenter." The advantage of subscribing? Besides having the audio directly delivered to your player of choice, I often upload the audio to the podcast site before posting it here.