Now that the Washington Huskies have found the win column again - and for the first time in Pac-12 play - it was time for a conversation with Chris Fetters and the Dawgman.com Head of Hoops, Aaron Beach for an honest assessment. Was UW’s 84-80 win over Colorado a one-time thing? Or was it a sign of things to come for a Washington team battling like mad to find some form?
In part one of the podcast, they dig into the recent offensive resurgence. Has it been as simple as seeing the ball go in the basket? Has that been the catalyst for everything else? Or has it been more about finding offensive balance so the team doesn’t have to rely solely on Quade Green for their points every night?
Fetters and Beach talk about the improvement made by Erik Stevenson and Jamal Bey, the curious up-and-down season so far of Marcus Tsohonis, as well as the unexpected offensive contribution by 7-foot-4 Riley Sorn.
In the second half of the podcast, they delve into the problems with Washington’s zone, and how UW Head Coach Mike Hopkins has tried to tweak the formula in an attempt to find success. In his first three years, the zone was the straw that stirred the drink for Washington, the thing that drove everything else UW did on the court.
But this year it feels like the opposite is happening; instead of the defense catalyzing the offense, the offense is having to provide the spark to get the defense going. How can Hopkins keep that dynamic going, and what can Washington do on that end of the court despite a lack of length that has always contributed to takeaways in the past?
And in the final analysis, where does Beach see the team going down the final stretch of the season? One thing is for sure: Washington has a chance in their next four games to really make another jump forward. They host Utah Sunday, Washington State a week from Sunday, and then head south to play Oregon State and Oregon. Could they win two of the next four? What about three? And if they were able to continue their upward trajectory, how much would that mean not just for the end of the season, but for Hopkins moving forward? It's already assumed changes are going to be made this off-season. Will a positive push through to the end of the season help shape his plans?
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