IUBB @ Washington - Saturday, 03.01.25 @ 6:00 ET on Peacock

[Class of '66 Old Fart 87,780]

Can we extend our winning streak to 3 or even 4 games on a west coast road trip?  Washington (13-15) (4-13) and just 9-7 at home is definitely a winnable game provided the team stays focused.  From what I've read this morning, Reneau made the flight with the team to Washington but his status for tomorrow's game is still unknown.  Washington averages 72 ppg but and shoots 35% on 3s.  3 players average in double figures led by Great Osobor at 14.9 ppg and he is also their leading rebounder at 8.4/gm.  Their highest volume 3-point shooters Mekhi Mason and D. J. Davis average 42% and 36% respectively.  Next Tuesday night at 9:00 ET on FS1 we're at Oregon 

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[HoosierCoop 4,107]

Heading into the great Northwest is definitely uncharted territory for IU.  In the past, did we ever go this far up in the corner of a West Region NCAA bracket?

[WayneFleekHoosier 49,856]

This is almost but not necessarily a must win. I think we have a tough time in this one.  Huge game for us.  

[Hornsby 3,171]

Iu 103
Washington 65

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[Class of '66 Old Fart 87,780]

2 hours ago, Hornsby said:

Iu 103
Washington 65

Sent from my SM-A146U using Tapatalk
 

This is the game thread.  You're welcome.

[Hoosierfan1901 7,261]

Surprisingly, UW is the only team I haven’t watched all season long

[TheWatShot 14,955]

We last played UW in the 2K Sports Classic in 2013, winning 102-84. Troy Williams was a freshman. Watching that game made it hard to believe we'd be so bad offensively the rest of the year. 

[Dave from Dayton 3,892]

Game Day!  Get excited....   Washington Huskies?  Coach Danny Sprinkle's first year with the team is being questioned:

"...18th out of 18 with four games to go? 

Yes, there have been a couple of injuries to UW’s post players. Chris Conway, the transfer from Oakland (Mich.), has not suited up all season. Franck Kepnang, who is perpetually sidelined, missed 17 games in a row before returning Jan. 24. But the season was never going to come down to that pair’s health. 

This Husky team just never came together. 

Some might point to the brutal schedule they faced in the early weeks of conference play. Fair. Except that doesn’t excuse some of the drubbings they experienced. Michigan State beat them by 34. Michigan trounced them by 16 the next game. And though the Huskies led Purdue by eight at halftime, they were outscored by 19 in the final 20 minutes. 

So have there been any signs of potential? 

Sure. Topping Maryland, the 16th-ranked team in the country, made it seem as though UW could hang with some of the nation’s top teams. This wasn’t the Huskies getting hot from outside and making a bevy of uncharacteristic shots — this was them simply outplaying the Terps. " Here’s upside of disappointing first year for Washington Husky men under Danny Sprinkle | The Seattle Times      

From a fan's comment on the above-linked article: "...they've been improving. they haven't been able to convert that into very many wins yet, but with the offense running through Zoom and Osobor, they have at least looked functional and competitive." 

Washington, a PAC 12 football-oriented program is bound to have the men's basketball team have some growing pains after they joined the tough B1G conference.  They are just about completing a $60 million upgrade of basketball facilities.  And they popped for $2 million, I understand, for a PG, and he is out there right now.  (Not worth it, some say.)

The keys to this game:  A good start would help; Ballo vs Franck Kepnang 6'11" who gets 2 fouls first; 3-point efficiency; turnovers; effort on both sides of the game; Reneau.

Kepnang is a big, broad-shouldered center who is an outstanding shot blocker and interior defender. He's naturally strong and hold his ground well and he's explosive off the floor, rising way above the rim. He's an intimidator and enforcer inside.  He missed a bunch of games with knee surgery this season...but he is back.  

We shall see. 

[RaceToTheTop 28,523]

Did Reneau travel with the team?

Regardless, I don’t have a great feeling about this one.

[Dave from Dayton 3,892]

11 minutes ago, RaceToTheTop said:

Did Reneau travel with the team?

Regardless, I don’t have a great feeling about this one.

Yes, Reneau is in Washington.

Washington is playing better.  But so is IU.

Washington has lost many games because they had nothing for a while.  They do not defend the 3.  Can IU hit the 3 today?   Inside, it will depend on which center gets 2 fouls first.  And will Miles Rice play with his head down driving into trouble?  Will Galloway turn over the ball?  Will Mgbako have a good game?

[Class of '66 Old Fart 87,780]

[WayneFleekHoosier 49,856]

WIN. THE. DAMN. THING.


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[HoosierX 1,757]

21 hours ago, WayneFleekHoosier said:

This is almost but not necessarily a must win. I think we have a tough time in this one.  Huge game for us.  

It might be a must-win. I'm not sure we get in without being able to say we don't have any quad 2-4 losses.

[reconmkd 4,681]

Lets go! It's my B-Day, let's demolish some Huskies!

[Hovadipo 59,545]

I don’t think we have any can-lose’s left. For what seems like half the seasons I’ve been alive for, our March Madness starts a couple weeks before the BTT. 

[Demo 21,837]

This feels a little trappy before Oregon, but kind of think this might be one where they go out and a put an a$$-whuppin’ on someone. UW’s playing out the string and they have almost no home court advantage. They’re not good defensively. Set a tone early. Control it and keep them at arm’s length and eventually they’ll pack it in. Feel pretty good about this one. 

[Dave from Dayton 3,892]

5 minutes ago, Demo said:

This feels a little trappy before Oregon, but kind of think this might be one where they go out and a put an a$$-whuppin’ on someone. UW’s playing out the string and they have almost no home court advantage. They’re not good defensively. Set a tone early. Control it and keep them at arm’s length and eventually they’ll pack it in. Feel pretty good about this one. 

If it is a trap game...then it is IU that traps itself.  No one else to blame.

[HoosierHoopster 7,664]

Just now, Dave from Dayton said:

If it is a trap game...then it is IU that traps itself.  No one else to blame.

That’s the definition of a trap game, lol

[Dave from Dayton 3,892]

31 minutes ago, HoosierHoopster said:

That’s the definition of a trap game, lol

That is true.  We all know it.

But I am being more blunt.

I am not worried about it though.  With this team, anything can happen.  Worrying cannot help.

I have warmed up my random cuss word generator, though. 

     Take your click: 

@&*$!%
!$*%&
$*@%
$%*!
$&*
&!$ &*!@$
@$*&!% &!%@*$
$!*@%& %!*$
%@*&! $!%*&@
!$% !@%&

[Hoosierfan1901 7,261]

2 hours ago, Demo said:

This feels a little trappy before Oregon, but kind of think this might be one where they go out and a put an a$$-whuppin’ on someone. UW’s playing out the string and they have almost no home court advantage. They’re not good defensively. Set a tone early. Control it and keep them at arm’s length and eventually they’ll pack it in. Feel pretty good about this one. 

This is definitely a trap game, Washington has been playing a bit better recently