Washington

Rise and Fall: Pac-10 Program Review

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:19:22 -0700

Like civilizations, all great basketball programs eventually fall.. replaced by an upstart newcomer. In this week's Rise & Fall series, we'll take a look at which BCS programs are rising, falling, or merely treading water. Up today, the:

PAC-10

ARIZONA - DECLINING (SLOWLY )

While the Brandon Jennings loss hurts, its not the end of the world for this storied program. In fact, a steady decline has been occurring for the last handful of seasons. Bracketing the turn of the century, the Wildcats were a Top 10 RPI team in 8 of 10 seasons, but its hard to imagine those lofty heights being met in the near future. The talent level just isn't what it once was, and with this group, just making the Big Dance will be an accomplishment.

ARIZONA STATE - RISING

In Tempe, there's definitely (and finally) positive momentum building. Herb Sendek was obviously the first key, followed by the big catch of James Harden. With Harden back for another season, some are suggesting this is a Top 15 team. While I wouldn't go that far, this should be the best ASU team since at least 2003 (RPI of 32), and possibly as far back as the mid-nineties.

CALIFORNIA - DECLINING (SLOWLY )

While you might think this program is in a freefall, the reality is that the Bears haven't been good since 2003 (2006 being a flukey interlude). Last year's team won only 6 league games.. and that was with Ryan Anderson and DeVon Hardin. It would be an amazing accomplishment for new coach Mike Montgomery to match that total. Montgomery and stud recruit DJ Seeley prevent Cal from dropping into the Declining (Quickly) category, but it will take some time to get things back on the right track.

OREGON - STATUS QUO

The Ducks have been frustratingly mediocre for the last decade. In fact, there's only been one Top 30 team in the past 8 years. Last year's experienced team blahed it up to a 9-9 Pac-10 record (the NCAA bid simply being a result of the league's undeserved hype). While the roster turns over with some talented kids coming in, another similar mediocre effort should be in store. For whatever reason, the administration is satisfied with this state of affairs (recently extending Kent's contract), but I'm not as easily impressed.

OREGON STATE - DECLINING (QUICKLY)

In a sense, this is an unfair assessment. Last year's results were such an embarrassment (to not only the program, but D1 basketball in general) that there's really nowhere to go but up. But maybe I'm wrong.. their RPI trend is from 103, to 176, to 198, to 276.. leaving 40 more spots for OSU to fall. (In reality, the Pac-10 schedule strength creates a floor around 280 or so that OSU couldn't possibly fall through unless they literally didn't win a game all season).

STANFORD - STATUS QUO

Last year was impressive, but the Lopez twins were the main reason why. Now they should be back to the trend set in 05-06-07, about 17 wins and an RPI of 60. If anything, it might be a little worse this year, but those middling NIT-type teams should be the norm in the near future.

UCLA - STATUS QUO

Ben Howland has already completed one of the all-time great turnarounds.. turning an 11-win program into a three-time Final Four participant in less than a blink of the eye. Now, there's really nowhere to go but down. But considering the monster class heading to Westwood and the return of Darren Collison, another Final Four trip is certainly within reason. When Final Fours become the "status quo", you know you're doing a great job.

USC - RISING (SLOWLY)

While the one-year OJ Mayo era might simply be replaced by the one-year Demar DeRozan era.. Tim Floyd has already done a good job getting the Trojans back on track. In the last four years, the RPI has risen every season.. and this year's crew should once again fall in the Top 25-30 range. The next step for the program (now that they have the Galen Center) is to add the needed depth that will sustain the growth for years to come.

WASHINGTON - DECLINING (SLOWLY)

From 3rd in the country in 2005, the Huskies RPI has dropped from 35 to 81 to 121.. pretty brutal stuff. But they avoid the dreaded "Declining Quickly" category because I expect big-time improvement this season due to the return of Jon Brockman and an impressive recruiting class. Still, this was a program that was seemingly all the rage a handful of years ago, and now Lorenzo Romar and crew barely register on the national radar.

WASHINGTON STATE - RISING (SLOWLY)

Coming off two of the most improbable Top 25 seasons in college basketball history.. WSU is now at a crossroads. Do they begin the steady slide back into the dark & dank confines of the conference cellar, or does Tony Bennett ride the wave and build up a legitimate Top 25 program? Based on this year's loaded recruiting class (for WSU's standards), the latter seems more likely. While a major drop-off should be expected with Weaver, Low, etc gone.. the future is still bright in Pullman.

- up next & last is the SEC -

Additional Resources:

Rise & Fall: ACC

Rise & Fall: Big East

Rise & Fall: Big Ten

Picture of the Day: Abdul Gaddy & Avery Bradley

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:53:23 -0700

Picture of the Day

Thanks to our friends over at Icon Sports Media, we now have access to thousands of great college basketball photos to use on the site. Each day, CHN will feature a Picture of the Day, which might include a newsworthy, funny, or simply interesting subject. At the bottom will be a caption or headline that might be informative or amusing. The possibilities are endless!

Abdul Gaddy & Avery Bradley

These two top West Coast recruits and buddies from out of Washington showed up at the Reebok All-American Camp this week, where CHN writers were on hand to take in the action.

- Check out recent Pictures of the Day!

- Also check out the Cheerleader of the Day!

Big 12 / Pac-10 Hardwood Series Schedule

Press Release — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 09:57:07 -0700

Irving, Texas - The Big 12 and Pacific-10 Conferences have announced the dates and matchups for the 2008 Big 12 / Pac-10 Hardwood Series. The series is in its second year after beginning competition during the 2007-08 season.

The majority of the games are scheduled for December 4-7, with three taking place outside the four-day series window. Each matchup is a return contest from 2007. The 2009 games in the series will be played December 3-6, while meetings in 2010 will take place December 2-5. After this season, new pairings will be in place for the next two years of the arrangement.

Last season, the Pac-10 held a 7-5 edge over the Big 12 in Hardwood Series games. Overall, the Big 12 posted an 11-8 advantage between the conferences in regular season and postseason play. The 12 contests averaged more than 10,000 fans, drawing a total of 123,035 to the arenas.

Additional components of the series, including the times and television information will be announced at a later date.

BIG 12 / PAC-10 HARDWOOD SERIES

Thursday, December 4, 2008
Oklahoma State at Washington
UCLA at Texas
USC at Oklahoma

Friday, December 5, 2008
Arizona at Texas A&M

Saturday, December 6, 2008
Baylor at Washington State
Oregon State at Iowa State

Sunday, December 7, 2008
Kansas State at Oregon
Nebraska at Arizona State
California at Missouri

Outside the four-day series window
Colorado at Stanford (Sat., Nov. 29, 2008)
Kansas at Arizona (Tue., Dec. 23, 2008)
Texas Tech at Stanford (Sun., Dec. 28, 2008)

Cheerleader of the Day: Washington

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 09:35:11 -0800

Thanks to our friends over at Icon Sports Media, we now have access to thousands of great college basketball photos to use on the site. Each day, along with our Picture of the Day, we'll be featuring a Cheerleader of the Day. We'll be mixing up the schools & cheerleader so check back daily!

Washington

- Check out past Cheerleaders of the Day!

- Also check out the Picture of the Day!

Pac-10: All-January

Jeff Fox — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 08:28:59 -0800

Without a doubt the hardest conference to determine its top monthly players is the Pac-10. This is especially true when it comes to the front court players, where such luminaries as Chase Budinger and Ryan Anderson didn’t make the cut. So after much deliberation, here is the All-January Pac-10 team.

Guard – Darren Collison – UCLA – JR
14.6ppg, 4.3apg, 1.9spg
Best game – Jan 26th – Oregon State – 33 points, three assists, three steals

Except for a hiccup versus cross-town rival USC, the Bruins cruised through January. Collison, UCLA’s junior floor leader, had a very solid month as well, averaging 16 points, five assists, two steals and only two turnovers a game.

Guard – James Harden – Arizona State – FR
18.7ppg, 5.0rpg, 1.8spg
Best game – Jan 26th – Washington State – 25 points, five rebounds, four rebounds, three steals

Now that the tough Pac-10 conference schedule is under way, the Sun Devils have come back down to earth. Freshman Harden, however, has not – he started the month off with four straight 20-plus point nights and ended up averaging 21 points and five boards for January.

Forward – Brook Lopez – Stanford – SO
18.1ppg, 7.9rpg, 2.1bpg
Best game – Jan 31st – Washington – 31 points, 13 boards, three assists, three blocks

With Brook Lopez eligible and dominating again, the Cardinals are giving UCLA a real run for the top spot in the Pac-10. Lopez appears to be in game shape again, averaging 19 points, nine boards and two blocks a game in January, his first full month of action this year.

Forward – Jon Brockman - Washington – JR
18.4ppg, 11.3rpg, 1.2apg
Best game – Jan 19th – Oregon State – 26 points, 14 boards, 2 assists

Jon Brockman should be a big fan of the Oregon State Beavers – not only did he have his best game of the month versus them, but their ineptitude is also keeping his Huskies from cellar-dwelling in the conference. The burly forward was his usual steady self in January, putting up 19 point and 13 rebounds a game.

Center – Kevin Love – UCLA – JR
17.7ppg, 11.1rpg, 1.8apg
Best game – Jan 12th – Washington State – 27 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, two blocks

It was another typical month for Kevin Love – six double-doubles (including five in a row to end off the month) and averages of 19 points, 13 rebounds and two assists.

Next up – SEC

Monday Report Card: Fisher Goes Off For 45

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 09:16:03 -0800

The Report Card

A - Charron Fisher / Calvin Murphy

Scoring points has never been a problem for Fisher, but he took it to another level by scoring 45 last night. He was neck and neck with VMI's Reggie Williams for the national scoring lead, but moved to 27.6 ppg (0.9 ahead) after last night's outburst. It was the highest total by a Purple Eagle in over a decade and just one off the MAAC record set back in 1986. But what's truly amazing is that it wasn't even one of the Top 10 scoring totals in Niagara history. This due to the unstoppable sums put up by the legendary Calvin Murphy, recently named one of college basketball's Top 25 all-time best players by ESPN. Murphy scored 47 or better 11 times, including a high of 68. That's getting it done.

B - South Alabama

Another ho hum win for the Jags last night, who improved to 20-4, 12-1 on the season. With a solid RPI of 34, its time people give USA more respect as a potential at-large bid. Locked in a tight race with Western Kentucky, the Jaguars will have some serious competition for the Sun Belt title. Their lone big non-conference win was at home over Mississippi State, who looks like they'll make the Tournament at this point. Their lone losses in OOC play were at Ole Miss, at Vandy, and against Miami (OH). All three of those teams were great teams at the time (lets not forget Miami had just beaten Xavier and took USC down to the wire the next time out), while Ole Miss and Vandy didn't lose a game in 2007. The losses to the SEC teams were on the road and extremely close, so USA certainly good have won those games at home or on a neutral court. If

C - Clemson

It's amazing that Clemson still has never beaten UNC on the road. 0-53 now, the longest losing streak at one opponent in NCAA history. You'd figure, just by pure chance over the past 50 years that the Tigers would catch the Heels on a night that their shots weren't falling and that their point guard was out.. Oh wait, last night was that night and they still lost. It's amazing how last night's loss was reminiscent of their results in recent seasons: A great start, getting out to what seems like an insurmountable lead (ie, a tournament lock), before collapsing in an inevitable and comical fashion.

D - Chase Budinger

What happened to Budinger's game? He's been nonexistent in Arizona's last two losses.. combining for 13 points on 5 of 24 shooting (21%). In the two losses to ASU, Budinger's 5 for 25 (20%). Its safe to say the Sun Devils simply own him right now. I'm still not sure what to make out of Arizona right now.. they have a lot of decent wins over Top 100 teams and no really horrible losses. Yet they seem primed to get too high of a seed thanks to the RPI, and then proceed to lose in the 1st or 2nd round.

F - Tim Morris

You've probably seen the clips by now of the Huskies senior throwing the ball of Alfred Aboya's face. There's really nothing to add here that the clip doesn't show.. except for ouch that hurts.

The Daily Report Card tells you all you need to know about the day in college hoops. From good to bad and bad to worse, I'll be laying down the law.

Previous Best / Worst

February 8th - Big West / Virginia

February 6th - Chris Lofton / Dick Vitale

February 5th - Bob Knight / Josh Heytvelt

February 4th - New York Giants / Washington State

February 1st - Nevada / Penn

January 31st - Kansas State / St. John's

January 29th - Winthrop / Dyson & Wiggins

January 28th - Rutgers / Doris Burke

January 25th - Ron Hunter / Princeton Offense

January 23rd - Kentucky / Archbishop Burke

January 22nd - DJ Augustin / Scott Sutton

January 21st - New York Giants / Marquette

January 20th - Maryland / ESPN.com editors

January 18th - Cleveland State / Marquette

January 17th - Drake / HP Laptops

January 14th - Roy Hibbert / Michigan State

January 10th - Tony Bennett / Saint Louis

January 9th - DJ White / CSTV

January 8th - Robert Morris / Schedule Makers

January 7th - Wayne Ellington / Illinois

January 6th - Herb Sendek / Kentucky

Picture of the Day: The Beast at Washington

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 06:57:11 -0800

Picture of the Day

Bob Sapp

Now I know why Tim Morris decided to get dirty and throw the ball of Alfred Aboya's face.. The Huskies senior must have been inspired by alum Bob Sapp, a MMA fighting star who came out during a timeout to inspire the crowd. The anything goes violence of "The Beast" must have rubbed off on Morris.

- Check out recent Pictures of the Day!

Adrian Oliver Leaving Washington

Jeff Borzello — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 08:14:12 -0800

Washington sophomore guard Adrian Oliver has announced that he is leaving the Huskies' program and will transfer to another school. He informed coach Lorenzo Romar before practice on Tuesday that he wanted to go closer to home. "I know I see myself as a big-time player in this league," Oliver told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "I didn't see myself being that sort of player in this program." Oliver confirmed that Pac-10 rivals California and Stanford are among the schools pursuing him. Romar said Oliver had trouble adjusting to life away from home in Modesto, Calif. "He thought being away from home was something that he could adjust to, but being here has just been too difficult for him, being away from his family," Romar told the Seattle Times. With Oliver gone, only one of four players remain from Romar's 2006 recruiting class. He averaged 3.4 points per game this season.

Daily Poll: Who Is Washington's Best Team?

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 08:24:28 -0800

CHN Player of the Week: Jon Brockman

Jeff Borzello — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 20:12:47 -0800

While last week’s Player of the Week decision was a no-brainer – Kansas State’s Michael Beasley had 62 points and 38 rebounds in the first two games of his career – it wasn’t the same this time. There were some noteworthy single-game performances, like Beasley going off for 28 and 22, Cincinnati’s Deonta Vaughn hit nine three-pointers and had 36 points and Tennessee-Martin’s Lester Hudson had a quadruple-double. However, the one player who had several consistently good games was Washington’s Jon Brockman. The 6-7 junior forward was very impressive in his first week without lottery pick Spencer Hawes, who went to the NBA Draft early after last season.

He kicked things off with a solid 12-point, nine-rebound performance in only 21 minutes against NJIT, but followed it with a mammoth effort in a win over Utah. Brockman finished with 31 points and 18 rebounds, and thoroughly outplayed 7-1 center Luke Nevill, Utah’s star big man. Brockman played 37 minutes, committing only one foul and holding Nevill scoreless for a stretch of 14 and a half minutes. Brockman wasn’t done, though, scoring 26 points and grabbing eight rebounds in a victory against Eastern Washington on Sunday. All in all, Brockman had a terrific week, averaging 23 points and 11.7 rebounds in three games.

It will be interesting to see how Brockman does in the next couple of weeks when he faces better competition on a more consistent basis. This week, he faces DeAndre Jordan and Joseph Jones of Texas A&M on Wednesday, and also goes up against Oklahoma State and Pittsburgh in the first eight days of December. The Huskies are expected to finish in seventh or eighth in the Pac-10, leaving them squarely on the bubble heading into Selection Sunday.

2007-08 Collegehoops.net Players of the Week

November 11th - Michael Beasley, FR, F, Kansas State
November 18th - Jon Brockman, JR, F, Washington