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Follow the Husky basketball team's journey through the NCAA Tournament with an exclusive all-access behind the scenes look in the Dancin' With The Dawgs Blog. We'll provide updates, photos, videos, important information for fans and take your comments and questions (submit below).
Thanks Dawgs For A Great Season
Saturday, March 21, 2009 (6:00 pm)
It's hard to believe that after such an excellent season, it has come to an end. Needless to say the locker room was a somber one with a lot of raw emotion amongst the group. Coach Romar reminded the guys that as much as the loss hurt, they have to hold their head's up high and remember that they had an excellent season. PAC-10 CHAMPS!!! There is a lot to be said about that!
Sadly, it marked the final game for the Huskies' three seniors: Jon Brockman, Justin Dentmon and Artem Wallace. Jon addressed the team thanking them for the ride and said he loved everyone in that room. I think I can speak for all Husky fans when I say ditto to you Jon from the fans!
GO HUSKIES! Here is a RECAP of the game which contains quotes from both teams and a photo gallery.
PS...the Huskies are travelling home tonight, not staying in Portland.
From The Garden
Saturday, March 21, 2009 (2:30 pm)
3:58: The game is really tense and the refs are calling it super tight right now. Brockman will be going to the line for the first time this game! We'll be back post-game, so check in later. GO DAWGS!
7:46: Purdue holds a 60-56 lead. UW had a couple chances to get within a bucket, but have turned the ball over and not been able to secure the defensive rebound. Purdue ball when action resumes.
9:32: UW on a 10-4 run to cut the lead to four. Helped by a marvelous pump fake and 3-point shot by Turner.
11:59: Pondexter has been stoppable while driving...but only because Purdue keeps fouling him. The Huskies will shoot free throws the rest of the way out as the Boilermakers have picked up their 7th team foul (UW has 4). Despite the 16-9 foul differencial in the Huskies' favor, Washington has shot just 4 more free throws.
13:34: The Huskies have used an 8-4 mini run to get the Husky crowd back into the game.
15:52: Purdue has extended their lead to 12 after UW cut it to 9 at 16:32. Purdue is a tough team and the Dawgs are going to have to go on one of their trademark runs to make up some of the deficit. Purdue's fans are starting to feel real comfortable and their team definitely has a lot of confidence right now.
Halftime: The last set by Purdue before the halftime kind of summed up the half in general. Purdue is outrebounding the Huskies 20-16, shooting 45.5% to UW's 35.5% ... the only category the Huskies hold the advantage in is fouls, where Purdue has 9 and UW 5. The 39-28 deficit is the second largest of the season the Huskies have faced. They were down 17 to ASU in the Pac-10 Tournament, where they rallied to take the lead before falling.
4:54 on clock: Purdue answered a 10-2 run by the Huskies with a 10-3 run of their own. Seems like the refs are letting a lot of contact go on down low, making life tough on Jon Brockman. I think Lorenzo Romar called the timeout to get into the refs ears a little as he immediately went to them to plead his case. Purdue is 4-of-8 from three-point range, and the Huskies are 2-for-5.
7:47 on clock: Huskies seem to have waken up a little bit, but find themselves down 8 points. Purdue is finding themselves in a little foul trouble with bench player Marcus Green having 3 fouls already and the Huskies in the bonus.
3:00 pm: Huskies are 5-16 from the field while Purdue has heated up to 8-15.
2:50 pm: The Dawgs are struggling to get going. UW is 2-for-8 from the field with Purdue 3-for-9.
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Game Day
Saturday, March 21, 2009 (10:15 am)
T-Minus four-and-a-half hours to tipoff! The team will enjoy an early lunch before heading to the arena today around 1 pm. The team had a relaxing evening in preparation for today's game at 2:40 pm PT (CBS-TV).
We posted an AP story on our front page by Gregg Bell that talked about the struggles of Justin Dentmon growing up and in his first couple years at Washington. You can read about it HERE. Let's hope that we can add at least a sunny trip to Phoenix to JD's list of accomplishments to the season!
GO DAWGS!!!
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Friday Notes
Friday, March 20, 2009 (4:15 pm)
The team held a closed practice this morning at Portland State University, choosing to bypass their alloted time on the court at the Rose Garden. The team still had to participate in the NCAA mandated press conferences, which was interesting to say the least.
In the locker room, the guys were in a very jovial mood. Yes, this is a business trip, but it was good to see the guys loosen up and enjoying the experience. Players like Scott Suggs and Justin Holiday turned the tables on the media and grabbed the microphone from KOMO-TV and conducted their own interviews. Needless to say, the mock interview were very amusing and made light of everyone in the room.
Justin Dentmon also displayed his artistic skills, drawing a stellar picture of Coach Romar on the whiteboard. His teammates proved to be excellent critics and advised him on adjustments to make the picture more realistic. I think Justin has a career ahead of him as a cartoonist!
The Dawgs will be pretty low-key tonight. They will dine in a hotel meeting room and have a film session tonight. Kind of a tame Friday night, but perfect for them as they prepare for Purdue tomorrow.
By the way, in case you were wondering, Jon Brockman appears to feel no after effects from his fall during yesterday's game. "I was banged up but nothing serious, it was a best case scenario.
Make sure to check out this PHOTO GALLERY from today. It definitely shows the mood of the guys.
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Dawgs, Purdue Tipoff Time Announced
Thursday, March 19, 2009 (9:45 pm)
It's finally official. Saturday's second round NCAA Tournament game between Washington and Purdue will tipoff at 2:40 p.m. (Pacific) at The Rose Garden in Portland. The game will be televised live by CBS with Kevin Harlan and Dan Bonner describing the action. Or, you can listen to Dave Sims and P.J. Carlesimo call the action for Westwood One. Or, better yet, you can listen to Bob Rondeau and Jason Hamilton give Husky fans their perspective via the Washington ISP Sports Network and GoHuskies.com!
Don't forget to check back to GoHuskies.com tomorrow afternoon with coverage of the UW and Purdue's press conferences.
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Dawgs To Play Another Day
Thursday, March 19, 2009 (5:40 pm)
An excellent effort by the Huskies has propelled them to play another day on Saturday, this time against Big-10 Conference Tournament Champion Purdue. The game time has yet to be announced. We'll know more later tonight after all the games are completed and we will post it here and many other places on the website.
The team was happy in the locker room with how they played, but not overly exuberant. Coach Romar told the team that today they executed their scouting plan from top to bottom better than they have perhaps all season long! They know that there is still much left to accomplish, but today was a great start.
The team returned to the hotel at 5:00 pm and ate in the hotel. They will relax in the hotel, some probably visiting with their families, before watching video tonight.
Check out our AP game recap and a TOM HAUCK PHOTO GALLERY and AP PHOTO GALLERY. • Submit Questions and Comments
Game Day Morning
Thursday, March 19, 2009 (10:00 am)
Not much to report. The team went to Portland State for a shoot around at 8:45-9:30 and is now eating breakfast back at the hotel. After breakfast the guys have a little time to relax before taking off to the Rose Garden at noon.
In case you have been living in a cave, the Huskies tip at approximately 2 pm and the game will be on CBS.
Early games are under way. It is officially March Madness....GO DAWGS!
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Dunk Photo Gallery
Wednesday, March 18, 2009 (6:15 pm)
The Huskies spent the final 15 minutes of their open practice session showing off their dunking abilities. Click below for a peek at some of the better photos from the impromptu competition, including Isaiah Thomas scaling Joe Wolfinger.
DUNK GALLERY
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The Coaches & Players Speak
Wednesday, March 18, 2009 (6:00 pm)
Check out the transcripts of today's Washington and Mississippi State press conferences right here on GoHuskies.com. You can also read this interesting Associated Press story outlining how Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury is imploring Oregon fans to support the Bulldogs and not the rival Huskies.
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Wednesday Recap
Wednesday, March 18, 2009 (3:45 pm)
Hey there Dawg fans! The team is done with the NCAA mandated portion of the day. Now the players have a few hours to rest and relax before they head out to dinner at 5:15.
The team started the day with a practice from 11 am to 1 pm at Portland State University. Former Husky assistant and current PSU coach Ken Bone was a visitor during practice. He chatted with many familiar faces from his time at UW and then had to hit the road himself as the Vikings are heading to Boise for their regional.
After the two hour practice the team headed to the Rose Garden. Most of the team mingled in the locker room with the media, while Justin Dentmon, Jon Brockman and Lorenzo Romar took the main interview room stage for NCAA mandated formal press conferences (CLICK HERE to read the quotes from the press conference). I stayed in the locker room with the remaining team as a horde of media conducted their business. The most unusual sight was Isaiah Thomas conducting his interviews while sitting inside the actual locker. He was probably the only guy that could fit in that tight space!
BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE HUSKIES |
The team then took the court at 2:15 and was greeted by a nice-sized Husky contingency. Since the team had already practiced, they did basic shooting drills and acclimated themselves to the feel of the court and the shooting backdrop. For the final 10 minutes of the practice, the Huskies took turns showing off their dunking prowess. Venoy Overton and Thomas seemed to be the crowd favorite. Early in the session, Thomas jumped over 7-footer Joe Wolfinger to dunk...unfortunately we don't have video of that, but we do have video of other dunks and scenes from the day.
Click here to see the updated PHOTO GALLERY with photos from yesterday and today and enjoy the behind-the-scenes video from earlier today! Also, below is an answer to a question that many of you coming down to Portland may be interested in knowing.
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Sean -- I heard that there are going to be shuttles from the Benson hotel and the On Deck Sports bar, do you guys happen to know approximate times of when that is going to happen?
The shuttle from the Hotel Benson to On Deck will run from 11-12, from On Deck to Rose Garden from 1-2.
Today's Schedule
Wednesday, March 18, 2009 (8:15 am)
Today's NCAA Tournament Schedule
11:20 - Northern Iowa Press Conferences
Noon - Northern Iowa Practice
12:05 - Mississippi State Press Conferences
12:45 - Mississippi State Practice
12:50 - Purdue Press Conferences
1:30 - Purdue Practice
1:35 - Washington Press Conferences
2:15 - Washington Practice
3:45 - Gonzaga Press Conferences
4:25 - Gonzaga Practice
4:30 - Illinois Press Conferences
5:10 - Illinois Practice
5:15 - Akron Press Conferences
5:55 - Akron Practice
6:00 - Western Kentucky Press Conferences
6:40 - Western Kentucky Practice
*Practices conducted at The Rose Garden and open to the public.
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In Oregon
Tuesday, March 17, 2009 (8:20 pm)
The team arrived safely in Portland around 5:30 at the Benson Hotel in downtown. It was a relatively uneventful trip as most of the players slept on the drive down.
The hotel is a beautiful, older hotel that has housed many dignitaries and famous stars throughout the years. The lobby was decorated with both purple and gold balloons and red and blue balloons. Gonzaga is also staying at the Benson, which was assigned to the two top teams in the Portland Region. There was no sign of the Zags yet!
The team settled into the rooms and headed to P.F. Chang's in the Pearl District for dinner. Pictures of the Huskies in the lobby and at dinner are posted in the gallery below.
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Barb -- I am growing so tired of hearing the ESPN analysts project that Washington could be upset by Mississippi State! I am sure that Husky nation would agree! It's really funny hearing the Oregon sports broadcasters learning to cheer for the Huskies! Yes, I will always be a Husky fan, even if I live in OR! Go Huskies!
Bham_Husky -- How many UW fans do you estimate will be at the game?
It is hard to tell since so many of the tickets were sold before the teams were assigned regions. But, I can tell you Washington quickly sold out of its allotment and that ticket brokers and those selling tickets through other methods have probably had no problem finding takers. With the jaunt from Seattle to Portland so short, you can bet there will be a fair share of Husky fans in the crowd .
Photo Gallery of Team's Departure to Portland
Tuesday, March 17, 2009 (3:50 p.m.)
Here's a brief photo gallery of some of the Huskies as they boarded their bus this afternoon to drive down I-5 to Portland. A good number of UW athletic department staff member were on hand, along with a few fans and reporters. Safe travels, Huskies!
GALLERY
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Practice, Finals & Then On The Road
Tuesday, March 17, 2009 (11:07 am)
The Huskies are practicing on the BOA court in preparation for Mississippi State as I write this. It is a hectic schedule for the guys as they not only have to get ready for MSU on Thursday, but most of the guys are in the midst of finals! At least they are lucky in that all they have to do is hop on a bus and take the 3 hour trek south on I-5, while the Bulldogs lose basically an entire day on travel.
Speaking of travel, the Huskies leave around (UPDATE: around 2 pm departure). I say "around" because Jon Brockman has a final ending close to 1:30 and it might be close!! But suffice to say, that bus is not leaving without him! They will be loading the buses just north of BOA by the tennis courts if anyone wants to stop by and cheer the team on.
By the way, for those making the trek to Portland, the Husky Baseball team is playing in PGE Park on Friday at noon and have several games on Saturday and Sunday. PGE Park is a neat park in downtown and it would be cool for guys if a bunch of Husky fans showed up to cheer them on. And don't forget, if you don't have a ticket but want to be in Portland, the official headquarters for Husky fans is the On Deck Sports Bar (910 NW 14th, in the Pearl District).
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Huskies Monday Practice
Monday, March 16, 2009 (2:45 pm)
The Dawgs are taking the court for practice at 3:00 pm. Preparations are being made in Bank of America Arena for the NCAA Women's First and Second Round, so the Dawgs will get to practice surrounded by the blue colors associated with the NCAA. Hopefully the colors will give the Huskies an advantage in adapting to their surroundings in Portland.
Also, take a look at the photo. Isaiah Thomas showed up 20 minutes prior to practice for a phone interview and was spotted wearing these very Husky-spirited socks. It would be a nice look during a game, don't you think?
Coach Romar met with several members of the media today before the team took the court. Here is what he had to say.
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Portland Site Info
Monday, March 16, 2009 (9:30 am)
The Huskies will leave by bus to Portland on Tuesday around 12:30 pm. The will be staying at the Benson in downtown, a hotel that has been frequented by several Presidents during their stays in the Rose City.
The Dawgs will get things rolling on Wednesday with press conferences at the Rose Garden. The selected student-athletes will be at 1:35 pm and Coach Romar will follow them to the podium at 1:50 pm. Two players are required to attend the press conference, most likely to be Jon Brockman and Justin Dentmon.
The Huskies will then strap their shoes on for an open practice from 2:15 until 2:55 pm. This is a great opportunity for fans to get an up close look at the team. The Huskies probably won't tip their hand much on schemes during the session, so from a scouting standpoint it isn't very helpful to the opponent.
In case you missed it, the Huskies are scheduled to tip the ball on Thursday at approximately 2:00 pm. The official Husky Headquarters for fans and KJR is On Deck Sports Bar and Grill in the Pearl District.
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Selection Show Party
Sunday, March 15, 2009 (4:00 pm)
What an exciting day down on Montlake! Fans starting filing into the Don James Center at 1:45 pm despite the "doors not opening until 2:30." By 2:30, there was not a seat to be found in the house. You have to hand it to Husky fans -- they sure do like to show up punctually!
The team arrived to the DJ Center shortly after 2:30 and the couple of hundred fans greeted them very warmly. Head Coach Lorenzo Romar popped in around 2:45 and addressed the crowd. Not surprisingly, he said the Huskies were very excited to find out where they would play and they would play anywhere -- even Alaska! Thankfully, Alaska was not one of the many options available!
The team and crowd settled in around 3:00 pm and all anxiously awaited the official announcement on CBS. The Midwest Region was announced first, and the most memorable response from the crowd was when Arizona was announced. There were some cheers and boos, as expected, but a quick mental calculation meant that six Pac-10 teams were going to make it into the tournament. For a supposed "down year", six teams seems rather impressive. What is even better is that Washington was the regular-season conference championship!
SELECTION SHOW PRESS CONFERENCE |
At about 3:15, the West Region was announced and you could sense the excitement building in the crowd. The wait was quickly over as Washington was revealed as a No. 4 seed and the place erupted! It was fun watching the eruption in person and then seeing the 15-second delay on CBS! The players hooped and hollered with the rest of the crowd for a time and then settled down long enough to see that the Huskies drew 13th seed Mississippi State.
I think there was some uncertainty in the air from the crowd as many realized that the Bulldogs had just won the SEC title earlier that day. But, the Husky players didn't seem to mind. The reality is, if you want to go far in the NCAA Tournament, you have to beat some good teams -- and Mississippi State is definitely a good team.
MSU comes into the tourney riding a six-game win streak and needed to win their conference championship to make it into the tournament, so they are definitely riding high. But, what is lost in the shuffle is that Washington had won six straight also before falling to ASU in the Pac-10 Conference Tournament Semifinals. If they can somehow string six wins in a row again after a loss, then the Huskies will be National Champions!
As Jon Brockman once famously said: "CAN YOU DIG IT?!?!"
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