A closer look at how Washington matches up with Mississippi State

by John Berkowitz on Mar 17, 2009 7:31 PM PDT

The Washington Huskies return to the NCAA Basketball Tournament for the first time in three years when they play the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Thursday afternoon in Portland.

For seniors Jon Brockman and Justin Dentmon this will be their last Big Dance as Huskies. Both played important roles as freshman the last time UW was in the tournament. It is fitting they go out as the same way they came in as valuable components of a team that could go deep in the tournament.

The initial draw didn't do them any favors as they face a tough Mississippi State team that is coming off an SEC conference tournament championship. The Bulldogs depend on 6'9 pivot Jarvis Varnado who is one of the best shot blockers in the country. He reminds a little bit of USC's Taj Gibson who swatted away more than a few shots in two losses the Huskies this season.

Mississippi State isn't as deep as the Huskies and they aren't as talented. If you take Jarvis Varnado out of the equation this is a very average team that wouldn't be playing in this tournament. Washington will try to drive the ball inside early to try to get the big guy in early foul trouble to negate his impact on the court.

Washington matches up well with the Bulldogs at every position on the court and having a bull like Brockman to battle it out with Varnado gives Washington an edge that most teams don't in the muscle category. Varnado only is listed at 210 pounds so you have to think that the 6'7 255 pound Brockman will be able to dominate him in most categories going into this one.

Varnado doesn't only block shots. He can score to and leads the team with an average of 13.1 points per game going into the tourney. He was voted to the first string SEC All Star team this past season.

On the outside the Huskies have an advantage when it comes to speed and depth. The Bulldogs like the Huskies sport a freshman point guard in Dee Bost who has been impressive this season averaging 11 points per game. Head to head I have to give the edge to Isaiah Thomas. When you add Venoy Overton to the mix you factor in a lot of pressure all game long for Bost to deal with.

Other Bulldogs to contend with are swing man Ravern Johnson who averages 12.2 points per game and shooting guard Barry Stewart who averages an even 12. Like the Huskies the Bulldogs spread out the scoring and have a pretty balanced offense.

Washington State had no problem beating these guys on a neutral court earlier this season. Defensively even with Vanardo's shot blocking ability I give the Huskies an edge because of the pressure and depth they can deploy with the guards out on the perimeter. I give Washington the overall advantage in this one because the Huskies just seem to have a little more talent and depth on the roster.

Like almost every game the Huskies have played in this season it will be close. UW doesn't blow away opponents they wear them down. Washington has that extra energy to win the last ten minutes of most games. Factor in the semi home court advantage of playing in front of a lot of purple in Portland and I pick the Huskies by nine points in this one.

(Note we had a formatting error earlier in this article that has been cleaned up. Sorry for the inconvenience.)

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John I think you need a little edit on this one

It ran twice.

If you take Jarvis Varnado out of the equation this is a very average team

Even with him they’re a very average team. 60th in the Pomeroy Rankings is worse than all non-Oregon Pac-10 teams. 9-7 in the SEC, whose best team (Tennesse) is 32nd in the Pomeroys. The Pac-10’s 7th best team (WSU) is 31st.
KenPom has the Huskies at 76% to win, but that’s with the assumption that the game will be played on a neutral court. It won’t. Mississippi State is a bad basketball team. I’m sick of hearing that we got a bad draw.

http://www.spartyandfriends.com/

by thecassino on Mar 17, 2009 4:05 PM PDT reply actions

What scares me about MSU is the fact that they are HOT. You blow thru the SEC and you are playing pretty good ball. Now the SEC is in a tailspin year, but still they managed to put some wins together entering the tourament. At this point in the season you should never overlook anybody, especially a team like Mississippi State who play in a down year SEC, who I might add are in it to get a little respect. Becuase right now MSU and the rest of the SEC are getting dis-ed.

I am confident, but remain cautious of a team from a big conference that wants respect and will rightfully play for it.

All I saw was purple

by crazidawg on Mar 17, 2009 4:14 PM PDT up reply actions

Formatting error

I didn’t catch it before I left the house.

It happens when you cram too much on one plate.

by John Berkowitz on Mar 17, 2009 7:47 PM PDT up reply actions

Yeah, I don't doubt it.

Just bringing it to your attention, cuz I thought it was a little odd when I started reading things a second time.

Keep up the good work.

http://www.spartyandfriends.com/

by thecassino on Mar 17, 2009 10:18 PM PDT up reply actions

You guys are my Editors....

I was out at dinner and checked the handheld and saw the problem. You see something wrong I appreciate the heads up.

by John Berkowitz on Mar 17, 2009 10:41 PM PDT up reply actions

I think it is important to play our uptempo game and not worry so much about Mississppi State’s defense. We need to take it right at Varnado and make it a physical game. We’ve got enough bodies to throw at him. Make him sweat and work, where fatigue sets in- fatigue leads to out of position fouls.

Dentmon needs to get hot out on the perimeter again. From what I have seen all season long from our team is that we’ve had the abiltiy to score out on the perimeter, driving the lane, and in the low post. To win in this tournament you’ve got to hit big shots from the perimeter- Dentmon and IT need to step up. Furthermore Gant, Holiday, and Overton need to knock down some shots too. Gant, Holiday, and Overton’s ability to knock down some shots will keep Brockman and QPon from getting doubled up. ASU did this and it worked. Guarrenteed Brockman will be double teamed if those guys don’t hit a few shots.

All I saw was purple

by crazidawg on Mar 17, 2009 4:08 PM PDT reply actions

As a regular reader of the blog....

I can assure you casino that John does very little in the form of editing.

by wobbly wobbly on Mar 17, 2009 4:08 PM PDT reply actions

Wobbly Wobbly and anyone else....

Lets see we have around 600 members right now. We could charge them each $120 per year like Dawgman does and I could quit my day job or hire an editor. That would give me around $72,000 a year to work with and I am sure we could clean up the grammar etc… . We could start calling kids up and down the coast at all hours of the day and put out a better overall product.

The point I am trying to make is we supply one – three articles for your enjoyment 365 days per year. I just happen to be on the board of one company, run two other businesses, and have a pretty good family and social life. We even travel four weeks a year.

Most of the stuff you read is written either very early in the morning or late at night. Sometimes stuff slips by and that is just the way it goes. If you don’t get it or appreciate it there are other options out there for your Husky fix.

I was very happy when we had only three readers and that was counting me. Now that we have 1200 people visiting per day and 600 posting members the results are exactly the same. A lot of work and no money in return.

The payoff is when someone says they appreciate the effort.

It isn’t like I am trying to win a Pullitzer or get rich.

by John Berkowitz on Mar 17, 2009 7:45 PM PDT reply actions

That's why we love ya John

You do it because you’re as big a Husky fan as any of us and have the motivation to do this, a lot more motivation than the rest of us. We just read and respond after you get things started. Fanposts excluded.

Thanks John and thanks to Kate for letting him continue doing the blog.

Jack

by T9ODawg on Mar 17, 2009 8:25 PM PDT up reply actions

I appreciate what you do, John

As a new reader I am very happy to have found this place. I have been looking for a place with intelligent discourse on both Dawgs football and basketball for, what seems like, ever and I’m happy to have found that here. I appreciate the work you do with this site and am willing to accept the occaisional slip-up because, like most bloggers, you have a whole other life you are a part.

Having a full-time job and family leaves precious little time to post on here. So I would hope most understand that if there is a slip-up that is left uncorrected it is due to lack of caring about the blog or the content.

Keep up the good work, John.

"I call the big one Bitey."-Homer J. Simpson

by Willie Mays Haze on Mar 17, 2009 9:35 PM PDT up reply actions

Thanks Willie

I would still make mistakes….just not as many.

If all I had to do in my work life was crank out three columns per week I think I could do a pretty good job. If I wrote a couple as well as Art Thiel or Jerry Brewer do every day a couple of times per year it would surprise me. If I worked in an environment being tutored for a decade by guys like that I might have a future writing obitiuaries some day….lol.

I respect what the pro’s bring to the table.

A man has to know his limitiations!

by John Berkowitz on Mar 17, 2009 9:50 PM PDT up reply actions

Best blog on the net John.

I really appreciate this. When the UW football program went down hill all hell broke loose on the Dawgman boards. It got very iritating to try to have a legitamate football conversation without the thread being jacked. This blog has given me and others a place to have football / basketball talk without all the other BS. – Thank you!

by Snostrebla on Mar 18, 2009 9:46 AM PDT up reply actions

Pretty much the reason I started it

I love those guys but the message boards which were once fantastic became a bummer. Now I just browse and seldom post.

by John Berkowitz on Mar 18, 2009 12:57 PM PDT up reply actions

I dont pay you to have a social life...

but if you ever wanted to make this a real paying gig let me know. I would be more than happy to quit my job and spend my days reporting on recruits and watching UW football practices. Man that would be the life.

by bigdave967 on Mar 18, 2009 6:05 AM PDT up reply actions

Its pretty much free from....

Throw some idea’s and commentary out there and let it take on a life of its own.

The guys that take the time to write the fans posts are great. It really adds quite a bit to what we are trying to do here.

I love Dawgman but this place is quite different. The goal is to have civil and intelligent discourse about Husky athletics and we have achieved that goal. It will only get better as time goes on. I think 99.9% of the people here get it.

I hate to get on a soap box but every once in awhile I just have to tell it like it is.

by John Berkowitz on Mar 17, 2009 9:02 PM PDT reply actions

I appreciate the effort, JB

I also like your fanposts. Bob C has good info, but his fanposts are silly, even though he has no control over them.

PS JB, this is no time to go wobbly on us.

by dawgdude on Mar 17, 2009 9:09 PM PDT up reply actions

Bob Condotta

Bob is a good friend of the blog and without his hard work we wouldn’t have nearly as much to write about. Believe me there is no better sports reporter in Seattle than Bob Condotta. In my opinion he is one of the very best in the country at what he does. Sports fans in Seattle have been blessed by people like Dan Raley, Ted Miller, and Bob. We are talking about exceptional talent.

Most of the local sports journalists take the time to read the blog each day. From time to time I get e-mails from some of them with great positive criticism which helps makes this blog a lot better.

For example if I have a question I can’t answer on my own guys like Bob Condotta, Art Thiel, Ted Miller, Chris Fetters, Kim Grinolds, Jim Moore, and Dan Raley have always been more than happy to lend an assist.

The Dawg Pound isn’t meant to be a competitor to any of them. It is meant to be a comfortable living room to hang out in to discuss Husky sports in a manner not found elsewhere. It is just one more option out there that helps enrichen the experience of the fan base. We have developed a pretty cool environment here and everyone who posts deserves credit for understanding it and making it better.

As far as mistakes go I hate them. Sometimes articles get published in draft form by mistake. Sometimes the grammar sucks. I just want you to realize that I am cranking out over 1000 articles per year in addition to everything else I do in my life. Mistakes are going to happen and I don’t mind people pointing it out.

You are all my editors!

Now guys…I am not fishing for compliments here. Just stating the reality of the challenges I am working with on a daily basis and what also makes it enjoyable. ; )

by John Berkowitz on Mar 17, 2009 9:41 PM PDT reply actions

As one of your editors...

I’m demand that my salary start at one beer. Of course, that’s only the prelude to the several I’ll send your way. I hope we get a chance to one day.

by hairofthedawg on Mar 17, 2009 10:47 PM PDT up reply actions

Done!

by John Berkowitz on Mar 17, 2009 11:58 PM PDT up reply actions

Don't change a thing

A few mistakes here and there is very understandable. Even Condotta has multiple spelling/grammatical mistakes in every other post he has. No one cares. Great job here John.

I’m nervous about this matchup, BUT, the Dawgs could win this game if they stick to their own game (up-tempo offense and lockdown defense) and share the ball under the hoop (avoiding the shot block).

by PhinneyDawg on Mar 17, 2009 11:11 PM PDT up reply actions

The payoff is when someone says they appreciate the effort.

johnb, I appreciate the effort, I think though that MSU has just as deep a bench as us, I looked at the minutes played in a lot of their close games. That said, I still think we win, unless the refs don’t call fouls on our penetrations, which will make it a lot closer than it needs to be.
Its a good day for me, since the cougs cooged it again last night to a very good St Mary’s team.

by prrbrr on Mar 18, 2009 7:37 AM PDT reply actions

Brock vs Varnado

Not a fan of either team and I’m not rooting for either, but if you think Brockman will dominate Varnado, you haven’t seen much of Miss St. Dude dominates the defensive end, similar to what Tyrus Thomas did with LSU a few years back. He has more block shots than 9 SEC teams and 325 NCAA teams. Yeah, 325 teams. Set an SEC single season block record.

Game will be over early if he gets into foul trouble in the first half.

Good luck U Dub

by 7Swords of Salat on Mar 18, 2009 8:06 AM PDT reply actions

Brock will be just fine.

People seem to forget that the PAC-10 has two potential lottery picks in Hill & Pendergraph that play the center position. Brock did well against both and I doubt that Varnado is half as good as either of them at this point in his career.

by Snostrebla on Mar 18, 2009 10:10 AM PDT reply actions

Varnado

his offensive game has improved, although not nearly as good as Hill, and is far superior to both Hill & Pendegraph on D.

by 7Swords of Salat on Mar 18, 2009 11:18 AM PDT up reply actions

We'll see...

but Brock is no slouch. Being 1st team All PAC-10 in a conference that has several VERY good big men is quite an acomplishment.

by Snostrebla on Mar 18, 2009 11:48 AM PDT reply actions

I appreciate the effort, JB

Just want to include myself in appreciating what you do here John. Looked around and finally found this site. Very much enjoy reading and occasonally responding. Keep up the good work

by Big Husky on Mar 18, 2009 4:17 PM PDT reply actions

Thanks Big John!

I’m not interested in a lesson on editting, formating, gramar, or spell check. All I want is to talk Washington football and basketball. John you are really good at what you do (on the side and all). Keep up the good work. Even when I’ve had a lousy day at work, I can still get excited about the Huskies football team and basketball teams. You provide that for all of us. So from all of us to you- thank you!

Go Dawgs! WOOF!!!

All I saw was purple

by crazidawg on Mar 18, 2009 4:25 PM PDT reply actions