The Huskies play again tonight, and I think we're all hoping for a little less stress in this game. My heart can't take another first half like last night.
It is said that in back-to-back games that after the first night the team with more talent gains a big edge because the coaches have less time to gameplan and watch film on their opponents. For tonight, that is a very good thing, as the Huskies' talent completely dwarfs Stanford. Aside from Landry Fields and Jeremy Green, the Cardinal might not have a single player on their roster that could make UW's team if they were trying out. It's a testament to Johnny Dawkin's coaching ability that they've put together the season that they have.
The Huskies have done a good job of not letting Green and Fields go off against them this season, with credit going largely to Isaiah Thomas' defense on Green and Justin Holiday's on Fields. The thinking of a lot of fans is that UW should do a lot of pressing tonight, which I fully support. Stanford lacks a Pac-10 quality point guard and good presses have given them fits at times this year.
With any luck, the Dawgs will be more acclimated to their surroundings tonight and won't suffer from the early woes that plagued them last night. This is a must win, and a lackadaisical start could end the season.