Washington Huskies vs. Arizona State Sun Devils Open Game Thread

After a rough go against Arizona, the Huskies have a chance to snap their losing steak against the 12-12 Sun Devils.

Washington Huskies (14-10, 3-9) vs. Arizona State Sun Devils (12-12, 4-7), Sun. Feb. 15th, 2:30pm, Pac-12 Networks.

Excuse me for failing to post a proper game preview yesterday. I'll provide a brief preview here.

As you all likely know, Washington is in a full-on tailspin.

The effort is still there, but that is about it. Very little tangible progress has been made in the past few weeks. This is a team that had an identity and lost it, and now they are slogging through the remainder of the season attempting to keep things respectable.

Losing out the rest of the Pac-12 season is not respectable, and this contest provides the Huskies with one of their best chances to break this ever-growing streak.

The Sun Devils recently did what the Huskies could not by beating Arizona. As impressive as the upset was, remember that it took place in Tempe. On the road, ASU has gone 1-5 in conference play, with a lone win over California back in late January, when the Bears had lost four straight.

One of those losses took place in Pullman just two days ago, where the Sun Devils fell 74-71.

Projected Starters: G Tra Holder (Fr., 6-1, 180), G Gerry Blakes (Jr., 6-4, 195), F Shaquielle McKissic (Sr., 6-5, 200), F Savon Goodman (So., 6-6, 215), F Eric Jacobsen (Jr., 6-10, 255).

Lucky for Washington, the Sun Devils start four players 6-6 or under. Blakes and McKissic lead the team in scoring, each averaging about 11 points. True freshman point guard Holder predictably leads the team in assists with 3.1 while turning the ball over more than twice per contest.

In the front court, Goodman contributes almost 10 points and over 6 rebounds a night. On paper he appears undersized, but he will certainly have an advantage battling with Donaven Dorsey for rebounds.

Jacobsen is the lone big man in the starting five, and he figures to go against Shawn Kemp Jr whenever both are on the floor. He provides similar production to Goodman while also blocking 1.2 shots.

Given that both teams match up fairly well, I'll give the Huskies the edge based on homecourt advantage despite the losing streak. HecEd will hardly be rocking, but the Sun Devils are a shadow of themselves on the road.

Look for NWG to carry the scoring load against Tra Holder, and hope guys like Kemp and Dorsey show up defensively and on the board.

Washington 71, Arizona State 64