Seattle Redhawks Game Preview & How to Watch

The Essentials

Date: Wednesday, 12/9/20

Tip-Off Time: 8:00 pm PT

TV: Pac-12 Networks

Radio: KJR 950/KVI 570

Streaming: Pac-12.com/live

Location: Seattle, Washington

Betting line: Washington -14

Seattle Redhawks 2020-21 Statistics:

Record: 3-3 (2-3 in D1 games)

Points For per Game: 67.8 ppg (182nd)

Points Against per Game: 70.2 ppg (127th)

Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 93.8 (282nd)

Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 103.5 (278th)

Strength of Schedule: 197th

Seattle Key Players:

F- Riley Grigsby, Jr. 6’6, 220: 18.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.0 apg, 48.8% FG, 51.6% 3pt, 64.3% FT

It’s been a massive upward trajectory for Grigsby which suggests his start might be a little bit of fool’s gold. Even with his better than 50% 3-pt mark so far this season he’s still only a 30% career shooter from deep. Maybe he has suddenly became a sniper as a junior but that’s not at all who he was before this streak.

G- Darrion Trammell, So. 5’10, 165: 18.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 5.7 apg, 42.2% FG, 36.4% 3pt, 80.6% FT

Trammell has inherited the mantle from Terrell Brown as the do everything ball handler for Seattle. He’ll remind folks a little of Isaiah Thomas with his willingness to drive into the teeth of the defense at smaller than 6-feet tall. He’s an adequate shooter but also a willing passer and we’ll see whether UW’s zone gives him problems even if the Huskies aren’t as long as they have been in recent seasons.

G- Aaron Nettles, Sr. 6’0, 175: 8.2 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 2.7 apg, 32.8% FG, 26.3% 3pt, 33.3% FT

Nettles is the kind of role player generally content to be a 3rd or 4th banana as 80% of his shots in his career have been 3-pt attempts. He’s a 37% career shooter so just like Grisby he’s due for some regression just in the opposite direction. It’s not shocking that at 6’0 he’s not a great rebounder so his presence will help UW on the boards as someone who doesn’t like to go inside the arc and isn’t great when they are there.

C- Kobe Williamson, Fr. 6’8, 225: 6.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.3 bpg, 41.2% FG, 25.0% 3pt, 57.1% FT

Williamson is the lone freshman in the rotation and after UW’s experience with UC Riverside the fact that he’s an Aussie should send shivers down their spines. Despite being just 19 years old and a little undersized, Williamson has proved to be a pretty solid rebounder/shot blocker through the first few games. He should be able to hold his own especially when the Huskies don’t have Nate Roberts in the lineup.

F- Emeka Udenyi, Jr. 6’6, 225: 6.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 65.4% FG, 20.0% FT

Another undersized player, Udenyi still has the potential to succeed on the boards against UW. He can’t shoot worth a lick but averaged 11 points and 7 rebounds per game last year at one of the better JUCO programs in the country.

Seattle 2020-21 Shot Chart

Synergy Sports

The first thing to look at against Washington’s zone is “How well do teams shoot in that free throw line area?” Seattle has been good in that midrange zone but doesn’t take a lot of attempts from there. When they have let it loose in that range it’s been the 5’10 Trammell attempting floaters. We’ll see if the little man can get off those shots with whoever Washington has playing center at the time lunging out at him.

The Outlook

There’s no other way to say it. This should be the easiest game the Huskies play all season. That does not mean that they won’t win another game by more points later on since variance still exists but on paper there’s not better opportunity for a get right game out there.

Seattle has 3 wins but they’re over something called a William Jessup as well as Air Force and Portland who are both sub-225 teams at KenPom. In fact the only game the Redhawks have played against a team better than 237th was at UCLA in a 26-point loss. So far this season one of the core philosophies for Seattle has been to try to win games from behind the arc. They’re attempting about 20% more 3-pointers per game than their opponents even though as a team they’re not hitting a very high percentage. Obviously, connecting on 32% is still vastly better than Washington’s pathetic 19%.

Normally you see teams that are generally in the same ballpark at both their offensive and defensive rebounding but Seattle is fairly split. So far this year they’ve been 215th on the offensive glass and 39th on the defensive glass. If the Huskies are ever going to be able to stop an opponent from playing volleyball at the rim it’s going to be against a team that is 247th out of 290 teams in average height and has no rotation players taller than 6’8.

This is also going to be the first home game for the Huskies and we’ll see if being in a familiar shooting environment helps even if they don’t have the Dawg Pack cheering them on.

You normally can’t call this kind of a game a must-win but this is a must-win. Coming off the heels of the announcement that Naz Carter was suspended and left the program because of multiple sexual assault allegations that were upheld following a University investigation and appeal, Coach Hopkins absolutely needs a win on or off the court. Falling to 0-4 with a loss to a mid-major crosstown rival on top of all of the off court issues that have happened within the program over the last week/year would bring him down to a microscopic approval rating with the fanbase. If the team has the coach’s back at all they’ll come out with a little more fire in this one and take care of business.

Prediction

Washington Huskies- 66, Seattle Redhawks- 58

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