Bumerton is a retired Navy fighter pilot who had been missing in action for several years while he traversed the globe looking for greener grass. He discovered the grass is only greener here (it’s blue in Kentucky), so he returned to again take charge of his 1954 green Hudson Hornet that had been in storage, refilled his pipe, and is continuing his smokin’ ways. Here is what he recently told us at the Sports Paper.
Hey, Big Dawg, can those Washington Huskies ever play defense? What is wrong with those young guys? They are 25 games into the basketball season and you can’t blame their lack of defense on being young (seven are freshmen), so what is going on?
You don’t have an answer do you, Big Dawg? Just what I thought. Coach Lorenzo Romar doesn’t seem to have an answer either.
Tell me, how can a team that boosts a roster full of leapers that fly over the rim and have collected 178 blocks, or just a hair over seven blocks a game, are being out rebounded by their foes?
That doesn’t make sense.
These Huskies have dropped five of their last seven games in Pac-10 Conference play after starting out 5-1 and leading the conference. They are now in seventh place in the conference and don’t appear ready to stop their slide.
So I ask again, what the heck is going on? Why can’t Romar gets his guys to stop somebody – anybody. They are allowing 80.5 points a game and as everybody knows it is defense that wins championships (just ask the Seahawks and the Denver Broncos).
The Huskies have gone from a team that experts predicted just two weeks ago that would make the NCAA Tournament to a team that those same experts now say will be among the first four teams not to make the tournament.
They haven’t made the tournament since 2011 when North Carolina bounced them in the round of 32 by three points (86-83).
To be fair, preseason predictions had the Huskies winning just four conference games and placing 11th, next-to-last just ahead of Washington State in the final standings. So maybe when the Huskies got off to a surprising start it was just a mirage and the real Huskies have now shown up and are sliding back to where they are supposed to be.
The Huskies have five games left, the next one Thursday night at home against a surging California (the Bears have won three in a row, including a 20-point win against Oregon), then its Saturday at home against Stanford and then they go on the road to play Oregon and Oregon State before closing out the regular season March 2 against the lackluster Cougars of Washington State.
It’s very possible the way they are playing right now that they could lose all five of those games and extend their losing streak to eight games. If that happens, you can kiss Romar goodbye, although he might be saved because the school does not have a permanent athletic director and interim AD Jennifer Cohen might not be empowered to fire him.
The way these Huskies play – and they are exciting to watch because they do some unbelievable athletic things (and then immediately turn around and do something stupid) – nothing is guaranteed. If I was a big-time book in Las Vegas I would not book a line on them because they are so unpredictable
So it’s possible they could win all five remaining games. However, Big Dawg, I would not bet the house on it. Just sit back and watch the roller-coaster ride and see where it takes you (and them).
But, and I may be repeating myself, if the Huskies don’t make the NCAA Tournament it may cost Romar his job. He’s a very nice guy who is well loved, but maybe it’s time to make a change.
What do you think, Big Dawg?
Chew on that for a while Big Dawg. Climb in the Green Hornet and we’ll go get a latte while you think. You are buying.