ASU zone could pose problem for Huskies

Jan 8, 2010, 12:00 AM

It's not rocket science. The Washington men's basketball team has a bunch of athletic, live-in-the-paint type of guards. Guys who get to the rim. But they don't have a whole lot of perimeter shooters. So, it makes sense that they're going to struggle against teams that play any variation of a zone defense, packing the middle and forcing the Huskies to make open shots from outside. That's going to be the challenge again today, when the No. 24 Huskies travel to Tempe, Ariz., for a Pac-10 game against Arizona State, owner of one of the tougher zone defenses in the conference. UW senior Quincy Pondexter said ASU works harder than most teams to make its opponents take time off the clock before getting into its offense. "I think it's because of the aggressiveness of their zone," Pondexter said. "They really pressure into you, and they force you into taking quality shots, taking time off the clock, and they force you into turnovers at times. They're a really great team on the defensive end and really focusing on getting stops every time in that zone." That may be, but it wasn't a problem for the Huskies the last time they played in Tempe, which has been far and away the friendliest road environment to the UW in the past decade. Washington hasn't lost there since 2003, and its 84-71 win there last season marked the highest point total ASU has allowed at home since Herb Sendek has been the head coach. Justin Denton made four 3-pointers in that game en route to a career-high 30 points, and Isaiah Thomas scored 25 in what was a major statement game after the Huskies got blitzed by Arizona two days prior. "Me and J.D. had success in that zone," Thomas said with a smile. "So I can't wait for it." But this is a different UW team and also one that hasn't won a game on the road yet. Head coach Lorenzo Romar is quick to point out that last year's team - which ended up winning the Pac-10 title - didn't have a non-conference road win either, but it ended up going 6-3 on the road in conference play. And, after a loss at home to Oregon last weekend, the Huskies may have a slimmer margin for error away from home. The Sun Devils lost both of their games in the opening week of Pac-10 play, losing a close game to UCLA before dropping a 47-37 loss to USC in a game in which ASU made just 11 of 45 from the field. Still, the Huskies have to prove they can handle the challenges of the road as well as the Sun Devils' aggressive zone defense. "They're going to be a strong, solid unit, and they're going to continue to fight and compete, no doubt about that," Romar said of ASU. "And they're going to continue to be together." FOUL SHOTS The Huskies have won 13 of their past 15 against ASU, the only two losses in the span coming at home in 2008 and last season in the Pac-10 tournament. The UW is averaging 82.5 points per game, the highest average in the Pac-10. It would be the third-best in school history. Sendek has 35 career wins against ranked teams, six since taking over as ASU's head coach in 2006. The last was against Washington in the Pac-10 tournament. Reach Sports Editor Christian Caple at sports@dailyuw.com.

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