Pac Ten Blog

Player of the Week

EJ Singler

Oregon sophomore EJ Singler had an efficient and effective week recording impressive statistical games against Willamette and Jacksonville State.  Singler finished the week averaging 16 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block and a half per contest.  His shot was also in good form, scoring his points on 78.6 percent shooting from the floor, 50 percent from behind the three point line and a perfect 7-7 from the charity stripe. The Ducks increased their record to 7-3 and are out performing expectations in large part to the play of Singer and senior Joevan Catron. Singler has notched two double-doubles this season including a monster game last Saturday against Willamette, where he scored 18 points and grabbed 17 boards.  He’s scored in double figures in all but one game this season and is shooting above 50 percent for the season from the field and from three.

Hot

Washington’s offense at home

The Washington Huskies are 6-3 overall, but just 1-3 away from Bank of America Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.  The Huskies’ defense has remained relatively consistent in all nine contests, but their offense is remarkably better at home.  Quality of opponent is a major factor, but over-looking Washington’s home court advantage is a statistical mistake.  The Huskies are averaging 73.2 shot attempts per game at home, 25.8 of those attempts are from the three point line.  In addition, UW is shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 47.3 percent from the three point line contributing directly to their 104 point scoring average at home.

Cold

Washington’s offense away from home

Transversely, on the road or on a neutral court the Huskies struggle to maintain the same pace of play.  UW’s shot attempts per game drop to 59.8, a difference of 13.4 shots per game.  That figure is amplified by the dip in field goal percentage 46.0 percent.  Washington’s three point shooting also suffers slightly in both attempts 19.0 ( -6.8 per game) and in percentage 42.1% ( -5.2%).  These statistics lead directly to Washington’s 76.5 point per game scoring average on the road.  To further the point, if you extrapolate the data in Washington’s three losses, excluding the win against Virginia to kick off the Maui Invitational the numbers become even more drastic.  In Washington’s three losses the Huskies are shooting 41.2% from the floor and 30.0% from three.  Their attempts also drop across the board to 56.7 overall and 16.7 from behind the arc.

Top 5 Junior Production in the Pac-10

1.  Klay Thompson (Washington State)  20.8 points / 4.3 rebounds / 4.9 assists

*Thompson is the most skilled player in the Pac-10 and has his Cougars off to another impressive start.  Durability and toughness are question marks, but a strong Pac-10 season should quiet most critics. 

2.  Nikola Vucevic (USC)  16.5 points / 10.6 rebounds / 2.0 assists

*Vucevic is the leading rebounder in the Pac-10 and ranked fifth in scoring.  He’s accumulated six double-doubles this season and is solid on the defensive end.  He’s playing at a First-Team All-Conference level.

3.  Isaiah Thomas (Washington)  15.3 points / 3.6 rebounds / 3.8 assists

*Thomas has struggled this season scoring efficiently against quality competition, but his ability to produce offense for himself and his teammates off the bounce is imperative to Washington’s success.

4.  Faisal Aden (Washington State)  18.3 points / 3.6 rebounds / 1.5 assists

*Aden is the third leading scorer in the Pac-10, but now finds himself in a reserve role following the return of lead guard Reggie Moore.  However, the Cougars need his offense so don’t expect a significant drop off in production. 

5.  Harper Kamp (California)  13.6 points / 5.6 rebounds / 2.2 assists

*The Bears are young and inexperienced and it shows on the court with inconsistent play.  Kamp’s steady production has been invaluable to the Bears so far this season and that won’t change as the Bears enter Pac-10 play. 

Others Receiving Votes

6.  Jorge Gutierrez (California)  12.9 points / 3.2 rebounds / 4.1 assists

7.  Jeremy Green (Stanford)  16.3 points / 2.4 rebounds / 0.9 assists

8.  Malcolm Lee (UCLA)  10.8 points / 3.3 rebounds / 1.6 assists

9.  Lazeric Jones (UCLA)  10.9 points / 1.6 rebounds / 2.9 assists

10. DeAngelo Casto (Washington State)  9.0 points / 5.5 rebounds / 0.8 assists

Upcoming Games of Interest

12.17.2010  Oregon vs. Virginia

12.18.2010 USC vs. Kansas

12.18.2010  UCLA vs. Brigham Young

12.18.2010  Stanford vs. Butler

12.19.2010  Arizona vs. North Carolina State
 
Results of Interest

12.08.2010 Washington State 81  Gonzaga 59

12.08.2010  California 57  San Diego State 77

12.11.2010  Washington 62  Texas A&M 63

12.11.2010  Arizona 65  Brigham Young 87

12.12.2010  California 78  Southern Mississippi 80

Notable Player Updates

Jio Fontan (USC) – NCAA transfer regulations / Return Date: December 18