Huskies Look to Dominant the Paint Against Arizona State

Washington closes out a three-game homestand against the Sun Devils on Thursday evening.

Mike Hopkins knows his University of Washington basketball team is capable of holding off teams at the end of games, but it doesn't have to be that way. 

On Thursday night, when the Huskies close out their three-game homestand against Arizona State, Hopkins wants to see his players assert themselves early on both ends of the floor. 

"Once you establish the paint, you’re getting layups, you’re putting pressure on the defense and forcing them to collapse," Hopkins said Wednesday. 

Graduate forward Keion Brooks Jr. leads the Pac-12 in scoring with 20.5 points per game entering Thursday night' matchup. 

The problem for UW (9-6 overall, 1-3 Pac-12) has been finding a consistent second force in the post so the former Kentucky standout can expand his presence on both ends of the court. 

"Where I would love to see him step up more is on the defensive end and be a defensive leader," Hopkins said. "Now it's take that next step for our team. The best player needs to be your best defensive player, and then you can take it to another level." 

In the first half against Oregon State the Huskies tried to get senior center Braxton Meah involved early, feeding the ball time and again to the 7-foot-1 big man in the paint. 

However, Meah finished with 1 point and 3 rebounds in just nine minutes of action in the 79-72 win over the Beavers. 

Senior Franck Kepnang has missed the last five games for the Huskies after suffering a knee injury in the second half at Seattle U on Dec. 17.  Hopkins said the 6-foot-11 center could have played in the UW's last two games against Oregon and Oregon State but he's being given plenty of time to get back to full strength. 

The Sun Devils (10-5 overall, 4-0 Pac-12) have won three of their last four games by 3 points or fewer. Against Stanford and California — both road games — ASU trailed at halftime only to come away victorious at the final buzzer. 

In the first 15 games, Bobby Hurley has seen his team score 129 more points in the second half of games. Conversely the UW has scored 79 more points compared to the first half, opening the door for another tight game in the final minutes on Thursday night. 

Although ASU doesn't have a player in the top 15 in scoring in the conference, they play strong as a collective team and it all starts on defense. 

Junior guard Frankie Collins leads the Pac-12 with 3.1 steals per game while forward Alonzo Gaffney is third in the conference with 23 blocked shots. 

Paired with the emergence of redshirt junior guard Adam Miller, who became eligible to play this season after the NCAA removed restrictions on players who transfer to a second school, the Sun Devils come to Alaska Airlines Arena ready to prove their close victories aren't a matter of luck. 

UW and Arizona State tip off at 8 p.m. on Thursday before the Huskies return to the road for three games, beginning on Sunday at UCLA. 

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