Washington Basketball: 2019-20 takeaways from loss at Stanford Cardinal

ANCHORAGE, AK - NOVEMBER 08: Head coach Mike Hopkins of the Washington Huskies directs his team against the Baylor Bears in the first half during the ESPN Armed Forces Classic at Alaska Airlines Center on November 8, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

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ANCHORAGE, AK – NOVEMBER 08: Jaden McDaniels #4 of the Washington Huskies rebounds against Tristan Clark #25 of the Baylor Bears in the second half during the ESPN Armed Forces Classic at Alaska Airlines Center on November 8, 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

2. The star freshmen will need to step up

Without Green on the floor, the pressure will increase on the two McDonald’s All-Americans. The freshmen, Stewart and Jaden McDaniels, have to play consistent ball and stay out of foul trouble.

Stewart’s low point output had to do in a big part of not receiving easy lay-ins from a penetrating guard. Replacement point guard Hardy and his backup sophomore Jamal Bey simply did not drive the lane throughout the game at Stanford.

Also, a big factor was Stewart’s foul trouble. Stewart picked up two quick fouls and was limited to 26 minutes and he only pulled down four rebounds and turned the ball over three times.

Stanford was determined that Stewart was not going to defeat them. The Cardinal collapsed on Stewart, double- and triple-teaming him all night. It did not help that the Huskies started shooting 0 for 7 from beyond the arc without Green and finished going 3 for 17.

McDaniels played his best all-around game of his Husky career at Stanford. The Washington native came away with his first double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 15 rebounds while playing 38 minutes. This was Mcdaniel’s second good game after his atrocious game against UCLA in Seattle on Jan. 2.

It is imperative to the Huskies that these two stays out of foul trouble. Stewart has fouled out of three games, while McDonald’s has been disqualified four times.

After being benched early Thursday with his two fouls, Stewart has been able to manage his foul trouble in the second half, for the most part, thanks to the 2-3 zone. However, he has played less than 30 minutes in their last two games due to pick up two quick ones early in the game.

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