Mark Knight of The Husky Haul wrote the following about how to beat the Washington Huskies in a scouting report for Reign of Troy.
Scouting Report: Washington Huskies « Reign of Troy | A USC Trojans blog
The best way to beat UW is to slow the game down, and really make them work the shot clock. UW isn’t used to using much of the shot clock, and will start to panic if they don’t get a shot off quickly. This will force their hand, create more opportunities for them to get frustrated and turn the ball over. If USC is able to grind it out and not go into OT again, they have a legitimate shot at winning the game. The first half won’t matter as much as the second, because the second half is when UW has been running away from teams that they beat.
If indeed that is USC's approach, then the Huskies' biggest statistical advantage could come into play.
Key statistical battleground: offensive rebounding
Although USC has been the third best defensive rebounding team in the Pac-10 during conference play, UW has been the best offensive rebounding team.
Certainly their rebounding has wavered and the way they've shot over the past two games, even second-chances haven't necessarily resulted in points at all times.
But if this does turn into an attempt by USC to slow UW down in the halfcourt on offense, that offensive rebounding will certainly come into play.
Key players:
Nikola Vucevic, F (6-foot-10, 260, Jr.)
If defensive rebounding plays a factor in this game, then Vucevic might be the primary player to watch. Vucevic leads the conference with 7.8 rebounds per game, getting 27.59 percent of those available to him. In addition to being the team's best rebounder, he's also right behind WSU's Klay Thompson as the conference's second-leading scorer (19.5 points per game).
Alex Stepheson, F (6-foot-10, 250, Sr)
While UW might have been the stronger offensive rebounding team in conference play, Stepheson is no slouch: he's currently leading the conference in offensive rebounding with 3.4 per game (12.45%). Stepheson is also the team's second most efficient scorer, giving USC a potent combination at the forward spot with Vucevic also being able to step out and hit the 3-pointer.