College basketball 2009-10 running thread No. 1

Yes, they are acting like they won. Wonder if they actually think they did.

 

I honestly think they thought they won.

 

Why do teams in the Mississippi State situation not commit endless lane violations?

Shooter gets the ball, have a defender put a foot in the lane. Its a deadball delayed call.... They miss the FT, dead ball, re shoot.... They have to make the free throw, or they'll be in an endless cycle.

 

I'm just guessing...but I'd think there has to be some provision in the rules allowing for the refs to call a technical in this situation.

 

And at one point wouldn't the official just choose to overlook the violation?

 

Big Ten fever: Catch It!

4-2 with 14:07 left in the first half.

 

Exact same thing I thought.

And while it's just one time, I'm now rethinking the old why-don't-teams-foul-in-that-spot.

 

Beating Gonzaga, Richmond and Xavier is a great start, but Wake also beat Maryland (VaTech didn't) in addition to a couple other teams (Clemson, GaTech) that the Hokies beat. So the only advantage in the head-to-head profile is that VaTech win on its home court; the Hokies never played at Wake and easily played the weakest ACC schedule among teams hoping to make the tournament.

Wake beat three teams that will be a 6 seed or higher out of conference. VaTech beat two three bubble teams, and those are its best wins, and Wake shares two of those wins. Wake has the better profile, easily.

Today's Seth Greenburg meltdown ought to be glorious.

 

To foul or not to foul --

I heard one of these talking head idiots say Mississippi State was wrong to foul with a 3-point lead - and that is such utter nonsense and hindsight is 20/20 drivel that it is laughable.

You foul there -- why?

Because you could probably name 50 games you've seen, including Kansas-Memphis for the national title, where a team gave up a late 3-pointer to tie the game.

Why?

Because Kentucky needed to make a free throw -- then get a perfect bounce off a high arc free throw (which often times doesn't even hit the rim when they attempt it), then have John Wall run to the corner and get the ball and get off a shot that bounced perfectly off the rim to cousins who had less than a second to put it back in the basket -- in order to tie the game.

I'd be willing to bet that if you put those three guys out there with NO defense they couldn't pull that off more than twice out of ten times.

Mississippi State choked on that game - they missed front ends of one-and-ones and at least one other free throw when the had a chance to win.

 

State should have fouled about 2 secs later than it actually did, near the end of regulation, but those sorts of things are always 20/20.
It was a great effort at playing themselves into the NCAA, following a dreadful regular-season finale against Tennessee.
If they don't make it, they'll be a No. 1 seed in the NIT and play a few games there.

And ucacm, you sound like you got done teething. Go get your diaper changed.

 

It's not utter nonsense or simply hindsight. Kentucky is a lousy 3-point shooting team at 34.4 percent, which ranks 158th in the country, but the Wildcats rank fifth in offensive rebounds nationally. Make them shoot a 3, their weakness, as opposed to setting them up for one of their strengths after fouling out one of your best players with a three-point lead on the chance that you won't need him in overtime.

 

More thoughts from the Mississippi State heartbreaker:

-- As great as John Wall is, he had some ugly misses late in regulation.
-- It's going to get overlooked, but that was a freaking brilliant missed free throw. Perfect rainbow. I can't count how many times I've seen teams fuck that up and just drill it off the backboard. Or screw up and make it.
-- If Wall doesn't jack up an airball after the rebound, State wins.
-- I still can't believe the way it ended. Total crusher for MSU.