the game is broken

[Newhouser]

Great action last night – if that Michigan vs Texas Tech thriller wasn’t enough anyone stay up to watch the VA vs Ducks action packed battle. 7 of the best teams in the country and an 8th with 2 NBA guys on it and we had

2 teams not reach 50
4 teams not reach 60
1 team that barely reached 60 and still won by nearly 20 points
And an overtime game where a team blew an 18 point lead and both teams combined to miss – not take, MISS – 31 Free Throws.

Throw in a crap non call on an elbow to the face in the Zags game followed by a BS double technical at the end of the half, and the foul on the last 3 of the Purdue game - which I know was right by rule but is BS - only to be made up when they whistled Purdue for not touching the UT player in OT.

4 coaches who took the night off. And at least 3 announcers who apparently had never watched a college game……… give me the knicks vs cavs all day every day.

I am rooting for Carolina – my most hated cheatingest program in the world – at least they will push the pace and force activity. Go Heels.

 

[Trueblue25]

cant do it, cant root for UNC or Duke.



Roll Buzz

 

[IthacaBarrel]

Great action last night – if that Michigan vs Texas Tech thriller wasn’t enough anyone stay up to watch the VA vs Ducks action packed battle. 7 of the best teams in the country and an 8th with 2 NBA guys on it and we had

2 teams not reach 50
4 teams not reach 60
1 team that barely reached 60 and still won by nearly 20 points
And an overtime game where a team blew an 18 point lead and both teams combined to miss – not take, MISS – 31 Free Throws.

Throw in a crap non call on an elbow to the face in the Zags game followed by a BS double technical at the end of the half, and the foul on the last 3 of the Purdue game - which I know was right by rule but is BS - only to be made up when they whistled Purdue for not touching the UT player in OT.

4 coaches who took the night off. And at least 3 announcers who apparently had never watched a college game……… give me the knicks vs cavs all day every day.

I am rooting for Carolina – my most hated cheatingest program in the world – at least they will push the pace and force activity. Go Heels.

Couldn't agree more. I watched a few NBA games and went to bed.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

Agree with your main point. Game has been broken for years.

I will disagree with the foul though. First where is the contact? Second does the rule book really say that you cannot in any way touch a shooter after he has released the ball? If so that is an Fen joke. It has zero impact on the play. If a defender knocks into a guy that is fine. Touching is unacceptable.

 

[oldpinepoint]

I root for ACC, means more $$$$ for cuse

 

[Col. Bleep]

The solution to "Slow Ball"... a Gonzaga-UNC final.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Free throws aside I don't know how anyone couldn't watch Purdue/Tennessee and not be entertained.

 

[adk(roc)CUSE]

I dunno. I thought the Purdue/Tenn game was fantastic, if not we'll played at times. Oregon missed a LOT of late shots but that game went to the wire. Low scoring games have been a thing since forever, they happen sometimes. Look at some of the 80s scores.

Give me last nights single elimination, with all it's emotion over a meaningless game of 82 any day of the week. I enjoyed last night's NCAA action. Even the Texas Tech game. It was great to see Michigan lay such an egg.

Of course I'm a guy who hasn't watched the NBA since the 90s so I'm a bit biased.

 

[Newhouser]

Free throws aside I don't know how anyone couldn't watch Purdue/Tennessee and not be entertained.

I agree it was entertaining and had some stretches where they were matching 3's but the execution at the end and overlooking the FT's - I would say entertaining but not good and its 1 out of 4 games involving 7 of the best teams in the country. They should all be entertaining.

 

[Alsacs]

I recently watched the Kansas-Syracuse 1996 Elite Eight game and that game featured 4 pros for Kansas and 1 for us and the game was low scoring but it was played at such a higher level than the garbage we see today.
AAU and terrible college coaching has ruined college basketball.
It’s a terrible on court product nowadays. The passion is why the game is watchable.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I agree it was entertaining and had some stretches where they were matching 3's but the execution at the end and overlooking the FT's - I would say entertaining but not good and its 1 out of 4 games involving 7 of the best teams in the country. They should all be entertaining.

I will say the free throws that those teams missed were a bit fluky. Those are two of the best shooting teams in the country.

 

[jncuse]

That's the way Texas Tech, Michigan and Virginia play. They are the three best defensive teams in the country in defensive efficiency and play slow tempo. Not exactly sure what you were expecting.

 

[joct]

I think a lot of teams need a reality check when it comes to how many 3 pointers they take. A lot of them don't seem to be off of set plays, good movement or cuts. Just a few dribbles, not seeing any movement, so it goes up. Not nearly as much half-court ball movement, cutting, penetrating and dishing, etc as there used to be. I thought it was just us (and we still have issues there) but the whole game seems to have shifted. When they're falling it can be great (Purdue - Tenn was good back and forth), but when a team has an off night shooting 3s there is no backup plan. Even fast-breaks now, with a numbers advantage, whoever has the ball either goes full-blast to the rim because they aren't as good at passing, or has to back out because the others with him ran out to the 3 point line instead of filling the lane.

Old guy in me ranting a bit.

 

[Eric15]

Of course I'm a guy who hasn't watched the NBA since the 90s so I'm a bit biased.

I agree the regular season can be a bit of a bore, but the playoffs are going to be awesome this year. Basketball skill level is never been better on Planet Earth than it is in the NBA at this moment.

 

[NorSyr66]

A bit off topic but I sat here watching UVA and could not get that night from them blowing the top of the Dome shooting almost 80% on 25 or so three pointers out of my mind. Just puts the entire season for the Orange in perspective on how teams almost always had career nights against us.

 

[SWC75]

Great action last night – if that Michigan vs Texas Tech thriller wasn’t enough anyone stay up to watch the VA vs Ducks action packed battle. 7 of the best teams in the country and an 8th with 2 NBA guys on it and we had

2 teams not reach 50
4 teams not reach 60
1 team that barely reached 60 and still won by nearly 20 points
And an overtime game where a team blew an 18 point lead and both teams combined to miss – not take, MISS – 31 Free Throws.

Throw in a crap non call on an elbow to the face in the Zags game followed by a BS double technical at the end of the half, and the foul on the last 3 of the Purdue game - which I know was right by rule but is BS - only to be made up when they whistled Purdue for not touching the UT player in OT.

4 coaches who took the night off. And at least 3 announcers who apparently had never watched a college game……… give me the knicks vs cavs all day every day.

I am rooting for Carolina – my most hated cheatingest program in the world – at least they will push the pace and force activity. Go Heels.

You seem a bit...

 

[SWC75]

Agree with your main point. Game has been broken for years.

I will disagree with the foul though. First where is the contact? Second does the rule book really say that you cannot in any way touch a shooter after he has released the ball? If so that is an Fen joke. It has zero impact on the play. If a defender knocks into a guy that is fine. Touching is unacceptable.

I would maintain that any contact after the ball is released could not impact the shot and is thus incidental, unless it's flagrant.

 

[SWC75]

I think a lot of teams need a reality check when it comes to how many 3 pointers they take. A lot of them don't seem to be off of set plays, good movement or cuts. Just a few dribbles, not seeing any movement, so it goes up. Not nearly as much half-court ball movement, cutting, penetrating and dishing, etc as there used to be. I thought it was just us (and we still have issues there) but the whole game seems to have shifted. When they're falling it can be great (Purdue - Tenn was good back and forth), but when a team has an off night shooting 3s there is no backup plan. Even fast-breaks now, with a numbers advantage, whoever has the ball either goes full-blast to the rim because they aren't as good at passing, or has to back out because the others with him ran out to the 3 point line instead of filling the lane.

Old guy in me ranting a bit.

Fellow old guy here.

The impact of the three point shot has been to focus the offense on the arc and the paint, thus reducing the area the defense has to defend. In the old days, players would look for any area they could get off an open, makeable shot and the defense would have to cover more territory, which made their job harder. Good offensive basketball is about movement and hitting the open man, not forcing the ball to certain spots.

 

[sufandu]

Great action last night – if that Michigan vs Texas Tech thriller wasn’t enough anyone stay up to watch the VA vs Ducks action packed battle. 7 of the best teams in the country and an 8th with 2 NBA guys on it and we had

2 teams not reach 50
4 teams not reach 60
1 team that barely reached 60 and still won by nearly 20 points
And an overtime game where a team blew an 18 point lead and both teams combined to miss – not take, MISS – 31 Free Throws.

Throw in a crap non call on an elbow to the face in the Zags game followed by a BS double technical at the end of the half, and the foul on the last 3 of the Purdue game - which I know was right by rule but is BS - only to be made up when they whistled Purdue for not touching the UT player in OT.

4 coaches who took the night off. And at least 3 announcers who apparently had never watched a college game……… give me the knicks vs cavs all day every day.

I am rooting for Carolina – my most hated cheatingest program in the world – at least they will push the pace and force activity. Go Heels.

All the talent leaves college to get paid before they've developed. I don't blame them, but that's the cause. Players that are starters now would be bench guys a generation ago.

 

[joct]

All the talent leaves college to get paid before they've developed. I don't blame them, but that's the cause. Players that are starters now would be bench guys a generation ago.

Very true. Take the top 1-2% out of any talent pool, and there is a noticeable drop-off.

 

[Cusefan95]

Great action last night – if that Michigan vs Texas Tech thriller wasn’t enough anyone stay up to watch the VA vs Ducks action packed battle. 7 of the best teams in the country and an 8th with 2 NBA guys on it and we had

2 teams not reach 50
4 teams not reach 60
1 team that barely reached 60 and still won by nearly 20 points
And an overtime game where a team blew an 18 point lead and both teams combined to miss – not take, MISS – 31 Free Throws.

Throw in a crap non call on an elbow to the face in the Zags game followed by a BS double technical at the end of the half, and the foul on the last 3 of the Purdue game - which I know was right by rule but is BS - only to be made up when they whistled Purdue for not touching the UT player in OT.

4 coaches who took the night off. And at least 3 announcers who apparently had never watched a college game……… give me the knicks vs cavs all day every day.

I am rooting for Carolina – my most hated cheatingest program in the world – at least they will push the pace and force activity. Go Heels.

Either the foul on the 3 -which virtually everyone agrees was a foul (and EVERYONE that knows the rules agrees was a foul) needed to be called OR there’s no reason to ever complain about a team like, say, Duke getting calls that effectively decide the game in their favor.

Understand that deciding rules can be enforced arbitrarily means the WILL be enforced arbitrarily in ways you almost certainly won’t like. And that the games will effectively be as legitimate as a WWE match.

 

[sufandu]

I recently watched the Kansas-Syracuse 1996 Elite Eight game and that game featured 4 pros for Kansas and 1 for us and the game was low scoring but it was played at such a higher level than the garbage we see today.
AAU and terrible college coaching has ruined college basketball.
It’s a terrible on court product nowadays. The passion is why the game is watchable.

And all of those future pros were older mature guys. The NBA ruined college basketball when they went so crazy with drafting potential. I get why they do it and why kids leave as soon as they can. And I understand that neither has an obligation to make the college game good. But when all of the elite talent is gone after one year and the second tier talent is gone after two, quality is going to suffer.

 

[Orangello]

This is like the NHL with the neutral zone trap. You need to change the rules or risk alienating your fan base with the snooze fest wrestling matches on the floor.

 

[sufandu]

Very true. Take the top 1-2% out of any talent pool, and there is a noticeable drop-off.

And it adds up when you add a new class of elites to others that have already been around for 1-3 years.

Think about our late 80's early 90's games with Georgetown. In this era, Coleman would have never played against Mourning in college. Coleman and Owens wouldn't have been on the same team. There's a cumulative affect to elite guys leaving so early. And that train is never backing up the tracks. College basketball's best days are in the past.

 

[Alsacs]

Here is that Kansas-Syracuse game from 1996 I referenced.
Low scoring game but higher quality than the garbage we got now.