The NCAA 2017 Championship Tournament is now down to the nitty gritty. Thursday’s and Fridays semi-final games have set the stage for additional intense games – and unpredictable games.
On Thursday night:
Oregon burst Michigan’s way overblown bubble – you can only have so many guys have career nights to carry you a long way. If Oregon had Boucher, the potential outcome of the game would not have been in dispute.
Gonzaga somehow survived the withering pressure of West Virginia to win an ugly game. So many fouls called, so many missed shots, so many turnovers by the Zags, and such poor foul shooting. The Mountaineers did not help themselves with their last possession – their last three possessions actually as Gonzaga’s players were supremely careless in not being able to know where the ball was in addition to boxing out [it can be done you know, players who have been correctly taught can do both] – in which they did not have the training that had a set to handle the situation. You see the issue here. This is basic stuff and should have been drilled in players’ heads from the first day of practice. This stuff should automatic to a fault. There is no excuse for it not being the case. Unless, of course, your players are too stupid to get it even after the repetition.
Kansas mauled Purdue in the second half and rolled them. Purdue did nothing to change anything in the game – most notably the speed of the game. Part of the reason is the coaching, the other is the brutal guard play of Purdue. Selfishness and playing out of control was so obvious, even Matt Painter should have made some adjustment. But he did not. It had been going on all year but Painter refused to solve the problem. So, that part of it was his fault completely. And within that same element was that the guards just quit – especially on defense. This team better have some players coming in for next year. It was, therefore, easy for Kansas big 3 to run amok – which they did. Kansas will have on big issue that will come back to bite them in the ass – in a stupid, classless, unnecessary and totally selfish act one of the Kansas players decided to go Hollywood. This will not be forgotten and the basketball gods will get even – an elbow to the chops, a smack to the face, or some other face-wash will happen and it will be richly deserved. Bill Self should have benched the guy immediately. Don’t say you have not been warned.
Arizona got outcoached and out hustled. Xavier willed themselves to knock off the Wildcats. And the Wildcats gladly helped by not including their best player and scorer in their offense throughout the game and specifically in the final 10 minutes. That was unconscionable. And then there was more selfish guard play. That is on Sean Miller totally. Don’t play as a team, you cannot win. The outcome for Arizona was inevitable. All due to bad coaching that did not create an atmosphere of team first.
Friday night continued the ongoing NCAA hoops narrative of atrocious coaching and terrible plays and selfishness by players:
South Carolina – the official Cinderella – CBS Sports and other sites want Butler or Xavier to be Cinderella but it is the Gamecocks and it is not even close – just smothered Baylor with its defense and was efficient on offence with Sindarius [etymology unknown] Thornwell leading the way. As PSR stated, a big shortcoming of Baylor is crappy guard play – specifically by Manu Lecompte who is a stiff. And that was that for the Bears
North Carolina got lucky to roll past an ineffective Butler team who did not come to play defense in the first half. UNC’s luck came with a player who averages 4 points per game score 14 IN THE FIRST HALF – and that was the difference in the first half and ultimately the game. UNC still can’t shoot and Joel Berry is still an over rated stiff. Won’t matter what Berry does against Kentucky – he still is a stiff
The Kentucky – UCLA game was as frustrating a game to watch as any in the history of college hoops. UCLA scored 10 points in the first 3 minutes and should have had 20. That would have controlled the game for the them but they scuffed around with 3 turnovers and 3 missed bunnies to miss the opportunity. TJ Leaf and Thomas Welsh were bent on being heroes and hot dogs as opposed to sticking to fundamentals to finish around the net. They both should head directly to the witness protection program. And Steve Alford should go with them. He made zero adjustments to counter Kentucky’s luck [more on that] and did not let Lonzo Ball take control offensively. Initially they spread the floor and let Ball dish but that ended after the first TV timeout. Ball could have controlled the game offensively and dished to Bryce Alford, Leaf, Welsh, Hamilton, but Alford mistakenly let and ineffective and turnover prone Aaron Holiday take over and make hugely bad decisions. Alford should have let Ball control everything since this could have been the last game he plays at UCLA – which turned out to be so.
And Kentucky’s luck knows no bounds. They walk the ball up the floor against a team that cannot defend and then 2 players account for 60 points and shoot over 65 %. Pure unadulterated luck. Nothing but an anomaly win. Because that type of win will NEVER happen again with this crew. It was frustrating to watch and pitiful to listen to sycophantic comments for Fox and Monk. Let’s see them do it again before you anoint them as the greatest players of all time. And by the way, what is Fox’s 3 point FG % – well here it is – 23 %. The kid can’t shoot at all and all he gets is layups. That is a function of bad defense. And Monk is a streak shooter – that’s it. Just make him go to the hole and that will be that.
It will be the battle of over rated players when they play UNC – Joel Berry vs Fox and Monk.
Florida beat Wisconsin in OT on a buzzer beating running toss. Just plain luck there. And double lucky since it bailed out coach Mike White’s ugly coaching – Florida blew a 10-point lead with 3 minutes to go. They did not score a FG all that way in and were lucky to get to OT if not for a come from nowhere block by Hall of Fame player Rick Barry’s son Canyon. Wisconsin just almost just as lucky getting the crappy play from Florida that allowed them to tie it up and outrageously lucky with Zak Showalter’s 3-point heave to tie the game in regulation. [As a sidebar, Showalter is a freaking hot dog and the loss looks good on him especially since he committed a stupid foul just after tip off of OT – looks good on you A-hole]. The Badgers were plagued by rotten the foul shooting Nigel Hayes who could have won it the game for them if he had made just one more free throw. But Florida – and coach White – got a miraculously lucky reprieve to advance. Doubt there is any more luck for them
Now the Elite 8 – more like Crazy 8 – and who knows what calamities await us. You can be assured that bad coaching, bad plays and stupid players will continue to be the order of the day. Whichever team has the less harmful of these elements will move on.
Saturday has Xavier vs Gonzaga – Oregon should prevail due to more scoring options – even though the guards cannot shoot – and ability to play against any style. But Xavier is well coached and working very hard. It will come down to Karnowski’s play at both ends and who hits more foul shots. Going with the Zags in this one.
Oregon vs Kansas – the matchup is good for Oregon and the game will be decided exclusively on perimeter play. Whichever team shoots best from 3 PT land will win. Expect this game to come down to foul shots and fouls. The perimeter game will be intense and fouls will be called. Whoever can survive that will be the victor. Kansas may win but will not cover.
Sunday has Kentucky vs UNC – really who cares. Both have been outrageously lucky and neither one of them should even be here. So, who cares anything about these lucky bastards.
South Carolina will play Florida for the 3rd time this year. They split the first 2 games with each winning at home. Expect a low scoring game – in the 50’s – with stifling defense and grinding offenses. Florida’s guard stunk the joint out at the end of the Wisconsin game and if they don’t play well, the Gators are toast. Each team will need scoring for secondary sources to prevail. South Carolina by a couple points.
Let’s hope the coaching is not so brutal that it hugely impacts the games. That has a better chance than stupid plays by stupid players which will continue.
