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Forward! Destroy the Blue infidels!!
Also, Buddy Hield is amazeballs.
I have enjoyed most of the basketball… I wish UVA hadn’t fallen apart. They share the ball very well. But ou is fun to watch as is Nova.
For the good of cleaner play I will be pulling for the winner of that game.
I thought Oregon was going to win the last one, but maybe Dook just finally got exposed and the Ducks looked that much better by comparison.
It’s been interesting to see well coached teams make bonehead plays and lose their composure – Dook, Kansas, and Virginia to name a few. I’m not saying that State is anywhere near that level, as we all know that improvement is needed in many areas, but watching other teams implode just reminds you that kids will be kids no matter what they’ve been taught.
True plywood – but it’s interesting that when UVA is running their offense well, which they do most of the time, they got a good open shot, as opposed to our offense the last couple of years where our more talented, highly recruited played makes a contested shot OR we run that baseline screenplay
I think this tourney has been a coming out party/lifetime achievement award for Lon Kruger. They’ve looked like the best coached team in the whole thing, to me. Unflappable.
UVa’s last two losses looked eerily similar to me. Their offense shut down in the second half and they couldn’t get it going again.
UVa’s last two losses looked eerily similar to me. Their offense shut down in the second half and they couldn’t get it going again.
They also seem to be developing a pattern in terms of regional finals flameouts (though that is really university-wide, dating back to Ralph Sampson days).
The Final Four is also an interesting philosophical test case. I haven’t looked into the numbers, but my “eye test” says that 3/4 are “elite offense/good enough defense” squadrons (Oklahoma, Nova, U*NC), and only one is “defense first” (Cuse). Of course, the “defense first” unit overcame the longest odds, so that’s quite the notch in their belt.
The Final Four is also an interesting philosophical test case. I haven’t looked into the numbers, but my “eye test” says that 3/4 are “elite offense/good enough defense” squadrons (Oklahoma, Nova, U*NC), and only one is “defense first” (Cuse). Of course, the “defense first” unit overcame the longest odds, so that’s quite the notch in their belt.
The defense first teas tend to do real well when they get a great offensive player or two. The offensive first team needs a lot of offensive talent to win.
It is an interesting philosophical discussion. Of course you still have to be ‘good enough’ defensively to get to that level.^ Agreed. And State was only “good enough” defensively in 2014-15. EVERYONE backslid in 2015-16, individually and collectively.
We need to dig up 1.21JW’s analysis of the four factors of teams going to various levels in the NCAAT…which goes deeper than just offense vs defense. It seems like you needed to be elite in several of the four factors; but not necessarily all four.
On a more subjective note, it has always seemed to me that teams that rely on their defense to produce transition baskets, struggle when the other team holds onto the ball and shoots at a reasonable percentage.
UVa’s last two losses looked eerily similar to me. Their offense shut down in the second half and they couldn’t get it going again.
They also seem to be developing a pattern in terms of regional finals flameouts (though that is really university-wide, dating back to Ralph Sampson days).
Isn’t Jeff Jones (the year after Sampson) the only coach to take UVA to a Final Four?
That Sampson/Raker/Lamp teams with an adequate PG in Jeff Jones should have accomplished more than they ever did. All the stars stayed four years and still couldn’t get it done in the post season.
Old man reminisces:
I sat in the corner of the end zone during Sampson’s freshman year when State won. Every time Sampson touched the ball, he was double-teamed. I don’t remember who their PF was, but State left him wide open all afternoon and he went O-fer from the field. Every time Sidney could get to Sampson, he would add a triple team when Sampson was holding onto the ball.We need to dig up 1.21JW’s analysis of the four factors of teams going to various levels in the NCAAT…which goes deeper than just offense vs defense. It seems like you needed to be elite in several of the four factors; but not necessarily all four.
That is correct Va, analysis shows that a vast majority of teams that reach the Final Four are highly efficient in both offense and defense. There are teams that defy the norm but the numbers show if you aren’t elite in both then you’re chances of making the Final Four are pretty small. You are also correct in you don’t need to be elite in all Four Factors (eFG%, OR%, TO%, FTRate), no one is, but here is what you need to be: great at (1) eFG% and (2) either OR% or TO%. This should come as no surprise but if you (a) make your opposition miss their shots and then (b) limit those opportunities by either not allowing second chances or taking the first chance away, then you’re going to have an elite defense. Then you can be average in the other 2 and make it. Offense is a little different and I’d have to go back to refresh my memory on that but still, the importance on the game is (1) eFG%, (2) OR%/TO%, and (4) FTRate.
The biggest difference of them all is the National Champions, they were clearly set apart from the rest who made the final four. This year there’s not much difference between 3 of them (Nova, OU, *NC) and then their is the party crasher Cuse. UConn is the only team over the last dozen years to break the norm in winning it all with lower than elite offensive efficiency but they had the great defense. They not only did it but they did it 3x with 2 different coaches.
I would imagine that Cuse’s offensive rebounding coefficient is “off the charts” good. Part of it has to be how badly they miss their shots, no idea how you block out effectively against them. But in all serious, their forwards are quite excellent on the glass. Extra possessions are critical for them.
Boomer Sooner seems to get lots of these too, along with sharply limiting turnovers (which you also discussed). Like any engineer should expect, efficiency matters!
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