March Madness 2013 discussion

[bucksfan2]

Home court is not really a conspiracy as the procedures pretty much explicitly state that each team in the top 16 (seeds 1-4 in each region) gets the game in the closest remaining pod.

As for the officiating, it's so inconsistent from one play to the next that it's hard to really quantify any conspiracy. Perhaps they do that to throw us off the scent.

The play that Bucksfan was referencing was a perfect example. They let both sides get away with a lot of contact through much of the game but then called that a foul.

The play "only" led to a 3 point swing as Oladipo missed one free throw, but the swing of up 1 vs down 2(as Wyatt had a clear layup) was really big.

The consistency has been abysmal in this tournament so far. Looking back at the OSU game there was a play early when Shannon Scott read the ball handlers break up court, stepped in front and stole the ball for an easy layup. There was contact but it was more of Scott beating the man to the ball. Then in the second half he was called for a nickle dimer on a loose ball situation where no one had possession of the ball.

The major problem I have in the NCAA tournament is I think the game is officiated a little tighter. A little tighter means an early 2nd foul on a key player or an early 4th foul in a critical situation. I would rather have the official swallow the whistle than call a foul changes the scope of the game. In the Wyatt Oladipo situation, Wyatt beat Oladipo to the spot, maintained his ground and should have made an impact steal. Watching it live I thought to my self, that isn't a foul in the B1G or even the Big East.

I do differ (shockingly) in the Craft situation. There was entirely too much contact not to blow the whistle and call a foul. I have yet to see evidence that it wasn't a charge. And to be honest when you have the reputation of being as good of a defender as Craft it, you get the benefit of the doubt when Charles Barkley is blowing up the screen 100X to find out if Craft's foot was hovering over the line.

I would like to see the NCAA do way with the pods situation and go back to the way the tournament used to be held. If you are placed in the West region then you go west. In OSU's situation they got placed in the West, should they really get to play the first 2 games in Dayton?

[improbus]

The issue of the block/charge call has really taken its toll on the college game. With the closeness of the three point line, and the ability of defenders to come from across the lane to take a charge, there is little incentive to attack the basket. So, teams jack up bad threes.

Really, that was my problem with the Craft play. I don't mind the call in that situation, because the officials have established that the defender can slide in to take a charge. But, the NCAA needs to make some sort of change to the rule or seem sort of mandate to adjust the way it is called.

Finally, the Florida Gulf Coast offense found a way to avoid the charge problem. The driver stops short of the rim and instead throws an alley oop. It isn't just exciting, it's smart.

[Revering4Blue]

I would like to see the NCAA do way with the pods situation and go back to the way the tournament used to be held. If you are placed in the West region then you go west.

I agree with you.

However, this article disagrees with us.


The Pod System: For Once, The NCAA Got Something Right.

http://www.teamrankings.com/blog/nca...stat-geek-idol

[Revering4Blue]

Which brings us to another point... Minnesota has only been good with Mychal Thompson or if they let the staff secretary write their players' papers.

Kevin McHale, Randy Breuer and Zebedee Howell will argue otherwise.

The Bill Musselman era in the early '70's produced a Big Ten Champ under shady circumstances - A brawl against Ohio State and paying players - which was later vacated.

[Assembly Hall]

I questioned Tubby want the Minnesota job to begin with, but I thought it was a great hire for the Gophers. I guess they expect more in Minnesota than what Tubby was doing for them. With his recent firing I expect next year we will the Gophers fighting with Nebraska and Penn State for that all important 10 seed in the B1G tournament.

[texasdave]

FGC coach is living the life right about now. His team is magically into the Sweet 16. And this is his wife, Amanda Enfield. She was in the Maxim Swimsuit Issue for enquiring minds.

[Assembly Hall]

If I become the coach of Indiana Lake Michigan Shore, will I get a wife that looks like that? Just askin'?

[Boston Red]

FGC coach is living the life right about now. His team is magically into the Sweet 16. And this is his wife, Amanda Enfield. She was in the Maxim Swimsuit Issue for enquiring minds.

She still looks pretty damned good, but this picture was taken two or three kids ago.

[Razor Shines]

The consistency has been abysmal in this tournament so far. Looking back at the OSU game there was a play early when Shannon Scott read the ball handlers break up court, stepped in front and stole the ball for an easy layup. There was contact but it was more of Scott beating the man to the ball. Then in the second half he was called for a nickle dimer on a loose ball situation where no one had possession of the ball.

The major problem I have in the NCAA tournament is I think the game is officiated a little tighter. A little tighter means an early 2nd foul on a key player or an early 4th foul in a critical situation. I would rather have the official swallow the whistle than call a foul changes the scope of the game. In the Wyatt Oladipo situation, Wyatt beat Oladipo to the spot, maintained his ground and should have made an impact steal. Watching it live I thought to my self, that isn't a foul in the B1G or even the Big East.

I do differ (shockingly) in the Craft situation. There was entirely too much contact not to blow the whistle and call a foul. I have yet to see evidence that it wasn't a charge. And to be honest when you have the reputation of being as good of a defender as Craft it, you get the benefit of the doubt when Charles Barkley is blowing up the screen 100X to find out if Craft's foot was hovering over the line.

I would like to see the NCAA do way with the pods situation and go back to the way the tournament used to be held. If you are placed in the West region then you go west. In OSU's situation they got placed in the West, should they really get to play the first 2 games in Dayton?

So you think the call that went in IUs favor was a bad call and the one that went in Ohio State's favor was a good call? Once again i am shocked by your brutal honesty and willingness to call it like it is.

BTW I agree with you on the Wyatt/Oladiepo call but not so much on the Craft call. Like you said we have to blow up 100X to see if he's on the line or above it then it would make more sense to give the benefit to the offensive player. Otherwise we're saying that based on the slight chance Craft's heel was millimeters above the line we're going to give him the benefit of the doubt.


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[bucksfan2]

So you think the call that went in IUs favor was a bad call and the one that went in Ohio State's favor was a good call? Once again i am shocked by your brutal honesty and willingness to call it like it is.

BTW I agree with you on the Wyatt/Oladiepo call but not so much on the Craft call. Like you said we have to blow up 100X to see if he's on the line or above it then it would make more sense to give the benefit to the offensive player. Otherwise we're saying that based on the slight chance Craft's heel was millimeters above the line we're going to give him the benefit of the doubt.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Let me rephrase myself. On the Craft play something needed to be called. There was entirely too much contact, especially by the rim for a play on to be allowed. From what I saw Craft was textbook in setting up, the issue being the circle under the basket. From all the basketball I have watched this year that is a charge.

If you want to talk about the larger issue being charges then I think they need to be addressed. I am a proponent of anytime a player hitting the deck trying to draw a charge a foul being called. If you penalize players for flopping more then you won't have as many people trying to draw charges. If your going to use the defensive semi circle then make it bigger and enforce it more.

[improbus]

The issue with me isn't with Craft's foot. It is that he was on the other side of the lane when the players was driving. According to the NCAA: http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/...t-surface+rule

Secondary defenders (help defenders) moving forward or to the side are also in violation and those should be blocking fouls.

Isn't that exactly what Craft was doing? Am I misreading that rule?

[kaldaniels]

The issue with me isn't with Craft's foot. It is that he was on the other side of the lane when the players was driving. According to the NCAA: http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/...t-surface+rule


Isn't that exactly what Craft was doing? Am I misreading that rule?

I really don't know but "moving" may be the key word. Craft had gotten to his spot and was no longer "moving".

[Revering4Blue]

Some good reads here:

Breaking Down the Sweet 16: Key matchups in each game.

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcspor...-in-each-game/

NCAA tournament’s first week gets highest ratings in 23 years.

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcspor...s-in-23-years/

The moment things started to unravel for Ben Howland at UCLA.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/-co...a-ben-howland/

How to fix Georgetown’s stunning string of March Madness disasters (without firing JT III).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports...a_story_1.html

[Boston Red]

NCAA tournament’s first week gets highest ratings in 23 years.

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcspor...s-in-23-years/

I guess the Tournament can manage to survive even without Kentucky. And my Muskies.

[Mutaman]

Going to be strange rooting against a guy named Larkin. Hopefully Buzz is figuring out a way to stop him.