The game between Gonzaga and Ohio State was fun to watch. Gonzaga ran up a big lead and by the end of the game got really close. The athleticism of Gonzaga is amazing. They have players that don’t look stiff or that are just tying to get experience for next year. They hit some three’s at the end of the game to pull away. Mark Few is one of the best coaches and recruiter in the West. I don’t think we can even get into the discussion of where BYU is at this point. We have some good players, but not a big enough group to challenge for a Championships. I just wish BYU could fill it’s cupboard with some really talented players. I don’t know how Gonzaga, a school of 7000 to 8000 students in Spokan Washington can make such a draw. They can lose great players and have a tendency to replace them with another great player. They have been winning WCC Championships (16), and its recruiting, recruiting and recruiting.
College sports is logistics. Can you build supply line of players, train them quickly enough, and fit them to your strategy?
I do think we can challenge them but we can’t beat them head on without improving our recruiting. There are strategies that work well for an underdog.
- Put 5 shooters on the floor (which means we need to get back to being able to shoot threes
- Player long athletic guards
- Off ball motion, less dribble penetration. Move the ball.
- Develop the bench or Gonzaga will beat us because we’re tired.
A less athletic team can win if they’re smarter. That said, we do need some more athletes.
So really what I’m saying is get Dastrup and Bergerson going and can we please at least think about giving the talented new guys some run? Harding and the Timpview kid are interesting pieces. Or we could play shaw again…He’ll be off the injury next year. Yay shaw?
Bottom line, You’ve got to be able to shoot over the top of them because those are big talented dudes.
I only got to watch the end of the OSU game. I was out shopping with my wife and checked the score on my phone in Wal-Mart and it was 15-0 Gonzaga and a little later 27-16 when we were in the grocery store. I turned the game on late and the announcers said Ohio State had come all the way back and taken a 5 point lead. When I turned it on there was about a minute and a half left and Gonzaga was in control.
There was a call toward the end of the game where the officials gave OSU the ball out of bounds when it appeared an OSU player touched it last. The announcers said the call should be reversed and Gonzaga should get the ball but the zebras gave it to OSU. I started to think like Jim Hawks that the zebras were in the tank for OSU and trying to give them a chance to pull it out. I swear the blue bloods of college basketball get the benefit of the close calls. Maybe I just think that because I root against every single P5 team if they are playing somebody from another conference even when they are a lower seed. I think the networks would love to see a final four with one SEC team, a Big Ten team, an ACC team, and a Big 12 or Pac 12 team.
I was disappointed that Xavier blew it against Florida St. even though they were a number one seed. They are a private faith based school and Florida St. is a state supported P5 school. I hope Gonzaga beats Florida St.
I loved the fact the U of U’s conference of champions didn’t win a single game in the tournament and two Pac 12 teams were put out in the play in games and Arizona got whipped by a 12 seed.
So much for the conference of champions. Maybe one of them will win the NIT.
It was great to see a 1 seed lose to a 16 seed. I just wish it would have been Kansas that lost rather than Virginia.
American culture definitely loves an underdog. Maybe that’s a broader human thing, but maybe not.
We’re paranoid and naturally tend to think people, including refs, are out to get us. But while refs probably mean well, they are human. In principle, don’t mistake incompetence for malice. Sometimes refs, despite their good intentions, are subconsciously biased for or against certain things or people. It happens. Even in the NBA, where refs are clearly better, certain players get better treatment. I doubt it’s because refs were told to do that. The refs just have a subconscious finger tipping the scales. Maybe it’s because their brain feels like that player was probably their first because he is faster, or the better athlete. Who knows?
The disclaimer: sometimes refs are dishonest. Tim Donaghy for example.