Is Offensive Basketball Dead in the College Game?

[Sooner04]

I ask because I had a real hard time finding good offensive ball in the NCAA Tournament. Butler and West Virginia had two of the worst shooting performances in NCAA history during their runs to Indianapolis and both make the Final Four. Butler has huge scoring droughts in both of their games over the weekend yet win one and come within an eyelash of winning the other.

I'm no basketball zen master or anything, but I think I've got a pretty good feel for what I see. And what I see is not good defense, it's bad offense. Purdue's got the ball in a tie game against eATMe with the clock running out. There are no screens, there are no cuts. Just a guy dribbling up top, and he ends up falling down and no shot is even attempted.

It seems like more and more coaches are being hired who are slaves to defense and neglect anything that resembles an intelligent offense. I'm ALL FOR good defense, but I'd like to see some guys make some shots. In my opinion, you can take any good athlete and turn him into a good defender, but a great offensive game is more of a blessing. That's why Bruce Bowen can be called a lockdown defender while hitting about 40% of his free throws. Defense can be taught, but the blessing, the gifts, they come from upon high when it comes to putting the ball into the hoop.

The NBA and the NCAA game are two different animals, but it seems to me that NCAA coaches are trying to implement parts of the NBA game into the college level. All it's doing is mucking things up. I'm seeing more isolations than ever, but that doesn't appear to be working. The shot clock is longer and the lane is more narrow. There's no room to operate down there.

Butler came within a Hayward fadeaway of having the lead with five seconds to go. That's remarkable, but even more remarkable is how they got there by throwing up nothing but bricks. Observe:

Game 1: 23/50 (46.0%)
Game 2: 18/50 (36.0%)
Game 3: 21/52 (40.4%)
Game 4: 21/46 (45.7%)
Game 5: 15/49 (30.6%)
Game 6: 20/61 (32.8%)

That's 118/308 for 38.3%. They missed 75 of their 110 shots in the two Final Four games and damn near won the championship. How is that possible?

Will we ever see really good offensive teams again? Players who can hit shots in both the mid-range and from deep? I'm not advocating a return to the "ole" mindset where we hurry you into a shot so we can get the ball back. I'd just like to see some guys put the ball in the bucket for a change.


Seems like those days are a distant memory.

 

[StatGeek]

There seems to be a parallel between a teams talent and the precision of the offense the team runs, meaning the more talent the less sophisticated the offense. There are some really good offensive teams but are smaller less talented schools. This is similar to CFB where the powers typically use less complicated tactics and rely on their physical advantages to win games.

 

[Soonercuda]

UNC last year was a good offensive team.

 

[BAsooner]

I think that not having a charge circle inhibits the offense. For example Jon Scheyer took a charge last night under the goal. That kind of defense does not allow as many plays going to the basket.

 

[gracefor24]

I was just telling someone today that College Basketball needs some rule changes to help the offensive flow. Wider lane, defensive 3 seconds, extend the 3 pt line to NBA levels, no hand checking, etc.

 

[Cheno]

I was just telling someone today that College Basketball needs some rule changes to help the offensive flow. Wider lane, defensive 3 seconds, extend the 3 pt line to NBA levels, no hand checking, etc.

I agree. It's getting harder and harder to watch the average game.

 

[gracefor24]

I agree. It's getting harder and harder to watch the average game.

Yep. I find myself more and more gravitating toward the NBA. As the players have gotten bigger and more physical the college game has gotten more difficult to officiate and the rules make it even harder. There were plays last night where there could have been 4 fouls called on one play but none were called.

 

[okccpa]

I think it all boils down to the fundamentals of basketball, everyone wants to dunk and shoot threes, there is nothing in between. If you look at the Thunder and see the improvement Westbrook has made to his game by being able to knock down a 12-15 ft jumper.

 

[tallandsexy]

It is hard to score when you are getting fouled everytime you shoot or drive. Teams struggled to score because teams are holding and fouling on every trip down the court and the refs are not calling anything.

 

[gracefor24]

It is hard to score when you are getting fouled everytime you shoot or drive. Teams struggled to score because teams are holding and fouling on every trip down the court and the refs are not calling anything.

Yep, and some of those rule changes can help with that. On the other hand some of the officials are simply pathetic.

 

[Sooner04]

The charge circle would be a monumental plus. Widening the lane would certainly help too. Putting another gray area (like defensive 3-seconds) would only further muck up the minds of our esteemed officials. Five seconds in the lane never gets called, requiring them to watch the defender for three would be a surefire circuit fry.

There was a play last night where the offensive player went into the lane and the defender slipped over to take the charge. Contact is made, ball goes one way, offensive guy goes another and the defensive guy goes yet another. No whistle. That's ridiculous on so many levels but it happens over and over in the college game.

Hacking is epidemic across the board. That's a given. But you know what would warm my heart? A mid-range jumper. Begin your drive, stop on a dime, and pull up for the shot. That part of the game is dying off quicker than the passenger pigeon.

 

[AdaSooner]

I was just telling someone today that College Basketball needs some rule changes to help the offensive flow. Wider lane, defensive 3 seconds, extend the 3 pt line to NBA levels, no hand checking, etc.

It would also help if the rules already in place were enforced. A few years ago offensive players had the clear advantage. But that has changed dramatically in the last few years.

To pick up where Grace left off, excessive hand checking is acceptable now. Not long ago the NCAA made it a point of emphasis. But it was quickly forgotten after a season or two. Additionally, a hard bump at the top of the key or on a drive down the lane that was once an automatic foul on the defensive player is now ignored as "incidental contact." In years past a block/charge call that was not clear cut almost always went in favor of the offensive player. Now we see player-controlled fouls called when the defender was clearly not squared up before the offensively player left the floor on a shot attempt or he is still sliding to get position when contact is made. There are others, but those three come immediately to mind.

My point is that I think the decline in offensive production we're seeing now could be the result, at least in part, to the possibility that what was once an unfair advantage for the offensive player now favors the defense. Maybe the pendulum swung too far in the other direction?

 

[tallandsexy]

Yep, and some of those rule changes can help with that. On the other hand some of the officials are simply pathetic.

How is moving the three point line going to make the ref call more fouls? How about they just blow the whistle and call the game the way it is supposed to be called!

 

[BAsooner]

The only way the mid-range shot is coming to the college game is if you make the three point shot longer. Why shoot a 15 ft 2 pointer when you can shoot 20 ft three. If you take it out to nba length then the 15 ft shot will come around in the college game

 

[Cheno]

The charge circle would be a monumental plus. Widening the lane would certainly help too. Putting another gray area (like defensive 3-seconds) would only further muck up the minds of our esteemed officials. Five seconds in the lane never gets called, requiring them to watch the defender for three would be a surefire circuit fry.

There was a play last night where the offensive player went into the lane and the defender slipped over to take the charge. Contact is made, ball goes one way, offensive guy goes another and the defensive guy goes yet another. No whistle. That's ridiculous on so many levels but it happens over and over in the college game.

Hacking is epidemic across the board. That's a given. But you know what would warm my heart? A mid-range jumper. Begin your drive, stop on a dime, and pull up for the shot. That part of the game is dying off quicker than the passenger pigeon.

Yep, I agree. It's amazing how much they let go. With a minute or two left last night Zoubek about decapitated Howard and threw him to the floor and no call.

 

[gracefor24]

How is moving the three point line going to make the ref call more fouls? How about they just blow the whistle and call the game the way it is supposed to be called!

Moving the 3 Pt line helps spread the floor out which actually makes it easier to call fouls. The college game is so scrunched in that it makes it difficult because there is way too much happening in to small of a space.

 

[Cheno]

Moving the 3 Pt line helps spread the floor out which actually makes it easier to call fouls. The college game is so scrunched in that it makes it difficult because there is way too much happening in to small of a space.

Yep, especially as the players just get bigger and bigger.

 

[stoops4pres]

Yep, I agree. It's amazing how much they let go. With a minute or two left last night Zoubek about decapitated Howard and threw him to the floor and no call.

That would have knocked Zoubek out of the game as well, it would have been his 5th foul.

 

[campbest]

There are definitely points of emphasis which the NCAA needs to address concerning rules and their enforcement. I just don't want this to turn into the NBA where traveling is ok, defensive three seconds is implemented (zone defenses are a part of the game) and touch fouls are called at a higher rate, which in turn makes the game a glorified free throw contest. I don't want to watch offensive players jumping five feet in front or to the side in an attempt to draw contact.

Remember how everyone was b*tching about the KSU-CU game in Boulder this year? There were like 50+ free throws attempted.

I wanted Duke to lose more than anyone, but its tough for me to feel bad for Howard on the play, he should of fouled out about 5-6 minutes prior. Watch him when he is in the game, he is constantly fouling someone, it's pretty funny.

The officials definitely let them play last night, but I thought both teams went after each other hard, neither one gained a distinct advantage.

 

[campbest]

Moving the 3 Pt line helps spread the floor out which actually makes it easier to call fouls. The college game is so scrunched in that it makes it difficult because there is way too much happening in to small of a space.

I would agree with this.