Elephantitis
New member
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2008
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53-41 is why its hard to care about men's college basketball, particularly the regular season. Too many teams struggling to score 50 points because of a lack of emphasis on developing skills on offense.
That was NOT great defense. Competent defense, yes, but no team shoots 18% because the opposing team plays great defense.
Horrible coaching by Brad Stevens.
Yes, coaches are responsible for shot selection. "It's not his fault his players missed shots!" Bull poop. It is the responsibility of the coach to instill in his players the right mindset on offense, and Butler's addiction to the 3 point shot was disgusting. If you were to look at Butler's shot selection from the court, almost all the shots were a 3 or a shot in the paint. Why can't coaches encourage players to develop mid range jumpers?!? Stevens needed to pull his players aside and tell them to stop jacking up 3s from about the 18 minute mark of the 2nd half and on. Catch the ball on the perimeter, pump fake, dribble in about 7 feet, and attempt a shot 15 feet from the basket. If you're in closer, aim for the backboard to bank it in. Good God, the lack of fundamentals is DESTROYING college basketball.
Yes, UConn can block shots in the paint. Yes, they can defend the 3. Well then, attempt shots not in the paint and not behind the 3 point line. There were gaps in UConn's defense...no attempt to exploit those gaps on Butler's part.
Jiminy Christmas, horrible play. And its too often the norm now. Good defensive game should be 68-66, not 53-41, certainly not 36-33.
The national champion scored 19 points in the first half.
Of the major team sports--College football, NFL, College basketball, NBA, NHL (I can't comment on baseball cause I don't follow it and detest it)--college basketball is the WORST coached and the WORST example of skill development and execution. College hockey has better coaching. The NHL has had some stupid and lazy coaching (Selling out to crash the boards in the hopes of doinking the puck off someone's skate into the net is the equivalent of living by the 3 and dying by it in b-ball), but consistently the good teams year in and year out are prime examples of good "chess-like mindset" movement in the offensive zone. The NBA has better respect for skill development and team chemistry, which is laughable considering where the NBA was 5-15 years or so ago.
There have been ugly national titles in other sports before, but usually its the result of excellence. The 49ers embarrassed Denver 55-10 in 1989, but at least San Fransisco looked brilliant. We beat FSU 13-2, but it was a genuine example of excellent defense and coaching. USC humiliated us in the Orange Bowl, and it was inexplicably horrible coaching and skillsmanship on our part...but not on USC's part. This was crap on both Butler AND Uconn's part, and it's the norm in college basketball.
All this sport has is the tournament, and the tournament isn't popular because its well played, but because of the drama. If there's no drama, there's nothing, because the sport is so poorly played and coached.
Screw the 3 point shot. It should become a 1 point shot, so that coaches and players are forced to actually develop SKILLS, instead of relying on the chimera of the trey. It's harder for players to make a competent dribble drive and stop and pop for a 10 foot shot than it is to pull up a trey as the clock is winding down, thus, invert the scoring value, and reward a team for good movement on offense and punish them for lazy heaves from 22 feet out.
Its so disappointing because Butler was supposed to be the program that shows that good fundamentals wins titles, that breaking down the defense wins, that movement on offense wins, that amateur athletes can stay for four years and develop a mature, versatile skill set...and they end up embracing all that's WRONG with the sport in the brightest spotlight.
Screw Butler, for blowing out the last candle of hope for good scheming in among the ruins of a once great yet odiously dilapidating sport.
That was NOT great defense. Competent defense, yes, but no team shoots 18% because the opposing team plays great defense.
Horrible coaching by Brad Stevens.
Yes, coaches are responsible for shot selection. "It's not his fault his players missed shots!" Bull poop. It is the responsibility of the coach to instill in his players the right mindset on offense, and Butler's addiction to the 3 point shot was disgusting. If you were to look at Butler's shot selection from the court, almost all the shots were a 3 or a shot in the paint. Why can't coaches encourage players to develop mid range jumpers?!? Stevens needed to pull his players aside and tell them to stop jacking up 3s from about the 18 minute mark of the 2nd half and on. Catch the ball on the perimeter, pump fake, dribble in about 7 feet, and attempt a shot 15 feet from the basket. If you're in closer, aim for the backboard to bank it in. Good God, the lack of fundamentals is DESTROYING college basketball.
Yes, UConn can block shots in the paint. Yes, they can defend the 3. Well then, attempt shots not in the paint and not behind the 3 point line. There were gaps in UConn's defense...no attempt to exploit those gaps on Butler's part.
Jiminy Christmas, horrible play. And its too often the norm now. Good defensive game should be 68-66, not 53-41, certainly not 36-33.
The national champion scored 19 points in the first half.
Of the major team sports--College football, NFL, College basketball, NBA, NHL (I can't comment on baseball cause I don't follow it and detest it)--college basketball is the WORST coached and the WORST example of skill development and execution. College hockey has better coaching. The NHL has had some stupid and lazy coaching (Selling out to crash the boards in the hopes of doinking the puck off someone's skate into the net is the equivalent of living by the 3 and dying by it in b-ball), but consistently the good teams year in and year out are prime examples of good "chess-like mindset" movement in the offensive zone. The NBA has better respect for skill development and team chemistry, which is laughable considering where the NBA was 5-15 years or so ago.
There have been ugly national titles in other sports before, but usually its the result of excellence. The 49ers embarrassed Denver 55-10 in 1989, but at least San Fransisco looked brilliant. We beat FSU 13-2, but it was a genuine example of excellent defense and coaching. USC humiliated us in the Orange Bowl, and it was inexplicably horrible coaching and skillsmanship on our part...but not on USC's part. This was crap on both Butler AND Uconn's part, and it's the norm in college basketball.
All this sport has is the tournament, and the tournament isn't popular because its well played, but because of the drama. If there's no drama, there's nothing, because the sport is so poorly played and coached.
Screw the 3 point shot. It should become a 1 point shot, so that coaches and players are forced to actually develop SKILLS, instead of relying on the chimera of the trey. It's harder for players to make a competent dribble drive and stop and pop for a 10 foot shot than it is to pull up a trey as the clock is winding down, thus, invert the scoring value, and reward a team for good movement on offense and punish them for lazy heaves from 22 feet out.
Its so disappointing because Butler was supposed to be the program that shows that good fundamentals wins titles, that breaking down the defense wins, that movement on offense wins, that amateur athletes can stay for four years and develop a mature, versatile skill set...and they end up embracing all that's WRONG with the sport in the brightest spotlight.
Screw Butler, for blowing out the last candle of hope for good scheming in among the ruins of a once great yet odiously dilapidating sport.
