CLANG!!! UConn - Butler Misses The Mark On Monday Night

Am I the only one that felt the 2011 Men’s Basketball Final was a dud?  Better yet, allow me to quote Kenny Smith, one of the talking heads on CBS during the Halftime Show, “This is the worse half of basketball I have ever seen in a Men’s Basketball Final Game!”    

Maybe it was just an overload of coverage with CBS, TBS, TNT and RealTV covering every game…perhaps it was the all upsets starting with Morehead State a 13^th seed defeating Rick Pitino’s Cardinals of Louisville seeded #4 (Quickly, where is Morehead State located?  I still don’t know!), or maybe there was just too much Charles Barkley!   Whatever it was, I just wasn’t feeling it. 

I know I’m probably alone in this feeling, afterall, even though Butler left their jump shot in the locker room, their 3-point shot in the bus, and their layup back at the hotel,  shooting a pathetic 18% from the field (an NCAA Final record for shooting futility),  there were actually three NCAA Final games in the last 13 years that had lower television ratings – the 2006 Florida vs UCLA title game, the 2004 Connecticut – Georgia Tech final, and the 2009 North Carolina vs. Michigan State title game. 

Sure, you could blame the poor shooting on the fact that game was played in Houston Texans’ Reliant Stadium, and therefore, the lack of a backdrop caused the Butler team to shoot blanks all night long – Butler made only THREE 2 point baskets all night long.  Or maybe you want to give credit to the UConn  defense that blocked 10 shots and had a hand in the face of the Butler offense…okay, hold it…lets face facts, the Butler offense was horrible.  It wasn’t the lighting or the backdrop; it wasn’t the UConn team was more athletic and active on defense – the Butler offense was simply BAD!

Lets look at the Butler offense.  Senior Matt Howard was 1 for 13.  Guard Shelvin Mack, Butler’s best offensive weapon was 4 for 15.  Center Andrew Smith was 2 for 9, and those 9 shots came within 5 feet of the basket!  Guard Shawn Vanzant was 2 for 10.  The bench didn’t make a single field goal. They were 12 of 64 from the field.  Heck, former UCLA legend Bill Walton once scored 44 points in a Championship Game – Team Walton would have beaten Butler by THREE on Monday night.  

I’ll admit I was a little burnt out at the end of the NCAA Tournament this year and the Final Game just didn’t hold my attention.  It maybe easy to blame it on the poor play of both teams – UConn only shot 34.5% from field – but whatever it was, the game just didn’t do it for me this year.   Maybe next year, they shouldn’t put it up against “Dancing With The Stars.”

The "P" Word In College Basketball

Okay, I’m going to say it, and I will probably take some heat for it, but I am going to say it, anyway…There is PARITY in NCAA Men’s Basketball…Yes, you heard me right, There is Parity in Men’s College Basketball.  (Note: I said Parity, not PARODY)   

A few weeks ago, I was involved in a Twitter Chat on Sports Business and the topic came up about the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.  The chat is made up of individuals who have strong experience in the World of Sports, others who are just cracking the club, (and it is a club!), and those who want to be get in but are left at the door behind the velvet ropes.  (Present company included!)  Anyway, a young participant in this evening’s Twitter Chat who had just earned his stripes into the WOS Club had made the statement that there is parity in Men’s College Basketball.  He want on to state, in a 140 characters or less, that he felt there were more “Unknown” teams then before cropping up in the TOP 25, now in March Madness, lower seeded teams were giving the Top Teams a run for their money. (Literally!)  Well, this brought on the wrath of several Sports Business Chat veterans who tweeted and retweeted their disdain for his parity comment, and promised to revoke his membership card and put his name and likeness on the Do Not Follow List. 

This gave me thought, could there be parity in Men’s College Basketball?  Now I am not talking about the kind of parity in the NFL, a term King Goodell and his merry men of owners toss around every time they tell you how good the product on the field is.  (Sure, I love the fact that a team “earned” their way into the playoffs and a home game with a 7 and 9 record.)   Yes, in College Hoops, you will still have your Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky, Syracuse, at the top of the list, but it appears that there are more and more colleges cracking the Top 25 and pulling off upsets that in the past couldn’t run the court with the power house schools. 

And perhaps, I’m caught up in the hype of this year’s Tournament where there is no hint of a #1 Seed in the Final Four – the first time this has happened since 2000, 11 years ago.  But last year, didn’t George Mason and Butler shock the Tournament with their play?  Okay, I know what you’re saying, the Tournament is PRIME for upsets – afterall, isn’t that what many of us live for – David beating Goliath.  Yes, every year, the Tournament gets one or two teams on a roll, and on any given night, Goliath can stub his BIG TOE, and take a fall.   But the shock is starting to wear off, and the upset is a little more expected than in the past.   (BTW, Butler, a Mid Major, is the first team since the Runnin’ Rebels of UNLV to make back to back Final Four appearances, 1990- 91.)

As one expert stated, I am not sure you would call it PARITY, but the difference between the “Haves” and the “Have Nots” is getting tighter.  Maybe it’s the One and Done mentality of the players (or should I say “Student – Athletes!) at some of the top schools compared to the relative stability at the Mid Majors where guys get a chance to play together for 3 or 4 years.  Also, the success and the exposure some of these less known schools are experiencing is only helping the confidence and the recruitment of some of these schools.  Do you not think that Butler, and Coach Brad Stevens are going to see a few more applications from guys with a quick cross over, who stand 6’7” and can jump out of the gym? (Is that even on the application!)

Whatever the reason, I’m sticking by the side of my fellow tweeter, and enjoying the parity in Men’s College Basketball – King Goodell would be proud!

One Shining Moment...I Don't Think So!

In case you were hiding under a rock this past weekend, one of the memorable games (and perhaps bizarre ending) in the  NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, and perhaps the history of the Tournament, was played between #8 seed Butler University and  #1 seed University of Pittsburgh.  And what made the game memorable…the last took 2.2 seconds. 

Here is a quick review:

3 seconds left: Butler takes a 70-69 lead on Andrew Smith’s layup with (this possession followed a shot-clock violation by the Panthers with about 10 seconds remaining.)

2.2 seconds left:  the Panthers inbounded the ball from under their basket and the Pittsburgh’s player on the receiving end is senior guard, Gilbert Brown, who lets it take one big bounce to keep the clock from starting before grabbing the ball on the run and attempting to win the game with a Hail Mary about 40 feet from the Butler basket.  Butler junior guard, Shelvin Mack, seeing a loose ball bouncing towards Brown and the sideline makes the decision to rush toward the ball with reckless abandon, and collides with Brown near midcourt. 

A foul is called on Mack, and Brown is awarded two shots, with Pitt down by 1 point.

With 1.4 seconds left: Brown, an 80% free throw shooter for the year, makes one free throw to tie the score and misses the second.  Butler’s Matt Howard rebounds the ball about 90 feet from Pitt basket. Game tied, and we are headed to overtime.  Enter stage left… Pittsburgh forward, junior, Nasir Robinson, who is desperate for the ball (and destined to be remembered as the Pitt Panther who committed the biggest foul in Panther history!) with eight-tenths of a second left.

A foul is called on Robinson, and Howard is awarded two shots, with the game tied.

Howard makes the winning free throw. 

Butler University wins and goes on to the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row. Pittsburgh University loses and goes home left scratching their heads, and asking themselves, what was Nasir Robinson thinking! 

The saddest part about the way this game ended…well, one could say how could the referees, who have had a rough go recently starting with The Big East Tournament’s “Referee Walk Off” Game between St. Johns and Rutgers, call not one foul in the last 2.2 seconds of the game, but call another foul with the game tied and eight-tenths of a second left and the ball 90 feet away from the winning basket.  (I always thought the best referees are the one’s you don’t remember.)

Maybe it was the senseless plays by two veteran players, Mack and Robinson.  What was Mack thinking go after the ball on the sideline at midcourt - did he not see Brown running frantically after it and heading out of bounds? And what about Robinson?  With eight tenths of a second left, how important is it to fight your defender for ball when they are 90 feet away from the basket? 

Whether you blame the refs for not swallowing their whistles at the end of the game, (BTW, the referees who called the fouls were Terry Wymer and Antinio Petty) or Mack and Robinson for trying to “out dumb” the other…the fact of the matter is the game was well played between two high caliber teams for 58 minutes and 57.8 seconds.  The type of game that should be remembered for the Pitt Panthers shooting, 56% from the field and 55% from the beyond the arc, or Butler’s 12 3-pointers and only six turnovers.

  

What did I learn from it all… Well, I think John Adams, National Coordinator Men’s Collegiate Basketball stated it best when asked what advice he would give Pittsburgh players the next time they are in the same situation…Don’t Foul At The End Of Game!  

NCAA Basketball Bracketology – A Love Hate Relationship!

For most sports fans, the NCAA Basketball Tournament is “like celebrating Christmas everyday” during the last three weeks of March.  The days leading up to the Tournament are like putting the final touches on your “XMAS wish list” for Santa Claus (hey, don’t tell me you don’t believe in Ole St. Nick!), as you watch your favorites make the cut, (Dear Santa, whatever you do, please make sure you get me the Action Pump Laser Blaster With X Ray Vision!) and the seldom talked about or never heard of before teams become fodder  for the top seeds in The Tournament.  (Has anyone every heard of Wofford U?) 

Which takes me to the Brackets…The Office Pools…The UNAMEITSPORTSSite.com contests that are promoting your chance to WIN A MILLION DOLLARS if you can pick all the winners.  Like Your Christmas Wish List, each day before the Tournament begins, you cling to this complex bracket of criss crossing lines, seed numbers, regions, etc., like you’re Indiana Jones agonizing over a map in search of the next pot of gold.  With pencil in hand, and your trusty sports website in front of you with the latest injury report or rumor, you cross out, erase, and refigure who will be your Final Four teams. 

That night before The Tournament starts you can’t sleep, your bracket tucked under your pillow waiting for the first jump ball, and your quest to become the next Final Four Prodigy!!! 

As I mentioned, for most sports fans, this time of year in College Basketball, with every game available on four different channels, 24 hour analysis from numerous talking heads comprised of ex-athletes, coaches, and sports bloggers, is like celebrating Christmas…which brings me to my close friend, Ted.  Now, don’t get me wrong – Ted loves basketball.  Ted played basketball – (okay, it was high school, and a D1 school in NY, but still it’s a lot better than my days in the local church league, where I was afraid to raise my hands on defense because I didn’t wash my knees the night before!)  In fact, Ted still plays basketball.  And he loves College Hoops!  What he doesn’t like is the NCAA Bracket Contests…just mention the phrase… "Hey, Did You Fill Out Your Brackets?" and the grown man shrivels up, and starts to stammer like Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man.  

So, I asked him, as I was studying my 10^th completed bracket on the eve on Thursday’s Tournament Kickoff… “Ted, why don’t you fill out a Tournament Bracket, do you not believe in Santa Claus?”  Ted looked at me, and then looked away, down at the ground, like a little boy who felt ashamed that he had lost his favorite toy.  When his head came back to me, Ted explained how the brackets take away the fun of watching The Tournament.   

“Steve, I can’t cheer for 14 seeded Wofford, (leave it to Ted to even know how to pronounce the school’s name) if I know that their victory will knock out the team I picked to go to the Elite 8!”  Ted was on a roll and by this time, I could hear the passion for his belief coming out in every word…  “It’s like buying a lottery ticket – I expect to win every single time I buy a ticket!  It just takes away from my enjoyment.  No longer am I rooting for the underdog, or my favorite coach, or player, or university…now it’s all about who I picked to represent the East region in the Final Four, and how I’m doing against the rest of the lunatics at the office!  It’s insane.  Why can’t we just leave BRACKETOLOGY to ESPN.com and Dick Vitale!”  (Wow, I never realized how demoralizing hanging around Ted could be!) 

I understand his point, you know not everyone likes all the lights, and glitz that goes with the Holidays…some people just want to enjoy the glow of the yule log in the fireplace.  I can respect that.  But for me, well…The Action Is The Juice!  Bring on the Office Pools, and post the results on everyone’s office door, in the breakroom, and hell, post them in the stalls in the bathrooms!   Let the trash talking begin because I picked the Tar Heels to be crowned Champion in 8 of my 10 brackets!  (Even in 2010, when Roy and the Boys didn’t make the Field of 64, I still had UNC as the Champion in one of my pools!)

Bring On Dickie V, and make sure he is wearing a red suit, and sit him in the front of the sleigh!!!


NOTE: I guess Ted isn't the only one...http://www.cnbc.com/id/36711238 (The Case For Not Filling Out The Bracket - Darren Rovell)

The Sins Of The NCAA

Blessed Me Father For I Have Sinned, It Has Been, Well Lets Say A Long Time Father Since My Last Confession…

Now, I know there are greater sins against mankind, sins that will make my slip in judgment pale in comparison.  And perhaps, you might even say, it really isn’t a sin, my son, maybe just a false sense of the truth…perhaps bad judgment on your part, or even blame it on my hope, and dreams that there is a place where we are true to ourselves…But Father, you see, I understand how you might feel that way, and I felt that way as well before, sure I wasn’t hurting anyone, nobody lost their life because of my actions, but lately, I feel like I in some way perpetuated a lie for so long…

You see Father, for so long, I promoted, no not promoted, I PREACHED that NCAA Athletics focused on the competition, the education and the player more than business.  I even stated, no not stated more like DEMANDED, that those that participated in college athletics should be called Student Athletes and not just athletes.  But in the end, I gave in.  I gave in to the TV Network Contract Money, the New Stadiums, The Practice Facilities, The Sponsorships, The Tailgate Parties, The High Rolling Boosters – Father, I am weak  for the prestige of have a high profile winning team ranked in the TOP Ten, A BCS Bowl Team, A Final Four Team...

I am trying Father to make amends for my past sins.  I mean, this past month, Coach Calhoun, a Hall of Fame coach by winning standards, (I don’t even know what the Connecticut Men’s Basketball Team graduation rate is) was given a THREE Game Suspension in the 2011-2012 season for violating guidelines on how many times your staff can contact a recruit.  By way Father, the recruit is U Conn’s best player, Bronx native, Kemba Walker.  Did you see how Walker drained the winning shot against Pittsburgh in the Big East Tournament sponsored by Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups!  It was incredible!   

And we just suspended, Ohio State Football Coach, Jim Tressel for TWO GAMES in the 2011 season (against Power House College Football programs, Akron and Toledo) for not letting the Ohio State University President or the NCAA know that he had knowledge of his players selling Ohio State trinkets and memorabilia before the start of the 2010 College Football season.  I mean Father, the guy just wrote a book entitled “Life Promises for Success: Promises From God On Achieving Your Best.”  This suspension will surely hurt his book tour and subsequent book sales.  Not to mention, once we finished our investigation in December, we suspended the Ohio State players involved for FIVE GAMES in the 2011 – 2012 season.  I know some people outside the NCAA were saying we should have suspended the players for the Tostitos BCS Bowl Game in January against Arkansas, but that would just upset the TV networks, the sponsors, the boosters, not too mention all those people who bought tickets, hotel rooms, airline tickets, and rental cars for their trips to Florida to see the game.  I mean what would have that proved.

Father, you see, I’m trying to redeem my broken ways, and I am dedicating the rest of this month to cleaning my act, and getting ready to bring College Athletics back to where it belongs.  I promise Father, right after the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament brought to you by FORD, GEICO Insurance, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, I will clean up College Athletics.