Nick and I are back, no worse for the wear. We break down each of the Final Four teams. In bullets:
• Why do we, and by we I mean I, hate Duke so much? There’s more in there than just them being white guys. Not much more, but more.
• We talk about why nobody picked Michigan State to go to the Final Four, yet everyone is talking about Izzo’s 6 of the last 12 Final Fours. Why didn’t we think of that three weeks ago? Someone, I think Whitlock, said that Izzo is the best basketball coach in the country at any level. Is that fair? Is it true? Or is he a great TOURNAMENT coach?
• We talk about Tennessee shooting too soon on their last possession in that game, and as Chris Littmann tweeted today, we disagree on the idea of ever shooting too soon when your team is losing. He thinks you take the lead as quickly as you can. I think, with a team like MSU doing the same thing to Maryland last week, you milk the clock and either win or lose with the ball in your hands. I would have called timeout and ran the play to leave less time on the clock.
• I’m rooting for West Virginia. The team, not the state. I mean no ill will to those who live there. I bet I like a bunch of people from there. But let’s not turn a bunch of NYC area kids winning a few games into some grand statement about the people from that state. I’m looking at you, Dan Wetzel’s Yahoo column.
• Butler is a great story, but will there be THAT MUCH of a home-court advantage for them? Sure it’s at home, but don’t people root for the underdog everywhere? Will there be that many more fans rooting for them in the stands in Indy as there would be in New Orleans? Will Hoosier fans be so quick to jump on the Butler Bandwagon when their team is in shambles?
Inside the Press Box:
We discuss two notes from Press Coverage this week. The story on Mike Penner in the LA Times, and the PFT story about Tim Tebow’s autograph session and the role the Palm Beach Post played in sponsoring and covering it.
Housekeeping:
Tags: Big East, CBS, March Madness, Media, Mike Penner, Tim Tebow
Dan, I disagree with you on the clock management situation in the Michigan State games. If it was a tie game, obviously, I would agree that working for a shot that leaves – at most – two seconds left on the clock is the right play.
But the advantage in having the ball and 20 seconds on the clock when you are down is that you can extend the game with multiple possessions in case of a miss. I think many coaches would take the 45/55 proposition of a shot with 10 seconds left, chance it with an offensive rebound, and if not then foul and still be within one possession. Given the tourney action I saw, most teams don’t have a great set play to run in these situations and isolation plays can be very hit-or-miss in the college game. Saving it for one shot certainly adds to the potential of inclusion in the One Shining Moment montage, but I just don’t think it’s the basketball play with the best chance for success.