WTF was D. Wilson thinking?

[ecompt]

Totally lost on the final play, guarding no one while Pitt gets off a wide-open 3. Inexcusable. Unfathomable.

[OrangeGreenGolden]

Blame the coach for not telling his players that there was 1.2 left and to match up on everyone outside the 3 point line. Stupid on wilsons part but that's the coaches fault.

[tower912]

Wilson was the only guy on the perimeter.   All of the other wing defenders were hugging the same guy under the basket. 

[TJ]

Wilson was the only guy on the perimeter.   All of the other wing defenders were hugging the same guy under the basket. 

Yeah, that was horrible, but it was a team mistake and not on just one guy.

[brewcity77]

Should've fouled before the ball was even inbounded.

[rocky_warrior]

Blame the coach for not telling his players that there was 1.2 left and to match up on everyone outside the 3 point line. Stupid on wilsons part but that's the coaches fault.

Agreed, why was any MU player inside the 3pt line?  Glad it all worked out!  Go MU!

[ATL MU Warrior]

This game is a surefire loss without D. Wilson.  Think about that when starting threads like this.

[JakeBarnes]

Should've fouled before the ball was even inbounded.

This.  There is no excuse for not doing this.

[bilsu]

Should've fouled before the ball was even inbounded.

There is always the argument that you should have fouled. However, instead of fouling why not leave the spot under the basket wide open tempting the inbounder to go for the easy 2. 1.2 seconds would be close to zero after they take the easy wide open shot.

[dgies9156]

The question with intelligent basketball fans is where was the timeout when it became apparent we were not lining up properly.

In a situation like the one at the end of regulation, why not line your team up at the three-point perimeter and give 'em the easy two pointer. You've got the three point line vigorously defended and will have a hand in their face.

I hate to say it but this WAS a coaching breakdown. No harm, no foul today, but against Cincinnati, Syracuse and Louisville, this will be fatal.

[tower912]

Wainwright is in charge of end-of-game 3 pt defense.   MU ran a defensive play he used to use all of the time at DePaul.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Brain cramp on the coach not to call time out and get a strategy there.  A number of different options and what MU picked was not it.  Buzz said after Gtown on the foul strategy that you don't have time to practice all the end game situations...sorry, but this is your fifth one point or OT game.  Combine this with Gardner's 12th row pass instead of pulling up to get fouled and it should be clear you need to practice it.

[GGGG]

D. Wilson was where he should have been.  He was guarding anybody who popped out on the wing.  Someone in the lane screwed up.

[tower912]

Buzz just said on the postgame that Trent was supposed to be out on the shooter.   

[Benny B]

Buzz just said on the postgame that Trent was supposed to be out on the shooter.   

Trent likes dramatic wins.  Good for him.

[Golden Avalanche]

Buzz just said on the postgame that Trent was supposed to be out on the shooter.   

Lockett is the smartest dumbest player under Buzz.

[JakeBarnes]

Trent likes dramatic wins.  Good for him.

It's his last joyride.  He wants to have it be full of fun and drama.

[tower912]

Trent had his hands all over the guy under the basket while the shot was going up.  

[Stretchdeltsig]

Lockett or J. Wilson should have been on the 3 point shooter.  There was was no need to defend anyone underneath.  You could probably blame this on a coaching error.

[avid1010]

Buzz just said on the postgame that Trent was supposed to be out on the shooter.   

makes two games in a row for lockett...

you could see the two discussing right before ball was inbounded....wilson was ready for the guy to break his way...lockett wasn't even on the right side of the guy he was guarding, and then followed him right into the post and had a great box out (with 1 second left up 3)!!!!!!  i'm questioning the level of academics at ASU after the last two games.  

[MarquetteDano]

Lockett is the smartest dumbest player under Buzz.

I don't hate Lockett as much as many people here do but that's twice now he almost cost the game late.  I think he should still get 20+ minutes but you have to consider about pulling him late in tight games.  

[WellsstreetWanderer]

I kept hollering at the screen " two points are no concern- guard the three" that was the only thing that could tie the game. Should have been a time out to set defense

[ChicosBailBonds]

Brain cramp on the coach not to call time out and get a strategy there.  A number of different options and what MU picked was not it.  Buzz said after Gtown on the foul strategy that you don't have time to practice all the end game situations...sorry, but this is your fifth one point or OT game.  Combine this with Gardner's 12th row pass instead of pulling up to get fouled and it should be clear you need to practice it.

Correct.  That is how ESPN reported it...should have called timeout.  Fortunate it didn't bite us.

Take the end result. 

[We R Final Four]

I kept hollering at the screen " two points are no concern- guard the three" that was the only thing that could tie the game. Should have been a time out to set defense

+1

My kids were mocking me well after the games saying 'DEFEND THE THREE....DEFEND THE THREE, DAD'. 

Besides DWill(at the wing) and JWill (on the ball) why are the three of you inside the 3-point line, more so inside the lane???????

8th graders know he score and the situation, why are our guys sitting in the lane???? Shocked our guys don't completely understand the end of the game situations.

1.2 seconds left....down by three.  What are the only ways that they can tie the game?  Trent--you raised your hand first, so go ahead.....

[LloydMooresLegs]

Should've fouled before the ball was even inbounded.

While Pitt was called for a hold (and just a regular foul) before the inbounds on an earlier play, I think this is too dangerous because it can lead to a call of an intentional foul. 

[dgies9156]

I kept hollering at the screen " two points are no concern- guard the three" that was the only thing that could tie the game. Should have been a time out to set defense

You and every other Warrior Fan watching the game!

[ecompt]

This game is a surefire loss without D. Wilson.  Think about that when starting threads like this.

Absolutely right. But he looked completely lost on that last play, even if it wasn't his fault.

[MU86NC]

Brain cramp on the coach not to call time out and get a strategy there.  A number of different options and what MU picked was not it.  Buzz said after Gtown on the foul strategy that you don't have time to practice all the end game situations...sorry, but this is your fifth one point or OT game.  Combine this with Gardner's 12th row pass instead of pulling up to get fouled and it should be clear you need to practice it.

So true Doc!

[MerrittsMustache]

Absolutely right. But he looked completely lost on that last play, even if it wasn't his fault.

He looked confused as to why the player responsible for the open man wasn't getting out there. He couldn't leave his spot because then there would be 2 players out of position. A year from now, DWilson will call a timeout in that situation.

[mileskishnish72]

Don't put that paly on DWil - what he was thinking was where the hell is Trent?
That's 3 boners in two late game situations for #22.

[The Process]

That's 3 boners in two late game situations for #22.

... TMI.

[MU82]

A few comments regarding earlier comments:

1. I coached 8th grade girls basketball. We were lucky to have 2-3 practices a week, and practice never lasted longer than 2 hours. We practiced end-of-game situations. College basketball teams pretty much live on the court; there is absolutely no excuse to not practicing end-of-game situations. Beyond that, as soon as Buzz saw problems in the lineup of that play, he of course should have called timeout; that's the advantage of having timeouts at the end. I'm a HUGE Buzz fan and I want him to stay at Marquette for a long, long time. But that doesn't mean he should be absolved of responsibility in situations just like these. He is the head coach. This falls almost totally on him.

2. You don't foul with 1.2 seconds to go. You play good positional defense and if they make a Butlerish miracle 3, you live with it and go to OT.

3. That wasn't a Butlerish miracle 3. Marquette shouldn't have had one player inside the lane. All five defenders should have been at the arc. If they want to catch the ball for a 360, windmill jam that makes SportsCenter highlights, good for them. And good for us. The only way we have a chance to lose that game is if they hit a 3. It's the only thing that should have mattered defensively. Again, a timeout there would have reinforced that.

4. I like the comment about Lockett being the dumbest smart guy on the team because it's true. I know there probably are stats that show he has a certain value, but I also know what my eyes see. In clutch situations this season, he has hurt the team more than he has helped.

[We R Final Four]

Marquette shouldn't have had one player inside the lane. All five defenders should have been at the arc.

One guy on the ball to force a lob which pushes the shooter out to 25'+ range--JWill was the man for the job.  The remaining four should have been on the arc watching for the pick to free the shooter.

No reason to have one player inside the lane, there was 1.2 seconds left.

[mu_hilltopper]

What perpetuates this discussion is that .. those 1.2 seconds made MU look dumb.  Pitt couldn't have drawn it up better.  

Pitt wanted their hot 3-point shooter all alone on the arc so he could catch and shoot.  Pitt put 3 guys in the lane to draw MU to guard them, which is about as crafty as saying "hey look, your shoes are untied."   And MU fell for it, guarding players who had a ZERO percent chance of getting the ball, like moths to a flame.

Unreal.

[ChicosBailBonds]

What perpetuates this discussion is that .. those 1.2 seconds made MU look dumb.  Pitt couldn't have drawn it up better.  

Pitt wanted their hot 3-point shooter all alone on the arc so he could catch and shoot.  Pitt put 3 guys in the lane to draw MU to guard them, which is about as crafty as saying "hey look, your shoes are untied."   And MU fell for it, guarding players who had a ZERO percent chance of getting the ball, like moths to a flame.

Unreal.

+100000000000000

Here is the video.  As the announcer says "he couldn't be more wide open on a Saturday afternoon stroll in the park".  We got lucky.  Buzz looked like he wanted to throw up.

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=330120221

[brewcity77]

Watching this again, I think the answer to the subject line would be "Why the hell am I the only one guarding the three-point line?"

God, seeing 3 guys under the hoop (Jamil guarding the inbound was fine) is just silly. Thankfully, overtime made it all better.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Watching this again, I think the answer to the subject line would be "Why the hell am I the only one guarding the three-point line?"

God, seeing 3 guys under the hoop (Jamil guarding the inbound was fine) is just silly. Thankfully, overtime made it all better.

I think that's when the opportunity for a T.O. comes in.  I get Buzz's strategy not to call one to give them a chance to setup, but if I'm seeing my team setup like they did I'm running down the court calling a timeout as my guys clearly are not on the same page. 

[Dr. Blackheart]

I think that's when the opportunity for a T.O. comes in.  I get Buzz's strategy not to call one to give them a chance to setup, but if I'm seeing my team setup like they did I'm running down the court calling a timeout as my guys clearly are not on the same page.  

+1.  We also forgot Dixon used a time out at 10.7 seconds to set up a play.  Pitt inbounded the ball at the same exact spot...but Pitt had to throw it into the deep backcourt to inbound it and had to force a trey that then went out of bounds.  At 10.7, there was time for a quick two, a foul on MU, and still a chance for a game winner (or tie if MU made the FT's) coming back...so it made sense to defend the paint then....and with that amount of time left (10.7), it made no sense for MU to foul yet.

However, at 1.2 seconds left, MU was in the same defense for that out of bounds play at 10.7. But, Pitt's only hope was a trey.  MU's possible strategy options had changed 180 degrees, though. A time out was needed as the players were clearly confused playing that same defensive set.  On the coaching staff.

[Windyplayer]

Totally lost on the final play, guarding no one while Pitt gets off a wide-open 3. Inexcusable. Unfathomable.

What was baffling was D. Wilson started to go out to the shooter when the inbounder pump-faked toward the shooter, then he inexplicably changed course and went back toward the inbounder--that's when the inbounder passed it to the shooter with all of Wilson's momentum going toward the inbounder. Just mind-blowing. There was obvious confusion and Buzz didn't see it for some really, really weird (and unknown) reason. Buzz flat-out didn't do his job. I love the guy and hope he stays forever, but those kind of mistakes cannot happen at a high-level program with so much to lose.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Anyone catch Jamil's reaction after the basket went in? 

[Niv Berkowitz]

Looks like the Wilsons weren't on the same page there.

Also...I love Buzz, but...if I have to hear him in his post-game presser again talk about what great human-beings the kids are and how smart Lockett is as a way of defending their game-ending boner, I'm going to punch something.

Yes, Buzz. We all know how great the kids are. But when they eff up at a critical time, that's not to say people hate the kid. He screwed up. And in the case of Lockett, it was the second consecutive time he's done so at the most critical juncture of a game. Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining.

[brewcity77]

Looks like the Wilsons weren't on the same page

I thought they were the only ones doing the right thing. Jamil guarded the inbound and Derrick was defending the perimeter. The problem was the three yahoos under the hoop.

[jsglow]

I thought they were the only ones doing the right thing. Jamil guarded the inbound and Derrick was defending the perimeter. The problem was the three yahoos under the hoop.

Yeah, we sure did a great job of packing the paint.

[NersEllenson]

What was baffling was D. Wilson started to go out to the shooter when the inbounder pump-faked toward the shooter, then he inexplicably changed course and went back toward the inbounder--that's when the inbounder passed it to the shooter with all of Wilson's momentum going toward the inbounder. Just mind-blowing. There was obvious confusion and Buzz didn't see it for some really, really weird (and unknown) reason. Buzz flat-out didn't do his job. I love the guy and hope he stays forever, but those kind of mistakes cannot happen at a high-level program with so much to lose.

Pretty sure any high level program is a direct byproduct OF the head coach.  Lose the coach, remains to be seen how "high level" the program remains.  I'd rather have a coach capable of recruiting a team full of talented players that allow you to be in the position to win games on the road at Pitt, and everywhere else (who had a brain fart -(perhaps), than having the master tactician coach who can't recruit to save his life - such as Mike Deane.  

Let's just say Buzz did call a timeout in that situation - Pitt, which had no timeouts - draws up a play and frees a kid up for a 3, makes it, and we go to OT.  Kind of have a feeling a lot of people here would be saying how idiotic it was to call a timeout and give Pitt a chance to draw something up.  Hindsight always 20/20.  The joys of being the armchair quarterback...

That said, I agree with your point - Buzz should have called a timeout in that situation as there did appear to be some confusion - but the players too could have called the timeout..as they were on the opposite end of the court from Buzz and probably had a sense that they didn't feel set up properly etc.  Just like you see in pro football, many times the timeouts come from the players on the field...