JJJ

[warriorfan 14]

So did I miss something? Why was jjj sitting so much at the end. Duane was just terrible, taking wild shots and missing layups. Sandy is very short of confidence. So I have no idea why these 2 were preferred to a player who has been hot the past few games. Wojo's substitution patterns and inconsistencies continue to confuse me. Poor game for wojo in this one.

Frustrated with this loss. It seems that as soon as you gain some hope with this team, they let you down

[#UnleashSean]

As I raged at last time... Wojo has a loooooooooooooong way to go in coaching situations.

[GoldenZebra]

I dont see why the play at the end was to have Wilson shoot the 3. Ridiculous.

[warriorfan 14]

the possession that really killed us was right out of a timeout we stand around and then henry jacks up a contested 3 with 2 seconds on the shot clock....terrible.

[GGGG]

the possession that really killed us was right out of a timeout we stand around and then henry jacks up a contested 3 with 2 seconds on the shot clock....terrible.

Called a timeout when there was no reason to.  Creighton changes up defenses and MU doesn't respond.  I don't get why coaches use timeouts in those situations.

[#UnleashSean]

I dont see why, when down 1 with the shot clock 6 seconds ahead of the game clock you don't foul.

Worst case when fouling: Down 3 with 30 seconds.

Best case when not fouling: Down 1 with 7 seconds left.

I'd take t he worst case when fouling everytime. At least then you can set something up, when you don't foul at best your getting a desperation last second shot.

[GGGG]

I dont see why, when down 1 with the shot clock 6 seconds ahead of the game clock you don't foul.

Worst case when fouling: Down 3 with 30 seconds.

Best case when not fouling: Down 1 with 7 seconds left.

I'd take t he worst case when fouling everytime. At least then you can set something up, when you don't foul at best your getting a desperation last second shot.

I don't agree.  Marquette gets the rebound of that missed shot and they have a chance to win.  They didn't get the rebound.

[brewcity77]

The last minute was terrible coaching. Stupid timeout that silenced a raucous crowd. Horrible play that resulted in n points. Not fouling when down 1. Just inexplicable.

[MattyWarrior]

Bad coaching,you have to start a point guard, not Wilson. The bad juju started right out of the gate, we should not lose to these guys at home. We have much more talent and I believe they
scored more points in the paint than we did. He needs to sit Cohen, hes slow and absent.

[chapman]

Maybe doing a Ners impression, but I don't get why our best shooter and one of the best passers on the team got so few minutes, and wasn't in when we needed a score with the game on the line.  Just last game, Wojo praised his consistency and said he was a developing leader.  So give him consistent minutes and don't make him a cheer-leader.

[GGGG]

Maybe doing a Ners impression, but I don't get why our best shooter and one of the best passers on the team got so few minutes, and wasn't in when we needed a score with the game on the line.  Just last game, Wojo praised his consistency and said he was a developing leader.  So give him consistent minutes and don't make him a cheer-leader.

I agree with this.  JJJ has been playing great lately.  Can't figure out why he wasn't on the floor more.

[esotericmindguy]

The last minute was terrible coaching. Stupid timeout that silenced a raucous crowd. Horrible play that resulted in n points. Not fouling when down 1. Just inexplicable.

You want them to foul with a 9 second differential on shot clock? Are you mental. Fischer is soft, he sucks. Grab a rebound.

[Herman Cain]

Maybe doing a Ners impression, but I don't get why our best shooter and one of the best passers on the team got so few minutes, and wasn't in when we needed a score with the game on the line.  Just last game, Wojo praised his consistency and said he was a developing leader.  So give him consistent minutes and don't make him a cheer-leader.

I Agree with this analysis.

[#UnleashSean]

I don't agree.  Marquette gets the rebound of that missed shot and they have a chance to win.  They didn't get the rebound.

But even if Marquette gets the rebound, there is zero time to setup. It's literally just a bumrush for the last shot.

[KenoshaWarrior]

The last minute was terrible coaching. Stupid timeout that silenced a raucous crowd. Horrible play that resulted in n points. Not fouling when down 1. Just inexplicable.

Disagree. They get board they are one shot from win

[GGGG]

But even if Marquette gets the rebound, there is zero time to setup. It's literally just a bumrush for the last shot.

8 seconds with a timeout is enough time IMO.  But I can see your POV.

[#UnleashSean]

8 seconds with a timeout is enough time IMO.  But I can see your POV.

I just feel like being down at most 3 points with 40-30 seconds (forgot exact time) is alot better then down 1 with 8.

[bradley center bat]

The last minute was terrible coaching. Stupid timeout that silenced a raucous crowd. Horrible play that resulted in n points. Not fouling when down 1. Just inexplicable.

If they get the rebound, it's a mood point. MU, didn't even run the play that was talked about in the huddle.

[brewcity77]

You want them to foul with a 9 second differential on shot clock? Are you mental. Fischer is soft, he sucks. Grab a rebound.

With that much time? Absogoddamnlutely. I'd rather be down 3 with 35 seconds than down 1 with 8 seconds. We gave that game away.

[ChuckyChip]

the possession that really killed us was right out of a timeout we stand around and then henry jacks up a contested 3 with 2 seconds on the shot clock....terrible.

According to Wojo on postgame show, team did not listen in the huddle and did not run the play that was called - was supposed to be a post up to Luke, but they did not even run the play.  Is that on the coaches or the players?

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

According to Wojo on postgame show, team did not listen in the huddle and did not run the play that was called - was supposed to be a post up to Luke, but they did not even run the play.  Is that on the coaches or the players?

If it was unclear - the coaches.  If it was mutiny or coaching was ignored - the coaches. If they got distracted or confused on the court - the players.

[Dr. Blackheart]

According to Wojo on postgame show, team did not listen in the huddle and did not run the play that was called - was supposed to be a post up to Luke, but they did not even run the play.  Is that on the coaches or the players?

Heard this a lot from him post game. Simple answer: The entire team is to blame, of which he leads. Really poor response. If they aren't listening, put in the lineup who is.  Blame is for losers.

[GGGG]

Heard this a lot from him post game. Simple answer: The entire team is to blame, of which he leads. Really poor response. If they aren't listening, put in the lineup who is.  Blame is for losers.

Yeah this is it.  Exactly.  It's not the coach OR the players.  It's the coach AND the players.

[brewcity77]

If they get the rebound, it's a mood point. MU, didn't even run the play that was talked about in the huddle.

And if that's the case, it's again on the coaches. If the boss can't get enough buy in to effectively convey their message, they're doing something wrong.

[Mr. Nielsen]

And if that's the case, it's again on the coaches. If the boss can't get enough buy in to effectively convey their message, they're doing something wrong.

Your over thinking this. So, don't call a timeout. If, Marquette put up a bad shot without calling a timeout, everyone would say, why didn't you call a timeout.

[GGGG]

Your over thinking this! So, don't call a timeout.

Yes.  Exactly.

[Stretchdeltsig]

Lousy coaching and poor effort period.

[bradley center bat]

So did I miss something? Why was jjj sitting so much at the end.

Didn't you see all those lay-up by Bluejays seconds after a MU basket.

[brewcity77]

Your over thinking this. So, don't call a timeout. If, Marquette put up a bad shot without calling a timeout, everyone would say, why didn't you call a timeout.

Disagree. We had all the momentum. Sucked the life out of the building, took the players out of their rhythm, gave Creighton a chance to change defenses.

If we're trailing, I'd totally say call it. Leading, not so much.

[mug644]

With that much time? Absogoddamnlutely. I'd rather be down 3 with 35 seconds than down 1 with 8 seconds. We gave that game away.

I totally agree with this. As soon as the free throw was missed I expected a foul. I couldn't believe that the defense just hung back. Maybe we didn't give the game away, but we didn't try to take control in those last 37 seconds.

[Mr. Nielsen]

Disagree. We had all the momentum. Sucked the life out of the building, took the players out of their rhythm, gave Creighton a chance to change defenses.

If we're trailing, I'd totally say call it. Leading, not so much.

I don't disagree with the logic. I wouldn't care if they didn't call a timeout. I wouldn't either.
Marquette didn't run the play. I'm not playing Monday morning QB, if a timeout is called or not.

[bilsu]

But even if Marquette gets the rebound, there is zero time to setup. It's literally just a bumrush for the last shot.

They fouled when they did not get the rebound and there still was 7+ seconds to score. Had they got the rebound they would of had 9+ seconds to score and would of only needed a two to win instead of a three to tie. 9 seconds is plenty of time. I think DePaul had slightly less than that when they beat us.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Lousy coaching and poor effort period.

You thought the effort was poor...as in they were not trying, going through the motions?

[WarriorPride68]

I missed the first half...was JJJ defense & shot selection pretty poor?

JJJ played 17 minutes & posted:

3 pts, 5 reb, 3 Ast

-- only 4 players had more rebounds in entire game

-- only 3 players had more assists in entire game

12 players for both teams played 17+ minutes aside from JJJ for reference

[wadesworld]

You don't foul down by 1 with a 9 second differential between game and shot clock.  No coach in America at the college or pro level not named Valvano would foul in that situation.

[ChicosBailBonds]

You don't foul down by 1 with a 9 second differential between game and shot clock.  No coach in America at the college or pro level not named Valvano would foul in that situation.

EXACTLY!!

[GGGG]

I missed the first half...was JJJ defense & shot selection pretty poor?

JJJ played 17 minutes & posted:

3 pts, 5 reb, 3 Ast

-- only 4 players had more rebounds in entire game

-- only 3 players had more assists in entire game

12 players for both teams played 17+ minutes aside from JJJ for reference

JJJ was fine.  I have no idea why he didn't play more unless he was missing defensive rotations.  I was flabbergasted when I saw Luke come out for the last play for instance.

I will say this, I thought Wojo was CLEARLY outcoached that game.  McDermott can coach.  The only question is whether or not he could recruit, and it looks like that's going well for him now too.

[bradley center bat]

JJJ wasn't get back on defense.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I didn't see the game. But Velazquez seems to think that JJJ was awful on defense in the first half and that's why he sat. Looking at the box score, 1-5 from the floor isn't good either.

As for the fouling or not fouling situation, again, I didn't see the game, but I would much rather be down 1 with 9 seconds left than up 3 with 30 seconds.

[brewcity77]

I will say this, I thought Wojo was CLEARLY outcoached that game.  McDermott can coach.  The only question is whether or not he could recruit, and it looks like that's going well for him now too.

He's built a great program there. Huge asset to the league. I hope we're saying the same about Wojo in 2-3 years.

[murara1994]

JJJ wasn't get back on defense.

Yes, he loafs getting back on D and Creighton burned us and him more than once.

For those saying bad timeout, you would have said why no timeout if we didn't score. Also a theme in post game was fatigue so I have no problem calling a timeout on important possession to catch breath. Execution was the problem.

[GGGG]

For those saying bad timeout, you would have said why no timeout if we didn't score. Also a theme in post game was fatigue so I have no problem calling a timeout on important possession to catch breath. Execution was the problem.

I wouldn't have said that because there was no reason to call the timeout.

And fatigue?  They last played on Wednesday.  How could they be fatigued?

[GGGG]

I didn't see the game. But Velazquez seems to think that JJJ was awful on defense in the first half and that's why he sat. Looking at the box score, 1-5 from the floor isn't good either.

JJJ wasn't get back on defense.

OK thanks.  Obviously missed it.

[vogue65]

Didn't you see all those lay-up by Bluejays seconds after a MU basket.

Radio (McIlvaine) made same comment.

[murara1994]

I wouldn't have said that because there was no reason to call the timeout.

And fatigue?  They last played on Wednesday.  How could they be fatigued?

No reason to call timeout to set play on important possession? Ok.

They played 50 minutes on Wednesday.

[Big Papi]

This team has NCAA talent.  Its coaching has NIT talent.

Not the first time Wojo has blamed the players for complete lack of execution.  How about he takes at least some of the blame.

Wojo needs to get a more experienced coach on that sideline.  I have a bad feeling Wojo is more like Lavin.  A great recruiter who is not a very good in game coach. 

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

They played 50 minutes on Wednesday.

If this is such a big deal it sure is lucky we won't be going to the tourney.  I guess we can forget a run in the BET - pre ordained excuse. Lame.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

This team has NCAA talent.  Its coaching has NIT talent.

I would say the team and coaches have NCAA talent. But I would also say that both have CBI level experience. Both need to be developed and will get there with time.

I have a bad feeling Wojo is more like Lavin.  A great recruiter who is not a very good in game coach. 

I don't agree. We've seen Wojo make better adjustments as the season has gone on. Butler, Xavier, and Providence were some of his best games. I didn't see the game last night but it sounds like it was a step backwards. Those happen, especially for young coaches.

[wadesworld]

I didn't see the game. But Velazquez seems to think that JJJ was awful on defense in the first half and that's why he sat. Looking at the box score, 1-5 from the floor isn't good either.

As for the fouling or not fouling situation, again, I didn't see the game, but I would much rather be down 1 with 9 seconds left than up 3 with 30 seconds.

Well I'd rather be up 3 with 30 than down 1 with 9  . But I'm assuming you meant down 3 with 30, so we agree.

As far as why JJJ didn't play as much tonight there was a point about 4-5 minutes into the 2nd half where JJJ turned into old JJJ and Wojo was rightfully not happy. It was pretty obvious to anybody in the BC that Wojo and the entire staff was ready for Creighton to push the ball off of makes as the entire game Wojo and 2-3 assistants were out on the court screaming and waiving for the team to run back. Apparently JJJ missed the memo, as everyone on the court but him sprinted back and were yelling and pointing at where their guy was, etc. but JJJ got burned for an easy layup. Wojo got fired up and yelled to Sandy to get off the bench. JJJ had to have seen it as on MU's next possession he puts up a 3 with plenty of time on the shot clock. Then I forget what happened on Creighton's next possession, but on the following Marquette possession JJJ gets it on the left wing and tries to drive across to the right block through 4 defenders and forces up a horrible shot that he knew had no shot of going in, so he tried to get a whistle by flopping to the ground. Instead of getting up as fast as he could and sprinting back he kind of looked around for someone to whine to and then jogged back, getting across half court just in time to see Creighton, playing 5 on 4, hit a wide open 3 pointer. Timeout Marquette.

[GGGG]

No reason to call timeout to set play on important possession? Ok.

They played 50 minutes on Wednesday.

No.  There is no reason to call that timeout.  Marquette had scored on the last few possessions and just had a defensive stop.  Wojo should have let them play with the momentum and crowd on their side.

And you think 10 extra minutes 72 hours earlier made them fatigued?  They didn't have to travel either. 

[injuryBug]

This team has NCAA talent.  Its coaching has NIT talent.

Not the first time Wojo has blamed the players for complete lack of execution.  How about he takes at least some of the blame.

Wojo needs to get a more experienced coach on that sideline.  I have a bad feeling Wojo is more like Lavin.  A great recruiter who is not a very good in game coach.

Coach can only put his players in a position to succeed.  Once they take the court it is on the players to do their thing.  No idea who was at fault for not executing on the floor. 
Did wojo give 2 options on the play one for zone one for man or say we run this vs both man and zone?  A frosh PG comes out sees man instead of zone and makes an audible cause the defense changed.  That was one thing Buzz always said was at the end of game he wanted the players to just play. 

[murara1994]

No.  There is no reason to call that timeout.  Marquette had scored on the last few possessions and just had a defensive stop.  Wojo should have let them play with the momentum and crowd on their side.

And you think 10 extra minutes 72 hours earlier made them fatigued?  They didn't have to travel either.

For whatever reason they were fatigued. Both coaches made comments about it. The team seemed sluggish to me also. Wherever and however you want to assign blame for that is up to you, I'm just trying to state it as fact.

[brewcity77]

Yes, he loafs getting back on D and Creighton burned us and him more than once.

For those saying bad timeout, you would have said why no timeout if we didn't score. Also a theme in post game was fatigue so I have no problem calling a timeout on important possession to catch breath. Execution was the problem.

No, I wouldn't have. We have been a poor offensive team out of timeouts all season. I mentioned it at the time and pointed out to my wife and neighbor how the energy was just lost.

I feel the timeout benefits the trailing team. That's why coaches call timeouts to end runs. It breaks momentum. We had all the momentum at that point and the timeout broke that while also allowing Creighton to change defenses. Basically, we called a timeout for their benefit.

[tower912]

JJ has gotten more consistent in the offense, is doing a decent job on defense, but consistently loafs his way back on defense.   Creighton exploited it.   A fast break off of a made basket with the pass going right over his not-looking head.......   

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

It sounds like Wojo made some coaching mistakes last night. I'm sure he did. He's a young coach, they do that. But I can't imagine that some ill advised timeouts were the difference between MU losing and winning.

I've noticed our fan base tends to protect the players and torch the coaches when the team goes wrong. This isn't just with Wojo, it was when Buzz was here too. Wasn't on Scoop for the Crean era but I bet it was pretty similar. At first, I thought this came from a good place. Leave the kids alone and go after the adult. Pretty reasonable. But I'm not so sure anymore. I think it more comes from almost a state of denial. Similar to backup QB syndrome. If we focus on the coaching mistakes, we can tell ourselves that we can still be good this season. Players don't magically get better over night, but coaches can change their strategy or depth chart from one game to the next. Its easier for us to say the coach had a crappy game plan and screwed us over because that means we might win the next game. If we blamed the players instead, that would mean there was no hope. Because if we are bad, we are bad for the season. We know players don't improve that much during the year. That's a hard thing to admit.

The coaches have made their fair share of mistakes. And as the CEOs of the basketball team, the team's failing is their failing. But I really think most of our struggles this year come from a players not being good enough yet. They have the talent, but they don't have the experience or the polish to play to their talent consistently. We don't even have a full roster. We're minus two scholarships and that is solely on the coaching staff.

We're really young, 6th youngest in the country IIRC. Those who think that doesn't matter are kidding themselves. Those who think "we're 26 games in, we're not young anymore" are forgetting that all of our competition is also 26 games older. And those who think we haven't improved as the season has gone are lying to themselves. The team that lost to Belmont, got taken to OT by IUPUI, and roasted by Iowa would have its arse kicked by the team that is playing today. We have a strong foundation for the future. Despite having 10 times less experience than last season Wojo has led this team to a much better year. That should be exciting!

[79Warrior]

It sounds like Wojo made some coaching mistakes last night. I'm sure he did. He's a young coach, they do that. But I can't imagine that some ill advised timeouts were the difference between MU losing and winning.

I've noticed our fan base tends to protect the players and torch the coaches when the team goes wrong. This isn't just with Wojo, it was when Buzz was here too. Wasn't on Scoop for the Crean era but I bet it was pretty similar. At first, I thought this came from a good place. Leave the kids alone and go after the adult. Pretty reasonable. But I'm not so sure anymore. I think it more comes from almost a state of denial. Similar to backup QB syndrome. If we focus on the coaching mistakes, we can tell ourselves that we can still be good this season. Players don't magically get better over night, but coaches can change their strategy or depth chart from one game to the next. Its easier for us to say the coach had a crappy game plan and screwed us over because that means we might win the next game. If we blamed the players instead, that would mean there was no hope. Because if we are bad, we are bad for the season. We know players don't improve that much during the year. That's a hard thing to admit.

The coaches have made their fair share of mistakes. And as the CEOs of the basketball team, the team's failing is their failing. But I really think most of our struggles this year come from a players not being good enough yet. They have the talent, but they don't have the experience or the polish to play to their talent consistently. We don't even have a full roster. We're minus two scholarships and that is solely on the coaching staff.

We're really young, 6th youngest in the country IIRC. Those who think that doesn't matter are kidding themselves. Those who think "we're 26 games in, we're not young anymore" are forgetting that all of our competition is also 26 games older. And those who think we haven't improved as the season has gone are lying to themselves. The team that lost to Belmont, got taken to OT by IUPUI, and roasted by Iowa would have its arse kicked by the team that is playing today. We have a strong foundation for the future. Despite having 10 times less experience than last season Wojo has led this team to a much better year. That should be exciting!

Wojo did not turn the ball over 10 or 11 times in the first half. Wojo did not miss layups. Wojo did not fail to get back on defense. This game never should have gone down to the last play. Time to move on and fight for an NIT berth.

[brewcity77]

Wojo did not turn the ball over 10 or 11 times in the first half. Wojo did not miss layups. Wojo did not fail to get back on defense. This game never should have gone down to the last play. Time to move on and fight for an NIT berth.

All true, but the players limited turnovers in the second. Last night was on both sides. Henry took too many threes and the last one was terrible. Duane's missed lay-unk (didn't know if he should lay it in or dunk). Defensive miscues.

But Wojo was not without blame. The last two minutes felt like Doug McDermott pretty much pantsed Wojo. Hopefully in a year or two, the combination of more experienced players and a more experienced coach will help that.

[mug644]

You don't foul down by 1 with a 9 second differential between game and shot clock.  No coach in America at the college or pro level not named Valvano would foul in that situation.

As for the fouling or not fouling situation, again, I didn't see the game, but I would much rather be down 1 with 9 seconds left than up 3 with 30 seconds.

Well I'd rather be up 3 with 30 than down 1 with 9  . But I'm assuming you meant down 3 with 30, so we agree.

Perhaps I'm about to reveal why I'm not a coach (at any level), but I'm not convinced that not fouling is the smarter play. If you foul, in all likelihood you have the ball down 1, 2 or 3 points with 30 seconds left, depending on the free throws. Still, you have plenty of time to do what you want. (Of course, it's possible that you give up an offensive rebound on a missed free throw.)

Or, you don't foul and need to rely on your defense to make a stop, or you are down 3 or maybe 4 points with 10+ seconds remaining, and the pressure is on.

At that moment last night, I didn't have confidence in the defense to make the stop (this team hasn't shown the ability to buckle down and make a necessary stop, except perhaps the final play of the first Providence game), and so I thought (and still think) it made sense to put pressure on free throw shooter and then have the ball. (Now that I think about it, I don't know if MU had fouls to give.)

Is there something basic I'm missing, or is it just a judgment call (that no coach not named Valvano would make)?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Well I'd rather be up 3 with 30 than down 1 with 9  . But I'm assuming you meant down 3 with 30, so we agree.

Whoops, that's quite the brain fart.

[ChicosBailBonds]

This team has NCAA talent.  Its coaching has NIT talent.

Not the first time Wojo has blamed the players for complete lack of execution.  How about he takes at least some of the blame.

Wojo needs to get a more experienced coach on that sideline.  I have a bad feeling Wojo is more like Lavin.  A great recruiter who is not a very good in game coach.

He took plenty of blame.  Watch the press conference.   You've come to this conclusion in less than 2 seasons? 

[ChicosBailBonds]

JJJ was fine.  I have no idea why he didn't play more unless he was missing defensive rotations.  I was flabbergasted when I saw Luke come out for the last play for instance.

I will say this, I thought Wojo was CLEARLY outcoached that game.  McDermott can coach.  The only question is whether or not he could recruit, and it looks like that's going well for him now too.

Wojo explained in the press conference why JJJ was out....it couldn't have been any more clear.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I wouldn't have said that because there was no reason to call the timeout.

And fatigue?  They last played on Wednesday.  How could they be fatigued?

General fatigue.  With this young a team, they've never played this many games in a season in their lives, let along against this type of competition.  It happens to most teams that are this young. 

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Perhaps I'm about to reveal why I'm not a coach (at any level), but I'm not convinced that not fouling is the smarter play. If you foul, in all likelihood you have the ball down 1, 2 or 3 points with 30 seconds left, depending on the free throws. Still, you have plenty of time to do what you want. (Of course, it's possible that you give up an offensive rebound on a missed free throw.)

Or, you don't foul and need to rely on your defense to make a stop, or you are down 3 or maybe 4 points with 10+ seconds remaining, and the pressure is on.

At that moment last night, I didn't have confidence in the defense to make the stop (this team hasn't shown the ability to buckle down and make a necessary stop, except perhaps the final play of the first Providence game), and so I thought (and still think) it made sense to put pressure on free throw shooter and then have the ball. (Now that I think about it, I don't know if MU had fouls to give.)

Is there something basic I'm missing, or is it just a judgment call (that no coach not named Valvano would make)?

I think in general you avoid the free throw game until it becomes necessary. I don't have the exact stats but the average team shoots about 70% from the free throw line and only ~45% from the floor. And that ~45% doesn't include the possibility of the team turning it over. Down 1 with 9 seconds you can get fouled, hit a two, or hit a three pointer to win the game. Lots of ways to win. Up 3 with 30 seconds and you either need to score quickly and go back to fouling and praying for missed free throws, or you need to hit a three to tie. I think teams on average make 35% of their three point attempts. Plus the defense knows you have to go for a three at a certain point so it is easy to defend. If you get real close to time the defense can foul you on purpose and make you take two free throws, sealing  a loss.

[mug644]

I think in general you avoid the free throw game until it becomes necessary. I don't have the exact stats but the average team shoots about 70% from the free throw line and only ~45% from the floor. And that ~45% doesn't include the possibility of the team turning it over. Down 1 with 9 seconds you can get fouled, hit a two, or hit a three pointer to win the game. Lots of ways to win. Up 3 with 30 seconds and you either need to score quickly and go back to fouling and praying for missed free throws, or you need to hit a three to tie. I think teams on average make 35% of their three point attempts. Plus the defense knows you have to go for a three at a certain point so it is easy to defend. If you get real close to time the defense can foul you on purpose and make you take two free throws, sealing  a loss.

Fair enough. Thanks for explaining.

Isn't there something, though, about wanting to slow the game down, ensuring that you have the ball for more of the clock (even if it comes at a cost of putting them on the free throw line?? Then again, if MU fouls early and Creighton goes up by 3, then they can foul, sending us to the line, and not being able catch up.

I understand the dilemma, and can see both sides. And, I accept that people with a lot more coaching experience than I would do it differently than my gut said at the time.

Bottom line, Cheatham missing the two free throws totally changed the possibilities.

[Mr. Nielsen]

If this is such a big deal it sure is lucky we won't be going to the tourney.  I guess we can forget a run in the BET - pre ordained excuse. Lame.

Providence was up by 26 and had to hold on.

We play too many games in college basketball and these are the dog days of the season. Freshmen don't go thru anything close like this in high school.

[Mr. Nielsen]

And you think 10 extra minutes 72 hours earlier made them fatigued?  They didn't have to travel either.

Yes, without a doubt! It was an emotional game. I was fatigued as a fan in the Bradley Center.