NCAA ball inflation

[nyg]

Or maybe it's at Wilson's other facility at  "Area 51".

[tower912]

Wilson needs to be cast away.

[nyg]

Wilson needs to be cast away.

To their "Bermuda Triangle Island" plant.

[Jockey]

They went back to the old balls at halftime.

[brewcity77]

No idea the reason, but Marquette didn't go 1/10 on unguarded threes because of defense. Unguarded means the defense wasn't a factor.

[forgetful]

It's one that most schools don't use. And people think is inflated beyond what the rules allow. Which is nonsense.

There can be multiple things going on, that don't require the ball to be inflated beyond what the rules allow. There have been complaints of this particular ball for years, by players.

It is made of different material, that feels, and apparently bounces different, especially when brand new. Players using it, say the new balls feel more like a rubber ball, than the leather balls they used to.

This has been "supposedly" an issue last year and this year.

Who knows if it is really impacting the games, but it is absurd that there isn't a standard ball for all of the NCAA.

[The Sultan]

There can be multiple things going on, that don't require the ball to be inflated beyond what the rules allow. There have been complaints of this particular ball for years, by players.

It is made of different material, that feels, and apparently bounces different, especially when brand new. Players using it, say the new balls feel more like a rubber ball, than the leather balls they used to.

This has been "supposedly" an issue last year and this year.

Who knows if it is really impacting the games, but it is absurd that there isn't a standard ball for all of the NCAA.

So the ball isn't over-inflated.

[statnik]

So the ball isn't over-inflated.

No one here can know for sure, but many of us have suspicions based on how the ball has reacted and a shooting coach thinking it's the case.

[rocky_warrior]

I had not known that the tournament balls are completely different.  On the surface that does seem odd to me.

Every school could use this ball - and perhaps should - for every (home) game of the season.  It's their option.  Seems like it would be wise.  A better option than complaining.

[vogue65]

Why did Al McGuire not want to play  N.D.?

1.  The gate.  N.D. had mostly student tickets, M.U. had its Milwaukee or Chicago following of full price tickets.  N.D. then wanted the majority of the gate, because they said, the N.D, name was a big draw.

2.  The ball they used.  I think it was Spalding, everyone else played Rawlings. 

In my day, granted a long, long time ago, we played games with a ball used in practice, an old ball.

Question?  What ball is used in practice?

[MUBurrow]

So the ball isn't over-inflated.

l'll concede that I don't know enough about ball manufacturing to say this is "illegally overinflated" vs "manufactured using materials and in a way that when inflated correctly, it behaves the same way other balls behave when they are overinflated."  If that's what where this lands, it seems like a purely semantic victory, especially evolving from "you guys are dumb, the defenses are great" - but fine.

Every school could use this ball - and perhaps should - for every (home) game of the season.  It's their option.  Seems like it would be wise.  A better option than complaining.

I get the sentiment, but from a game enjoyment standpoint, no thanks.  The "Marquette fans are complaining about the ball becuase they're butthurt about losing" straw man has been tossed around a bunch in this thread for some reason. But for me the only place that factors in was that I was sufficiently bummed that I wasn't planning on watching much of the Elite 8. But I tuned into IL-UConn yesterday because it was the two teams I've watched most after MU and because I wanted to see two of the top offenses and the third leading scorer in CBB match up.  What I got looked like a middle school game where one team has a kid that has 6 in and 30 lbs on everyone else.  And that's against a team that played Zach Edey reasonably competitively twice already this year.  There's enough smoke around this crappy ball performing like one from a carnival game that I want to see it as little as possible.

[TallTitan34]

l'll concede that I don't know enough about ball manufacturing to say this is "illegally overinflated" vs "manufactured using materials and in a way that when inflated correctly, it behaves the same way other balls behave when they are overinflated."  If that's what where this lands, it seems like a purely semantic victory, especially evolving from "you guys are dumb, the defenses are great" - but fine.

Agree with this. It might not be over-inflated but something with the ball is giving it more bounce than normal.

[Gato78]

One of MU player's parents mentioned before the game there was a problem with the ball (didn't say what) and the AA had very tight rims, fwiw. 

[Pakuni]

Unless NC State somehow used a different ball ... who cares?
This comes off as pathetic whining.

[TallTitan34]

Unless NC State somehow used a different ball ... who cares?
This comes off as pathetic whining.

This has nothing to do with the Marquette game. Everyone here has said it's not why Marquette lost.  All teams are using the same ball.

The point is it makes for worse basketball in the tournament.

[Dr. Blackheart]

All this reminds me of Al who used to dribble around the floors pregame to find dead spots in the old away band boxes like the Chicago Amphitheater.  He would direct his players to avoid those spots offensively while trying to steer opponents there defensively.  I remember him also saying he'd go to the rack and pick out the best game ball based on feel (I think visitors were allowed to choose the game balls back then).  He'd also install new nets at home when playing fast paced teams.  And then there was the famous time out vs. UNCC where he went out on the floor to perform geometry on the Atlanta Omni scoreboard.   

[vogue65]

Thank you for adding to the story.

I asked a player back in the day why they played a "dirty" old dark ball in the games.  He shrugged his shoulders and said, I don't know, coach picks out the ball.

Where there is smoke there is usually, not always, fire.

This has nothing to do with losing, both teams play with the same ball, same nets, same floor.  We lost, it happens.

Numbers don't lie, the ratios are the ratios, the statistics are what they are.

Hypothetically speaking, IF you play a team that shoots a lot of threes and you clog the lanes would there be an advantage to have rims and balls that disfavor the 3 point shooting team?

There is a lot more geometry, physics, chemistry, durometer, feel, and strategy here than I understand.  To me, I may be different, it is interesting.  Furthermore, the subject has a long history.

I have been off scoop for five years, perhaps I should take another sabbatical?

[Dish]

I'm absolutely shocked and stunned the NCAA messed up the 3 point line distance in Portland.

Probably a non-story though.

[The Sultan]

I'm absolutely shocked and stunned the NCAA messed up the 3 point line distance in Portland.

Probably a non-story though.

https://x.com/rodger/status/1774534589186215983?s=46&t=ppua9BCUAa7dWM9-SthPmg

[TallTitan34]

I'm absolutely shocked and stunned the NCAA messed up the 3 point line distance in Portland.

Probably a non-story though.

Just great defense.

[rocky_warrior]

Just great defense.

Women's Tournament. 

[TallTitan34]

Women's Tournament.

Women play defense too.

[Skatastrophy]

Women play defense too.

They block nearly 100% of dunk attempts

[TallTitan34]

They block nearly 100% of dunk attempts

Well played.

[wadesworld]

Also think it's incredibly stupid to play 40 games in basketball arenas and then the 3 biggest games of the year move into a giant football stadium.  Money talks.  But it's still dumb.