So, as a #1 seed you laid a 31 point whooping on #16 seed NC A&T. You must be proud of your fine performance. Up by over 20 points you are pressing on every in-bounds. Up by 30 late in the second you are just trying to pile it on and embarrass the out-manned opponent. Only 12 of your players made it into the box score and 3 of them played less than 10 minutes each and contributed a total of 0 point collectively. Your guys just had to put on a show and what for?
Ever hear of clearing the bench, Ricky? You just had to keep keep twisting the sword. What, are you looking for a better seed than the overall #1? What did you prove except that you are a bunch of assholes?
I thought I hated UK and Calipari. I think Ricky P. has taken the lead.
I would just love it to have Duke, Michigan State or one of the others kick your sorry asses out of the tournament.
Louisville scored 47 points in the first half, 31 in the second. NC scored 32 points in the first half, 17 in the second. Sounds like Louisville did take their foot off the gas but their opponents ran out of gas, which isn’t Louisville’s fault.
If I’m coaching to win a title, I’m not taking my team out of the routine that got them a #1 overall seed just to make a #16 feel like their program is on the same level as mine. A 1-16 matchup is supposed to be a blowout.
And if you’re on the receiving end of the blowout, the other team stopping its press and letting you bring the ball up and shoot is an insult. Their playing hard with reserve guys is not. IMHO, anyway.
So, I should screw up the rhythm my #1 seeded team has been winning with all year during the championship playoffs to make a losing team feel better? Treating the opposing team like the special needs kid in the room is sportsmanship? Should I also have my guys step out of they way so they can have a shot at the basket? Maybe they should have picked up the other teams shooters so they can feel like they are making a dunk. Would that have made you feel better?
NC A&T knew what it takes to get to the playoffs. They new what level it takes to win a game in the playoffs. They had every chance to bring that level. They didn’t. Other teams did. No neeed to treat them like they are helpless.
If the team’s rhythm is so fragile that it is going to be thrown off by having its reserves ease up on the trottle late in the second half of a blowout game, then they’re not going to win the title anyway. They’re also not very bright, because in a tournament when games are scheduled so close together, like the NCAAs, they’re better off preserving their energy for the next game’s opponent, rather than wasting it on the dog they’ve already got beaten.
Check the bracket. Louisville isn’t going to be playing its next game until Friday. I think that ought to be more than enough time for everyone on the squad to get back to fightin’ strength.
Oh brother, check your bracket first. This OP is about Louisville running up the score in their first game (Thursday) with their 2d game coming Saturday.
A basketball game at this level exists to determine which team is better. Winning means that you’re the better team; losing means that you’re worse. No shame in that.
A team fundamentally changing its base defense because they are ahead is pitying the other team, not competing with them honestly. If you’ve ever been on the losing end of such an experience, it is far more infuriating than just being blown out.
No question, I did overlook that game. But your contention that the Cardinals were in danger of some kind of energy deficit for Saturday’s game because they didn’t back off a little earlier on Thursday is … well, you sure don’t seem to want to give these kids a little credit, do you? Playing two games in three days is not exactly a special occasion; it’s happened several times already this season. Heck, they’ve played three games in three days a couple of times. Why the sudden need to baby them? I find it impossible to believe that Louisville could have put together such an impressive record and captured the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament with players who are as easily pooped as you imagine them to be.
Because their coach has a case of rat-face-itis. Also suffering from this strange disease is Mike Shanahan, coach of the Washington Redskins.
As for the thread.. Meh. Someone here DID point out the 26 point spread. I think many coaches do look at the spread and try to cover if they can. That makes people happy. Betting people… Money people… And alumni. So, if you put the spread in perspective, they only won by 5!
Here’s the other thing, too. He played 12 guys. That’s pretty much clearing the bench. And the kids that got to play in a tournament game, why would they not want to play their best? Score points and pick up some rebounds? As a high school basketball bench warmer of some skill, I can tell you there were only two times I saw the court. When we were getting blown out, or when we were blowing someone out. Since my chances were limited, I played as hard as I could when I got in the game, screw the score, and screw feelings.
Nobody cares about the loyal bench warmer’s feelings, sacrificing all of his free time to practice and travel with the team in the hopes that he sees a few minutes of court time. And since my team rarely blew anyone out, I was always put in during mop up time, when no one was paying attention to the game, the good looking girls had already left the gym, and even parents turned their back to the court. It’s a thankless job, being a bench warmer. When you are finally called on, you have a real chance to pull a muscle from all of the inactivity!
If you want to feel badly, feel for the Louisville kids that didn’t get into the game at all. That had to suck royally.
