http://www.truthaboutduke.com/kyell.mpg
Seeing K blow a gasket after another NCAA choke job? Priceless.
Well… yes. Okafor only had two fouls, both well deserved. He sat out to avoid the possibility of getting a third. That was probably a good choice, but it was a choice, and it was not a result of bad officiating.
Meanwhile, all three centers on the Duke team got kicked out of the game, largely on bad calls. Duke had the game won until their centers all got tossed.
For the record, I don’t like Duke, especially since their horribly officiated win over Arizona a while back. And I can easily see this as a well deserved payback.
But I don’t think it is honest to say Duke blew this game. The officials made it nearly impossible for them to win.
If the officials are going to let the other team clobber your player when they drive to the basket, what can you do?
If the officials are going to eliminate all of your centers, how can you stop Okafor?
Georgia Tech, the ONLY team that beat BOTH Duke AND UConn in the regular season.
http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/teams/schedule/GATECH
Yeah, what with putting that gun to Luol Deng’s head and making him take stupid shots.
One of the stupidest things ever written. If I wasn’t still floating in euphoria, I’d be so infuriated right now I’d be unable to use the keyboard. Largely on bad calls? What the hell game were you watching? Shelden Williams committed four offensive fouls in the first half alone, none of which were called, and both he and Shavlik Randolph played too many minutes with two and three fouls. Nick Horvath, I won’t even get into- suffice to say that if you think he’s making the difference, you’ve lost already. The refs called the game tight, and they made some bad calls in there, but if you think those fouls on the Duke big men were any different than Okafor’s fouls, or Boone’s fouls, you’re sadly mistaken.
Yes, Duke got royally fucked last night- who the fuck do those refs think they are, letting Ratface leave his players in to pick up three fouls in the first half? Don’t they know that that shrewmouthed bastard expects better of them? “You killed us,” he said to the refs. That says it all right there- after years of being allowed to play his guys with three or four fouls, because he knew that as soon as he started stomping around and bitching, they would never call that next foul, his boys let him down, didn’t they? Williams hooked on the baseline, and those traitors dared to call the foul! On Duke! He’s Coach K, for Christ’s sake! He gets those calls!
Come on, now. UConn’s best player picks up two crap fouls in three minutes, and they play the rest of the half without him. Duke’s bigs pick up three fouls each in the first half, and K lets it happen, expecting the refs to bail him out. They didn’t bail him out this time. Refs blow games all the time, but this wasn’t one of them. Not when you’ve got a big lead with minutes to go and you keep jacking up jumpers early in the clock. It was coaching killed this beast.
You know, I realize that there is little point in debating fouls. I tried to validate your opinion, but it seems that the foul calling was fairly even. UConn ended up with 20 fouls called against them, Duke with 24. I did find this:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4661164/
Of course, his opinion, like yours (and mine to be sure), is only an opinion, subject to complete bias.
Of course, it would be completely unfair, if all the UConn fouls were well-deserved, and all the Duke fouls were bad calls. But then that kind of thinking suggests, well, some sort of conspiracy.
So perhaps it was a conspiracy. Evening things up.
So the 20 fouls called on UConn were what, all away from the ball? Of course, I recall things like back to back fouls called on Ben Gordon on (gasp) drives to the basket. But those must have been the only two.
Um, an effective zone?
You know, I realize that you don’t have a dog in this fight, but, well, to put it bluntly, you’re talking crazy. Or Krzy. That’s my opinion. And perhaps Wilbon’s opinion.
The second foul on Okafor was complete and total bullshit. That said, the officiating sucked both ways last night but that had no effect on the players on taking horrible shots and turning the ball over.
Are you serious? You must have been watching a different game than I was. The second foul that he picked up was borderline, and it could have gone the other way (but it was the right call); the first foul was a ridiculous call - no whistle should have been blown.
It was overofficiated on both sides. Duke centers should not have had 15 fouls called against them, and UCONN should not have been handicapped for the first half.
And what happened when they decided to drive to the basket instead?
Their guy gets mugged, and the refs ignore it.
I’m pretty sure everyone here saw that play, and knows how important it was, so I don’t really need to say anything else about it.
I’m not trying to take anything away from UConn, who I do think is the better team. I just hate seeing bad officiating.
In any case, at least this officiating was nowhere near as bad as that in the Tennesee/Baylor game on the women’s side. In fact I’m probably being extra hard on the officiating just because of that travesty.
I think maybe you should say something else about it. Who fouled Redick? He got stripped clean and threw his arms up in the air. Who hit him, and where did they get him?
Also, regarding Redick’s drive, the replay was inconclusive due to obstruction - the refs may have seen a clean strip.
Speaking as a Tech fan, (lay off, Hentor, the time to gloat to will come Tuesday), I really have no dog in the Duke/UConn officiating fight.
That said, I have little criticism for the refs. The little criticism I have is that I think they started calling to the game too tight. In the Semi’s, let them play.
OTOH, the refs have the responsibility to set the tone of the game and keep it from getting out of control. I think they overcompensated. But that is just a little criticism.
(Note: Tech almost lost the game to Nevada due to similar officiating [I wonder if it was the same crew?], Tech plays aggressive defense, and the refs were calling the game really close [closer than any ACC game this season]).
But, as long as the same calls are being made in each direction - well, that’s college basketball.
I think the calls on Okafor in the first half were as “touchy” as the calls on Williams or Horvath. And I have no problem with that.
It did appear that Redick got hacked in the lane, and I’m surprised it wasn’t called. As close as the game was being called, it would have seemed fair.
OTOH, Duke has, for years, benefited from getting the calls due to their “prestige”. I can’t bring myself to sympathize (and only hope to one day empathize) with them.
While I have no love for Duke (see my previous post), I do have pride in the ACC, and was rooting for Duke. I think Tech matches up better with Duke than UConn.
But I don’t fear UConn. On any given night…
Tech could get seriously embarrased by UConn. Or they could win by more than 16 (their previous victory margin).
Some will point out that Okafor wasn’t healthy when Tech and UConn met in the preseason NIT. I would point out that Tech beat Nevada, Kansas, and OSU without their leading scorer contributing appreciably.
Tech’s greatest strenght is their depth. Duke didn’t have much depth, and it cost them. They played only eight players, including the fact that two fouled out. Tech will play nine regularly, and if two big men fouled out, they would play ten (if you haven’t been watching Tech until the tourney, you probably don’t even know about Robert Brooks).
UConn will be a tough matchup - they are a great team - perhaps the best in the land. And I look forward to the challenge. To have the chance to be crowned national champs, I want to beat the best.
UConn has enormous talent, but even so, they are still vulnerable. Tech’s starters can’t expect to match up one-on-one with UConn’s starters and come away with a win.
If I’m Hewitt, I focus on declawing Emeka Okafor. Any time he gets the ball in the post, I’d send somebody (anybody except Luke) to foul him. Not just foul him, but prevent him from evening getting his shot up. If he is going to score 20, let him take 40 free throws. Tech’s depth will allow them to give away alot of fouls, without seriously damaging their scoring ability.
At the same time, work on drawing some fouls on Okafor. The refs will still call the game pretty tight (perhaps not as tight as the semi), so let the guards drive in the lane forcing contact, and let the chips fall where they may. We can afford a few charges for even a few less Okafor hacks. Again, though, the onus can’t be on Luke to draw those fouls.
I don’t think Tech has anyone who can stop Villanueva from scoring. OTOH, I don’t think Villanueva can stop practically any Tech player from scoring. I think Tech’s defense will stymie Gordon (well, practically so, no doubt Gordon will get his points, but he won’t run away with the game). And I don’t worry too much about Brown or Anderson.
Boone scares me. I think he is the key for UConn. He is a freshman after all, but he has enormous skills. He still looks vulnerable to making big mistakes, and with the national championship on the line, I like our chances.
The thing with Tech is, you never know who might step up. Sure, Jarrett Jack has the potential to do it. So does Elder and Lewis. Luke won’t dominate the game, but we need him to play solid and stay in the game. McHenry is a defensive specialist, and you can be sure he won’t be the one to bite you on the offensive end.
But beyond that, Will Bynum could score 20. Or Clarence Moore. Watch out for Mohammad, you had a great game against UConn in the first matchup.
Tech has alot of weapons, and if any two or three are hitting, watch out. If only one or none are, it will be a UConn blow-out. But you never know.
If Tech can succeed in neutralizing Okafor, UConn is in trouble. If not, it will all depend on Tech’s outside shooting - which historically, is either hot or cold.
UConn’s best chances are if they take a big quick lead. Tech struggles coming back from behind. But I also know that if Tech takes a big quick lead, it means nothing. Tech plays to their opponents ability, and have not shown the ability to blow out anybody (excepting UConn in the preseason NIT!).
Expect a great game. Expect officiating (good or bad) to play a critical role. And personally, I will expect the game to come down to the final possession.
Like I said, I like our chances.
GO JACKETS! TO HELL WITH GEORGIA!
If you took my comments to you for gloating, I apologize. I was merely responding in kind to your call (“Beat UConn!”). I have great respect for Georgia Tech, and I am worried about how we are going to match up tomorrow night.
I do not like to gloat. However, I do very much like to see loudmouths get come-uppance, and I take note of Kid A’s glaring absence from his own highly topical thread. For those who bring the trash-talk, I will be there to rub it in hard.
I will also put in a good word for the UConn women’s basketball team. Both teams in the national championship games! Why, I say that deserves a big:
U C O N N
UConn!
UConn!
UConn!
I suppose I should support Ga Tech because they have the big Aussie, Luke Schenscher in the centre. He’s about 7’2" with a wing span to match if I remember correctly. But, being a life-long supporter of the U of Kentucky Wildcats and the current nice man of college basketball, Tubby Smith, I just can’t support an ACC team. Too many bitter memories from the past.
Go UCONN!
Luke Schenscher, proudly maintaining the tradition of tall men from Australia named Luke and/or Luc.
I don’t know what you’re talking about, Hentor. As always, truth and justice (if not the refs) are on my side. I eagerly anticipate next year, which should begin and end with Duke atop the polls.
For now, I shall pull for fellow ACC team (and hometown school) Georgia Tech. GO JACKETS!
That is to say: GO JACKETS!