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Post by Tizu on Mar 19, 2014 6:07:05 GMT -5
Congrats to the Wolfpack for winning the first round game against Xavier! Awesome game, great job! Keep it goin'.
Duke starts things off as a #3 seed in the MidWest which is a TOUGH region. 3 of last year's final 4 teams in this region. State is also a #12 in the same region. Going to be a tough road ahead...but I think both teams can do well if they play up to their potential.
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Post by Marty Da Hungry Wolf on Mar 19, 2014 8:15:42 GMT -5
Thanks, Tiz. Good luck to Duke (I swear, I don't even know when they play, just that it's in Raleigh - you're welcome). I've got the same feeling heading into the St. Louis game as I did headed into the Xavier game: nervous anticipation. If - IF - State beats St. Louis, I just don't see them getting past Louisville, mainly because I see State turning the ball over too much against their pressure defense (I could be wrong, and I hope I am). Obviously I'd like to see State win the whole thing, but baby steps ..... It amused me no end to see all the "NIT" threads over in the Litterbox, then those died on Sunday night and were replaced with the "Play-In Game" and "still trying to get into the tournament" threads. The games last night and tonight in Dayton are called "First Round" games by the NCAA. You know, the entity putting on this whole little shindig. Therefore, it's the NCAA's word I'll be taking on whether or not State was actually "in" the tournament before winning last night, rather than the continually running amok screwtards that have taken over the Litterbox. Funny too, to read from some of those sheep how "obsessed" State fan is with all things UNC when most every thread ever started in the State forum over there is started by a UNC fan. Patently ridiculous - the lot of them. No, I'm perfectly fine right here where I'm at.
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Post by Tizu on Mar 19, 2014 11:49:16 GMT -5
Agreed Marty, it's crazy. I hate to say a lot of the Duke fans are the same way on the UNC thread, and vice versa. Like I said before, I do post over there some, but I try to stay away from the shit slinging for the most part...every once in a while I'll get caught up in it and feel really really stupid so I just stop posting.
As far as State goes, I think they will be St. Louis the way they are playing right now. If they make it to the Louisville game, it's really up in the air for me. I think it'll be a competitive game and I think State COULD beat them if they play the way they're capable. The issue there is playing 3 times in 5 days...that is tough in this tournament...hopefully they can pull off a run...that'd be awesome.
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Post by Marty Da Hungry Wolf on Mar 19, 2014 12:12:50 GMT -5
That's the main problem: when you get tired enough of it that you let yourself get caught up in it too, then the sane, rational person ends up feeling poorly about themself. Not worth it, in my opinion.
State wins, I still have to live life the next day. UNC fan acts like an ass, I still have to live life the next day. World goes round and round.
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Post by Tizu on Mar 20, 2014 8:21:08 GMT -5
Best of luck to NCSU against St. Louis tonight!!
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Post by Marty Da Hungry Wolf on Mar 20, 2014 8:48:34 GMT -5
Thanks, Chief. 'fraid we're gonna need it, they start 5 seniors. Assface says that means they're no good or they'd all be in the NBA, Logicboy says that means they know the right way to play the damn game. Pack will be ok if they don't get all caught up in everything and just try to win the play.
Duke's got ..... Mercer? Tomorrow? Assuming Duke should ease by Mercer (I know, not a certainty, but come on) who would be next? Duke's a 3? Who are the 6 and 11 there?
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Post by Tizu on Mar 21, 2014 6:30:34 GMT -5
What in the world!? State was up by 16 with ~4 minutes to play and LOST in OT. Unbelievable...I thought for sure they had that one in the bag. Oh well.
Mercer actually matches up well against Duke, but I don't think Duke will have much problem with them. UMASS is the 6 and Tennessee is the 11.
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Post by Marty Da Hungry Wolf on Mar 21, 2014 8:42:08 GMT -5
I've said it before, I'll say it again. When State is ready to take "the next step" or "go to the next level", they will. Absolutely must be mentally tougher than the closing stretch last night. Not taking anything at all away from Saint Louis, a very good basketball team that made the plays they needed to make when they needed to make them while their opponent failed to do so, but there is no way I'll believe it was "just one of those nights" from the free throw line.
Miss after miss was hitting the front of the rim. A good player, an intelligent player, will "make adjustments on the fly".
"Damn, I missed that one short - on line, but short. What should I do? Ok, shoot this next one the exact same way." Come on: put a little more arc on the next shot or shoot it just a touch harder. Not trying to say at all that I could have done any better, so anyone reading this just calm the hell down. But when you're in your 36th game of the season and you STILL insist on doing the same thing that failed before expecting a different result, that is not the result of bad/poor/no coaching. That is completely, unequivocally, 100% on the shoulders of the player(s). No, I am NOT throwing the team under the bus, and I'm not singling any one player out. For God's sake, there was a point where the broadcasters said State had missed 16 free throws - IN THE SECOND HALF! Good LORD!!!
They are, every one, good enough or they wouldn't be at this level. It quickly becomes a mental thing, and that's where mental toughness comes in. Mental toughness, while certainly an aspect that can be discussed with player(s) by coach(es), much like FT shooting mental toughness is something each individual can work on themself.
I wrote this before, and I'll write this one more time: I will admit this is selfish, but I'd like to see T.J. Warren come back next season. Youth did play a part in this team's struggles this season, there's no doubt in my mind. However, with 8 minutes to go in the 36th game of the season, youth no longer comes in to play. They were old enough to get a 16 point lead over 32 minutes but not old enough to hold it? No - not mentally tough enough. There is plenty that each and every individual player can work on over the summer.
Much thanks to Jordan Vandenburg and Jevoni Robinson for their contributions to our school and basketball program and best wishes for much success in the future.
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Post by Marty Da Hungry Wolf on Mar 21, 2014 19:48:11 GMT -5
Sorry, Tiz. Didn't mean to put the Whammy on them. Wow.
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Post by Marty Da Hungry Wolf on Mar 24, 2014 11:20:53 GMT -5
Nobody's UNC fan here, but this is not meant as smack. The fact of the matter is that, at the end of the UNC-Iowa State game, more than 1.6 seconds elapsed between the time UNC inbounded the ball and the time the game-clock restarted. UNC was calling for timeout prior to the clock hitting 0.0, but by then there was less overage for the timeout than what the clock operator error allowed. The end result was the right call was made, effectively that UNC inbounded the ball and dribbled out the clock before calling timeout.
To their credit, UNC Coach Williams and the players I've seen from this morning are not "blaming" the refs or saying they "got screwed". Credit to them, it was a great game well-played between two very good teams.
In my opinion .....
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Post by Tizu on Mar 24, 2014 12:02:56 GMT -5
Absolutely spot on Marty. The refs 100% got that call right. I am very disappointed in how Duke and NCSU's seasons turned out...State had St. Louis beat....up 16 with 4 minutes left, you are supposed to win!
Duke...well....defense. Get some.
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Post by Marty Da Hungry Wolf on Mar 24, 2014 16:05:51 GMT -5
State: Lost it on their own, missed free throws and turnovers down the stretch (to a grounded, senior-heavy team) Duke: Lost it on their own, jacking 3's like so many pop-guns and no defense down the stretch (to a grounded, experienced team) UNC: Lost it on their own, failing to make shots and play good defense down the stretch (to a well-coached, more experienced team)
The consistency I see is better fundamental play trumps possibly better talent/pro potential come tournament time. Gotta recruit talent, no doubt about it. But as long as there is a rule allowing (encouraging, even?) the "one and done" phenomenon, the college game as a whole will suffer.
By the way, I've read several times today that UNC should have had x tenths of a second added back because time ran off the clock between the time the ISU player made the layup (between 1.8 and 1.9 seconds left on the game clock) and when the game clock actually stopped (1.6 seconds). It is virtually impossible for a human being to have better than a 0.3 second reaction time, so I think any argument about the clock running after the made shot is specious at best.
Again, my opinion .....
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Post by Tizu on Mar 25, 2014 6:40:18 GMT -5
Agree on all points for each team listed. Duke has done that all year...in every one of their losses, they just start jacking up jump shots...COME ON MAN! They don't have a floor leader, that's the problem. It's going to be even worse next year, especially since it's looking more and more like Hood is going to declare for the NBA. Parker is still undecided according to several sources...but I'll be more surprised if he stays than if he goes.
As far as the end of the UNC game, you're right...even if there were .3 seconds on the clock...there is NO WAY they could have gotten a shot off that quickly...it's humanly impossible but they have to have something to bitch about. From the slow motion replays I saw, I thought the clock stopped at the right time after the made basket. The rule says the clock must stop after the ball "clears the net". That was at 1.6...1.5 at the earliest.
Oh well. The ACC has had a very poor showing this year and a lot of people saying the ACC isn't that great...they are right this year...it wasn't great at all from top to bottom.
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Post by Marty Da Hungry Wolf on Mar 25, 2014 10:21:38 GMT -5
I know there are exceptions (Vandenberg at State, McDonald at UNC, etc.), but by and large it seems like the ACC isn't blessed with terribly experienced teams ..... with the exception of Virginia. Hmmmm ..... Lo and behold: www.wralsportsfan.com/experience-often-trumps-nba-draft-projections-in-ncaas/13509376/Look at the time and date this was posted. Makes me feel better about myself, like I do actually know a thing or two about what I'm talking about.
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Post by Tizu on Mar 26, 2014 6:00:56 GMT -5
I've always said experience trumps talent. 9 times out of 10, that is true. UVA this year is a perfect example. The exception was Wichita State this year when it came to the tournament...but you don't go 35-0 if you're not very good...regardless of the league you're in. Look at Michigan State again this year. Izzo almost always has some Juniors and Seniors on his teams and they go deep in the NCAA's every single year it seems.
There is something to this whole experience thing...
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Post by Marty Da Hungry Wolf on Mar 26, 2014 10:36:04 GMT -5
Precisely why I don't buy into the whole one-and-done argument being that it's wrong to deny someone the chance for employment in their chosen profession. A kid can go straight out of high school or play college ball for one or two years, then go pro into a foreign league. Good luck, best wishes, and if you're lucky enough to still be on the NBA's radar then great. If not, you took your shot, you missed, grab a lunch box and join the rest of us in the working world.
My argument for the NBA to adopt a rule congruent with MLB's rule, in MY opinion, will ultimately result in the return of excellence to the college-level game and, by extension, result in the improvement of the NBA as a whole.
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Post by Tizu on Mar 26, 2014 14:44:05 GMT -5
No arguments from me on that!
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