"We're shooting 18%! What is going on?"
What a brutal ending to a fun college basketball season! From the outset of the season, it was obvious that there were no truly great teams this season, and this was the weakest tournament field of all-time in regards to the amount of losses the teams had.
I never expected to see a national championship played so poorly. As a matter of fact, last night's game reminded me of my middle school basketball coaching days. The days where a 6 point lead was insurmountable. That was the feeling I had after UConn made their run early in the second half. Missed layups, open 10 foot jumpers, clanking three pointers, Butler looked like a middle school team I coached one year that couldn't throw it in the ocean. I mean we were doing good to get to 20 each game.
Even though the final score was 53-41. it wasn't like either of these teams played a slow tempo. Both teams ran up and down the court, neither trying to limit the other's possessions. It reminded me of JV girls basketball where both teams full court press the enitre game and the final score is 20-18. The score didn't match the pace of the game, which is what can happen when teams aren't very good. THAT'S BAD OFFENSE, NOT GREAT DEFENSE!
Even though the final score was 53-41. it wasn't like either of these teams played a slow tempo. Both teams ran up and down the court, neither trying to limit the other's possessions. It reminded me of JV girls basketball where both teams full court press the enitre game and the final score is 20-18. The score didn't match the pace of the game, which is what can happen when teams aren't very good. THAT'S BAD OFFENSE, NOT GREAT DEFENSE!
The national news is lauding UConn's defensive effort last night, but I didn't see it that way. They did do a good job of altering some shots under the basket, as Butler scored only ONE basket in the pain all night. The majority of Butler's shots were from long range, and many were uncontested. Go back and watch the game and see how many wide open looks that Butler missed. They shot 18% for the entire game! That's epically terrible, even for a regular season game in November, much less the National Chapionship game. Again, that's not good defense, that's bad offense.
I still am not sure that UConn is the best team in the country, but no one else can lay claim to that in my opinion. This really was a down year in college basketball. There were no great teams and the championship game showed us that. What are your thoughts on last night's debacle?
