Patterico's Pontifications

4/5/2014

Final Four Open Thread

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 7:48 pm



This Kentucky game just changed drastically, huh?

55 Responses to “Final Four Open Thread”

  1. Ding.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  2. Final Three at this point, I know.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  3. One point game.

    I guess I’ll just talk to myself.

    Three point game since I started the comment.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  4. Typical…..every 2 years a “retiring” member is used to float this kind of garbage. Gowdy’s response was correct.

    Bob Neal (a62c97)

  5. Wrong thread?

    Patterico (9c670f)

  6. How hilarious that so many are watching one of the teamcasts, slanted intentionally to one team, and taking to twitter to complain. Barkley is priceless. Idiots, indeed!

    If only there were more critical thinkers who would recognize when the lame stream does it without actually labeling it as such.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5)

  7. Congress should be housed in barracks while they are in session.

    Congress should be limited to holding sessions for a total of 90 days a year.

    While in session, Congress should receive “jury duty pay” at minimum wage.

    If congress can’t get their job done in 90 days, they should be fined $1000 per day or dismissed.

    Don’t tell me these idiots are underpaid! Most leave Congress far wealthier than they arrived. as extremely wealthy individuals.

    What a CROCK!!!

    WarEagle82 (b18ccf)

  8. Oh, and what is this game you speak of called “basket ball?”

    WarEagle82 (b18ccf)

  9. Greg Anthony is very weak as a game analyst. Wisconsin’s offense was getting open threes pretty much at will, but were choosing to not take them. Then, they do and hit three in a row.

    Somehow, this meant that the offense was being run better by the point guard.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5)

  10. Wonder how much longer we are going to accept the charade of one-year “student” athletes dominating college basketball. Just let them go pro straight from high school in some kind of minor league already.

    JVW (9946b6)

  11. Well you can’t judge a match by the first half, unless the team doesn’t show up for the second.

    narciso (3fec35)

  12. badgers are perfect from the free throw line. If they get in the bonus, UK is in big trouble.

    Not one mention of this by the analysts. Yet, this will decide the game. UW to the line? Tey win. If not? UK has a great chance.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5)

  13. Did Florida start their practice squad tonight?

    How do you make it to the Final Four and shoot 38%?

    What a disappointing game for a team that went 36-3 all season.

    WarEagle82 (b18ccf)

  14. Great game so far.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  15. Not one mention of this by the analysts. Yet, this will decide the game. UW to the line? Tey win. If not? UK has a great chance.

    Which feed you watching, Ed? I thought I heard Steve Kerr mention something about this.

    JVW (9946b6)

  16. Wonder how much longer we are going to accept the charade of one-year “student” athletes dominating college basketball. Just let them go pro straight from high school in some kind of minor league already.

    Indeed. Kentucky is a team of freshmen. How many will be playing for them next year?

    Patterico (9c670f)

  17. I’d have bet anything that UW would not be turned over as much as UK. ZERO turnovers? Fantastic basketball by UK.

    UW losing its poise, which I saw several times in the regular season.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5)

  18. When the game’s over, maybe we can talk about players unionizing and college athletic coaches being the highest-salaried public officials in America.

    nk (dbc370)

  19. Indeed. Kentucky is a team of freshmen. How many will be playing for them next year?

    I wager on zero, P.

    JVW (9946b6)

  20. I wager on zero, P.

    Me too.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  21. How about that three pointer???

    Patterico (9c670f)

  22. Kid’s not even old enough to shave.

    JVW (9946b6)

  23. Ed from SFV,

    They make all their free throws…

    Patterico (9c670f)

  24. Refs gonna swallow their whistles.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5)

  25. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Patterico (9c670f)

  26. Well, the Badgers got a good look on the last shot. May have rushed it a tad.

    JVW (9946b6)

  27. Got a decent look and shot off… dang.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  28. Everytime you watch Jackson miss that last shot, pay attention to Kaminsky.

    There is no defender within 6 feet of him. Easy lay up, or lob. Time did not go out until after ball hit rim, so an insistent pass to Kaminsky was 100% there for the taking.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5)

  29. I see Calipari is being his usual unctuous, smarmy self.

    JVW (9946b6)

  30. Kaminsky was 100% there for the taking.

    I don’t think Jackson had any intention of passing the ball on that final play. You know, if I were a young hotshot basketball player I probably wouldn’t be passing either. Who doesn’t want to be the hero who hits the game winner? Besides, his dad was never one to pass the ball either.

    JVW (9946b6)

  31. Pat Fitzgerald addressed his players today about the union situation. (The NCAA gave him permission to do this.) He told them they do not want to experience a third party in between the players and the coaches. Of the players interviewed on TV, they all said that same thing, and said they’d vote “no” to the union even tho a few said they’d like to see some “changes” made. With another coach it might be different. But Fitz is a football god to these guys. From the looks of him Fitz has been stress eating, though!

    elissa (b364f8)

  32. At the beginning of the tourney, odds that UConn would be wearing home whites for the championship game?

    At least 750-1.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5)

  33. Everytime you watch Jackson miss that last shot, pay attention to Kaminsky.

    There is no defender within 6 feet of him. Easy lay up, or lob. Time did not go out until after ball hit rim, so an insistent pass to Kaminsky was 100% there for the taking.

    Just watched it again. You’re right.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  34. Defender might have been closer than 6 feet but he was open.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  35. Greg Anthony has been completely in the tank for KY the entire tournament. It has been rather unseemly.

    JD (5c1832)

  36. You posted a map a while back, elissa, showing public officials’ salaries state by state with college coaches being the highest in most of the states.

    nk (dbc370)

  37. Well, it was a hard fought game that could have gone either way. Jackson made a great move to get distance and a good shot, but I’m not sure he was the one to shoot it at the end.

    Well, “one and done” is a bit forced onto the players as they can’t go from high school to the pros anymore.
    UW Badger and proud to be so,
    though my dad is happy KY won.

    Unionization of college players? Drop college athletics.

    MD in Philly (f9371b)

  38. I think paying college athletes will get a lot more of them to stay there a bit longer. There’s a lot of BBall players who could stand to play in college for another year or so before turning pro, even when they can go quickly.

    That’s one of the things I like about Donovan over someone like Calipari… he seeks players who aren’t just looking for a place to spend a year and then go pro.

    Smock Puppet, "Si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses." (225d0d)

  39. Basketball would be a much better game if:
    No three point line
    No dunking
    No shot clock
    Call traveling
    Call palming the ball
    Call 3 seconds in the lane

    The game needs to get back to the basics.
    Screening away from the ball, double picks and a continuity in it’s offensive set.

    Having played college ball, I can barely watch this crap.

    mg (31009b)

  40. mg, I don’t know how old you are, but I like the shot clock, watching UNC in a 4 corners offense was frustrating.

    I don’t know how many coaches would not accept a player who was going to go pro in one year on their team, so unless they would, I think it might be sour grapes to dislike Calipari for being so successful at it.

    Had Calipari and UK made the rule no HS to pro ball I would be more critical, but to some degree going to a great school for the basketball coach is no different than going to a school because of its engineering program, prepare for a career.

    MD in Philly (f9371b)

  41. I agree with most of what you wrote mg, except the no shot clock and 3 second lane. With no shot clock, teams who ordinarily couldn’t compete just used a four corner stall. That was difficult to watch. And the three second lane made sure that teams with one big center couldn’t dominate.

    Amalgamated Cliff Divers, Local 157 (f7d5ba)

  42. My wife commented that Bo Ryan walked by Jackson without looking at him after the game.

    Interesting the tradeoff between a star player wanting to help the team by being productive and wanting to help by sharing the load with others. Later in the game both Randell and Kaminisky tried to “force it” themselves at times. I just was thinking this am (before I put it out of my mind), that UW should have done more low post to Kaminisky then an immediate pass out to a shooter as they collapsed on him it seemed with 3 or 4 players. I’m sure that is what they often did during the season.

    MD in Philly (f9371b)

  43. I toggled back to MH370 pR0n at the 7 minute mark after WI started tossing up 3 point attempts.

    gary gulrud (e2cef3)

  44. Having no shot clock gave a coach the chance at anytime to slow it down and try and change momentum. It works. But the advertisers were not selling enough garbage to the viewers, so change the game to sell more crap. When Princeton used to frustrate those pretty teams with their fundamental purity it was pure entertainment for this old bastard.

    mg (31009b)

  45. Never watched Princeton.
    I only saw it when “pretty team” UNC did it to protect a lead.

    MD in Philly (f9371b)

  46. Comment by MD in Philly (f9371b) — 4/6/2014 @ 6:54 am

    I remember the UNC stalls – I’m a UK fan and couldn’t stand that.
    Kentucky always shoots for a team approach rather than recruiting one super player and building the team around them. A coach who can convince 5 or six of the country’s best HS players to work for the good of the team is a very good coach indeed.
    Critics of Kentucky and its coaches puzzle me – perhaps jealousy I don’t know. Back when Pitino was rebuilding the program Sports Illustrated ran a cover illustration which depicted Pitino’s wife chained to a basketball goal. After winning the ’96 championship Pitino was asked what he would do after the win. He replied that he would go home and unchain his wife from the goal…
    Bob Knight slapped players, threw chairs and generally behaved like an ass his entire career but was given a pass over and over because he coached winning teams.
    Anyway Go Big Blue – let’s bring home #9 tonight and keep the trophy in the bluegrass for a third straight year!

    vor2 (58243b)

  47. 46-
    The only player not to graduate under Bobby Knight was Isiah Thomas. Pretty heavy stuff for a chair throwing verbal abusive coach. I’d put my kids in Knights school, before I’d subject them to a phony man in Pitino.

    mg (31009b)

  48. Critics of Kentucky and its coaches puzzle me

    Why? Is Coach Cal’s history of recruiting violations and leaving NCAA sanctions in his wake ok, so long as he wins?

    JD (5a9bdf)

  49. Different people care.

    Sammy Finkelman (ebf45c)

  50. Comment by JD (5a9bdf) — 4/7/2014 @ 4:15 am

    Personally, I see different issues here.
    Recruiting violations are one thing, and I don’t know enough about that.
    The “one and done” is a different matter, I think.
    For reasons I gave before, I have no problem for the “one and done”, as long as they are “really students” that one yr.

    MD in Philly (f9371b)

  51. There’s nothing in it for the players, err sorry, excuse me, students, I meant to say students. They have one marketing skill and they are not allowed to sell it for the the million dollars it’s worth, but instead they have to give it away free so some college athletics director can make a million dollars. If they’re smart they’ll take only PE classes that first year, with one or two remedial math classes so they can count their money (in the future), and one or two liberal arts classes so they can meet promiscuous girls.

    nk (dbc370)

  52. nk,
    I was thinking of practical things like:
    1) How to pick an agent
    2) How to not go broke like other immature pro athletes
    3) How to deal with all of your “old friends” and 3rd cousins that show up on your doorstep

    actually I was thinking whatever remedial math and English that would be useful in life. Things that they should have learned in high school that so many people, pro-athlete-to-be or not, don’t these days.
    Really.

    MD in Philly (f9371b)

  53. It would be fun to see these two teams compete in a spelling bee.

    mg (31009b)

  54. The current Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court was in law school with me while he was also a place kicker for the Chicago Bears. If they want to learn and can learn, they’ll learn and make money too. Stern’s motives may have been good, but he had to buy off the players’ union to get the rule through. The players, who are the best judges of their needs and abilities, opposed it.

    nk (dbc370)

  55. More than one pro football player has become an MD, including a former Packer LB who was an orthopedic surgery resident when I was in med school.
    I guess after breaking bones, he wanted to help heal some…

    MD in Philly (f9371b)


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