last night......
1. there were only a couple of teams with big men who were better than avg.
2. the team with the better guard play won each game.
3. the team who shot 3's better won every game.
This gives me more hope for next years USC MBB team, regardless of Cudd or
anyone else coming or going. The constant on the winning teams last night was
their bigs defensive rebounded well and clogged the lane. Ex.
UT made their run when they hit 3's and forced TO's. When they could not maintain it,
Purdue pulled away in overtime. The Boilermakers had 2 guys that were "money" on their
3 point hots. They had solid bigs and played physical defense. I thought UT was the most
physical team in the SEC. Purdue was significantly more physical. they killed UT on the
offensive glass.
Michigan got hammered by TT. The Red Raiders played Frank Martin style defense and took everything away from Michigan. They shot better than U of M though neither team shot it all that well. TT played as good a defense as I've seen played in the tournament in a few years. They played world class D, rebounded well, had shot blockers, hit enough shots and forced a lot of turnovers. That's a recipe for victory. I would not say they had dominant bigs. They had solid role players. Their defense was what won that game for them. That and the fact Michigan could not make a 3.
Gonzaga did something I did not think could be done to FSU. They out athlete'd them. They had by far the better guard play and 3 point shooting. Their bigs dominated FSU in one critical area. They pounded the offensive glass and got extra possession and put backs time and again. Their defense was superior too which surprised me. To be truthful, when FSU made their run, they were running 1 v. 1 "hero ball". they could not run a set play consistently to any effect vs. the Zips.
Lastly, Virginia made just enough shots to beat Oregon. Diakete was effective at C for UVA but besides him it was all perimeter shooting. Both teams played excellent defense. Oregon was going to win that game until Guy and Jerome started to make shots. The little 5'9'' G hit 3's he almost never made in ACC play. Take his points away and Oregon moves on. The Ducks had better bigs for the most part. UVA made every Oregon shot a contested one which affected their accuracy.
In the end, this is why I am looking forward to MBB next year. I feel we will have very good play at the 1, 2 & 3. I feel we will have solid role players at the 4 & 5. That's with no roster changes. If Cudd or someone else leaves and we can add another quality big or 2, we'll be on our way.
1. there were only a couple of teams with big men who were better than avg.
2. the team with the better guard play won each game.
3. the team who shot 3's better won every game.
This gives me more hope for next years USC MBB team, regardless of Cudd or
anyone else coming or going. The constant on the winning teams last night was
their bigs defensive rebounded well and clogged the lane. Ex.
UT made their run when they hit 3's and forced TO's. When they could not maintain it,
Purdue pulled away in overtime. The Boilermakers had 2 guys that were "money" on their
3 point hots. They had solid bigs and played physical defense. I thought UT was the most
physical team in the SEC. Purdue was significantly more physical. they killed UT on the
offensive glass.
Michigan got hammered by TT. The Red Raiders played Frank Martin style defense and took everything away from Michigan. They shot better than U of M though neither team shot it all that well. TT played as good a defense as I've seen played in the tournament in a few years. They played world class D, rebounded well, had shot blockers, hit enough shots and forced a lot of turnovers. That's a recipe for victory. I would not say they had dominant bigs. They had solid role players. Their defense was what won that game for them. That and the fact Michigan could not make a 3.
Gonzaga did something I did not think could be done to FSU. They out athlete'd them. They had by far the better guard play and 3 point shooting. Their bigs dominated FSU in one critical area. They pounded the offensive glass and got extra possession and put backs time and again. Their defense was superior too which surprised me. To be truthful, when FSU made their run, they were running 1 v. 1 "hero ball". they could not run a set play consistently to any effect vs. the Zips.
Lastly, Virginia made just enough shots to beat Oregon. Diakete was effective at C for UVA but besides him it was all perimeter shooting. Both teams played excellent defense. Oregon was going to win that game until Guy and Jerome started to make shots. The little 5'9'' G hit 3's he almost never made in ACC play. Take his points away and Oregon moves on. The Ducks had better bigs for the most part. UVA made every Oregon shot a contested one which affected their accuracy.
In the end, this is why I am looking forward to MBB next year. I feel we will have very good play at the 1, 2 & 3. I feel we will have solid role players at the 4 & 5. That's with no roster changes. If Cudd or someone else leaves and we can add another quality big or 2, we'll be on our way.
