Final Four and National Championship Thread

BigSoxFan

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May 31, 2007
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The amount of stuff that had to go wrong for Auburn to lose that game after they went up 61-57 would haunt me if I were a fan of that team.

1. Clutch 3 in the corner to make it 61-60
2. Missed 2nd FT
3. No call on grab of jersey
4. Missed double dribble call
5. Brown gets out of position due to the double dribble instead of staying in front of Guy
6. Decision by Brown to foul instead of just letting a desperation heave go
7. Foul by Doughty on the 3
8. Guy makes all 3 FTs in a situation where not many guys would calmly do so

Just an absolute disaster for them.
 

johnmd20

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That 3 pointer in the corner to make it 61-60 was unbelievably clutch. Just an incredible shot, where a miss means it's likely the game is over, unless like 4 more insane things happen, on top of the 7 things listed above.

This is a haunting loss for Auburn. I feel for them.
 

tims4wins

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Jul 15, 2005
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Dukesox called this a while back. Stories win every year. UVA has a great story and this was an all time epic win for them. And not only did they lose to a 16 last year but they were down double digits again this year.

Wonder whose story it is next year.
 

BigSoxFan

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May 31, 2007
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That 3 pointer in the corner to make it 61-60 was unbelievably clutch. Just an incredible shot, where a miss means it's likely the game is over, unless like 4 more insane things happen, on top of the 7 things listed above.

This is a haunting loss for Auburn. I feel for them.
That 3 is going to be forgotten by most because of the double dribble and foul call but it was an all-timer shot. Was basically Ray Allen against the Spurs level clutch.
 

Ale Xander

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Oct 31, 2013
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Bad 24 hours for Auburn. Star gymnast breaks both legs in a horrific fall. Not for the squeamish, so won't link.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Jan 15, 2004
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My predictions for tonight’s Championship Game won’t be completely fulfilled until after the NCAA Rules Committee makes changes to increase offense this summer after the tv ratings numbers come out. College defensive rules combined with playing the Final Four in domed stadiums equal:

One word.....U-G-L-Y!

Texas Tech Red Raiders 47
Virginia Cavaliers 43
 

HomeRunBaker

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Jan 15, 2004
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I've been a proponent for well over a decade of expanding the playing surface dimensions for both the NBA and college......taking the current 94x50 and making it 100x54 (or even 98x52) but I seem to be the only one. Eliminate zone defenses as we know them today and allow a modified version similar to the NBA by simply banning the defense from having an unguarded defender in the lane. I've screamed for these two changes forever but they aren't likely to change anytime soon.

So here is what I'd like to realistically see for the 2019-20 season (some were tested in this years NIT):

1. Extend 3-point line, widen FT lane to NBA standards, and only allow modified zone defenses.

These go hand-in-hand and are a no-brainer imo. You increase spacing by moving the line back and create more penetrating lanes with less physicality by widening the lane from 12' to 16'. Modify the current zone defense rule to not allow an unguarded defender in the widened lane for more than 3 seconds. The latter is not currently under consideration.


2. Reduce shot clock re-set on offensive rebounds from 30 seconds to 15 (NIT re-set it to 20).

There are an average of 20-24 offensive rebounds in a typical college game. Taking 10 seconds off the shot clock will help with pace of game but taking off 15 would make it even better as it would force those ultra-deliberate teams to pick up their pace.


3. Eliminate the one-an-one penalty.

This baby is a dinosaur that has had its day. In todays game you have a chance at scoring 3 points on one shot attempt.....the one-an-one actually benefits the defense in lowering the offenses points per possession avg. Make the penalty 2 shots.


4. Advance ball to frontcourt on a timeout.

Not only will you make end of halves and end of games more exciting but during course of game you eliminate the wasted 7-8 seconds from dribbling up from the end line to the frontcourt versus token pressure at best on another 10 or so possessions per game. That is over a full minutes of clock time per a 40 minute game.
 

Ale Xander

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Oct 31, 2013
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#1 and #3 are no-brainers. I'm actually against #4, wish NBA would adopt the college rule.

Guess for tonight is TT 49, Virginia 45
 

The Needler

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Dec 7, 2016
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3. Eliminate the one-an-one penalty.

This baby is a dinosaur that has had its day. In todays game you have a chance at scoring 3 points on one shot attempt.....the one-an-one actually benefits the defense in lowering the offenses points per possession avg. Make the penalty 2 shots.
Have you really been thinking it’s one an one for all these years?
 

Humphrey

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Aug 3, 2010
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I like that college ball is different than the pros w/regard to time outs. Hope it stays the same.

I wonder what the reception was by college coaches to the NIT experiment where it's effectively 5 fouls per quarter, no one-and-ones, all two shots, just like the NBA. Plus the "second foul in the last two minutes" rule was also used. I think at this point I like those changes.

As far as the court dimensions, would love somewhere between 52-56 feet court width, although it's a tough retrofit in a lot of places...not enough room on the current court to push the 3 point line out more (in the NBA, clearly the 3 from the corner is an easier shot distance-wise). Don't see the court length affecting the game that much.
 

BaseballJones

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Oct 1, 2015
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#1 and #3 are no-brainers. I'm actually against #4, wish NBA would adopt the college rule.

Guess for tonight is TT 49, Virginia 45
I like #1 and #2 but dislike #3 and #4. One-and-one is just fine and adds excitement and pressure in late-game situations. I can live with #4 I guess but I don't like that calling a time out grants you the equivalent of a 25-yard gain.
 

garlan5

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May 13, 2009
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long time uva fan. nothing moe exciting than great defense and listening to everyone complain about lack of offense. yet most years uva is very efficient on offense.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Jan 15, 2004
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long time uva fan. nothing moe exciting than great defense and listening to everyone complain about lack of offense. yet most years uva is very efficient on offense.
I love great defense as well my issue is the pace of play turning off younger viewers. Offense sells. We’ve seen this in MLB with Bonds/McGwire, the NFL this year, the NBA this year. My recommendations have to do with the overall health of the game rather than personal preference. The reset of shot clock on offensive rebounds and advancing to the front court following timeouts simply eliminates a lot of dead time during the course of the game that can lead to more possessions per game.
 

VORP Speed

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Apr 23, 2010
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UVA has had more good luck in the past 2 weeks than in the first 200 years of school history combined. Here’s hoping for one more night so we can get that third century off to a good start!
 

Time to Mo Vaughn

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Mar 24, 2008
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Can't believe this game doesn't start for another half hour.

Do we have the ratings from earlier rounds to show that 9PM starts doesn't justify it?
 

Dan Murfman

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Aug 21, 2001
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I think I want to move to the west coast. In Phoenix and I played golf this morning. Now hanging by the pool waiting for the game to start at 6.
 

The Big Red Kahuna

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Have a chance to win Murphy’s pool if UVA wins; but my office pool if TT covers (different type of pool). Virginia winning by one is the jackpot outcome.
 

Ale Xander

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Oct 31, 2013
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TTRR need to put Mahomes in at PG to distribute the rock, this is horrible so far.
 

Soxy

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The first 10 minutes were mostly shit but the second 10 minutes made up for it.
 

The Filthy One

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Aug 11, 2005
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I really don’t get why Barkley needs to be a part of this at all. If you don’t like college basketball, I’m sure there’s an NBA game on right now.
 

stp130

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Jul 16, 2005
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Seth Davis with some solid halftime analysis after a 5-minute clusterfuck from Kenny, Charles and Clark.