FOUL OR DEFEND?

Please keep in mind in no way am I questioning anyone’s strategy or philosophy on the following study. There are way better coaches than me out there who do what they feel is best for their team. This is just a research study to see what coaches prefer to do in this late game situation.

Last night in Lawrence, Iowa State was leading by three points late in the game against Kansas. A pair of free throws by Korie Lucious put the Cyclones up three with 8.9 seconds to play.

The Jayhawks pushed the ball up the floor, ran a dribble hand-off into a screen. On the weak side Ben McLemore came off a flair screen.  And well, the freshman banged a three to send the game into overtime.  (As we know, Kansas won the game but like my guy Ray Lokar says, “it’ doesn’t matter, the decision was made in regulation.)

I have been studying this late game situation where a team is up three points, on defense and less than :07 to play.

Since the beginning of basketball season I have found 232 situations at the high school, college and NBA levels.  (I’m sure I have missed a few so if you are reading this and your team encountered this situation, please contact me ASAP).

When a team decided to foul they have won 25 of the 26 games. In the one loss thus far, Kent State fouled a Valpo player who made the first free throw, missed the second and got the offensive rebound for the put back. Upon further review, a Valpo player ran in the lane too early but was not called for a lane violation.  Valpo wound up winning the game in overtime. Now you can say well they didn’t box out very well and should grab that rebound, I understand all that. Bottom line is Valpo got the offensive rebound.

The 206 situations where the team decided to rely on their defense, well 40 of the teams on offense banged a three-point shot sending the game into overtime (that’s 19%, not very high).

Each day I will update the numbers and include the previous night’s situations.

Please feel free to contact me with any situations you know of this seasons or have been involved with.

I’m going to conduct the study until the last game of the NBA finals is complete in June.

-Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com

Twitter: @CoachFinamore

THINGS WE SAY AND DO

Quote of the Day

“Think about everything you do or say because it will have an effect on you or someone you know.” -Frank Layden

1-TH Online.com on Fred Hoiberg, Iowa State and a couple of new players. Iowa State rode a pair of one-and-done transfers to its first NCAA tournament appearance in seven years. The formula worked so well that the Cyclones will give it another go in 2012-13.

2-Jeff Goodman of CBS Sportslinechecks in a situation with Texas and the NCAA.  The NCAA is investigating whether Texas sophomore point guard Myck Kabongo has accepted impermissible benefits while working out in Ohio this past summer, Texas spokesman Scott McConnell confirmed to CBSSports.com. ”We’re aware of the situation,” McConnell told CBSSports.com. “But no judgment has been rendered by the NCAA.” The 6-foot-1 Kabongo is a Canadian who averaged 9.6 points per game last season and was in Ohio working out with Cleveland Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson — a long-time friend and fellow Canadian who also played at Texas. 

3-Eric Prisbell of USA Today on Larry Brown, now at SMU.

4-Marc Berman of the NY Post on J.R. Smith of the Knicks, he’s upset that he will not be starting. “I think disappointed is an understatement,’’ Smith said of his status made clear by Woodson on Tuesday. “My whole process of getting better this summer and everything I went through was to be in that starting role.”

Another great pass from Camp Darryl leading to basket; On today’s date in 1955, Norm Nixon was born. In 1980, the Dallas Mavericks played their 1st NBA game.

HOOPS135@HOTMAIL.COM

TWITTER: @CoachFinamore

SOUTH REGION

Round of 64

Kentucky over winner of MVSU/WKU

Iowa State over UConn

Wichita State over VCU

Indiana over New Mexico State

UNLV over Colorado

Baylor over South Dakota State

Xavier over Notre Dame

Duke over Lehigh

Round of 32

Kentucky over Iowa State

Wichita State over Indiana

Baylor over UNLV

Duke over Xavier

Regional Semi’s

Kentucky over Wichita State

Baylor over Duke

Regional Finals

Baylor over Kentucky

SUNDAY’S OUTSIDE SHOOTING

Where’s the love for women’s college basketball?

I watched a very entertaining game yesterday afternoon between Michigan and Ohio State.

The Wolverines handed the Buckeyes their first loss of the season, 73-62.

If you go to ESPN.com, it takes a long time to find the NCAA Women’s College Basketball page. Matter of fact, there are links on the front page for NBA, NHL, MLB, NCAA Men’s basketball, NCAA Football, NASCAR, and Soccer. To find the main page for women’s college basketball one has to click on ‘More Sports‘ then scroll down the page to find ‘Women’s BBall’.

Reaching for my Sporting News College Basketball Pre-season magazine to find a capsule on the Buckeyes women’s team there is 2 pages for women’s basketball. It’s way in the back of the magazine.  In their top 25, there’s no mention of Ohio State. Buckeyes are 15-1 on the season.

MAMMA MIA!

To me, this is unacceptable. Give the ladies some love…put them on the front page of your webpage!

Lancaster Eagle Gazette on Bowling Green’s 67-57 win over Ohio U.

Nice to hear Pete Gillen, former college basketball coach working for CBS. Last night I watched Memphis and UAB, Gillen was the color analyst. The Brooklyn, New York native used to be an elementary school teacher at my former school way back in the 1970′s.

I know everyone likes the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls in the East but don’t sleep on the Indiana Pacers.

Iliana Limon of the Orlando Sentinel on Jeff Jordan leaving the Central Florida program.

Pete Vecsey of the New York Post on players today compared to the ones from back in the day…not much difference to tell you the truth. I once heard a quote from former football coach Bill Parcells, “players today are no different from players from the 70′s. The only thing that is different is the people around them.”

On second thought, I was wrong to make it appear coach-killers DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans are more full of themselves than self-absorbed slugs back in the day.

It only seems that way because today’s athletes make movie star fortunes and their business is out on the street 24-7 in the twinkle of a twitter regardless of whether they lust to live in the limelight.

Coaching conflicts with players, altercations between teammates and lousy late night lifestyles weren’t kept under wraps because people were better at keeping secrets eons ago; beat writers and columnists simply didn’t report what they knew for fear of falling out of favor or exposing their complicity.

Last night I watched the Pistons and Knicks on Fox Detroit from the Palace of Auburn Hills, home of the Detroit Pistons. They game was the same time as the Detroit Lions playoff game vs the New Orleans Saints. The Knicks won 103-80. Mike Bibby scored 17 points and Josh Harrellson added 11 off the bench for New York. Bibby, who has been in the league for 14 years shot 4-5 from downtown. Detroit shot 37% from the field and 59% from the free-throw line. The Knicks are 4-4, Pistons are 2-6.

How about the job Fred Hoiberg is doing at Iowa State? 12-3 with their win over Texas A&M yesterday. I met the man they call, ‘The Mayor” a few weeks ago. Seemed like a great guy.

Notre Dame beat Louisville 67-65 in double overtime. I’m always happy when Mike Brey wins a ballgame. One of the good dudes in the coaching profession.

Kansas State beat Missouri 75-59 handing the Tigers their first loss of the season.

Murray State moved to 16-0 with their win over Austin Peay.

Stanford beat Oregon State 103-101 in 4 OT’s.

New Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer has banned his players from tweeting.

Happy belated birthday to former St. John’s head coach Lou Carnesecca. He turned 87 earlier this week.

Hoops135@hotmail.com

Follow me on Twitter: @CoachFinamore

DRIBBLE IT OUT…

Wednesday night during the Celtics-Suns game, Rajon Rondo launched a long three in front of the Suns bench. What’s so big about that? Well the possession before, with the victory secured, the Celtics dribbled the ball out instead of shooting it. (It’s an unwritten rule in basketball not to shoot the ball while the clock is winding down). This so no one gets shown up or even injured for that matter. Suns player Jared Dudley wasn’t going to allow Rondo to get the shot off so in the act of shooting, Dudley fouled Rondo closing out on him. There’s been some bad blood with both teams.

ABC News. com on the BYU player dismissed from the team for having premarital sex. A former athlete speaks out.

Reno Mahe, a star football player at BYU 13 years ago, said he didn’t take the Mormon school’s strict honor code seriously.

“A girl I was dating at the time, my girlfriend at the time, was pregnant,” Mahe said.

He was kicked off the football team for having pre-marital sex.

The BYU honor code…students must “be honest, live a chaste and virtuous life…use clean language” and abstain from alcohol, tobacco, tea, coffee and drugs. It also bars gambling, use of pornography and homosexual behavior, though “feelings or attraction” are allowed.

Wow, that’s a tough order for college students. But I’m sure before they enroll, the Honor Code is explained to them.

The Cougars chances of going to the Final Four just got tougher.

7% of the football players for Top 25 teams in the country were found to have police records says Sports Illustrated.

Kudos to Kevin Willard and his Seton Hall Pirates for beating St. John’s last night 84-70. Willard is one of the good guys in the coaching business. With 1:55 to play in the game and the Hall up 9, St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin was ejected.

How about Jordan Taylor of Wisconsin who scored a career high of 39 points against Indiana Thursday night? The junior guard shot 7 for 8 from way downtown and made all of his 10 free-throws in leading the Badgers to a 77-67 win.

Big game in the Big Ten on Saturday between Michigan and Michigan State.  Many are saying the winner will probably get into the NCAA tournament, the loser will be in trouble. The game is in Ann Arbor, U of M won the first meeting earlier in the year. Speaking of Michigan State, Korie Lucious the second player from East Lansing to transfer and end up at Iowa State. His former teammate Chris Allen is sitting out this year after heading West.

Whatever happened to Mike Gale?

-Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com

Follow me on Twitter: @CoachFinamore