KANSAS-MICHIGAN

We had a Foul or Defend last night in the Sweet 16.

HOOPS135@HOTMAIL.COM

TWITTER: @CoachFinamore

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

SATURDAY’S SCREEN-N-ROLL

The NCAA semi-finals take place tonight in New Orleans. First game is Louisville-Kentucky followed by Ohio State-Kansas.

On the last weekend of the three greatest weeks in sports here in America, I came across a couple of articles written on what else? Student-Athletes in college sports.

Joe Nocera of the NY Times has a bone to pick with the commercial we have seen over and over where the female athlete at the conclusion says, “Still think we’re just a bunch of dumb jocks?”

Rick Telander of the Chicao Sun-Times on Northwestern men’s basketball and the “one and done” in college hoops.

Ira Boudway of the Bloomberg Business Week on Louisville basketball…which raked in $40 million dollars, more than any other school.

Danny Wetzel of Yahoo Sports on the ‘other side’ of John Calipari.

“The perception of him is so far from the truth it’s a joke,” said Auburn coach Tony Barbee, who played for Calipari at Massachusetts and worked as an assistant under him at Memphis. “He loves basketball and that’s what he does, but this is the human element that is most important to him. Everyone who has played or worked for him knows it’s more than business.”

Yesterday I blogged about Bernard King not being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame for 2012. Well another basketball guy has been denied too. CBS Sportsline.com on Guy Lewis, former college basketball coach will have to wait which has his former players ticked off.

Elvin Hayes hasn’t visited the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame since his induction in 1990, and he even turns down invitations to attend special events affiliated with it.

The former University of Houston star will only end his boycott if his college coach is enshrined, but there’s no guarantee that day will ever come.

Guy V. Lewis will be passed over again when a new class of inductees is announced before Monday’s national championship game in New Orleans. Many of his former players, including Hayes, Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon, have unsuccessfully campaigned for their coach for years, and their frustration builds with each passing year.

“It’s a sad situation,” Hayes said, “because when I look at the people they put in the hall, and then look at coach, and what he accomplished, it just doesn’t make any sense to me.”

Ian O’Connor of ESPN New York tells us the HOF has passed on Rick Pitino.

Listening to sports talk radio out of New York City on Saturday morning (660 WFAN), the host hit the nail on the head, “you don’t hear about the basketball Hall of Fame like you do the football or baseball hall.”

He has a good point.

Quote of the Day: “As a player, control what you can control” -Joakim Noah

Hoops135@hotmail.com

Follow me on Twitter: @CoachFinamore

FINAL FOUR WEEKEND

The three greatest weeks of sports in America is coming to an end.

Three weeks ago I filled out a bracket for the men’s NCAA basketball tournament. I was able to pick 2 of the 4 Final Four participants.

Baylor and Missouri let me down.

I had Kansas and Missouri in the finals with the Jayhawks winning it all.

This weekend I think Kentucky will be playing Ohio State in the finals and I’ll go with Kentucky.

The Final Four is a great weekend. Coaches from all over the country meet up to have a ton of fun. There are coaching clinics, great food and of course 3 outstanding games.

I have been to a few Final Four’s over the years and have had a blast. I highly recommend attending in the future.

Pete Thamel of the New York Times on Thad Matta of Ohio State.

Howard Beck of the New York Times on Mike Woodson, the NY Knicks coach doing a great job.

Andy Gardiner of USA Today on Baylor’s womens coach Kim Mulkey. Here’s Nancy Kerchavel of Bloomberg News Mulkey who has been diagnosed with ‘Bell’s Palsy’.

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News on John Calipari and Rick Pitino and the coverage they receive from the media.

Steve Kroner of the SF Gate on the 3-point shot.

Ted Lewis of Nola.com on college basketball one and done’s.

But nobody, it seems, can come up with a plan that might be an incentive for remaining in college, even though Emmert has labeled some of the one-and-doners “young men … who have little or no interest in going to college.”

Hoops135@hotmail.com

Follow me on Twitter: @CoachFinamore

MIDWEST REGION

Round of 64

North Carolina over Vermont

Creighton over Alabama

South Florida over Temple

Michigan over Ohio

San Diego State over NC State

Georgetown over Belmont

St. Mary’s over Purdue

Kansas over Detroit

Round of 32

Creighton over North Carolina

Michigan over South Florida

Georgetown over San Diego State

Kansas over St. Mary’s

Regional Semi’s

Creighton over Michigan

Kansas over Georgetown

Regional Final

Kansas over Creighton