College Bball question

[Hoggy Potter]

What about college bball has changed so much that the scoring has dropped.  I have no facts to back up my observation but it seemed back in the early 90's that some teams(Arkansas included) averaged 90 points a game.  Rarely do you see games get into the hundreds unless it is a cupcake.  Even with us now that is very rare.  Is there just a lot more parody in todays game that has slowed down scoring?

[hogsanity]

GOod players leaving early or never coming to colleg at all.  Players only practicing dunks.  More teams playing zones, forcing players who never practiced shooting to shoot from ranges they really should not.  Increased physical play.  THe NBAIDIZATION of the game.

THe playground happened to basketball, plain and simple.

[hogfankb]

No shooters.

Everyone wants to slash and dunk or shoot off balance contested finger rolls.

Play a good zone against most NCAA teams and they struggle to get high percentage shots. That is why duke is so tough to guard. You can't play zone because they have 4 guys on the floor at all times that can not only hit threes but 15 footers that are left open against zones. Then when you play them man they run reddick off screens until someone loses a man trying to help.

It is also nice to have those guys that can are guaranteed from the free throw line. How many times this year has arkansas been fouled on a gimme layup. Only to miss both free throws and get 0 points out of it.

[hogfan064]

I've wondered the same thing.  Seems as if teams have slowed the pace down.  But even in the early 90s Arkansas style of play was different than most teams.  Loyola and UNLV ran alot, but rarely do you see teams running like that anymore.  You still had teams like Georgetown and other Big East teams that were scoring 60 points a game. 

[Biggus Piggus]

It is the pace of play, mainly.  The average pace of play keeps slowing down despite the NBA's siphoning off the best big players, which should be making the college game shorter and faster.  Maybe it's putting less talented big men on the court.  Seriously, you can find four-guard offenses that walk it up.  It's revolting.

[Hoggy Potter]

Don't forget Sportscenter...got to be on Sportscenter with my flashy dunk...even though we lost by 20.

College basketball just doesn't seem as fun as it use too.  Although since we have not had a team to talk about since 95 could have something to do with it.

[hogfankb]

Don't forget Sportscenter...got to be on Sportscenter with my flashy dunk...even though we lost by 20.

College basketball just doesn't seem as fun as it use too.  Although since we have not had a team to talk about since 95 could have something to do with it.

My personal favorite is the dunk and get in an opponents face like you own them while your team in down 20. Had guys like that in high school that would hit a jump shot and try and tell me about it on the way down the court. Sure loved pointing to the score board in those situations.

Pace of play is a big deal as well. Has defense stepped up a little as well though? How much of that is seeing teams like UCONN win with great defense?

I watched gonzaga play the other night against stanford. While both of those teams could fill it up from anywhere on the floor they also couldn't guard anyone. Final was 80-76 and both teams shot almost 45%.

[Biggus Piggus]

Are free throw shooting numbers down as a whole?  I think this correspond to things previous posters have mentioned regarding style.  It may not sound like much but we're talking as much as a 4-6 point swing per team and potentially more.

Not appreciably, no.  It's mostly pace of play.

Just a close-to-us example.  Arkansas averaged 82 possessions per game in the Mayday and Corliss-Scotty years.  Since then, 73.  During Heath's time, 68.  Heck, Eddie Sutton's 1977-78 team averaged 70.  Heath's slower than Sutton.

It may be that too much great talent is going off early to the pros, leaving the college game underskilled.  But I think coaching has a lot to do with it.

[hogsanity]

WHen you cant shoot, might as well slow it down and try to get close shots.

Tighten up the rules on defenses and it would help too. 

24 sec shot claock anyone?

[baumsquad]

Defense is better?  When Ark was playing forty mintues of hell they didn't play good defense!

[TDHog]

The NBAization hits the nail on the head, ESPN has created a me first, team second mentality, too much one and one too little team play.