Hand-Checking

[jbcarol]

CL Brown: New rules put premium on backcourt play

Marquette's anemic offensive output in its 52-35 loss to Ohio State on Saturday afternoon wasn't exactly what the NCAA men's basketball competition committee had in mind when it sought to increase scoring this season.

Freedom of movement meant the Golden Eagles could miss more shots without being impeded by a hand check. The Buckeyes weren't any better in the first half, as they needed a late basket to tie the game at 19 going into intermission.

It was the lowest combined halftime score in Division I this season.

Despite the rules to benefit offense and increase scoring, a team without at least one scorer in the backcourt is a team that is going to struggle.

Marquette was the prime example Saturday.

Brown noted that Florida, Syracuse, and Virginia all started freshman point guards and got off to slow first half starts in their respective games. After adjustments, they recorded double-digit wins.

[jbcarol]

Not Jerry Tipton ‏@NotJerryTipton 1h
Louisville is missing 3 things from last year: Peyton Siva, Gorgui Dieng & being allowed to hack, slap, grab, pull, kick & bump on defense.

[jbcarol]

Calipari and Cleveland State coach Waters disagree on changes in emphasis

Kentucky's game against Cleveland State on Monday night brings together two distinct reactions to referees calling more fouls this season.

"I think the direction we're going in officiating (is) long overdue," he said Friday. "I'm just hoping the coaches that are coaching their teams to play this way don't get punished as the year goes on because they start calling it rough again. ... You want to reward the coaches who did what you asked them to do."

If anything, Calipari called for even more whistles. He complained about how opponents can "whack down" on a player holding the ball in the low post (read: Julius Randle). "And say the hand is part of the ball," he said. "Really?"

By contrast, Cleveland State Coach Gary Waters views the new officiating as an affront to the game of basketball. Defenders are neutered. The essence of competition gets shunted aside. Games dissolve into a free-throw shooting contest.

"It's not the way basketball was meant to be played," he said. "... I think we're overreacting to something."

You can guess which coach is synonymous with a Dribble-Drive offense and shot-blocking (Calipari), and which coach stresses tough, body-on-body defense (Waters).

The Cleveland State coach acknowledged his preference.

"I'm from Detroit," he said. "Back in Detroit, we played a physical kind of game. My philosophy has always been pressure. I've been an advocate of defense. That's been me."

Statistics cited in The Wall Street Journal Thursday suggested the new officiating is doing what was intended. According to KPI Competition Analytics, points per game have increased 9.2 percent, the newspaper reported. As a bonus, the average length of games involving top 25 teams so far this season had decreased by four minutes...

The NCAA, apparently still upset with Kentucky, has directed the officiating crew to call ticky-tack fouls on Cleveland State all night long.

Tark the Shark will be smiling somewhere.

[psooie]

i watched 60 minutes last night. THe guy who just bought the Sacramento kings, some tech geek from india, knew nothing about basketball but started coaching his young daughters hoop team. He went tech geek and created a computer  program on how to play/coach basketball. This computer system was pretty much 40 minutes of hell, constant press. The team won and other coaches were pissed with the constant press.  Now if the refs would let things play, it would work again in the ncaa. 

[jbcarol]

Jay Bilas ‏@JayBilas 2h
Length of Cal-Arkansas game due only to Arkansas fouling late to get back into the game, not rule emphasis. Late fouls an issue forever.

One emphasis that needs to be made, defenders that go straight up to challenge a shot should be protected against body-seeking drivers.

[Biggus Piggus]

Pomeroy says the only change in average scoring this season is at the free throw line. Rule changes have NOT helped anything.

[nextlevel]

Kentucky shooting 28% from the floor at home.

[jbcarol]

Calipari and Cleveland State coach Waters disagree on changes in emphasis

Kentucky's game against Cleveland State on Monday night brings together two distinct reactions to referees calling more fouls this season.

The NCAA, apparently still upset with Kentucky, has directed the officiating crew to call ticky-tack fouls on Cleveland State all night long.

Tark the Shark will be smiling somewhere.

Cleveland State has already been called for 13 fouls to 8 for UK.

State leads 33-29 early in the second half in Lexington.

[ErieHog]

Pomeroy says the only change in average scoring this season is at the free throw line. Rule changes have NOT helped anything.

It is going to take a year to two years, before you really see the net effect on the game.  When teams actually are penalized for playing too physically, then they'll modify their play styles. 

[jbcarol]

Calipari and Cleveland State coach Waters disagree on changes in emphasis

Kentucky's game against Cleveland State on Monday night brings together two distinct reactions to referees calling more fouls this season.

The NCAA, apparently still upset with Kentucky, has directed the officiating crew to call ticky-tack fouls on Cleveland State all night long.

Tark the Shark will be smiling somewhere.

Cleveland State assistant Jermaine Kimbrough (since deleted)





Brandon Metts ‏@BMetts21 24m
@jermainekimbro You mad, bro?

jermaine kimbrough ‏@jermainekimbro 21m
@BMetts21 yes the way the game was called. People work to hard players and coaches.

[jbcarol]

Cleveland State scored six more points from the field.

Kentucky had 35 FTA to 15 FTA (14-15) for CSU.

[jbcarol]

Jermaine Kimbrough's twitter account has since been deleted.

He got a serious case of the goo [and a one-game suspension from his school.]

[jbcarol]

his wasn't Baylor or even Texas A&M, the two teams that beat Kentucky in Rupp Arena last season. This was nearly worse.

This was Cleveland State, a team picked to finish seventh in the Horizon League by Athlon Sports.

This was Cleveland State, a team that did not start a single senior or a guy taller than 6 feet 8.

This was Cleveland State, a team whose two leading scorers were rated two-star recruits.

This was Cleveland State leading Kentucky by 10 points with a little more than 7 minutes to play in Rupp Arena Monday night.

"Let's be real," Calipari said. "Cleveland State took advantage of everything we did wrong."

Takeaways from the victory:

1. Kentucky's perimeter defense needs work. Cleveland State's two-star guards outplayed Kentucky's McDonald's all-Americans. As a group, Bryn Forbes, Trey Lewis and Sebastian Douglas outscored Young and the Harrison Twins 50-32. Even worse, they outrebounded them 13-6.

2. Control tempo. Double-team Julius Randle. Make Kentucky shoot the ball from more than 12 feet.

I'm not John Wooden or even Brad Stevens, but it's apparent how teams are going to play the Wildcats this season. By trying to stop Kentucky from running. By crowding Randle. And by making Kentucky score from outside the paint.

3. Calipari continues to experiment with this team. He played nine guys in the first half, and it seemed as if he never stayed with the same combination for more than three minutes.

In. Out. Out. In.

He started five freshmen – again – and played two more (Dakari Johnson and Dominique Hawkins.

He tightened the rotation in the second half. Randle played 20 minutes as did Young. Willie Cauley-Stein earned 17 second-half minutes. Alex Poythress only got three and Marcus Lee 1.

4. Julius Randle is routinely ridiculous. He still turns the ball over too many times – five Monday night. Opposing coaches will continue to double team him until he proves that he will consistently make the right pass. His 15-foot shot needs more work.

But the kid delivered another double-double, his sixth in six games. Even on a night when Randle missed seven of 10 shots, he still scored 15 points with 15 rebounds, seven on the offensive glass.

"They got some offensive rebounds that were key down the stretch," Waters said. "They may be the best offensive rebounding team in the country.

"A close friend of mine is Tom Izzo. He works hard on rebounding the basketball. That's one of his identities. I'm telling you this team rebounds as good or better than Michigan State. It's hard to keep them off and it's more than one."

Bozich was a character in the comic strip Gil Thorp