College teams and 2 for 1 situations
MikeRAS
Senior Handicapper
Seems like they never ever recognize the value of an extra possession at the end of the half. I understand college players do not create their shots as well as the NBA players but sometimes there is plenty of time to obtain a shot and still get the 2 for 1. The NW Michigan game is a perfect example.
Tie game, NW gets the ball off an offensive rebound with just under a minute left and still manages to dribble the ball for 30 seconds with no consideration of going 2 for 1. I understand not taking a bad shot just to get the 2 for 1 but my god, at least consider it and run the offense with a sense of urgency.
Tie game, NW gets the ball off an offensive rebound with just under a minute left and still manages to dribble the ball for 30 seconds with no consideration of going 2 for 1. I understand not taking a bad shot just to get the 2 for 1 but my god, at least consider it and run the offense with a sense of urgency.
Comments
I was watching and thinking the exact same thing - that was piss poor end game management by NW. That's something that should be practiced over and over again, and if it hasn't been, then it's worth calling a timeout to get the 2 for 1.
I was at the Akron/W Michigan game and I finally saw one player who got it. 45 seconds left in the 1st half, Akron scored. Akron ran back down the court, put no pressure on. WMU's PG Mike Douglas started pointing at his feet to his teammate who just dropped the ball in bounds. Douglass sat there and watched the clock until it got to 35 and then picked it up. 10 seconds and the shot clock doesn't start until he touched it. Completely took away Akron's last possession of the half. First and only time I have seen a college player think on his own and understand the clock at the end of a half/game. I bet no one else knew what he was doing.
Michigan State/Purdue last week was handled pretty well by both coaches. Just before half, MSU had the ball with about 1:00 left. Izzo called time out, they ran a quick set and got a good look and scored with about :48 left. Purdue took about 5 seconds to get to the ball, inbounded it, rolled it to the PG (clock is running this whole time), who picked it up with about :37 left and the shot clock finally started.
I'd comment that State should have pressured the PG and forced him to pick up the ball earlier, but aside from that, it was well played on both sides.
That one had me heated.
Except you shouldn't have to call a timeout to set it up. If it is the 1st half and you have the use it or lose it timeout, no biggie, but at worst, it should be the coach just calling a play.
Nothing gets past Izzo anyway. He at least lets his guys try to get thru it themselves before he takes over. They may have had a game earlier where they screwed it up and that's why he called timeout. Anything Izzo does that looks questionable, I always give him a pass since it was probably something he saw in an earlier game/practice that he is going to correct the next time it comes up.
Kentucky, UCLA, Duke, Carolina, Uconn, etc all recruit nationally. What he has done is truly amazing at Michigan State. They were really a nothing program that got the Magic man for 2 years and then had sporadic success - but nothing like what he has done.
Michigan State just blew this opportunity themselves....lucky for them that Minnesota bailed them out with a foul.