Friday, March 23, 2007

The Madness of March (Part II)

If you write something that says Part I in the title, then you've got to do a “Part II”. Unless you're Mel Brooks, of course. So let's talk about last night's Kansas – Southern Illinois game:

God, it was ugly. I know, that's the way SIU plays, and I say “more power to you,” except when I actually have to watch the thing. There was no offensive flow on either side. Bodies flew frequently. No one was seriously hurt because, most likely, he was falling on someone who was already down on the floor.

The officiating contributed to this, I think. Off the ball the game was called very tightly. I don't think I've ever seen so many illegal screen calls in a major game. However, near the ball, you could practically assault people with a pipe wrench and not get a call. This helped SIU more than it hurt, but that's not their fault.

KU did just enough to win. They had a very few near-transition baskets. Several times they tried to score off transition in a 2-on-3 3-on-4 situation, and they'd inevitably get stuffed. SIU did everything that they needed to do to win, except get the ball in the basket two more times. KU was lucky, without a doubt. But just about every winning team needs a bit of luck, so they say.

Maybe this is the year?

Aaagh! I've violated the pessimism rule! We're doomed!

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