is there any doubt butler is winning this? they're playing the perfect "team of destiny that f4p hates" role right now. they've got mack hitting pull-up 3's right in people's faces while duke is missing open 3's, howard gets in foul trouble so they throw in some scrub senior and he start hitting 3's like he's larry bird and converting ridiculous drives to the basket for 10 points in about 5 minutes, duke suddenly looks like UT at the free throw line and now they don't know how to rebound either. butler just keeps hanging around, hitting shots they shouldn't just when they need to like they have all tourney long. hopefully it doesn't work out that way, but sometimes you can't fight the team of destiny.
Butler is "dragging Duke down to their level" with defense. Nothing wrong with that at all. The only thing that matters is the final score, not how you win. Butler's only chance of winning tonight is to do it ugly. At some point I'm wondering if Duke will take over the game when Butler goes into a scoring drought. Seems like when Duke really turns up the intensity on defense, Butler has almost no chance to score. I'm satisfied with the first half. I just hope Butler has the energy and composure to do it another 20 minutes. One big question: Can they keep up the rebounding?
that's where the team of destiny and "one and done" factors come into play. when you play good D and some guy named jukes who has scored 100 points all season starts draining 3's and making awkward drives to the basket when you are starting to create some distance, there's not much you can do. same when 80% ft shooters are 0-3 from the line. hopefully duke pulls it together on 3's and ft and butler pretends they are butler on offense for a few minutes.
The officiating situation is very worrisome. Scheyer just tipped in a ball hanging on the left side of the rim, no call. Then, Thomas hacks Howard across the arm, no call, then a follow call on Howard for his fourth.
At some point, Butler will tire and start using their hands (and fouling) instead of moving their feet. I can't see them expending this level of energy the entire game.
singler (edit: scheyer) got fouled on a jumper earlier with no call and the refs called a quick jump ball to give it to butler when it would have been out on howard. the real problem is nored forcing a terrible drive, getting it blocked, only to have the block go to a teammate who then gives it to nored, an 18% 3 pt shooter, who swishes it. i'm not sure that was a charge on heyward but he clearly traveled before that. college refs love of calling charges won out over their love of traveling calls. and now singler, a great shooter misses a gimme that could have given duke a tie for its biggest lead and heyward is now going to the line.
See my post from a page or two ago. Welcome to the wonderful world of college basketball, where everything is a charge. It's a flopper's paradise.
it should have just been a travel and they could have saved heyward a foul. hopefully he doesn't get in foul trouble.
These are the last two teams standing in the tournament. But I think most of us can agree these are NOT the two best teams in college basketball. That's what you get with one-and-done and is a key reason why March Madness is so great.
that's actually the main thing i hate about march madness. i like to see the best of the best. not the survivors of (relative) randomness. series are why i like the nba playoffs.
And these superior NCAA officials miss a blatant travel and award an And-1. That's so much better than the NCAA.
