Furmanoid wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 5:21 pm
They always shoot bad in the tournament, but I do think something’s up. Seems like shooting is just not as good or might be that defenses have caught up to offenses, so it’s time for things to change again. I’m kinda bored with the 3 point thing, so I kinda hope the game shifts back to big dudes fighting it out in the paint.
Edey , the 7'4" center for Purdue, was the national player of the year. Purdue lost in the first round to a team that lost 14 games during the regular season and only made the tournament because the team they lost to in their conference tournament was ineligible for the NCAAs because they haven't been D1 long enough. Fairleigh Dickinson lost to Merrimack College and then beat Big Ten champ Purdue in their next game. FDU only hit 30% of their threes but Purdue only hit 19% of their threes.
Kentucky just lost to Kansas State in the 2nd. round. UK has Oscar Tshiebwe, a traditional low post dominator at center- 6'9, 260. He had 25 pt and 18 rebounds today to go with his 25 rebounds in their first round victory. Great talent. Never hit a three point shot in his career. Kentucky only hit 20% of their threes and lost to a team that hit big threes down the stretch. Kansas State didn't shoot threes great but just a little better than Kentucky.
The Paladins hit a superior 3 point percentage than Virginia and win, we shoot a lower percentage than SDState and lose.
Coaches are logical people. They tend to notice that teams tend to win when that happens. Teams that defend the three point line reach the tournament to begin with. They still need to be able to shoot the shot, even if the percentages are lower than the regular season.