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| "...and the man kept coming after you!" |
Final Four weekend!
Apologies for the late insert. Stepping
back a bit to look at last Sunday’s Elite games first, we gotta talk about
Syracuse, or else Terry McKaig is gonna have a Jim Boeheim jacket-throwing
connip-fit…..
Cuse stamped their ticket to the Final 4
with a huge 16-point comeback vs. #1 seed Virginia. Calling this a Virginia
meltdown is not giving the due credit Syracuse and Jim Boeheim deserve. Down 16
points, Cuse started full court pressing Virginia in what looked like a
perfectly timed insert of the press in what may very well have been the very
rope-a-dope game Cuse wanted to play.
I don’t think they planned to be down by 16
points, but that well timed press forced the ever efficient, low possession,
ball-controlling Cavaliers outta their comfort zone! Virginia has the lowest
average amount of possessions in all of the NCAA Div 1 and having to score
quick hoops like they had to on this big of a stage was the straw that broke
Coach Tony Bennett’s Cavs’ back. As much as it hurts to agree with a Reggie
Miller analysis, Virginia looked outta sort having to score under that much
pressure.
The key was taking the control outta
Virginia’s hands with that amazing Cuse press. Earlier in the season, Virginia
was scoring many fast break points pushing the ball so quick off forced
turnovers, which was not seen in previous seasons. Those fast break points were
off Virginia controlled pressure.
The Cuse press forced Virginia to either
get past half just to be under more pressure in the half court set or it forced
rushed lay up attempts that then caused some great Syracuse transition points.
It which caused these quick points as the Virginia possession-controlled style
was not used to playing transition defense at this fast of a pace.
Bottom line a coaching gem from Jimmy
Boeheim and a well executed press by the go-go gadget reach of the Cuse
forwards, especially freshman, Tyler Lydon.
The other Syracuse froshie, Malachi
Richardson was also unconscious scoring 21 of his 23 points in that 2nd
half comeback. He was making shots like Jim Day at a Christmas Party!!!!
So the question is, how does Syracuse react
to today’s game vs. #1 overall remaining team North Carolina?
UNC dispensed of Notre Dame last Sunday in
a tightly contested game despite the score. They dominated the glass as well as
took advantage of a timely defensive rebounding to get many high scoring runs.
They did however, have many bouts of trading hoops where Notre Dame drove the
ball down the lane and easily scored on Carolina.
If Carolina allows that tonight, then that
is right down Syracuse senior, Michael Gbinije’s wheel house! He can possibly
go off tonight.
Both Cuse and Carolina has talk lanky
forwards but UNC most definitely has the rebounding advantage as they get an
offensive rebound on 40 friggin’ percent of their misses!!!! And all this while
Syracuse gives up an offensive rebound on 35% of opponent’s misses! This may
lead to Cuse’s Cindarella run coming to an end.
Carolina big men, Brice Johnson, Kennedy
Meeks and Isaiah Hicks lead a vey very physical front line vs. a talented,
lanky but lighter Syracuse front line. This match up and how Syracuse will try
to get UNC PG Joel Berry outta his low-turnover, dime dropping Madness tirade
will determine the late game!
Onto the early game with Villanova vs.
Oklahoma.
Villanova has a deep squad that is peaking
with their finest performances during this year’s Madness showing every ounce
of potential they had this season as well as previous seasons. Their dismantling
of KU last week was an absolute surgical game with a perfect game plan on Perry
Ellis and an absolute dominating performance from Nova big man Daniel Ochefu!
Looking at the match ups, both teams have
deep front courts and back courts as well as many vets. Looking at how
Villanova is peaking, I was initially leaning Villanova.
Villanova’s senior general Ryan Arcidiacono
will just flat out find a way on both sides of the ball. Him and the rest of
the Nova guards are fantastic defenders and you know Coach Jay Wright will have
a bangin’ plan that will most definitely get Oklahoma super duper star Buddy
Hield outta sort.
Oklahoma will be keying on Ochefu and if
they execute a great defensive plan on him, then Kris Jenkins can use his size
to dominate the paint.
But, back to the guard match up. The reason
that this will be an absolute heavyweight match up is that Josh Hart is an
amazing Kevin Outhet-like defender that will lead that amazing game plan attack
on Buddy.
But Oklahoma has Buddy. For those of you
that haven’t been watching him all year, Buddy is indeed human. Please please
please do not confuse his 3-point barrages with that of Steph Curry, as Steph
is an absolute outlier. Buddy is human!
He has faced every opponent’s full-fledged
defensive attacks all season with some hot nights and cold nights. He can get
hot like he did vs. Oregon to get into the Final Four. If he’s that hot then
watch out! Other defensive strategies have stalled Buddy such as in Oklahoma’s
loss to Press Virginia in the Big 12 semi-finals.
No matter the game. No matter the night,
Buddy will grind!
Grind?
Commish, what the f*** does grind even
mean? You say “grind” this and “grind” that! “grind” “grind” “grind”!!!!
Well, it can only be summed up like most
life lessons are summed up:
With Rocky quotes!
In Rocky II, Apollo Creed is trying to drum
up support from his camp to get a rematch vs. one Rocky Balboa. Apollo’s
manager Tony/”Duke” played by screen legend Tony Burton (RIP Mr. Burton) walked
up to Apollo to state his reluctance to face Rocky. He says to Apollo he says,:
“He’s all wrong for us baby!...I saw you
beat that man, like I saw no man get beat before….and the man keeeeppppppt
commmmmmming after you!!!!......We don’t need that kind of man in our life!”
And that Insanity Universe is GRINDING!
Buddy has displayed this all season long
with a memory shorter than Dave Adolph remembering an introduced name! Buddy
can be missing shots all day, but he don’t care, he’s gonna keep taking them!
And you know Villanova will keep pounding Plan A, Plan B and Plan C’s onto Buddy
just like Apollo pounded that left eye of Rocky!
Hence the Heavyweight Fight we expect to
see! A Heavyweight fight where one fighter pilot, Goose, may be saying to his
lead baller……..”D….gimme some a dat PG shit!!!!!”
Expect some D-like haymakers and D-like
3-point daggers from Buddy tonight!
Final Fo’ baby!
Let’s roll!
Yours in Madness,
Commissioner Adolph
