Tide loses the free throw contest
Obasahan plays his heart out
Excuse me when I admit that basketball just isn't what it used to be? At times, I hardly recognize the game I have followed for seven decades. Watching the never-ending free throw shooting exhibitions, just isn't basketball to me. I'm not trying to take anything away from Auburn. They won. They played hard. Last night had to be the worst officiating I've ever seen. It was horrible. The refs took the game out of the hands of the players. More often than not, basketball continues its long descent into whatever the NCAA wants it to be. When you can't touch a player with the ball, it isn't basketball. It would be like calling flag football real football. It's kind of like football. But it is not football. Basketball is not what it used to be.
There is something inherently wrong whe68 free throws are attempted in a game. The number could have been higher if each team had made the first of one and one attempts. That means that almost two foul shots were shot per minute in the game. It also means that more than two fouls were called per minute. There is something wrong when a touch is a foul. Just a touch, and I'm not talking about an obstruction. How can any game have any flow when the whistle blows twice a minute? One additional thing this new rule has done is allow much rougher play inside. For a short-handed lineup such as Alabama and Auburn, it can mean you lose before you even walk on the floor. Last night each team got the benefit from poor calls, or, even more, worse, the lack of calls. How can you call a foul for the defensive player touching an offensive player and then allow the offensive player to push off a defender?
I thought there were three crucial plays in last nights game. First, was Jimmie Taylor getting a fifth foul 25 feet from the goal. Second, was the push off by Canty on Obasahan late. Canty hit a three when he should have been called for the push off. Third, was when Bowers clearly fouled a Bama shooter and then he literally shoves a Bama defender out of the way to get a rebound. Then the Bama player was called for the foul. That was just referee incompetence. I applaud Avery Johnson for not going ballistic at a key time of the game. I really wanted Avery to get a technical early in the second half when the officiating got out of hand. Perhaps, that might have given the officials a time to consider exactly what they were causing.
Auburn played hard and won. I'm not taking anything away from the Tigers. Bruce Pearl did the best job of roster management. His substitution pattern killed the Tide. Fresh legs versus tired legs hurt. Nolan Richardson once said, "Fatigue makes cowards of us all." Johnson had his team ready. What Bama needs more than anything is on more go to man. Obasahan cannot do it all. He sure gave it a heck of an effort. If his work ethic spread to some other players, we might have a pretty good team. Watching Retin plays should inspire his teammates to step it up. I was proud of his effort. When Grant signed Obasahan people scoffed. They aren't doing that now.
Bama was dealt a harsh hand with four of their first five games were on the road. I believe that the schedule might favor Alabama from this point. I believe any team in the SEC can beat the Tide, but Bama can beat anyone League as well. I look for some big wins and some surprising losses. This season mirrors last season in the number of close games Alabama lost. Three of the four SEC losses were nail-biters. Those lost games could have been wins, and the Tide would be 4-1 in league play.
I thought Alabama did a decent job on Canty. He is a great talent. I also thought Retin played him as well as possible. He hit a few shots I'd let him shoot all night long. Last night they went in. The inside guys did a horrible job on Bowers. That was the difference. Letting Bowers get 18 rebounds was just too much to overcome. Riley and Edwards were nonfactors in the game. I thought our guard play was exceptional and kept us in the game. Alabama did a lot of good things. I thought that the Wimp Sanderson coaching style was key in this game. Let Canty have his points and try to shut everyone else down. We didn't do that. Now the Tide faces perhaps the most improved team of late, and arguably the best player in the NCAA.
Obasahan plays his heart out
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| Retin Obasahan was the man. compl of RollTide.com |
There is something inherently wrong whe68 free throws are attempted in a game. The number could have been higher if each team had made the first of one and one attempts. That means that almost two foul shots were shot per minute in the game. It also means that more than two fouls were called per minute. There is something wrong when a touch is a foul. Just a touch, and I'm not talking about an obstruction. How can any game have any flow when the whistle blows twice a minute? One additional thing this new rule has done is allow much rougher play inside. For a short-handed lineup such as Alabama and Auburn, it can mean you lose before you even walk on the floor. Last night each team got the benefit from poor calls, or, even more, worse, the lack of calls. How can you call a foul for the defensive player touching an offensive player and then allow the offensive player to push off a defender?
I thought there were three crucial plays in last nights game. First, was Jimmie Taylor getting a fifth foul 25 feet from the goal. Second, was the push off by Canty on Obasahan late. Canty hit a three when he should have been called for the push off. Third, was when Bowers clearly fouled a Bama shooter and then he literally shoves a Bama defender out of the way to get a rebound. Then the Bama player was called for the foul. That was just referee incompetence. I applaud Avery Johnson for not going ballistic at a key time of the game. I really wanted Avery to get a technical early in the second half when the officiating got out of hand. Perhaps, that might have given the officials a time to consider exactly what they were causing.
Auburn played hard and won. I'm not taking anything away from the Tigers. Bruce Pearl did the best job of roster management. His substitution pattern killed the Tide. Fresh legs versus tired legs hurt. Nolan Richardson once said, "Fatigue makes cowards of us all." Johnson had his team ready. What Bama needs more than anything is on more go to man. Obasahan cannot do it all. He sure gave it a heck of an effort. If his work ethic spread to some other players, we might have a pretty good team. Watching Retin plays should inspire his teammates to step it up. I was proud of his effort. When Grant signed Obasahan people scoffed. They aren't doing that now.
Bama was dealt a harsh hand with four of their first five games were on the road. I believe that the schedule might favor Alabama from this point. I believe any team in the SEC can beat the Tide, but Bama can beat anyone League as well. I look for some big wins and some surprising losses. This season mirrors last season in the number of close games Alabama lost. Three of the four SEC losses were nail-biters. Those lost games could have been wins, and the Tide would be 4-1 in league play.
I thought Alabama did a decent job on Canty. He is a great talent. I also thought Retin played him as well as possible. He hit a few shots I'd let him shoot all night long. Last night they went in. The inside guys did a horrible job on Bowers. That was the difference. Letting Bowers get 18 rebounds was just too much to overcome. Riley and Edwards were nonfactors in the game. I thought our guard play was exceptional and kept us in the game. Alabama did a lot of good things. I thought that the Wimp Sanderson coaching style was key in this game. Let Canty have his points and try to shut everyone else down. We didn't do that. Now the Tide faces perhaps the most improved team of late, and arguably the best player in the NCAA.
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