Unfortunately, my project on tracking the relative +/- stats of each player and each unit that played will not be able to be completed. I choose to do the ACC games only because I thought that it would be easier to get the play by play for these games but for some reason, statsheet.com does not have a recap of the Duke game. Up until now, this is the only site I found that has play by play including substitutions. So as much as I wanted this to continue, I don't think it will be able to.
After the jump, let's discuss a few talking points relevant to the last few games.
Let's rewind to the Maryland game. Wake takes the ball out with 51 seconds left after a made basket with the game tied. Let's make a coaching decision: Would you go 2 for 1 or play it like Dino and run the shot clock down? I was hoping with our personnel that Ish would sprint down the court, drive to the hoop and take a layup with about 44 seconds left or so. This would leave Wake with 10 seconds left after MD got possession after a make or miss.
However, the decision to back it out and run the shot clock down worked out for the Deacs, so I was okay with the decision at the end.
So what would you do? Much like the foul or not to foul up 3 debate, I don't think there is a right or wrong answer, just a snap judgment made based on the flow of the game. Of course, it leaves a lot of room for people like us to debate and second guess the decision after the fact.
Me? Like I said, with the situation on the floor, I would have tried to get a quick layup in transition. What would you have done??
My second point has to do with the increase of intentional fouls I have seen called this season. Obviously we saw the egregious Ish Smith foul call but there have been a handful of others that have impacted games. (I believe I remember one from the UNC-GT game and have seen several in Big East games).
The official rules state that an intentional foul is to be called when there is a:
- Personal foul that is not a legitimate attempt to play the ball
- Excessive contact with an opponent
There are several other caveats but these are the main two. In my opinion, if an intentional foul is to be called on a fast break/layup attempt, the defender needs to not challenge the shot and simply foul the body, commit a hard foul on the head or swing his arms down on the offensive player.
None of the examples of intentional fouls have had any of these qualities. They have been hard fouls that look bad because the offensive player comes down hard and sells pain well. Officials then quickly call an intentional foul to make sure they keep control of the game.
Is this a by product of Evan Turner's injury? Even though he was not fouled, officials saw how dangerous a foul can be. Is this an attempt to keep physical contact and rough play to a minimum? Do you think it is a point of emphasis for officials to call intentional fouls in this situation?
Regardless, I have seen several examples of fouls called that don't deserve to be intentional fouls, yet the offensive team gets 2 shots and the ball which could drastically change momentum. Keep an eye out the rest of the season to see if these calls continue and how they affect the outcome.
Final point: Can anyone give me a step by step breakdown of what equipment I need to hook my computer up to my tv to pull game footage?