King Kaufman's Sports Daily
Foul! Foul! You've got to foul! Two teams that didn't realize this are gone from the NCAA Tournament.
Read more: Sports, Basketball, College Basketball, NCAA Tournament, King Kaufman, Sports Daily
March 19, 2007 | I never thought I'd say this about college basketball, and I think I'm going to say it and then go lie down, but: Why aren't teams fouling more at the end of the game?
What are teams up by three in the waning moments or down by two in the first half of the last minute thinking by not fouling?
Just two examples from the second round of the NCAA Tournament this weekend: Butler had the ball and a two-point lead over Maryland with about 40 seconds to go, and Maryland didn't foul to lengthen the game. Ohio State got the ball trailing by three with about nine seconds left against Xavier, and Xavier didn't foul to prevent the Buckeyes from tying the game with a 3-pointer.
Not that one example of each proves anything definitively, but guess what Maryland and Xavier are doing next weekend. If you said, "Playing basketball," sit down. You're eliminated too.
Let's start with Maryland-Butler. A team leading by two -- as Butler was -- wants to run the clock down as much as it can. If it takes over with fewer than 35 seconds left, the length of the shot clock, the defense has to foul or the leading team will just run out the game. But with more than 35 seconds left, teams rarely foul. They routinely let their opponent kill most of the clock before putting up a shot that, if it goes in, will be a dagger.
It's crazy. When you're trailing, you want to lengthen the game. Your opponent wants to shorten it. Why would you let them?
Maryland let Butler dribble the shot clock down. It would have expired with about five seconds left in the game. "Don't need to foul," CBS analyst Bob Wenzel said, "but need to get the rebound."
Or, need to pull the ball out of the net with your team down by five with five seconds left. Have fun with that.
There are three things that can happen if Maryland lets Butler wind the game clock down to six seconds, one second on the shot clock, and then launch a 3-pointer, which is what happened:
1. It's good. Now it's a five-point game, four or five seconds left. Game over.
2. It's no good, Maryland gets the rebound. Now the Terrapins are down by two, five or four seconds left, and they have to go the length of the floor and score. Could happen, but it's not a high-percentage play, to say the least.
3. It's no good, Butler gets the rebound. Now Maryland has to foul. Butler's shooting free throws with three seconds left. Make two, game over. Make one, Maryland has to go the length of the floor in three seconds and hit a three to tie the game. This is not a high-percentage play, in the sense that a lottery ticket is not a high-percentage investment.