College Basketball: A Game Gone Foul

[NewsCopy]

College basketball has seen better times — and better games.

Pretty much everyone from coaches to players to TV analysts to numbers crunchers acknowledges that the on-court product this season leaves either a little or a lot to be desired.

Scoring is down and shots are clanging off rims and backboards in ways not seen for decades. Wrestlemania features less body contact than some half-court defenses. Officials are stuck in a catch-22 between ignoring fouls or exiling everybody to the bench. Digital technology means an opponent's offensive scheme and tendencies are just an iPad away.

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I HATE the way the game is currently being played. There have been times I really wonder why I have
season tickets other than to support the the Cajuns. It is a very hard game to watch.
Just give me a 15 foot bank shot every now and then.

[CajunEXPRESS]

I HATE the way the game is currently being played. There have been times I really wonder why I have
season tickets other than to support the the Cajuns. It is a very hard game to watch.
Just give me a 15 foot bank shot every now and then.

Not everyone has boring basketball. Marlin has gone away from the UL athletic player with speed and skill. Instead we have people too slow to press, and almost always fall back on defense without even the semblance of a press. Now the front five can press, we just have no depth.

Almost everyone plays the same brand of basketball today, and coaches have too much power over the refs. In years past there would be multiple technical fouls called on the bench for some of the antics these guys get away with. Last week the WKU putting up two fingers to a ref coach pointing out to the ref that he had called two overturns over another ref that saw it WKU way. What was that? I am not saying the refs are great, or even good, but they have to have control without fear of coaches.

Then you have the mentality that has evolved over the last thirty seasons about defense. There use to be the reality that you could stand your ground as a defensive guy, but now they come up and muscle you out of position. IMO that is not touching but fouling. The benches would clear fora bout two times before there was a more open and free flowing game.

Also there is the absolute circle of the three point arch. People are loath to play eight inches inside of it, either they go well into it or stay way out. Lamar was hitting jumpers behind where it would be today, and inside it as well. Because he was likely to hit it anywhere there was no fixed zone area.

All in all because UL sucks so badly I do not watch it when others play very closely any more, but suspect if we were pushing 25 regulars season wins I would be keenly interested in what was going on elsewhere.