Is There Truth in Auriemma's Words

The head basketball coach of the University of Connecticut women's basketball team Geno Auriemma says that college basketball the way it is played today is unwatchable.  I agree with him.  He says that in men's basketball there only  a few teams who can really win the title every year.  He also tells that women's basketball isn't any better either.  I do think that the reason women's basketball is unwatchable is completely different than the men's game.

You know I have told you numerous times that UVA  style of basketball was not going to win anything during the playoffs and it didn't.  Men's basketball has been taken over by players who have grown up in AAU basketball where they play three or four games on their team every weekend and the object is to win by outscoring the other team.  So the only true basketball skills being displayed in AAU is putting the ball in the hole and most of the time that is the team with the tallest player or  three point shooters.

No one teaches in AAU.  So college basketball players arrive knowing nothing about a bounce pass all they know is the lop pass for a dunk.  College basketball players have grown up in the era of the three point shots so you either shoot threes or dunk.  Then you throw in a coach who thinks that holding the ball until the 35 second clock runs out helps keep the ball away from the other team and is satisfied with a 48-45 score.

Today's college basketball players dribble too much because they can't pass to another player because they think he is covered because they don't know how. Why do you think free throw shooting is so bad these days.  It is only  thirteen  feet nine inches from the foul line to the front of the rim and it only counts one point.  Three point shots make ESPN  highlights. 

If you look at the state of women's basketball it is where the men's game was in the 1960's.  UCLA won year after year because they were the only team west of the Mississippi who was any good.  All the teams in the east had to beat each other up  just to  get  a chance to play UCLA.

The women's playoffs  the first two rounds are played on the home court of the top seeds.  Now how is Sisters of the Poor going to beat Tennessee on their home court?  Can you imagine Duke getting two home playoff games against Lehigh and then the regional being in Greensboro.  That's what is happening in the women's game.  The Connecticut's of the world are winning by 50 in the playoffs and that is unwatchable.

We all know why the women's game is played on the home courts of the top teams.  It is to sell tickets to get people to sit in the stands and watch the game.  The women's game to this point can not draw a crowd if Notre Dame plays Texas in Greensboro in a regional.  They have to have local teams there to draw a crowd.  Doesn't the men's game do the same?  You bet they do!  Just not severe as the women's game has to do.

There is no doubt basketball is not as good as it could be and one reason is TV.  In order to get you to watch they only show the thrilling plays.  They don't show the basic play that helped win the game because doing your job every day is boring.  TV needs Ratings and highlights.  Football highlights are the 85 yard run for the touchdown.  When ESPN shows the highlights do they show the blocker who opened the big hole?

Geno is right but he should add the NBA to unwatchable too. San Antonio is about the only team that plays the game the way it should be played and if I recall they are the defending champions.  Playing the game the way it should be played wins, it's just doesn't make the ESPN highlights.

Duke won the title by pressing on defense most of the time making Wisconsin work to just get the ball up the court.  When they got  a rebound they were off to the races trying to run Wisconsin in the ground.  It worked as the last four minutes Wisconsin shooting fell of the map.  Give me a game where everyone is moving all the time  over I'll go stand in the corner throw it to me for a three when the clock is about to run out.

People love stats and get confused sometimes what they mean.  But in winning six games Duke gave up 57 points a game.  Those are stats Virginia would love to have.  Yet, Duke averaged 74 points per game holding the other teams to 57 in fast paced games.   Kentucky score 64 in their game to Wisconsin but lost.  Michigan State score 61 against Duke and lost by 20.   Wisconsin score 63 in the national championship game and lost.

There was not a team in the final eight who held their foes to 50 as their goal.  Their goal was to outscore the other side and nobody made the elite eight holding the ball on offense.  All four in the Final four averaged 70 points per game to make it to the final four.  The way you win in basketball is score when we have it and try to keep them from scoring when they have it.  Too many coaches have that idea mixed up.