Post-New Orleans Thoughts

I just got home after a busy, frenetic, and anxious 23-hour trip "there and back again" (yes, the Hobbit was my in-flight novel of choice...).  I am off to take a nap and catch up on the sleep I didn't get Wednesday night, and the less of it that I got Thursday night, but I wanted to throw out a few quick-hitters.

1) BYU fans dominated.  I would venture to say that there were as many BYU fans as the other 3 schools combined, and I probably would not be far off in that venturing.  I was shocked at the small number of Florida and Wisconsin fans.  I realize they aren't exactly the bluebloods of college basketball, but the non-Big 6 schools absolutely killed them in fan support.  Gator fans were jerks, as I noticed myself, and several other BYU fans I met at the airport confirmed (and one Florida fan further confirmed).  Butler fans were awesome.  They are very well-educated basketball fans.  They traveled well and I found their cheers and chants to be quite entertaining.  I had a very nice chat with a sweet, middle-age lady on my airport shuttle.  It was the most insightful hoops conversation I have had in quite some time.  Butler fans know their basketball.  Oh, and their team was easily the best of the four teams playing in New Orleans last night.

2) As much as BYU people tried to say the Cougar team wasn't just Jimmer, it clearly was just him (at least offensively, I certainly could not discount the defense and rebounding of the "Fredettes").  He scored 22 of 32 in the second half, and when he wasn't making the clutch shots, it was clear that BYU was going to struggle to pull it out.  How the Cougars managed to get it to OT is still a bit baffling to me, I'd have to go rewatch to figure out that mystery.  But credit the team, I guess, for finding a way to be in the game when Jimmer was bricking shots, and nobody else was scoring.

3) Greg Wrubell is a stud.  After getting to the game early, going through the pre-game, doing the game itself (which he always does a GREAT job at), doing the post-game wrap-up, and holding interviews with Noah and Coach Rose, he cleaned up all of his own electronic equipment, with rapid speed and precision.  He cleaned up his mess of papers and tossed his garbage out down to his napkins and his water cup.  After he vacated his seat on press row around halftime of the Wisconsin game, no one would have even known the seat had been occupied for the 5 hours previous by a man who was surely disappointed with the outcome of his team's game.  Again, Greg Wrubell is a stud, and a guy I should try harder to emulate!

4) BYU just never made the plays they needed.  Florida did.  When BYU needed a stop, Florida hit a three.  When BYU needed a basket, they turned it over or missed a lay-up.  They missed a lot of opportunities.  The one I come back to is where Jimmer missed his Ainge moment.  Florida had the ball in a tie game, with an 8-second differential shot-clock game-clock, so BYU could have the last possession.  It was Jimmer's chance to match Danny Ainge in the final possible way, a full-court dribble to win the game and send his team to the Elite Eight.  But BYU failed to grab the rebound, which was brought in by 5'11" Erving Walker and Florida kept possession for the final shot.  That was BYU's chance, it was Jimmer's time, and it passed without even the possibility of coming to fruition.

5) Wisconsin sucks.  They shot 30% for the game: 24% the first 36 minutes, and 75% the last 4 minutes.  They had 27 points in the first 30 minutes of the game before frantically adding 25 in the final 10.  They sealed their Sweet 16 exit brick by brick.  People say the low-scoring of the Big Ten has to do with the high-quality defense.  I say those people aren't watching Big Ten games.  Wisconsin missed badly time after time after time, even on a dozen completely uncontested looks.  You can't blame altitude, fatigue, pressure, etc.  They have a history of doing this: they did lose a game two weeks ago in which the victor only scored 36 points.  That was the worst display of shooting I have seen since Michigan State's last game, and Penn State's before that.  Notice a theme?  Big-Ten hater, right here, and not just because Purdue wrecked my bracket by bowing out pre-Sweet 16.