New rule for NCAA basketball
The NCAA has just announced a rule change for Mens Basketball to be instituted immediately.
If your team is called Ohio State, MUGGING the opponent will not result in a foul.
If your team is called Michigan, a gentle graze of anywhere north of his shoulder blades is good for a trip to the line.
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:53 PM ^
When Bill Martin was AD he gave a direct order that Michigan will not recruit "one and dones." This has become department policy.
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:47 PM ^
It's not just about "one and dones"...it's about players (whether they intend to stay for one year or four) who seek payment (in whatever form and to whichever associate they direct payment be made). It just happens that most of the "one and dones" are the ones seeking that loot.
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:21 PM ^
February 3rd, 2011 at 11:22 PM ^
Matta obviously cheats.
How else can he get players from:
- Cleveland, Ohio (Lighty)
- Toledo, Ohio (Buford)
- Upper Sandusky, Ohio (Diebler)
- Columbus, Ohio (Sullinger)
- Solon, Ohio (Lauderdale)
- Findlay, Ohio (Craft)
to agree to play for Ohio State.
February 4th, 2011 at 12:42 AM ^
I think he was talking more about Oden, Conley Jr., Mullins etc.
I don't think OSU basketball is a dirty program right now, but I suspect it took some payments to get the Matta regime going in the right direction.
February 4th, 2011 at 12:51 AM ^
Mullens is from Columbus.
Oden and Conley are from that distant land called Indianapolis (where Matta used to coach).
February 4th, 2011 at 12:45 AM ^
You roll with your guess based on geography. I'll stick with what I know based on the words of folks who actually recruit some of these players.
February 4th, 2011 at 12:49 AM ^
Your argument makes sense, but how can I listen to someone with <1,000 points? It goes against everything this blog stands for.
February 4th, 2011 at 7:49 AM ^
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:40 PM ^
Honestly, I think it has less to do with cheating, and more to do with an insane amount of luck. It seems that Ohio produces one top 5-10 player every year, and that kid happens to be an OSU fan from birth. You have to at least give them credit for locking those kids down. We (along with MSU) seem to let a lot of the best kids in state get away.
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:44 PM ^
player in the country will require dirty recruiting.
OSU got some blue chip talents who are out of state.
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:54 PM ^
Both of them were from Indianapolis, played one season with TSIO, then went pro. Along with Lighty, Daquan Cook and Othello Hunter, they were TSIO's version of the "Fab-five". Three five-stars, a four-star and a three-star, all for a school that usually got one four-star or a three star with a bunch of non-ranked players. And all when Matta became coach. Take a look at their recruiting since Matta became coach and then tell me it has less to do with cheating.
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:16 PM ^
Well Koufos was a 5 star and from Canton. Dallas Lauderdale and Diebler were 4 stars and from Ohio.
BJ Mullens and William Buford were both 5 stars, and both from Ohio.
Jared Sullinger is a 5 star, and from Columbus.
Sullinger and BJ Mullens were All World recruits who were in OSU's backyard and virtual locks. Buford and Koufos weren't quite on the same level, but still elite, 5 star players who happened to be in OSU's backyard.
That's four 5 star players going to school right under OSU's nose over the past four seasons. That's some pretty damn good luck.
Now, is it more likely that they paid these kids, or that Ohio kids simply want to stay in-state and play for their favorite school?
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:36 PM ^
..........recent recruits, all of whom are highly ranked. It still doesn't explain how TSIO has virtually locked up the top recruits in the state of Ohio since Matta became their coach, including poaching some from neighboring states(all highly rated), whereas before he got there, the top Ohio talent was going either to Cincy, Xavier or out of state to MSU, Kentucky, etc. and TSIO wasn't anywhere around. Lucky? Possibly, especially since Huggins isn't in Cincy anymore, and the talent level in Ohio seems to have gotten better in the past 5 years or so.
But even with that, it's still hard to imagine a school with virtually no consistent history of being good in BBall to be getting the kinds of recruits they are getting now without something funny going on.
February 3rd, 2011 at 11:27 PM ^
"it's hard to imagine" isn't a very convincing argument. Players in Ohio wanting to go to Ohio State sounds a lot more plausible than whatever tin foil hat conspiracy theory you're trying to hint at.
Matta is a good recruiter.
Matta is a good coach.
He was good at these things at Xavier and Butler.
Stop being so little brother-ish.
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:42 PM ^
I've been saying that for a few years now. It may just be wishful thinking, but their recruiting just seems off. OSU football could be floundering and bball would still play second fiddle. What about OSU makes theses kids not want to go to UNC, Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA? Matta can't be that good can he? FWIW, I'm really biased and think tsio is shady with everything.
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:13 PM ^
I was getting too pissed off about it. TSIO's coach is a jacka** who continually complained about his guys getting fouled, when they were calling everything their way to begin with. I want to see him pull that same crap at Madison when they play UW. He's likely to get his ass knocked out up there.
Also, it would help if our guys could make a damn layup, or if more of them could make a 12-15 foot jumper.
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:15 PM ^
or were those announcers annoying as fuck?
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:19 PM ^
It wasn't just you. ESPN announcers make me stabby.
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:20 PM ^
is probably my favorite hoops announcer ever.
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:03 PM ^
Gus Johnson
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:19 PM ^
I'd rather listen to Butterfly Boy.
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:58 PM ^
My favorite Bardo gem: "Everyone's been hyping up Michigan, but Ohio State's right in this game."
February 3rd, 2011 at 11:00 PM ^
Bardo is brutal. He does occasionally have some decent insight, but he's frequently bizarrely wrong and mostly completely banal. I had my fill of him by the time he asserted that Sullinger should get more calls his way because he's the most OMG SHIRTLESS player in the country. Holy NBA, Batman. That sounds just like what I want in my college basketball.
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:19 PM ^
I couldn't really hear them over all that slobbering they were doing.
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:22 PM ^
It was something about Michigan competing if they could keep it up for every four minutes.
Because... uh... if you only fall behind every FIVE minutes, then you're not really behind. I guess. Or something like that.
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:10 PM ^
.....this week I've heard about the "four-minute" sections of a game. Still doesn't make any sense to me. Seems to me that if you play better than the other team for the full 40 minutes that you will win the game, but then again, what the hell do I know?
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:55 PM ^
Steve Fisher coached this way in the 1989 tournament. He would pattern his substitutions this way as well to give players (not named Glen Rice or Rumeal Robinson) a longer blow. If you pull out a kid with 16:30 to go in the half, then you get at least 30 seconds of game time plus the TV timeout to rest the kid. He was able to save his timeouts until the end and rest his players by just coaching to win each period between the timeouts.
When you're the underdog, like Michigan was, you can shorten the game that way. If you can limit the favorite to 1-2 possessions each minute between these TV timeouts, you should be close at the end of the game. It's a very conservative strategy, but that's why Washington St was making the tournament the last few years with wack teams.
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:21 PM ^
the game, is what really pisses me off. His team has shot 51 free throws to 11 in two meetings, and he is complaining. What a jackass.
February 4th, 2011 at 7:11 AM ^
he is the coach at OSU.
what's just as bad is that their fans boo EVERYTHING.
Sullinger mugs D-Mo and they call a foul - fans boo.
What happened to just booing the bad calls?
February 4th, 2011 at 10:04 AM ^
Most fans here in Columbus only know that they like their team and that when fouls are called that's bad for their team and thus they should boo. They don't care that it makes them look like sports-illiterate morons, they just know that their team got a foul called, and that should never happen. Oh, they also know "F*** Michigan". God, I hate living here.
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:22 PM ^
If I was 6-9 280, im pretty sure I could rebound over 6-8 200 pound michigan big man.
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:23 PM ^
Thad Matta is ugly and I dislike him
He looks like a hemorrhoid
I hope he forms an ice dancing team with Matt Shegos
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:25 PM ^
TM will only agree if he gets to wear a sequined leotard. With a low-cut back for hair-viewing pleasure.
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:33 PM ^
is the official lets complain about the officiating thread, but on a positive note: Hardaway made two plays tonight nobody else on the court was capable of making.
Edit: Maybe Buford
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:30 PM ^
There were some fouls the refs missed for Michigan. The biggest was the Morris one with about 3:00 mins to go when he took it to the rack. But outside of that Michigan was just out manned. We don't have the horses to go 40mins right now. Don't blame the officials though. I am a basketball official(hardest sport to ref) and we are above that.
February 3rd, 2011 at 9:33 PM ^
Yes, you are correct. We didn't make the shots when it counted, but are you serious? Those calls/non-calls were egregious.
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:14 PM ^
-Its just how it goes sometimes. Trust me, they are the best of the best officials on the court. They have the best view in the house.
-You are gonna miss some calls.
-It is a contact sport.
-It went both ways most the night(good and bad calls).
-Towards the end Morris was just throwing his body in the lane hoping to get a call and OSU guys just got out of the way.
-Making a giant thread about comes off as weak. We got beat, poor defense did us in.
-As I say when people complain at me, "Feel free to sign up and ref and see how easy it is."
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:32 PM ^
It went both ways most the night
Really? Then why were we called for seven (!) team fouls in the second half before OSU was called for its first? I don't think I've ever seen that before - one team in the penalty, the other without a foul call.
February 3rd, 2011 at 11:48 PM ^
That has a lot to do with the Michigan offense. We shoot the fewest FTs per game in the big ten. So are the refs bad every game? OSU was pounding block all night. Of course they will get more calls(more chance for contact). They have a Bull down on the block. We don't.
You also forgot to quote my "Good and Bad" part....
February 4th, 2011 at 12:00 AM ^
I'd buy the "style of play" argument if we weren't called for so many fouls away from the bucket. The best example is the series where Morgan (or maybe Smotrycz) got called for a reach on Sullinger, then Sullinger did the same thing on the other side of the court without a whistle. Even the TV guys commented about it. I don't expect the FTs to be equal, but a 21 shot discrepancy is hard to attribute to style of play.
February 4th, 2011 at 12:07 AM ^
Except that we didn't play a typical Beilein game. We took 19 threes, and that included a bunch at the end of the game. We attacked the basket more than usual tonight. Did you watch the game?
February 4th, 2011 at 5:08 AM ^
Yeah I did. And you are right but we don't have the bangers OSU have. I mean big bodies that make obvious contact. We have Morris who sorta forces way to the hoop and shoots up an awkward shot that is harder to call.
February 4th, 2011 at 7:20 AM ^
1. During one OSU possession, UM was called for 3 fouls before OSU put up a shot.
2. Many UM fouls (probably 4-5 of them), including fouls on Smotrycz & Douglass, took place immediately following an OSU defensive rebound. (ticky-tack reach-in types)
3. On back to back possessions, D-Mo drove to the basket and got fouled without a call. These both occurred shortly after he drew a few free throws and the whole place booed for 2 minutes.
I do think the reffing SUCKED. I don't usually complain about that stuff because usually it goes both ways, but I was bitching about it all night. The only reason I don't think the reffing was that big of a deal is because it's the Big 10. We are known for shady, home-cooked basketball reffing. I remember a point in the Minny @ UM game when the ball went off of Morris. The ref called Minnesota ball. After fan & player protests, the ball was given to UM despite the replay clearly showing it should have gone the other way.
February 4th, 2011 at 9:18 AM ^
but most officials in the Big Ten tend to either "protect" the elite teams or will definitely get caught up with the crowd and start calling games based on that. You may not do that, and that speaks highly of you, but that would make you an atypical basketball (or any sport) referee because officials are all human. I've been guilty of it myself in calling soccer, baseball, basketball, wrestling, and football. I've officiated them all and excitement within a game can change how you call it becaus even you as an official feel it.
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:35 PM ^
Like the non-call on Morris near the end when he was knocked down driving the lane--no call?
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:39 PM ^
-Making a giant thread about comes off as weak. We got beat, poor defense did us in.Now listen. I'm all for being the bigger party whether winning or losing, but there is nothing wrong with complaining about LEGITIMATELY lopsided officiating. You sound like you're trying to essentially say that should your team lose, it's bad to say ANYTHING but, "We were beat. Congrats to the other team", circumstances of the loss be damned. Officiating is very hard. I have no doubt. I'm sure I would make mistakes too. But that does NOT mean that it is wrong or bad of us to bitch about it when it was as obvious and horrific as it was at times tonight.
February 3rd, 2011 at 11:58 PM ^
"LEGITIMATELY lopsided officiating"
I find that funny. What makes it Legit? Cause thats your POV? Or because a whole Michigan board says so? If you haven't noticed this team shoots very few FTs. It's the nature of the offense. Like I said there were some missed calls like the Morris one late in the game but outside of that it was a wash(calls missed on both ends). Same thing happened in AA when OSU came to town(ton of OSU FTs). OSU pounds the block, we don't.
When I watch games I dont just watch the game but the officals. Just because I might learn something for myself and tonight they were avg. Not great nor awful.
I think the end of the game became very frustrating(Hell I was) that may have lead to this thread. Morris did get fouled on that one drive to the hoop but after that he just started throwing his body into people hoping to get calls. Which from a viewer POV looks like a foul but refs know the difference. So towards the end of the game Morris spent a lot of it on the floor since he was just trying to force a call. I am just giving it to you from a officials POV.
February 4th, 2011 at 9:48 AM ^