The Monday Morning Wash
by John Berkowitz on Apr 5, 2010 4:03 AM PDT
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PrintTonight Butler takes on Duke for the national championship. It is always good to see a so called mid major team in the final four and in the championship game. There are a lot of people in power out there who would love to exclude the mid major teams and make the tournament the exclusive province of the BCS schools. The reason for that type of thinking is simply money and greed.
Every time a mid major knocks off a BCS school in the tournament it is a victory for the underdog and the little guy. Since most of us out there fall into that category it explains our fascination with the Cinderella teams each season. When a team like Butler breaks through it shows that anything is still possible with hard work and supreme effort. The opportunity to watch a small school knock off a giant is what makes the NCAA Tournament special.
Another special moment happened in the semi final when West Virginia's Da'Sean Butler's season came to a painful end as he was writhing on the floor after suffering a serious knee injury. WVU Coach Bob Huggins came out on the floor to cradle and console his star player. Surprisingly enough there are some out there who were critical of Huggins show of compassion for one of his players.
I am not one of them. Huggins and huggable have never appeared in the same sentence before but after almost thirty years of coaching perhaps we all saw what his current and former players have seen in him now and in the past. You can't continue to recruit great teams if you don't care about your players. I think it is prettty obvious that Bob cares about his kids. That is always good to see.
Spring Football
The Huskies continue to mix things up this spring in attempt to give all the players on the roster a good long look before the 2010 starting line up is etched in stone. A good example of that is that battle at CB where Quinton Richardson and Vonzell McDowell have temporarily reclaimed there starting jobs. I am pretty sure that will change by fall but it is good to see as many kids as possible getting reps with the mumber one's.
The career of RB Brandon Yakaboski continues to hang by a string. Coach Sark said the team is close to making a decision on his future. Sark was blunt in saying that that they didn't want to put the kid in a position where he had to have knee replacement at thirty. Expect an announcement before the end of spring drills that he has ben given a medical scholarship.
Last week the big news at DE was the appearance of Clarence Trent who moved over from the basketball team to compete for playing time at the depleted position. This week it is the appearance of Peter Follmer who is giving it a shot after a few years as a hammer thrower on the track team.
Early reports are pretty high on Follmer simply because he has the right size not to mention incredible strength. Both athletes have major work ahead of them if they want to make an impact this fall. Both are superior athletes who are filling some valuable space this spring but the learning curve in learning a new sport at this stage of their athletic careers is pretty high.
The heat is turned up very high in Eugene
The win at all costs football program at the University of Oregon is getting a lot of media scrutiny this week. Up on the docket next is a press conference featuring former AD Mike Bellotti who will explain Tuesday why he is getting a 2.3 million dollar going away present from the athletic department.
Even the very partisan Register Guard is calling for a culture change at the school.
Was Bellotti pushed out and paid off?
As we have been saying for the past year and a half...there are some very serious cracks in the foundation of the Oregon athletic department and football team that began appearing during the final year of Bill Moos's tenure at the school. Those cracked turned into chasm's this past spring.
Oregon is till the odds on favorite to win the Pac 10 football championship next fall but the damage that is bubbling to the forefront right now may just be the tip of an iceberg which could bring the program down not to mention the current administration of the school.
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Without Masolli...
I can’t put the Ducks up as the front runner anymore. Masolli is a key part of that vaunted spread offense. Has Chipper been grooming a replacement? My front runner now for the Pac 10 title shifts back to USC. Stanford and Arizona might have something to say about it though.
All I saw was purple
The Ducks have been pretty much interchangeable at the QB position for some time now. I don’t think losing Masoli will hurt them as much as people think.
by John Berkowitz on Apr 5, 2010 8:28 AM PDT up reply actions
QB play is huge in the spread
If the duck QB can’t run, then the opposing defense centers its attention on stopping the RB. In this case it would be LaMichael James. Without Masolli, James doesn’t have the same productive freshman year. Masolli took a lot of focus off James. But without Masolli, James will be the focus of the running game.
All I saw was purple
You're assuming the QB they name the starter can't run
That really isn’t the case. Masoli also couldn’t throw.
If its Costa, he can't.
If its DT, he can’t throw.
I kind of agree with JB, though. I think Kelly’s offense can function with receivers playing a bigger role if the right kinds of QB, TE and Wideouts are in place.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
Costa can...
He just might lose a knee after a play or two.
Masoli couldn’t throw either, so DT may be an upgrade
Good thing they don't have Locker!
I agree with John and Gekko, losing Masoli will slow down their offense a little bit, but not much.
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
Yep. Remember how great Dixon was running that offense, and how people assumed the Ducks would fall off greatly without him? I think we should assume that Kelly knows what he’s doing with that offense and expect that the guys waiting in the wings are probably quite good.
I don’t think talent is going to be an issue for the Ducks this year. If they don’t win the conference, it’ll probably be as much about off-the-field issues as it is missing Masoli.
A stretch
Okay you fellas convinced me. I was stretching a tad with Arizona having something to say about it. But I’m not going to throw out losing coordinators as a major issue. You only have to look as far as Boise State. Every 3rd or 4th season, Boise loses a key coordinator or a head coach. And every season after they are still in the top 25 polls. Now a WAC schedule is not as unforgiving as a Pac 10 schedule, but the point should still be valid.
I think it depends on what Arizona lost to graduation by position. And if they have any depth in those 7 defensive spots. If they have depth in those 7 spots, I don’t think it kills their chances of competing for a league championship. I also think their schedule can effect their chances. If they have a favorable home/road schedule in the Pac 10 it might be beneficial or could hinder their chances of staying near the top (haven’t seen their schedule yet).
Is Mike Stoops now the most veteran Pac 10 coach in the league? He’s got to get over the hump if he is.
All I saw was purple
not to be argumentative,
but there was a huge fall off after Dixon’s injury until they were able to get down to the fifth string to find Masoli.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
They didn't have Masoli then
He came in the offseason after the Dixon injury, I thought. I might be wrong. To me, its still a different situation. Switching qbs mid season is one thing, doing it during the offseason is different.
by Brian Floyd on Apr 5, 2010 5:30 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Correct, Masoli came in the following year. After Dixon went down they went to Costa (who was expected to be the next great Duck QB) who also went down, then to Brady Leaf (who wasn’t so good).
My point being, Kelly seems to be able to find guys on his roster that can run his offense quite well. Thomas has done well in the limited action he’s seen, and Costa was considered the heir apparent when Dixon left before he suffered another knee injury.
I’m guessing Kelly has a good QB on his roster for his offense and the drop-off from Masoli won’t be too steep. And there’s a chance there’s almost no drop-off…
Leaf also went down
They ended up with Roper finally. If Costa is actually healed, he may be good. Thomas is very athletic and has great potential, too. Who knows what’ll happen, but they really aren’t in dire straights
by Brian Floyd on Apr 5, 2010 5:36 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Not just about the run threat
Masolli was great at ball fake and misdirection. Basically Masolli and Dixon were perfect for the duck spread. If Nate Costa goes, it won’t be as effective. Yet I think Chipper knows he has an ace in the hole. Chipper never hesitated in his decision to suspend him (Masolli) for the season. That tells me Chipper has something going on at QB without Masolli.
But if their is a lengthy transition whoever is named the starting QB, it might kill their chances of competing for a league title. That is why I’ve erased Oregon as the frontrunner and penciled USC back in. In this league it’s all about defense and QB play. Oregon doesn’t have a returning QB, but USC does.
All I saw was purple
You're overstating their switching of QBs
It really isn’t going to be bad at all. It’s kind of hard to judge when you’ve seen neither of the two competing play outside of a very small sample.
Sorry cougfan
But great QBing is about timing and execution. Most all Pac 10 QBs can play and have decent talent. So it comes down to two important factors, which are timing and execution. And when you bring in a new starter their is reason to be cautious about how the play at QB will effect your desire to move the chains.
With no returning starting QB, their is the threat of a Oregon spread transition from Masolli to the next guy in line. This isn’t a science class brotha, it’s football an I won’t waver on the possiblities of a transition period for the ducks. The trick is to get it ironed out quickly early in the season.
All I saw was purple
There is substantial evidence on Costa.
Thomas … not so much.
Either way, I do agree that they have a great system that can adjust to more passing if personnel dictate it.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
Costa's only game time is mop up duty
Thomas’s is the 2nd half of the 2008 Boise Game.
There isn’t substantial evidence on either.
The Big East is now 1-3 so far - Greg Gumble
he's been in the program since 2006
… my point is that he’s had plenty of “system time”
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
Costa started against UCLA last year
After Masoli tore his ACL against you guys, and by tore ACL, I mean he sprained his knee.
by SeattleDucks on Apr 7, 2010 10:59 AM PDT up reply actions
That was against WSU actually. Masoli came back for the Husky game.
Most inexplicably NOT Clark Kellogg?
Addicted to Quack
I think Losing Masoli...
…is huge! The guy has a knack for running that offense.
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
They haven't lost Masoli
He’ll be back playing games by the time the pac 10 schedule starts.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
Arizona???
Isn’t that the school that lost 7 starters on defense and both of their coordinators? I love what Harbaugh is doing at Stanford, but Arizona? Are you kidding me??
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
I just remember what Nick Foles was able to do
Arizona has a defenisve minded head football coach in Mike Stoops, Arizona grabs a lot of great juco talent annually, especially on defense. I can see Stoops getting the most out of his returning defensive players and cultivating great talent from the jucos coming in on defense.
Nick Foles was a dangerous QB last season, a true freshman who was able to nickle and dime folks to death on screens. How many true freshman QBs can accurately and consistenly hit the screen pass? Locker is still trying to develop that into his arsenal as an incoming senior. Just imagine what Foles will be able to do in terms of the passing game as a returing starting QB for the Cats. I think Arizona is going to be better then most think.
All I saw was purple
Foles
I agree, he did a great job in his first season playing for Arizona, BUT, he is currently listed as a junior! He played for Michigan State in 2007 then transferred (so he wouldn’t have been able to play) in 2008. He did a great job last season, I expect him to be a top level QB.
But an 8-5 team that hasn’t exactly been all that successful under Stoops, replacing both coordinators with FOUR new coordinators (yes, they have four of them) and a bunch of new guys on defense, is going to be very hard pressed to win a conference title.
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
The other thing to keep in mind with Arizona is that they lost both coordinators, and Stoops has named co-coordinators at both spots. I have a hard time believing there aren’t going to be some major bumps in the road replacing those guys (Stoops & Dykes) and some confusion with the co-coordinator thing. That and the fact they lost so many defensive starters.
I think the Pac-10 is going to be very similar to last year – one really bad team (WSU), a whole lot of decent but flawed teams (ASU, Arizona, UW, Stanford, Cal, OSU, UCLA) and a couple contenders with issues (Oregon, USC). I think ASU and UCLA are the most likely to turn out to be bad teams among the mediocre group. And Oregon and USC have enough overall talent to potentially run away with the conference. But there’s a good chance this year will be a wide-open race for the conference title.
GET OUT OF MY HEAD!
You must be reading my mind, I was thinking the exact same thing about the coordinators. In fact, I just read a piece on Ted Miller’s Pac10 blog, and it sounds like the coordinators don’t even have a full understanding of what their roles are and who will be calling plays. Let’s just say, it sounds like too many “chiefs” to me.
I agree with your take on the Pac-10, one bad team, two very good teams, and a big group in the middle. I’d even add Arizona to UCLA and ASU, as teams that could be worse than expected. I think OSU and UW are the real wild cards of 2010. Both could be quite average or both could be pretty successful, should be fun to watch.
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
I was pretty high on OSU until they had the recent defections on the defensive side. They may still end up a title contender, but I’m not quite as high on them with guys like Pa’aluhi and LaGrone leaving the team unexpectedly.
And both ASU and UCLA have the potential to get passed by WSU if things turn out really bad for them and the Cougs make some real improvement.
All in all, seems pretty wide-open right now.
Huggy Bear
I thought the act of cradle and console by Huggins was completely genuine. DeShawn Butler tore up his knee and was in excrusiating pain and on display. I thought it was a class move on Huggins part to cover up DeShawn’s emotions from the pain in his knee and from the feeling of losing the game . Was DeShawn more emotional due to losing or his hurt knee? Nevertheless, Huggy Bear was there to cover up what we all didn’t want to see. In essence Huggy was protecting his player and that was great to see.
All I saw was purple
Butler: Not great for the Zags
All this talk about Gonzaga being a legit big time program and have failed each season to get to the final four. Actually their best season to date was 1999 when they reached the elite 8.
I’ve been done with the notion of Gonzaga being a big time program. It seems each season out west it’s about the Zags. They’re not all that! Sure they have a brutal non conference schedule, but that non conference schedule takes place prior to Christmas. How many of their BCS opponents are playing at championship level early on? Gonzaga has to peek early in the season. Then they play down to the WCC talent. By the time they reach the NCAA tournament they’re still playing at WCC talent level, thus explaining how they either go one and done or drop out in the 2nd round during each tournament. When it comes to the NCAA tournament you want to peek at the right time (see Washington and Butler for results).
Watching Butler in this tournament is awesome! Something that is probably killing the Zags and Few. Go Butler! WOOF!!!
All I saw was purple
Surprise, Surprise, Surprise . . .
We agree!!
I’m not a basketball fan, but I think Gonzaga is no different than Boise State’s football team, they thrive in a weak conference, but would be an average team, at best, in a major conference. Playing tough teams, day in and day out, will take a toll on any team, it sure would be nice to play 9 pansies for every 1 tough team, instead of the other way around.
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
Gonzaga only has 2 S16's in the last 9 years
They’re one of the most overrated programs in College Basketball.
Then by my calculations...
Washington is the bigger program. With us getting to this tournament’s sweet 16, that makes 3 appearances for us.
Gonzaga has struggled in the tournament because they continue not to place emphasis on defense and every March it comes back and bites them in the ass.
All I saw was purple
If you ask their fans
they have been to 50 sweet 16’s in the last 10 years. They’re that good.
The Big East is now 1-3 so far - Greg Gumble
DIPLOMA OR MC D
It is nice to see two schools in the final game that actually, really I mean it, graduate their student athletes and prepare them for life beyond BB.
At least two schools knocked out have zero graduation rate, ZERO.
Syracuse and Kentucky
Those guys weren’t going to win this tournament. Very seldom do teams with sizeable underclassmen win this tournament. Senior leadership is HUGE! I was actually pulling for West Virginia. I thought they showed a lot of grit out on the floor by shutting us down when we out-played them, and knocking of Kentucky.
I am not a fan of Duke. I have to respect the big 3 (Scheyer, Smith, and Singler), but I dispize how they play in the paint. Zoubeck (sp?) is not in there to be a player. He’s in their as a disrupter only. He doesn’t play for rebounding, scoring, or block shots. His job is to rattle you out of your inside game. I see elbows flying, I see a lot of unessessary pushing and shoving from him and very seldom is he called for that stuff. He’s not a great defender so Butler needs to force the big man into playing defense- that should lead to some Zoubeck foul trouble- I’m only hoping because I don’t respect his game.
All I saw was purple
Zoubek has the best OR% and one of the best DR% in the nation
He can rebound, score efficiently, and also has a decent block rate.
Maryland has a 0% graduation rate, followed by Cal at around 20%, and UW at around the same. Graduation rate isn’t a great stat.
Well, the one you're citing isn't great
Because that study is from the late 90’s and predates Lorenzo Romar.
Zoubek's rebounding numbers are flawed!
How many times does the opposition get into great block out stance and Zoubek is out of rebounding position?. Yet Zoubek is taller and the refs give him the benefit of the doubt simply because the refs are intimidated by coach K on the sideline? Many, many, many times Zoubek is out of position to rebound and goes over the back to get the phantom rebound. Why is it a “phantom rebound”? Because since the opposition has squared up and has blocked out, Zoubek is actually over the back. It’s just like the block/charge call. In the block/charge it’s an offensive foul if the defender has established guarding position. On the other hand it’s a defensive foul if the offensive player has the lane and the defender hasn’t established the guarding positon. Many times an opposing low post player will establish his position to rebound, where Zoubek hasn’t- it should be a foul every stinkin’ time.
We talk about how the art of free throw shooting has gone down over the years, but nobody talks about how the art of rebounding has gone down. The reason is because the game has evolved and officials aren’t calling as many anymore. They’ve grown accustom of allowing out of position low post players to climb the back to get the rebound. Zoubek is fouling and it’s not being called. If they were to call it correctly, Zoubek would be discredited for his production on the glass. Refs don’t have the guts to make a call on coach K!
All I saw was purple
Watch the games
Zoubek is hardly ever in position for the rebound and he’s climbing the opposition’s back for the rebound. The guy throws elbows and mot often playing out of control.
Down goes Duke! I still think you have to make Zoubek defend. I think that is the key to beating Duke at this point. Make him defend you in the paint, because I think he doesn’t have the best footwork to defend. Paint play will be huge in this contest. If Butler can minimize Duke’s offensive rebounding that will be huge for Butler. If Duke gets offensive rebounds, Butler must be in position to not give them a pass out on the perimeter. In turn Bultler must force Duke’s bigmen to play a critical part of the offensive scoring. That is how you beat Duke at this point.
Keys to a Bulter victory:
1. Defensive rebounding- critical to not give Duke 2nd attempts
2. Cut off passing lanes- the big 3 (Scheyer, Smith, and Singler) are usually set up in their attempts to score. Force each one to create their own shot.
3. Must shoot at least 55% FG to have a chance at beating the 4-time national champions.
All I saw was purple
And Zoubeck is almost always in foul trouble.
Everyone was surprised when he went the first half of the WVU game without getting a foul called on him; it almost never happens. When he fouls he gets called for them: Duke conspiracy!!!!!!!
The refs and media always want them to win!!!
Or maybe, just maybe, they’re actually really good this year. Nah, that couldn’t be it,
Everybody is taking Duke in a landslide
I’m calling the upset. I think all the stars are going to align, Butler plays tremendous half court defense- it just seems too magical this year. I’m billing it the biggest upset since Villanova shocked the world by beating mighty Georgetown.
The year was 1986: The movie Hoosiers hit the big screen and every basketball player fell in love with Jimmy Chitwood and every coach fell in love with coach Norm Dale. The site of the Indiana state basketball champiohsip was held at Hinkle Field House known as Bulter’s home court. Meanwhile also in the year of 1986, coach K got his Dukies to their first national championship and lost to Louisville. The stars are going to realign to that year. Go Hickory umm … I mean Butler!
All I saw was purple
Butler doesnt have a great defense
Duke has a fantastic defense and offense.
Butler isn’t a glorified version of Hoosier, either. I hate that comparison
by Brian Floyd on Apr 5, 2010 5:27 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Is it just because of name recognition?
I’m sure if the name on the front of their jerseys said “Indiana” it would mean a helluva lot more. Consider this, If Bobby Knight was still coaching Indiana, how many of these Bulter kids would be a Hoosier?
Remember one thing, Indiana is not called the Hoosier State simply because of Indiana University. They’re all Hoosiers in the eyes of folks in Indiana.
All I saw was purple
Butler doesn't have a great defense?
Are you kidding cougfan? Seriously how many games in this tournament has Butler played in and won, where they’ve limited the opposition to less then 60 points? I think it’s 6 in a row if you include their Horizon League tournament. WOW!
All I saw was purple
Please learn about tempo before talking about defense
Then look at tempo free stats and tell me again who has a better defense. Its Duke and it isn’t even close
by Brian Floyd on Apr 5, 2010 5:41 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
crazi is old school when it comes to stats ...
… and sports arguments that depend on stats.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
Ah, thatd make sense
Butlers decent, Dukes otherworldly on D. Someday he’s gonna learn about kenpom.
by Brian Floyd on Apr 5, 2010 5:48 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Need Shooter
Shooter is going to take you home fellas. “We’re going to run the picket fence at em’ … now boys … don’t get caught watching the paint dry”.
All I saw was purple
I'd like to agree....
… but tonight there are far too many bad calls going Duke’s way.
Watching?
So far Zoubek gets a O-foul called while blocking, tavels and gets away with it, sets moving screens and gets away with it. Zou is the biggest joke on the floor, and only gets away with it as he is in a Duke uniform. His stats mean nothin’ to me. Zoubek is a hack.
Yes!
And he must go over the back. The 7 1 guy has to go over the back on the 6 2 kid.
Refs are letting both sides play. It isn’t one sided
by Brian Floyd on Apr 5, 2010 8:22 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Ummm...
Got away with mulitiple moving screeens, traveling, and [drum role please] that offensive foul actually should’ve been a no brainer call on Zoubek for blocking. Paleeeze cassino, take off the coach K underoos!
All I saw was purple
Sorry for the sarcasm
I do respect your opinion(s). Coach K underoos? Now that is a pretty scary thought.
All I saw was purple
I was rooting for Butler
That offensive foul was a charge, not a block. Zoubek had position, the offensive player lowered his shoulder and it was a player control foul. You do not need to be set to draw one of those fouls, you just need position.
The whole favoritism lines get tiring. Call it what it was: a good game that was fun to watch.
I understand the block/charge call
Zoubek was late getting to the lane and thus hadn’t established himself as a defender in the lane. Maybe you are referring to the play where the Butler player used a chicken wing on Zoubek down low. That was an offensive foul, no question. But it’s not the same play that I am referring to.
I also saw a Zoubek offensive foul that was not called. Totally moved the smaller Butler forward out of his stance under the basket and Zoubek had an uncontested point blank shot.
All I saw was purple
Should've been a flagrant foul!
I didn’t see the Duke defender playing the ball as Howard was attempting to finish his layup. The Duke defender was playing the shooters upper arm, so that Howard could not finish the shot. The Duke defender didn’t rake the arm or hack the arm. He hooked his upper arm in order to control Howard’s shooting arm to extend. Their was simply no evidence that the Duke player was playing the ball and that warrants a flagrant foul. Completely joke of a call!
All I saw was purple
FLAGRANT FOUL
It was obvious he hooked him and threw him to the floor. Lucky he wasn’t seriously injured. The game I watched it was obvious DUKE was favored by the refs.
I'm not calling for a Duke conspiracy but...
I thought the game was administered (officiated) in a way that extends favoritism for Duke, who thrives with full contact basketball in the paint. The officiating was pretty consistent. They allowed Butler to be physical as well. Yet in the end that sort of officiating offers Duke a better chance of winning, who has more bodies to throw at tiny Butler.
Congrats Duke, you survived vs. Butler. But if Howard shoots that last second shot an inch lower of the backboard, that ball goes in. Butler lost due to one shot off the mark by 1 inch.
All I saw was purple
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