If you were Tubby, would you have had us foul at the end?

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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Coaches seem to differ about 50/50 on whether they tell their team to foul in the situation like we had at the end of the game.

Up 3, 9 seconds to go, we only had 5 team fouls. A couple of options:

- No fouls at all, just play straight up D
- Foul once with about 5-6 seconds left so they have to in-bound the ball around half court (or at least above the three-point line)
- Foul twice in the final 9 seconds, once with about 7 seconds to go and once with about 3 seconds to go (obviously making sure it's NOT in the act of shooting).

I would have probably gone with fouling twice and putting them on the line for a one-on-one...I have to think the chances of hitting the first FT, and purposefully missing the second FT AND getting the put back basket have to be much lower percent than a three-point attempt to tie the game like Va Tech had tonight.

I am sure coaches practice these scenarios and really it's a different approach - ours worked tonight so that is all that matters, but I'm curious what others would have wanted us to do.

Go Gophers!!
 

In order to execute this you have to know exactly who you are going to foul, and I don't think Tubby is the kind of coach to do it so they wouldn't be prepared. This would be a good strategy if you have no confidence in your defense.
 

With that many freshmen/young guys, no way you tell them to foul. Someone fouls the 3pt shooter, someone gets over zealous and is called for an intentional foul, too much can go wrong. If it was mostly seniors, sure, foul.
 

It worked out, but I definitely would have used the first foul after the guy took his first 2-3 dribbles in the backcourt. And especially with the way we struggle to defend the 3, ideally I would have fouled again (with about 5 seconds left and/or) before they got anywhere near the 3-point circle.
 

The only coaches who would tell their kids to foul in last night's situation would be coaches with IQ's over 80. - YES, of course they should have fouled!
 


SelectionSunday said:
It worked out, but I definitely would have used the first foul after the guy took his first 2-3 dribbles in the backcourt. And especially with the way we struggle to defend the 3, ideally I would have fouled again (with about 5 seconds left and/or) before they got anywhere near the 3-point circle.
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I'm not so sure that Austin wasn't trying to do exactly that in the back court- he did make some contact with #11. Of course you have to avoid an intentional foul call at all costs so that's the tricky part- you can't just grab the guy. I think I'd have given the first foul but not the second for fear of them making the first, missing the second and then getting the put back bucket for the tie.
 

A 3 to tie it is one and only thing that can go wrong if you don't foul.

Fouling once, twice and free throws gives all sorts of possibilities for weird things to go wrong.

While unlikely, he could make the first. Miss the second, have a big quick tip it out to a guard for a 3 to win (depending on time) plus you risk him going up for a 3 right as the foul happens, maybe hitting the 3 for an and1 and a loss. And various other things like intentional foul or who knows.

All unlikely, but chance of losing when you don't foul up 3 is 0. Which is less than .000000001.

I'm okay with not fouling.
 


Moses87 said:
The only coaches who would tell their kids to foul in last night's situation would be coaches with IQ's over 80. - YES, of course they should have fouled!
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Didn't realize Tubby's IQ is that low. This forum is utterly amazing at times.
 



9 seconds is alot of time, if you foul to early many things could happen, I say no.
 


Foul once for sure!!! After a few dribbles, reach in. They were not in the bonus, Tubby was not on his game!
 

We're Comin' said:
Foul once for sure!!! After a few dribbles, reach in. They were not in the bonus, Tubby was not on his game!
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Exactly! Fouls to give are gifts from the basketball Gods. Use them to your advantage.
 



I couldn't believe they didn't foul with one to give. Matter of fact, that's why I was so frustrated with the two meaningless fouls they committed a possession or two earlier. With 2 or 3 fouls to give, and 9 seconds left, you could have made it really tough to get off any decent look at a 3.

I would have taken that last foul to give just after Green crossed mid-court; I think there were only 2-3 seconds left at that time. I guess one perspective it gives them time to set up an inbounds play. Opinions vary I guess...
 

We had a foul to give and yes we should have hacked them at half court. Green got a pretty good look, but it didn't go in so who can bitch. Next time we need to give that foul.
 

I take my chances with Austin Hollins playing solid D in this instance...it worked out for us so hard to second guess...Austin did foul him in the back court just before he crossed half court it just wasn't called...so who knows what Tubby said in the huddle...but it worked out so I am OK with it.
 

Makes me think of when the Gophs played IU in the Big Ten Tournament (Blake shot). Now I know we didn't try to foul them, but we did and it almost cost us.
 

Considering the one to give, I would have liked maybe giving the foul as he crossed half court, maybe give us a better shot at getting the ball out of his hands in the first place. I'm iffy on the whole foul and make it a FT shooting game philosophy though, specifically given our struggles at the line.
 

Whatever, the ending was great with a win. Would have something been better or worse? Who the hell knows. We won the way it was. I guess that shows me that we did it right, without any other problems. End of discussion.
 

I'm not a fan of fouling up 3, especially without Mbakwe and Sampson in there, it's too easy to give up the putback. They probably should have given the 1 they had to give, but Hollins may have been trying to and just not gotten called.
 

Yes. They way the young man from VA Tech was shooting threes, I would not of given him the chance. I say the odds of him making a three are a lot higher than putting any player on the free throw line and forcing him to make a free throw, intentionally miss a free throw, give up a rebound and a score with under 5 seconds.
 

Didn't we have a foul to give? 100% of the time with a foul to give.
 

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