Postseason Hoops 2025

[thrasher31]

One of ASUs better players just entered the portal. So that takes him out of the crown next week

 

 

[Cazzie22]

Dang! There too many reviews in games. And traveling is unheard of in the men’s game.

[hhcmatt]

6 minutes ago, thrasher31 said:

One of ASUs better players just entered the portal. So that takes him out of the crown next week

 

Hope not. We could recruit him during the game!

[HuskerFever]

6 minutes ago, Cazzie22 said:

Dang! There too many reviews in games. And traveling is unheard of in the men’s game.

 

Oregon traveled much more than season than any other time in their history. 

 

 

[demone]

Since dear ol’ NU is nowhere to be found, I’ve watched a lot of the games as an impartial observer for the first time in a long while. The game itself has become borderline unwatchable for me. Too physical, too much dribbling, too many ref shows. I love to watch competition but the game doesn’t resemble anything close to what it should look like to my eye. A sad realization.

[REDZONEDAN]

40 minutes ago, demone said:

Since dear ol’ NU is nowhere to be found, I’ve watched a lot of the games as an impartial observer for the first time in a long while. The game itself has become borderline unwatchable for me. Too physical, too much dribbling, too many ref shows. I love to watch competition but the game doesn’t resemble anything close to what it should look like to my eye. A sad realization.

Yep.  Unfortunately I’m losing interest mostly because of the shitty refs.  It’s painful watching the Big Ten refs making the game about them, watching teams consistently get all of the calls at home (except for Nebraska).  I wish the conference would do something about it, but it’s clear they don’t care.

[HuskerFever]

1 hour ago, Cazzie22 said:

Dang! There too many reviews in games. And traveling is unheard of in the men’s game.

 

Speaking of traveling...

 

 

[hhcmatt]

1 hour ago, HuskerFever said:

 

Speaking of traveling...

 

 

 

No

 

 

[HuskerFever]

9 minutes ago, hhcmatt said:

No

 

Commonly ignored aside, isn't a gather step not allowed in the college rulebooks?

[roscoe]

5 hours ago, HuskerFever said:

 

 

Yet Hurley will continue to get preferential treatment from refs while Fred will remain calm and get hosed. 

[roscoe]

1 hour ago, REDZONEDAN said:

Yep.  Unfortunately I’m losing interest mostly because of the shitty refs.  It’s painful watching the Big Ten refs making the game about them, watching teams consistently get all of the calls at home (except for Nebraska).  I wish the conference would do something about it, but it’s clear they don’t care.

My sister used to go to a few games every year and doesn't even watch games on tv anymore because she thinks reffing is absolutely horrific. And that started about 10 years ago.

[Nebrasketball1979]

29 minutes ago, hhcmatt said:

 

No

 

 

Apparently this is pretty debatable 

 

 

[jayschool]

10 hours ago, demone said:

too much "dribbling"

FIFY

[millerhusker]

11 hours ago, demone said:

Since dear ol’ NU is nowhere to be found, I’ve watched a lot of the games as an impartial observer for the first time in a long while. The game itself has become borderline unwatchable for me. Too physical, too much dribbling, too many ref shows. I love to watch competition but the game doesn’t resemble anything close to what it should look like to my eye. A sad realization.

Division 1 basketball has prioritized size and athleticism at the expense of skill and fundamentals imo. The result is a large group of players who don't have control and coordination over their body movements. There does seem to be more hacking, falling down, traveling, carrying, stepping out of bounds, etc than ever. Every game is taking at least an hour and a half to finish. Part of that is all the reviews, but there's also just more whistles and stoppage in play. Yesterday, seemed like UCONN fouled Florida on almost every possession from the under 8 timeout on. 

 

The skilled, fundamental players are relegated to Division II nowadays. Ben McCollum brought 6 of them to Drake and the game they play doesn't resemble most of the rest of college basketball. Won 31 Division I games with those guys. They share the ball, good ball and off-ball movement, quick decisions and players who can handle and shoot it. This still exists across D2 ball. This is why Nebraska was so enjoyable to watch last year. If you have time, go back and watch our two games in the Big Ten tourney. Beautiful basketball.

I would love for Jay Wright to talk at length about this. In his 4 out motion offense, his guards/wings had a rule of having to make a decision in 0.5 seconds to 1) shoot it  2) pass it, then move  3)  dribble north and south. If you didn't abide, you didn't play. He drilled jump stops, pivots, fundamental passing and proper cutting every single day. His teams were always undersized, but never underskilled. 

 

I'm not sure it's all the officials fault. They see the fouling and the traveling and the carrying. But if you decide to start calling that stuff then you'd have to call it on every possession. They say the players would adjust, but I really don't think the players are capable of adjusting at this point. It's much easier to handle the ball against pressure when you can put your hand underneath the ball every dribble. These players have been doing this since 4th grade. 

The game overall isn't as beautiful as it used to be. 

[Cazzie22]

The Maryland situation bothers me because the networks covering the tournament lacked the courage to call Queen for traveling.  Even the official who monitors decisions for the network gave a bogus defense and Barkley chastising social media posters was over the top.  Oh well, the B1G gets a bigger cut with more teams advancing.  
 

Players are allowed to make great and spectacular plays when the rules aren’t enforced.

[Silverbacked1]

1 hour ago, millerhusker said:

Division 1 basketball has prioritized size and athleticism at the expense of skill and fundamentals imo. The result is a large group of players who don't have control and coordination over their body movements. There does seem to be more hacking, falling down, traveling, carrying, stepping out of bounds, etc than ever. Every game is taking at least an hour and a half to finish. Part of that is all the reviews, but there's also just more whistles and stoppage in play. Yesterday, seemed like UCONN fouled Florida on almost every possession from the under 8 timeout on. 

 

The skilled, fundamental players are relegated to Division II nowadays. Ben McCollum brought 6 of them to Drake and the game they play doesn't resemble most of the rest of college basketball. Won 31 Division I games with those guys. They share the ball, good ball and off-ball movement, quick decisions and players who can handle and shoot it. This still exists across D2 ball. This is why Nebraska was so enjoyable to watch last year. If you have time, go back and watch our two games in the Big Ten tourney. Beautiful basketball.

I would love for Jay Wright to talk at length about this. In his 4 out motion offense, his guards/wings had a rule of having to make a decision in 0.5 seconds to 1) shoot it  2) pass it, then move  3)  dribble north and south. If you didn't abide, you didn't play. He drilled jump stops, pivots, fundamental passing and proper cutting every single day. His teams were always undersized, but never underskilled. 

 

I'm not sure it's all the officials fault. They see the fouling and the traveling and the carrying. But if you decide to start calling that stuff then you'd have to call it on every possession. They say the players would adjust, but I really don't think the players are capable of adjusting at this point. It's much easier to handle the ball against pressure when you can put your hand underneath the ball every dribble. These players have been doing this since 4th grade. 

The game overall isn't as beautiful as it used to be. 

I couldn't have said it better.  I also think coaches have learned to "bend" rules to their favor.  The biggest one I have is the grabbing through picks and chest to chest D.  It is like this is what we do call it if you want.  There is no way in hell that an official can call the chest to chest or grabbing 3 times in a row.  That guy would be done, never ref again.  So basically "basketball" is saying this is what we now do try to call it by the rules and see how much money goes away.  

I have never been to any AAU type of thing but the high lights I see on TikTok or Facebook look like it is about one step away from indoor rugby. 

That is why I think it seems to be better to get transfer from smaller schools or divisions.  They have had a chance to hone their skills to be better fundamental players and get better.

[basketballjones]

13 hours ago, hhcmatt said:

 

Hope not. We could recruit him during the game!

Every time he hits a shot: "Joson, what a great shot man, you looked great doing that. Do you feel you're getting paid your value at Arizona State?" - Hoiberg

[basketballjones]

1 hour ago, millerhusker said:

Division 1 basketball has prioritized size and athleticism at the expense of skill and fundamentals imo.

Hmmm.... I respect your opinion and think there are definitely some solid points here. But your thesis here reminds me of the people who say they don't play defense in the NBA. I think you are highly underestimating the skill of the athletic and large players you are referencing. It just looks a little different than what you think because they are so large. Similar to the NBA argument - when you actually go to a game, and sit close enough, you are immediately blown away by how athletic, skilled, quick, and hard they are playing. 

 

For instance - do you feel Nebraska has mostly lost their games in the past few years because of size and athleticism? I don't. I feel like we lose because we can't make shots and don't have guys skilled/explosive enough to get their own shot and/or finish in the paint. And I feel like we mostly get beat because we give up open 3's after open 3's that lead to other things. 

 

However, in the same fashion, I think the game is so ugly because of your point about how athletic and big they are now, which means you have more athletic, larger players playing on the same size floor - coached by mercenary maniacs for only ~30 games with plenty of rest between them. 

 

I do think the game is officiated very poorly. Not called poorly (as in I believe there's tons of bad calls over and over - that's always been a part of the game), but officiated poorly from the general rules and emphasis point. Players get away with murder and we have the patients running the asylum. I believe if they got back to a more black and white, straightforward view of the basic rules of the game players and coaches would be forced to adjust. This would also lead to an increase in scoring and pace in my opinion. 

[brfrad]

What irks me most about officiating is the inconsistencies.   I know refs aren't going to be able to call every foul, travel, carry, etc.  However, you have to call it both ways.  Case in point.  I was watching I believe St John's/Arkansas.  Arkansas drives.  Defender goes straight up.  Arkansas players bumps into St John's.  Foul on St John's.  Player fouls out.  Very next trip, St John's drives.  Arkansas defender brings arms down.  St John's player bumps into him.  No foul.  How?  I could even understand it if the 2nd play happens 20 minutes later.  But, this was literally back-to-back possessions. 

[basketballjones]

58 minutes ago, brfrad said:

What irks me most about officiating is the inconsistencies.   I know refs aren't going to be able to call every foul, travel, carry, etc.  However, you have to call it both ways.  Case in point.  I was watching I believe St John's/Arkansas.  Arkansas drives.  Defender goes straight up.  Arkansas players bumps into St John's.  Foul on St John's.  Player fouls out.  Very next trip, St John's drives.  Arkansas defender brings arms down.  St John's player bumps into him.  No foul.  How?  I could even understand it if the 2nd play happens 20 minutes later.  But, this was literally back-to-back possessions. 

For what it's worth, I believe that's just part of the game since its inception. 

 

To make the game more palatable to the average fan, different things need to be emphasized and adapted. 

[HuskerFever]

3 hours ago, Silverbacked1 said:

I also think coaches have learned to "bend" rules to their favor.

 

This is the name of any competitive game. Good coaches find ways to use the rules in their favor. It's the responsibility of the governing bodies and refs to enforce the rules. Unfortunately, that's the part that's lacking.

[Silverbacked1]

39 minutes ago, basketballjones said:

For what it's worth, I believe that's just part of the game since its inception. 

 

To make the game more palatable to the average fan, different things need to be emphasized and adapted. 

I wish at the begining of the year they would have a video to show on the hugh screen that tells eveybody how things are supposed to go this year.  It might calm many of us.

I will say I saw a 3 second call the other night, can't remember the last time I saw one of those.  Player fell in the lane with the ball and the other player couldn't get to it.  Player on the floor couldn't get rid of it and finally the ref blew the whistle and away they went.  funny part is official didn't really give a hand signal, like he didn't remember what it was.

[Huskerpapa]

Inconsistancy and referee's interpretation of rules are the issues.  At one point, no hand checking was allowed.  Now a one arm/ hand check is allowed, yet the rule really hasn't changed.  In fact, in some instances, a double hand check is allowed.  3-second rule...it is still a rule, yet rarely called, and when it is, there is an appearance of referee bias.  Coaches boxes...come on, really?  Coaches going ape shit, and the referees let it happen...really???  Other calls or fouls are sometimes called by certain refs against certain teams, and not the others???

Hey, I get it, it's a tough job.  But it always has been.  What has changed is the failure to adhere to the rule book.  Go back and administrate the rule book  OR change the rules.  Simplify the rules.  Yes, it is possible to do that.  Remove the key area, tighten the travel rule, etc.

[Navin R. Johnson]

I'll give you a topic:  The weight room ruined sports.  Discuss.

[millerhusker]

4 hours ago, basketballjones said:

Hmmm.... I respect your opinion and think there are definitely some solid points here. But your thesis here reminds me of the people who say they don't play defense in the NBA. I think you are highly underestimating the skill of the athletic and large players you are referencing. It just looks a little different than what you think because they are so large. Similar to the NBA argument - when you actually go to a game, and sit close enough, you are immediately blown away by how athletic, skilled, quick, and hard they are playing. 

 

For instance - do you feel Nebraska has mostly lost their games in the past few years because of size and athleticism? I don't. I feel like we lose because we can't make shots and don't have guys skilled/explosive enough to get their own shot and/or finish in the paint. And I feel like we mostly get beat because we give up open 3's after open 3's that lead to other things. 

 

However, in the same fashion, I think the game is so ugly because of your point about how athletic and big they are now, which means you have more athletic, larger players playing on the same size floor - coached by mercenary maniacs for only ~30 games with plenty of rest between them. 

 

I do think the game is officiated very poorly. Not called poorly (as in I believe there's tons of bad calls over and over - that's always been a part of the game), but officiated poorly from the general rules and emphasis point. Players get away with murder and we have the patients running the asylum. I believe if they got back to a more black and white, straightforward view of the basic rules of the game players and coaches would be forced to adjust. This would also lead to an increase in scoring and pace in my opinion. 

I appreciate the pushback and I agree with you on your NBA comments. But right now I don't think I can be convinced the skill level is overall better today at other levels. 

I believe the game was taught to kids much differently in the 70s-90s than it has been in the last 15-20 years. I guess when AAU became so popular. 

I also believe the way basketball is taught in Europe today is similar to how it was taught those few decades in America. A focus on fundamentals and learning the game, rather than AAU highlight tapes and individual Instagram "trainers".

 

Now there has been a huge influx of international players in the NBA. Even most MVP candidates each year are from countries other than America. I've heard recently retired American NBA players on podcasts saying the international players are saving the game of basketball in our country. 

 The NBA is actually trending away from the developmental, long athletic type. Average heights of NBA player are shorter than they've been in decades (I believe since the early 80s). There were too many failed lottery picks with incredible physical characteristics, but skill-wise were a master of no trades, and also a jack of no trades. The thought was you could take these athletes and make them good basketball players, but that rarely worked. Popavich was once asked how he develops such skilled players. His response was something along the lines of, "I draft players who can dribble and shoot."

Seems like you and I might be in the minority on this, but I actually enjoy the current NBA. It's a lot better now than when the top two bigs in the game were Dwight Howard and Joakim Noah...

 

I remember going to college camps when I was a kid and being amazed at how all the bigs had such a tight handle. They just didn't show it off much in game, maybe because the positions were so much more defined back then. A power forward was a power forward.  I watched a Husker practice 25ish years ago.. freakin' Dan Heimos had that ball on a string, and I stand by that. Today, I see guards in the NCAA tournament that struggle to handle the ball in traffic without falling down or bouncing it off their foot. Of course there are some incredibly skilled individual players at all levels today. But across the board at all levels below the NBA, I just don't see the skill and feel for the game that used to exist. 

 

I think most basketball nerds are biased towards our own eras. Kids who are obsessed with the game today will be appalled by the way the game is played 40 years from now. 

Edited Monday at 09:04 PM by millerhusker