Tourney Talk

Since it's almost my favorite time of the year (tourney time), I figured I'd get back into posting as much as I can. So prepare yourself for a heavy dose of Skretchosify (rhymes with philosify) over the next few weeks.

Here are a few NCAABB thoughts heading into tourney time (men's only, of course):

1. Since the game yesterday, everyone and their momma has been talking about the Hansbrough bloody nose "incident". Brace yourself for at least 3 more days of non-stop media coverage of this, including SportsCenter lead-ins and interviews, Duke/UNC "rivalry re-newed" columns, and top 10 bloody nose lists. I have 3 thoughts. First, Roy Williams should have had Hansbrough out of the game at the 1-minute mark, where the lead was around 15 points. I know he said he was trying to get him out of the game, but that was with 14 seconds left, why so late?? The game was a foul fest in the last minute and there was plenty of opportunity to sit the starters. Bad move by Roy. Second, Hansbrough had it coming. The only reasons he was trying to get an offensive rebound and put back with 14 seconds left in a 13 point game are either to pad his stats or to rub in the victory. I've read some writers say "it's in his DNA to go hard after every ball and score every play...blah, blah, blah". If so, he's just a robot and that will eventually come back to bite him, if this game hasn't already done that (he now has a broken nose). You can't just be a robot on the court and be successful, you have to play hard AND play smart. The smart play there is to get the offensive rebound and throw it back out to the perimeter to run the clock out. Like I said, he's either padding his stats or rubbing in the win, both which deserve a forearm shiver to the nose. Thirdly, Duke sucks.

2. Fear the Turtle. The Terps are, quite possibly, the hottest team in the entire country right now. 7 straight ACC victories, 3 wins over Duke and UNC, and a ton of confidence. So now the age-old question is...should we hope to lose in the ACC tourney?? Because of Duke's failure to beat UNC, the Terps don't get a first round bye in the ACC tourney. That means, to win it, they need to win 4 games in 4 days against premiere teams in the best conference in the nation, turning their legs into a soft, jelly-like substance of exhaustion. This, right before the Big Dance, would not be the ideal situation. So, how do you deal with this if you're Gary Williams? How do you react to this as a fan? Here are some pros and cons of winning all four games:
Pros:
-Win another ACC tournament title, only done once before by MD in 2004
-Continue the momentum of a 7 game winning streak heading into the Big Dance (with an 11 game winning streak)
-Continue to gel and work on offensive game strategy and gain experience for younger players
-Help seeding for tourney
Cons:
-Get tired and burn out
-Peak too early and have a bad game in the big tourney
-Someone gets injured

A few other reasons why it might be better to lose early is to get another chip on their shoulder to prove an early round exit will not happen in the big one. Also, when Maryland won it all, they lost early in the ACC tournament, not that that really matters this year's team, but I'm just sayin.

As a fan, here's what I hope for. They have to beat Miami in the first round (and avenge a horrible loss at home). Then, I hope they play hard against BC and hope to avenge their loss against them as well. If they lose, so be it, BC is a good team and they will have almost a week to rest before the tourney. If we win, that's another good "resume win" for seeding purposes, and could also help us. The next game is the one that I would not be opposed at all to losing. Now, I'm not saying they should tank it, but if they find themselves down 15 in the first half, I don't think they should kill themselves to get back in the game. Again, I'm not "rooting" for them to lose, I'm just hoping for a scenario that will help them keep momentum, stay respectable, and put them in the best position to win it all.

And yes...don't think Maryland can't win it all...