Monday February 11, 2008

A Better Idea

A Better Idea
If you are tired of hearing about people bitching and moaning about the officiating from last night’s Clemson-North Carolina game then you probably need to stop reading now and get back to whatever you were doing.

Simply stated, Ted Valentine, Bernard Clinton, Tony Greene ought to be ashamed of themselves!

They should return their paychecks from last night so they would not feel that guilty.

See, this should not be a surprise to anyone. It has happened for years and will continue to happen.

DUKE AND NORTH CAROLINA PLAYED HOME BASKETBALL GAMES THIS WEEKEND AND THE BLUE DEVILS AND TAR HEELS COMBINED TO SHOOT 69 FREE THROWS WHILE THEIR OPPONENTS SHOT 20. DUKE AND NORTH CAROLINA COMBINED TO MAKE 51 FREE THROWS AND THEIR OPPONENTS MADE 10.

The outcome has been pre-determined so why even make the trip. Here is my suggestion:

Since we know they won’t let us win, I ask, “Why even go up there?”

Why make trip?

I say save the jet fuel. The players would be better off if they just stayed at home and practiced some and spent the rest of the time they could spend in Vickery Hall studying. At least there would be productivity and the weekend would not be wasted.

Heck, instead of making the trip to Chapel Hill or Durham just let the players volunteer to help out some needy kids in the area.

I am a competitive person but I am also smart enough to know if you can’t win the fight, then don’t fight. Clemson was good enough to win but if Tyler Hansbrough is allowed to just lower his shoulder anytime he wants then why fight it?

You can break this game down anyway you want but it always comes back to the same thing. You can say Clemson turned the ball over down the stretch and blew a big lead and that would be true. You can give the Tar Heels credit for making clutch shots and you would also be right. But that should not have mattered.

Clemson had 31 fouls. North Carolina had 14.

The Tar Heels shot 36 free throws. Clemson shot 7.

They say that in a game the blocks and charges fouls usually end up close to even. Some one better tell Ted Valentine, Bernard Clinton and Tony Greene. Hansbrough plowed over Demontez Stitt but the call clearly was going to go against the Tiger defender even though his feet were clearly set. You see, all of that was determined before Clemson even made the trip. So again I ask, “Why even go up there?”

Do you think the game changed when Clemson had four players with four fouls each and North Carolina ended the game with no one with more than three fouls?

Think the game changed when Trevor Booker fouled out with 2:06 remaining in overtime?

Think the game changed when Stitt fouled out with 1:54 left in double overtime?

I think it changed when K.C. Rivers got his fourth foul. Please tell me how Clemson can have five players (Booker 5, Stitt 5, Rivers 4, Mays 4 and Perry 4) with four or more fouls and Hansbrough can play 47 minutes in a game that lasted 50 minutes and be called for a grand total of three fouls? He had two fouls in regulation.
Deon Thompson also had three fouls but no other Tar Heel was whistled for more than two fouls.

Hansbrough was 17 of 19 from the line yet he only fouled three times?

Clemson outplayed North Carolina in almost every tangible category. The Tigers made 40 field goals to the Heels 32. Clemson made 12 three-pointers to UNC’s 8. The Tigers had more assists, more steals and more blocks. North Carolina did have three more rebounds but outside of fouls and thus free throw shooting that is the only category the Heels won.

For the season UNC averages 16.6 fouls per game and Clemson averages 18.6. Last night UNC had 14 fouls while the Tigers had 31 fouls.

If we can all agree that professional wrestling is pre-determined then Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan would have been very proud of this officiating effort. The only thing that was missing was a cage and the cameras catching Hansbrough bringing a foreign object into the ring. Jimmy “Super Fly” Snuka should have been ringside last night.

Do you think Oliver Purnell would have been able to get a timeout like Roy Williams did even though the play was about eight seconds into the play? Williams called a 30-second timeout but it was only later given to him after Clemson had the ball near mid-court and on top of that instead of a 30-second timeout, he got about 90 seconds as the refs tried to figure out what the heck was going on. Think Purnell would have been afforded that luxury?

So again I ask, “Why even make the trip?”

There is too much to lose and not enough to gain. You run the risk of injury. You run the risk of a loss of confidence. You have to board a plan twice.

Those things are worth the risk if you had a fair chance to win but we all know that is not the case. So why even go?

Tyler Hansbrough-47 minutes played. 3 personal fouls, 19 free throw attempts.

Stitt is a point guard who plays mostly away from the basket and he played 21 minutes and had five fouls. Hansbrough, a power player, played 47 minutes and was called for three fouls.

The Atlantic Coast Conference should be ashamed of itself!

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