Aaron Gordon finished with 18 rebounds, eight points, two assists and a pair of blocked shots for the Wildcats. In seven minutes, Elliott Pitts totaled three points and two boards.
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In watching this game, what came to mind is that most basketball fans would say that the Badgers are oh so well-coached by Bo Ryan what with few turnovers, four to five to six to seven passes even before looking for a shot, superb unselfishness, et al, including winning games.
Who could or would sincerely disagree?
But missing from that thought process is that Arizona is also well-coached and not simply a group of better athletes who out-run and out-jump opponents.
The Wildcats were well-versed in the strengths, weaknesses and tendencies of Wisconsin. But what works against against this notion is that some of the guys from Tucson can create offensively on their own, do so and also provide highlight tape moments. However, Miller's crew also ran plays and set up isolations to their benefit. Their selflessness was also quite visible.
Just remember that athletic ability can sometimes obscure portions of reality.
Now an argument can rightfully be made that Ryan, unlike some others in this profession -- like any trade -- gets the very last ounce of production inherent in his players who, as oxymoron-sounding as it seems, have a greater potency individually because the group plays so well together as a five-as-one collective. Sometimes that is enough, sometimes it isn't.
*** With all this talk about Wisconsin's pure fundamentals, how would it play if 6-foot-1 Jordan Mayes' easy tip-in on the offensive boards -- where was the block out? --with 58 seconds left had somehow provided the difference?
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In the comment, a question was posed about the chances of Arizona winning if Brandon Ashley was healthy and still on the court. We, of course, will never know but Ashley is much more mobile and could follow Frank Kaminsky outside much more effectively than Kaleb Tarczewski did but would also be a lesser defender inside. With Ashley available, Gordon and Tarczewski would not have played 39 and 32 minutes respectively but Rondae Hollis Jefferson (10 points, four rebounds, two blocked shots) also would not have been on the court for 31 minutes and thus his contribution lessened.
Two other items: T.J. McConnell shot 2-10 overall (plus two assists and the same number of TOs) and Nick Johnson 6-17. Not clutch.
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Hello,
ReplyDeleteThis was a great game to watch from the perspective of a Michigan State fan who has seen Wisconsin play a lot this season but barely seen Arizona. I agree with you that both teams were extraordinarily well prepared by their respective coaching staffs, and that Bo Ryan is also maybe getting a little too much credit for leading the Badgers to the Final Four. The elephant in the room not discussed in your post is obviously the performance of Frank Kaminsky, participating in an amazing 36% of Badger possessions while scoring 28 points. His performance was really quite special. My question for you, as someone more well-versed in Arizona basketball than I am, is how much the loss of Brandon Ashley impacted the Wildcats. I didn't get to see Arizona play before they lost him for the season so I haven't seen him first hand, but it seems like from what I've heard that he was a great interior presence. Do you think Arizona would've one this game if they had him to complement Nick Johnson and Aaron Gordon?
Really enjoyed your post.