Watching the N.C.A.A. Tournament

In N.C.A.A. Basketball by Brock Bourgase

As the 2012 N.C.A.A. Tournament reaches the Sweet 16 stage, more and more players, coaches and fans will be tuning in to watch the games. The volume of basketball has decreased significantly from the opening weekend but the viewers’ interest rises exponentially. The games are entertaining simply because of the excitement but they can also serve as a learning opportunity for elite athletes. Apparently, Generation Y prefers to talk more about an issue rather actually addressing it but there is no reason for players to forgo an opportunity to develop their game.

Follow the Storylines of Each Game: Basketball games have complex narratives, although the lead actors often hog the spotlight. One can watch the characters in order to duplicate their skills but it may be more productive to devote their attention to how games are won and lost. The team that establishes the tone of the game often wins.

Favourites must push the pace and create space to make plays. It is much easier to take the lead and build upon it instead of rallying to come back. Underdogs must slow the tempo and execute more efficiently. Iowa Stat and Creighton were able to stay within reach of Kentucky and North Carolina in the first half by forcing the top seeds to play a half-court game before they were overwhelmed by depth and athleticism. V.C.U. disrupted Indiana’s deliberate offense and almost won by trapping the ball screen. Norfolk State slowed down the game and exploited a size advantage inside in order to upset the faster but smaller Missouri squads. Teams should always ask themselves “What is the plot that will allow us to win this game?” and follow the script exactly.

Learn the Rules: U.N.C. Ashville and Notre Dame both lost points in close games because of lane violations (players outside the arc must wait until the ball strikes the rim before rebounding a foul shot). Cincinnati gave up the ball because the inbounder forgot that it was a spot throw-in and ran along the baseline. Observe how the referees interpret the rules throughout the game and use this knowledge to gain an advantage. Players who drive to the rim, like Peyton Siva, speak to the officials calmly when they don’t get the calls as opposed to calling attention to themselves and destroying their credibility in the process.

Watch Decisions under Pressure: Fatigue and stress cause players to make poor decisions. Work on mental training to stay calm under pressure. South Florida gave up control of their third round match-up with Ohio by committing a pair of emotional technical fouls; St. Bonaventure mistakenly believed that they were only down a pair when they needed a three point basket. Buzz Williams was credited with calling timeout judiciously in the middle of the second half that refocused Marquette and stopped Murray State’s run but any leaders on the court can take advantage of the stoppages in play – like foul-line huddles – to ensure that their teammates are all on the same page.

Visualize Read and React Situations: Take the time to watch away from the ball or utilize the P.V.R. remote to review a play and see how it unfolds. Down one in the second round, Indiana’s Victor Oladipo drove inside and kicked the ball to will Sheehey on the baseline who was ready to catch and shoot. Brady Heslip made nine threes due to ceaseless movement, driving the defense to madness with a variety of curls, cuts and fades.

Some plays are executed exactly as they are drawn up but others require all coaches and players to adjust on the fly. Seeing role models adapt to the situation empowers other athletes to do the same. Kansas overcame an eleven point deficit against Purdue by mixing in a rarely used zone defense to control shooter Robbie Hummel.

Conversely, watching a team fall short because of a strategic error, triggers reflection. Hopefully when Duke failed to attack Lehigh inside and over-dribbled the ball so that they could be trapped, it inspired some guard somewhere to move the ball a little more to spare themselves that ignominious fate. March is a great time to not only understand what to do when the game is on the line but also to recognize what not to do.