Another reason I dislike Notre Dame

[01Neaggrad02]

The acting by the Fighting Irish is sad. The players are actors not basketball players. That was not a foul on sims. I hate how they try to sell the fouls.

 

[HGN]

What's so different from the recent past ? Nothing.

 

[01Neaggrad02]

I actually feel bad for Baylor in this game.

 

[buddy]

I actually feel bad for Baylor in this game.

Home cookin for ND as usual. UConn sent 2000 miles away. ND plays in their home venue. Tell me the NCAA doesn't rig the whole thing. They need ND to advance otherwise there will be no one at the final four but UConn fans.

 

[JellyBean]

I just hate ND because they are ND.

 

[mrmojack]

It will be a change now getting away from the friendly home floor.

 

[huskeynut]

ND has a lot more to worry about than home floor right now.

 

[01Neaggrad02]

ND has a lot more to worry about than home floor right now.

If achanwa is out. We focus on drawing fouls on Kayla. But I think Louisville will beat them

 

[sawxfan23]

The acting by the Fighting Irish is sad. The players are actors not basketball players. That was not a foul on sims. I hate how they try to sell the fouls.

Well they are acting like a pretty damn good basketball team.

 

[MilfordHusky]

This is at least the 4th year of ND's pathetic, but effective, flopping and whining. That's why they have replaced the orange people as my least liked team.

 

[Geno-ista]

Home cookin for ND as usual. UConn sent 2000 miles away. ND plays in their home venue. Tell me the NCAA doesn't rig the whole thing. They need ND to advance otherwise there will be no one at the final four but UConn fans.

Bingo!!!! Thats shy that unbelievably horrific charge call- when the ND player came in from the outside sliding in to take Sims down. Baylor is down 3 if she makes em. Instead sims gets her 4th and ND gets quick bucket- game ended on that call. They need NDame and really they need UConn in Final Four. Tenn would have helped carry the day also. But even if the refs were Pats relatives, they couldn't have tilted that one. ND dive on the push looked like McKensie- Robertson's dives vs UConn- poetic Justice I guess.

 

[Geno-ista]

I hope Achonwa is ok- 100%. I would prefer to beat them 100% straight up- really.

 

[snowkot]

Bingo!!!! Thats shy that unbelievably horrific charge call- when the ND player came in from the outside sliding in to take Sims down. Baylor is down 3 if she makes em. Instead sims gets her 4th and ND gets quick bucket- game ended on that call.

This.

There can be no denying the officiating had a massive impact on the game. A fair game heads into the final minutes with each team having an opportunity to win.

Instead the Baylor program was deprived of an opportunity to play meaningful final minutes into the regional final of an NCAA tournament. A national viewing audience was deprived of the opportunity to see a terrific women's college basketball game between two of the best teams in the country.

This game - for me - brought more clearly into focus just how much these "enhanced reactions" so present in Notre Dame's play must be teaching points as a program paradigm.

Whether it be flinging themselves backwards at first contact or sliding underneath a moving player - as they did on the play with Sims noted above to draw a critical offensive foul - these are in inherent components of the game plan. I watched, actually sort of stunned, as Achonwa flung herself about at the slightest touch of a Baylor player in the offensive or defensive post, enhanced by a look of incredulity and indignence.

And - to me - that is just not on. Beat a team because you are better on that particular day. Not because you conned incompetent referees into improperly penalizing your opponent.

Reminds me of English football where the players fling themselves in the air, crashing to the ground, screaming, clutching what must surely be a broken leg in terrible agony, only to jump up, miraculously, perfectly healed once the free kick has been given. At least that sport has tried to address this by showing yellow cards for "dives" - though they are rare, and very difficult to discern.

The only real solution would be using replay to determine an intentional flop in either sport - with stiff penalties for doing so, though I cannot see how that could be functionally implemented...

What a contrast watching UConn - Texas A&M. Just two programs with massively competitive coaches getting after it, the only drama being which team would defend and score the basketball better than the other!!

 

[hjoerring]

Well they are acting like a pretty damn good basketball team.

I agree. They are playing really good and all lovers of the game should be enjoying it. I have not seen the game but you cannot overpowered a team by acting out for the refs. Baylor was no match- defensively, they were out of their league. Give Sims her 30 and stop the rest. I was surprise about the high scores of certain players. The game with LV should be interesting though LV may not have the defense to stop them- their inside - outside game is way too strong, and their defense against the LV guards will be too strong. For LV, there is little diff between ND and Uconn. ND is rolling and I hope ...

 

[Icebear]

I actually feel bad for Baylor in this game.

Don't they do every bit as much acting as ND. Plus all year Sims should have been called for her off arm and pushing of with it.

 

[doggydaddy]

I agree. They are playing really good and all lovers of the game should be enjoying it. I have not seen the game but you cannot overpowered a team by acting out for the refs. Baylor was no match- defensively, they were out of their league. Give Sims her 30 and stop the rest. I was surprise about the high scores of certain players. The game with LV should be interesting though LV may not have the defense to stop them- their inside - outside game is way too strong, and their defense against the LV guards will be too strong. For LV, there is little diff between ND and Uconn. ND is rolling and I hope ...

You didn't see the game. Tough to make definitive comments.

 

[UConnChapette]

I am upset that Achonwa went down with a knee injury. I didn't see the game but I saw the replay of the injury. We have seen this too many times and I would be shocked if it wasn't an acl. I am with others who have said as much as they dislike ND if we should meet in the NC game I want to beat them heads up at full strength. However, assuming Natalie's college career is over, the flopping issue becomes less of a factor. Achonwa was one of the best at inventing enough contact to put her fanny on the hardwood. If she is "off the floor" ND may not have as much success in drawing the phantom fouls.

I hope she turns out not to have an ACL and can play in Nashville. I also hope that the NCAA chooses the "best" refs for the FF and someone puts a bug in their ears to watch for the "breathe on me and I'll fall like a tree" performances. As noted, they are not the only team who plays that card. Let the real fouls be called and let a flop be a flop and nothing more.

 

[ctfjr]

Someone PLEASE choke that leprechaun

 

[msf22b]

Let's not forget that McBride's ridiculous out-of-control mayhem was correctly identified by the officials.

And that Loyd seemingly does not choose to participate in the silliness, just plays outstanding ball as befits her enormous talent.

And that Achonwa has morphed into one tough kid, almost playing "gangsta" ball, the transformation most striking from the shy, sweet thing
that showed up in South Bend a few years ago (injury aside).

But she seems not to enjoy the moment nearly as much as our Stef.

Actually that's a big difference in the teams; the ND kids enjoy kicking butt, but this is not a joyous outfit.

 

[snlMINAJ]

im embarrased for them when they kind of went nuts at the end of the game, and achonwa screaming WIN THIS SHHHT
its like, cmon, youre supposed to win - youre great - youre this youre that - its not classy.

uconn didnt sprint out on the court, did not do the whole jump-hip-bump thing.

 

[pap49cba]

Kara Lawson ‏@karalawson20 12h
If Odyssey Sims' 3rd foul was actually a foul, I would foul out of every game in the 1st 5 minutes.

Kara Lawson ‏@karalawson20 12h
Kim Mulkey was suspended 1st round for complaining about officiating last year. If BU loses, she could go for 2 in a row & I would agree.

 

[EricLA]

Every team reacts differently to a win. Heck, during the regular season on the men's side, there were fan bases who rushed the court when their team upset a top 10 opponent. Some fans say "act like you've been there before". Meh.

If the team has the kind of players/chemistry where that kind of hoopla works for them, so be it. The kids have a right to be ecstatic. They are going to the final 4. One step closer for them in winning it all, and none of the kids currently at ND have won a NC before...

As for the fouls, I find it interesting - UCONN probably draws about 1 charge per game? If that? It seems that Geno does not teach that sort of cheap acting ploy. I like that the NCAA put in the arc around the hoop to prevent charges being taken inside of it, but acting is part of the game, whether it's the NBA, WNBA, or college. Players want to draw fouls on the opposing team. I kind of wonder why UCONN doesn't at least try to employ a little more of that since it's a valid (even if annoying) strategy...

Having said that I find it really hard to believe that Baylor committed twice as many fouls as ND did.

 

[Rayvin56]

This game - for me - brought more clearly into focus just how much these "enhanced reactions" so present in Notre Dame's play must be teaching points as a program paradigm.

'Enhanced reactions'--I love it! Much more diplomatic than 'flops'...

 

[UConnCat]

The NCAA modified its rules/interpretations on charge vs block last summer with the goal of favoring the offensive player and more offense, and to discourage flopping.

An article in USA Today last week talked about a drop in charge calls in the men's game, and how certain coaches have de-emphasized taking charges during practice and focused a lot more on shot-blocking. We haven't seen the change yet in the women's game, perhaps because the women's game doesn't have many shot-blockers to protect the lane and the rim. UConn doesn't have to try to take charges in the lane because it has terrific shot-blockers. Other teams don't have that luxury and emphasize drawing charges. I'll also say that there are not enough players in the women's game who use the pull-up jumper, choosing instead to barrel into defenders.

According to the AP's Doug Feinberg, there were 11 offensive fouls called in last night's Baylor/ND game. Not all were charges, of course, but several were. Some were bad calls and some were correctly called.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

You didn't see the game. Tough to make definitive comments.

That is funny.