Give It a Rest

I do wish Chad would remain quiet about basketball. It is increasingly tedious to read his clueless and wrong-headed analysis about what’s wrong with (pick the target of the day).

So, Brandon Triche was responsible for not being the leader he should have been? Maybe Chad looks to seniors to take control at the end of games but coaches and players look to their stars and hot hands to deliver. Oh, stars like freshman Carmelo Anthony in 2003 or hot player Mitch McGary last night.

           

And exactly for what is Triche to be blamed in Chad’s myopic eyes. A season that ended in the Final Four? Oh, the shame. Blamed for last night’s loss to Michigan? – the beneficiary of two remarkable lame calls while SU had possession, down 2, with under 1:30 left in the game. First, the horrible blocking call that eliminated MCW and turned the ball over to Michigan and, finally, the hapless charge call that eliminated Triche and, once again, turned the ball over to Michigan.

After reading his rips of Brittany Griner and Brandon Triche, I’m fairly certain our boy really doesn’t watch games.

While stats are not necessarily the whole story behind the outcome of a game, they are usually worth reviewing for clues to what really happened.

Last night Triche had what most have grown to expect, a solid performance, more workman-like than flashy, but essential to the team’s performance. Trish scored 11 on 4 - 8 shooting, put up 8 assists (one data-driven definition of leadership) and committed only 2 turnovers. Compare that to the combined stats of Michigan’s three starting and highly touted guards, Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway, Jr., and the guy who stated he was unafraid of the SU zone, Nik Stauskas. These three went off for a combined 5 - 29 from the field, 9 assists and 2 turnovers. Stauskas, by the way was scoreless, going 0 – 5 from three. So how did Michigan possible win?

Freshman Mitch McGary shot 4 – 8, grabbed 12 boards and dished out 6 assists. Clearly, Michigan was wrong to rely on a freshman.

Chad might have had more luck assigning ‘blame’, if there really was any to be assigned, by looking at someone other than Triche. Point guard MCW was out of control on the offensive end of the floor most of the night, shooting 1 – 6, dishing out a weak 2 assists and turning the ball over 5 times.

Senior James Southerland recorded a real stinker shooting 2 – 9 and was hopelessly absent on the boards – so absent that freshman Jeremy Grant got 17 minutes of playing time in Southerland’s place.

Last night it was C.J. Fair, Brandon Triche and nobody else for the Orange.

Do me a favor, Chad. Stop it.