🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Please..... Roy... it's time to retire!

I watched the classic rivalry game UNC vs Duke last night and Roy really blew it.

His boys were playing all charged up. They really needed this win on the road at Duke, and this was their first rival game with Duke since the passing of Dean Smith. The boys were amped.

So there is like a minute and a half left in the game, Tar Heels up by 5 with the ball out under their own basket. Looked like they had the game in hand. Off the timeout Roy shoots for the stars... an in-bounds play sending a guy deep for the home run pass. Seriously? It was thrown over his head, and the ball was a turnover without running a second of clock, giving the ball to Duke under their own basket. From there on out, Roy was completely out-coached. Saving his 4 timeouts until they were in real trouble, instead of using them to preserve his margin. Didn't even setup a final play when the game was tied and his guys had plenty of time to run a play and score. Or pull out his poor FT shooters on offense. Really horrible management of every possible strategy useful at the end of the game. He just let the game play out, unassisted. He really let his troops down. And Dean... he must have rolled over on that one!

Roy really looks like he's aged a lot in just the last year.

It's time to send him to pasture.

Roy has always been stingy with his timeouts. That was one of the first things I noticed about Bill Self. He actually called them.

UNC was up 10, I believe, with about 3 minutes left. No doubt UNC blew it.

However, on one of the late-game Tyus Jones drives to the bucket, the UNC defender got absolutely grabbed and couldn't switch on his man. If officials call that foul, game over.

If UNC makes its free throws down the stretch, game over.

Hard to blame Roy for those things.

@stupidmichael I've always thought Bill was a little too quick to call a timeout in certain situations. I just don't think you need to call a t.o. everytime you're up by 4 points and the opponent comes back and takes a one point lead. Especially if you're playing away from home. Listen to the crowd the next time it happens. It's a huge boost to the fans (and therefore the other team) when we call a timeout in a situation like that. It's like " Ooooh, KU is in panic mode, they had to call a timeout. "

Let them play.

I agree, although I think, maybe? that UNC did call a TO to set up the final game winner when it was tied, although I might be thinking of OT. Nonetheless, UNC blew it more than Duke just overwhelmed them with amazing play. I'll always cheer for ole Roy, although he might really need to be retiring soon. Something's missing that used to be there.

@stupidmichael

"However, on one of the late-game Tyus Jones drives to the bucket, the UNC defender got absolutely grabbed and couldn't switch on his man. If officials call that foul, game over."

There were two of those calls late that were nothing more than "Duke calls"... There was the other one where Tyus drove in the paint and got the basket and 1. He just barreled directly into the chest of the defender, who was backing up, and got a contact call.

Ol' unbiased Bilas was praising the play. Had it gone the other way he would have been balking how the defender has a right to his own space. That play just about made me puke.

When 'Ol Roy was at KU. he was asked why he called so few TO's and answered that he was afraid he would get out coached during them. I think he still suffers that trauma today and rightfully so as coaching has really improved in the last 20 years along with athletic talent.....

@stupidmichael Lot's of Roy's teams missed free throws especially late in the game. Too much running in practices led too exhaustion in games.

@drgnslayr The Bilas comments during a Duke game are almost too much. I used to really love Jay Bilas. At this point I am not sure why. As if Dick Vitale isn't enough of a Duke bias during games, now we have to listen to a guy that actually played for Duke! It is impossible for him to call that game in a fair and balanced way. Can you imagine a former KU player calling the KU vs. Mizzou game on national television?

I also agree that those calls were garbage. Especially the Jones "contact" call. He caused all of the contact and it was either an offensive foul or a no call.

@nuleafjhawk @stupidmichael It's funny you should say that Self calls his timeouts, possibly even too frequently... I have always had the opinion that he lets the kids play through longer than I'm comfortable with.

Almost invariably, I'll turn to my wife during each game at some point and say "timeout, Bill" and he'll let the kids continue to play, giving up 4 more points usually a blown defensive assignment, then a turnover leading to a runout, before he actiually calls the timeout.

In the timeout department, I believe Coach K, whom I despise, in the master of calling a timeout right before an opponent's run.

But maybe the 4 points don't matter and Self values the teaching moment letting them play through with a higher degree of autonomy. I don't know.

The one thing I've always noticed about Coach Rat are his teams ability to make it close at the end. Whether you like the rodent or not, he is an excellent end game coach. Roy, on the other hand, is an awful end game coach, imo. None of Roy's teams can shoot free throws, no matter where he's been. If you think Bill has an aversion to 3 point shooting, go watch UNC play, as the 3 point shot is almost never used as part of their arsenal. So, Roy's teams can't shoot free throws, or make 3s, which puts them at a complete disadvantage in the end game.

@KUSTEVE I agree. Coach K simply has a knack for getting Duke back into games. It is one of the reasons that he is the guy that has more wins than anyone else. It also makes it even more baffling that his teams have lost in the first round of the NCAA 2 of the last 3 years.

@joeloveshawks ha ha good one!

@KUSTEVE stop w/the Bill self aversion to the 3!! He doesn't dislike them, he just wants to throw it in first.

@Crimsonorblue22 The key words are "If you think" which are at the front of the sentence.

"If you think Bill has an aversion to 3 point shooting". I wasn't saying "*I think...remember, I'm Jethro...
*"