Get Boring Out of Here

When I wrote last week about the ugly brand of basketball being played by much of the teams participating in the NCAA tournament and regular season games being very dull and boring to watch for casual fans, it wasn’t intended to one team or league. It was a sad truth concerning the college basketball landscape. The game has changed so much that now 90% of us only care about the name in the front and not in the back. All while, a decade ago it was the exact opposite. The likes of Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Al Horford, and Derrick Rose were all recognizable within the landscape of the game but now the stars of the game are completely taken out due to the style of the game changing. 

The flag bearer for this style is none other than University of Virginia coach Tony Bennett who embodies the grind out, bite your nail, 44-40 victory. So when, UVA lost to Tom Izzo’s Michigan State for the second consecutive year, it was a reminder that the tedious, uninteresting, defensive minded Bennett needs to change his style if he has hopes of succeeding when it actually counts.

The problem with the style of play implemented by the likes of Bennett is that it brings a lot of wins to the table in the regular season because at the college level, scoring comes at a premium and being an excellent defensive team ensures that your team has a chance to win night in and night out. Come tournament time however, the scenario changes. Go up against a talented team such as Michigan State and you get toasted.

Hopefully other coaches will soon realize that in order to win when it counts, a grinded out, low scoring game is highly ineffective and talented individuals have the ability to send you home packing. College basketball needs to be more exciting and over-coaching simply needs to stop because it’s killing the game.