Just ugly stuff

Here are the scores of the Final Four Saturday games from 2001-2005

80-61, 99-84
73-64, 97-88
94-61, 95-84
67-65, 79-78
72-57, 87-71

Notice anything? In all but one year, three of the four teams scored 70+ points. A 70-point game is not a run and gun, back-and-forth score-a-thon.

This year, three of the four teams couldn't crack 60. That's ridiculous.

In the shot clock era, 1987-present in the NCAA Tourney, only two teams have failed to crack 60 in the NCAA Finals -- 1992 Michigan, which collapsed in the last 10 minutes of the game to turn a 48-45 deficit into a blowout 71-51 loss; and 2002 Indiana, which just stank up the court on offense. The lowest total for the champion was Maryland's rather putrid 64 in its win over Indiana. We're headed for something worse tomorrow.

Honestly, given the quality of basketball in the NCAA Tournament -- that is, the dearth of quality -- I've really not regretted missing the games with all the trial prep I've done in the past 3+ weeks. The old saw about how women's hoops lacked quality because the players couldn't shoot and the teams looked like wooden marionnettes lumbering around the floor is less true now than ever: the men cannot shoot, the men cannot hit jumpers, the men cannot hit layups. And the women's tourney is highly watchable in comparison.

Men's hoops needs some excellent offensive players to hit the courts next year and raise the quality of play. This year's tourney (59-45 for UCLA over LSU in the national semifinal!) has been horrid.