Madness

[libertango]

Just back from the break room, where I saw Wisconsin-Milwaukee beat Boston College, a #12 tournament seed upsetting a #4 seed in the NCAA collegiate basketball tournament.

I have to admit, the thing that completely befuddles me, game theory-wise, is why basketball has become so foul-happy.

These two teams were each shooting just under 50% from the floor, but 90% and 70% from the free throw line, respectively. That's not too uncommon. But BC kept deliberately fouling UW-M in the final seconds -- most notably a foul with three seconds left, when they were 6 or so points behind.

I can kind of understand wanting to control the clock, but it seems to me sending players to the foul line is an almost guaranteed basket against you, while letting them shoot from the floor is much less likely. So it seems to me all you do by fouling your opponent is dig a deeper hole for yourself, while if you let them shoot from the floor they're more likely to miss.

I'll tell you... If I was a refereee, and someone did that three second foul with that big a margin in front of me, I'd eject both the player and the coach from the game. There's nothing there but maliciousness. It's the worst sportsmanship in the world. Take your lumps, and stop prolonging the agony.

(Unless you're a masochist, at which point your kink is not my kink. :)

I always like seeing the underdog win, though.

Comments

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Go, underdogs.