I have to confess Branch McCracken's Hoosier teams circa 1965 were fun to watch. They had the Van Arsdale twins and Jon McGlocklin.
The Final Four
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Hindsight is 20/20, but if it were me, I'm running it all the way down, then shooting a deep three. Best case scenario is that it goes down and the game is over and the worst case scenario is that you burn another 2 to 3 seconds off the clock....it's a high, potentially contested rebound and they have 3, maybe 4 seconds to get it up the floor with whoever they could get the outlet pass to. They ended up having 8 seconds with a miss that led to transition.
RabidDawgClassic
- Los Angeles, CA
I don’t disagree, but SDSU did have a timeout, so once they got the rebound they could eliminate the chaos and have 3-4 seconds left to set up a shot.
It was just a unique confluence of time, possession and score where no strategy was perfect or even obvious. What changed the dynamic was FAU shooting with 4.4 seconds left on the shot clock. That allowed SDSU to advance the floor without calling timeout and using chaos to its advantage.
Indiana did manage 2 NCAA championships under Branch McCracken. 1939-40 and 1952-53.
was Branch his nickname, cuz his real name was Phil ?
San Diego State making The Big Finish is great news for all the current and future members of the Pac 12.
This once-powerhouse-but-now-shaky Conference has been on the ropes since UCLA and USC decided to go. And the Pac 12 still is in limbo with possible further departures and additions.
But San Diego State is giving the Conference reasons to celebrate. And if they should upset the (are they really?) Blue Bloods of U Conn... the Pac 12 will be absolutely thrilled. In whatever form they end up taking.
U Conn has been in the Big Bright Lights before. Nothing new there. But a program like SD State winning the Big Trophy would be a fitting and suitable end to this season of great College Ball parity and lots of fun upsets.
And even if they come up short... they have just given dozens of similar programs around the Nation additional hope that they too can get there... and real soon.
This once-powerhouse-but-now-shaky Conference has been on the ropes since UCLA and USC decided to go. And the Pac 12 still is in limbo with possible further departures and additions.
But San Diego State is giving the Conference reasons to celebrate. And if they should upset the (are they really?) Blue Bloods of U Conn... the Pac 12 will be absolutely thrilled. In whatever form they end up taking.
U Conn has been in the Big Bright Lights before. Nothing new there. But a program like SD State winning the Big Trophy would be a fitting and suitable end to this season of great College Ball parity and lots of fun upsets.
And even if they come up short... they have just given dozens of similar programs around the Nation additional hope that they too can get there... and real soon.
Illinicpa14
- Chicago
The SDSU is a real solid program. The Covid year they were going to be a 1-2 seed as well.
OnlyOrange
- Belleville, IL
This was my question. Couldn't you wait until the shot clock gets down to 1, then shoot a very high arching 30-foot rainbow 3, so that by the time it bounces off the rim (most likely) and comes down, there's very little time left?
Like another poster said, was an interesting confluence of time & possession to do that correctly, but I feel that if executed, could have really limited SDSU's chances.
Actually google says his name was: Emmet B. "Branch" McCracken.
its a great story, but SDSU getting to the NCAA finals game doesnt add any real value to their brand , conference wise.
its what they do on Saturdays in the fall that matters.
How about as a roundball replacement for UCLA? Not on a par of course... but getting a program on the rise.
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