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Dick Jerardi | Tucker a force behind Badgers' rise
Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw wasn't particularly happy with the Liacouras Center "crowd" of 6,056 at last Wednesday's game with Saint Joseph's. Really, that game is always supposed to be a sellout. Or close. Bradshaw also wasn't pleased that the Atlantic 10 scheduled the game while students were on break.
"I don't think this game should be played during the break," Bradshaw said. "It's a rivalry game. I think it's because of what happened the last 2 years."
To review, the last two St. Joe's-at-Temple games were Goongate and Reaction to Goongate. The first was ugly on the court. The second was ugly in the crowd.
"If a concern is raised, we try to accommodate the schools," said Ray Cella, the A-10's associate commissioner. "Sometimes, it isn't going to work, because it means moving a lot of games around."
Cella declined to comment on Bradshaw's contention that the game was scheduled during the break so it would be calmer. He did say Temple had called about several games, including the St. Joe's game. The league was able to change the date of one Temple game, but unable to change the date of the St. Joe's game.
Make shots
Stats often mean nothing, especially historical stats. One stat I always look at is shooting percentage.
If a team shoots anywhere near 50 percent, that tells me it takes good shots, has a solid offensive scheme and can score late in close games. It is a good win predictor.
In the most recent NCAA stats, 13 teams shoot 50 percent or better - Florida, Air Force, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Texas A&M, Arizona, Nebraska, North Carolina State, New Mexico State, Oklahoma State, North Carolina, A&M-Corpus Christi and Pittsburgh. Through Monday, those teams were 174-44.
It must not have been the coach
Bill Herrion was fired at East Carolina after his teams went 70-98. When the former Drexel coach took the job, ECU moved way up in class to Conference USA and was often overmatched.
Just when C-USA lost many of its better teams to the Big East and ECU had a chance to compete, Herrion got fired. New ECU coach Ricky Stokes is 13-30.
Herrion, meanwhile, is at New Hampshire. He doesn't have much talent, but give him some time. UNH was 12-17 last season and is 6-12 this season. If anybody reading this can name one New Hampshire player, now or ever, go to the Hoops History Hall of Fame.
The charge
It is around mid-January every season that I get real tired of defensive players falling down in the lane whenever an offensive player gets within 5 feet of them. The offensive foul has always been the biggest fraud perpetrated on the game, because so many players are taught to fake taking charges.
A partial solution would be to get rid of at least the charges taken by a player whose head is under the net. Clearly, that has nothing to do with the play, a play that usually has already been made by the time the "charge" is taken.
Get that NBA arc in front of the hoop. If a defender is inside the arc, there is no charge. See how easy that was.
THIS AND THAT
-- Why is Texas A&M (15-2) off to its best start in 47 years? Well, the Aggies are first in field-goal defense, second in scoring defense and fifth in field-goal accuracy. Put all that together and you have a very dangerous team in March.
-- Kansas has won 31 of its last 35 games. The Jayhawks' bench is outscoring its opponents', 437-242.
