UNI 69, Kansas 67 = the biggest win in Northern Iowa history. I graduated from UNI in 1998. I couldn't be more proud to be a Panther today.
For all of you who might not be well versed in basketball logic let me break this down for you. This shot that he takes here to basically put the game away is the most gusty shot in the world. If he misses they will probably lose since Kansas was scoring at will.
What is crazy is that they had 30 seconds left on the shot clock with a one point lead. That means that since they had a one point lead they could have held the ball until there was about 5 second left on the clock, take a shot and if they make it then they would be up three and Kansas would only have 5 seconds to tie it up with a three which would have been tough. Based on this you would understand why most coaches would have had a heart attack seeing him pull up for this three pointer. But he made it!!! Game over. Insane. My kids thought I was on drugs as I was jumping all over the living room and screaming.
By far, this is the biggest win in UNI history. Kansas was picked by most to win the whole thing. They got beat by a bunch of farm kids from Iowa. So good.
5 comments:
If he missed that shot with 30 seconds still on the short clock, the coaches (and the entire University of Northern Iowa) would have ripped him up one side and down the other.
But, alas, he made it and will never have to pay for a another meal while living in Cedar Falls, Iowa. ;)
i'm still in awe ... happy like you are to be Panther!
I don't know much about basketball, but that was certainly not the smart shot to take, for the reasons you point out.
I was up too late (here in Italy) watching the game Zach and must say I absolutely loved the shot.
In fact, I told my wife that that shot was an example of why Northern Iowa won the game. They were playing to win. Playing free. Playing aggressive. Kansas on the other hand was clearly nervous throughout the game and, in my opinion, was playing not to lose. And there is a world of difference.
I plan on going into coaching after playing and I always want to make sure my team plays to win, even if it means losing a few games with shots like that.
But if you think about it, if he didn't take that shot, Kansas would have fouled to extend the game (at least they should have). And they probably would have been smart enough not to foul him, but another player that isn't quite as good at the free throw line.
If you allow them to foul, you can make the two free throws and only be up three points. I believe NO was in the double bonus, so they would have had two shots, but you know there is some serious pressure to make them. So they could have missed one or two. And with the way Kansas was scoring, that would have left NO in a tough position. Plus, with the fouling tactic, Kansas could have kept that process going for another 3-4 possessions at least. Which means NO would have had to make maybe eight free throws straight, not to mention they might have been out of timeouts and would have had to face Kansas' full-court press again and again (which they weren't handling well).
All that being said, from a coaching standpoint, do I like a wide open three point shot from my best shooter that could prove to be the dagger that puts the big boys away? Or the extended drama of 30 seconds against the best team in the country? I personally like the three. If you go down, at least you went down swinging, not holding on for dear life.
At the very least, you will enjoy watching my teams play!
As I was driving home, I heard on the radio some ESPN analyst say "And number 1 Kansas was taken down by the overly Caucasian team from Northern Iowa." That was hilarious!
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