I think I picked up on your attitude like I didn't know what I was talking about, but there was more than 2 minutes left in the game, down 16, which may seem incredible to some, but I've seen 10 points erased in less than a minute.
He just threw in the towel, sat Cowan and Fernando, and they never came back in.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C3kUhFCxCYPqiRHxALmyodDIOOqHlcWG/view
I've been following this discussion between you and
@ELA and I just don't get this particular complaint about your coach.
Look, all of us get frustrated with our coaches sometimes and sometimes we are correct and our program should part ways with the coach and move in a different direction. As a general issue, from my perspective, I'm not sure if I agree that Maryland is there with Turgeon. In his nine seasons they have had one sweet sixteen. That does seem a little low relative to Maryland's overall long-term performance but it isn't like he has been horrible. This year will be his fifth NCAA in the past six years. My point is that they are fielding good teams, just not great teams.
Back to the specific complaint:
In the picture you posted Maryland is down 16 with 2:19 to go and you disagree with the decision to pull the stars. Frankly, I don't. The chances of coming back from that to win are remote at best. As
@ELA said above, I think at that point that the chances of one of them getting hurt are greater than the chances of Maryland pulling off a shocking come-from-behind win for the ages.
My math:
Maryland is down 16 so if they hit a three every time they get the ball they need six possessions. 2:19 = 139 seconds and 139/6=23.17 so here is roughly what they would need to have happen in order to win (note that MSU is in Bonus+):
- Maryland makes a three in ~20 seconds to make it 56-69 with 120 seconds to go.
- Maryland fouls MSU in ~3 seconds to send them to the line at 117 seconds to go.
- MSU misses BOTH foul shots.
- Maryland makes a three in ~20 seconds to make it 59-69 with 97 seconds to go.
- Maryland fouls MSU in ~3 seconds to send them to the line at 94 seconds to go.
- MSU misses BOTH foul shots.
- Maryland makes a three in ~20 seconds to make it 62-69 with 74 seconds to go.
- Maryland fouls MSU in ~3 seconds to send them to the line at 71 seconds.
- MSU misses BOTH foul shots.
- Maryland makes a three in ~20 seconds to make it 65-69 with 51 seconds.
- Maryland fouls MSU in ~3 seconds to send them to the line at 47 seconds.
- MSU misses BOTH foul shots.
- Maryland makes a three in ~20 seconds to make it 68-69 at 27 seconds.
- Maryand fouls MSU in ~20 seconds to send MSU to the line at 24 seconds.
- Maryland makes a bucket in the final 24 seconds to win either 70-69 or 71-69.
IMHO, the chances of Maryland making six straight baskets with at least four of them being threes (because 4*3+2*2=16) and all of them being somewhat rushed are remote at best. The chances of MSU missing eight consecutive foul shots are even more remote. In theory MSU could make two (if all six of UMD's baskets are threes) and still go to OT. Is it throwing in the towel, well yes but it is pretty hard to argue with the logic behind it. How many teams have ever come back from a 16 point deficit in ~2 minutes?
I tried to google it but the closest I could come up with was a
list of the 41 biggest comebacks in NCAA history. Those are all more points (22 or more) but note that the latest in the game of those was that VCU overcame a 26 point deficit with 9:26 left at USF on February 20, 1993. My point is that if Maryland or any team were to somehow overcome a 16 point deficit in a little over two minutes it wouldn't just be historic for that team, it would be a major historic event.
One final way to determine this:
Years ago I read an article by Bill James on Slate
an article by Bill James on Slate that had a theory for determining when a Basketball game is over. I found and linked the article but here is the math:
- Take the differential: 16
- Subtract three: 13
- Add a half-point if the team ahead has the ball, subtract a half-point if the team behind has the ball: (I don't know who had the ball so I'll just assume it was Maryland: 12.5
- Square that: 156.25
- If the result is greater than the number of seconds left in the game, the lead is safe: 156.25>139 so the game was no longer in doubt per Slate.