Man. That's gonna be tough to stomach forever.

Gotta at least take a shot.

The way the Florida player was swatting down, if Sharp had just followed through with the shot, there's a good chance he would've gone to the line for 3 free throws.

Johnny Bear said:

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The way the Florida player was swatting down, if Sharp had just followed through with the shot, there's a good chance he would've gone to the line for 3 free throws.

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Yep. Gonna hurt to always wonder. In moments like that someone gotta be the alpha.

Don't know how Cryer didn't have the ball.

So... a regular in-game opinion or observation suitable for the game thread really needed its own separate thread?

Mitch Blood Green said:

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Don't know how Cryer didn't have the ball.

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Cryer had some bad possessions down the stretch. Look like both him and Shead were tight and pressing.

Robert Wilson said:

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Mitch Blood Green said:

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Don't know how Cryer didn't have the ball.

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Cryer had some bad possessions down the stretch. Look like both him and Shead were tight and pressing.

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Pretty sure Shead plays for the Toronto Raptors.

EvilTroyAndAbed said:

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Robert Wilson said:

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Mitch Blood Green said:

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Don't know how Cryer didn't have the ball.

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Cryer had some bad possessions down the stretch. Look like both him and Shead were tight and pressing.

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Pretty sure Shead plays for the Toronto Raptors.

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Eh, whoever that guy was. Dreds and tattoos. Dribbled his way into 2 turnovers in the last minute.

Robert Wilson said:

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EvilTroyAndAbed said:

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Robert Wilson said:

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Mitch Blood Green said:

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Don't know how Cryer didn't have the ball.

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Cryer had some bad possessions down the stretch. Look like both him and Shead were tight and pressing.

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Pretty sure Shead plays for the Toronto Raptors.

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Eh, whoever that guy was. Dreds and tattoos. Dribbled his way into 2 turnovers in the last minute.

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Sharp. If Shead had been playing last night, Houston wins.

Not having an alpha guard to break down the defense killed Houston down the stretch last night.

And unfortunately for him, Cryer showed again last night that he's not that guy.

Cryer's a really good player and an elite shooter, but he's never been a guy who could create for himself or others off the bounce.

Mitch Blood Green said:

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Don't know how Cryer didn't have the ball.

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Cryer's been pretty iffy at closing time in games before. He only shot 33% from the field in this one and had just turned it over.

OurOurs said:

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Mitch Blood Green said:

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Don't know how Cryer didn't have the ball.

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Cryer's been pretty iffy at closing time in games before. He only shot 33% from the field in this one and had just turned it over.

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Cryer is a great Robin. But Houston needed a Batman last night.

bear2be2 said:

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Robert Wilson said:

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EvilTroyAndAbed said:

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Robert Wilson said:

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Mitch Blood Green said:

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Don't know how Cryer didn't have the ball.

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Cryer had some bad possessions down the stretch. Look like both him and Shead were tight and pressing.

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Pretty sure Shead plays for the Toronto Raptors.

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Eh, whoever that guy was. Dreds and tattoos. Dribbled his way into 2 turnovers in the last minute.

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Sharp. If Shead had been playing last night, Houston wins.

Not having an alpha guard to break down the defense killed Houston down the stretch last night.

And unfortunately for him, Cryer showed again last night that he's not that guy.

Cryer's a really good player and an elite shooter, but he's never been a guy who could create for himself or others off the bounce.

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Concur

bear2be2 said:

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Robert Wilson said:

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EvilTroyAndAbed said:

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Robert Wilson said:

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Mitch Blood Green said:

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Don't know how Cryer didn't have the ball.

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Cryer had some bad possessions down the stretch. Look like both him and Shead were tight and pressing.

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Pretty sure Shead plays for the Toronto Raptors.

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Eh, whoever that guy was. Dreds and tattoos. Dribbled his way into 2 turnovers in the last minute.

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Sharp. If Shead had been playing last night, Houston wins.

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Shead getting injured last post season early during UH's Elite 8 game with Duke was also the reason they didn't get to the FF and possibly win it all last year as well.

Mitch Blood Green said:

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Don't know how Cryer didn't have the ball.

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He did have the ball. He was the one who brought it up the floor on the final possession. He gave it up, got it back and didn't even take a dribble. He shrank when the moment got big.

Mitch Henessey said:

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Mitch Blood Green said:

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Don't know how Cryer didn't have the ball.

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He did have the ball. He was the one who brought it up the floor on the final possession. He gave it up, got it back and didn't even take a dribble. He shrank when the moment got big.

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He also missed a couple of short turnaround jumpers in the paint and had a really bad baseline drive that resulted in an easy inhalation block for one of the Florida bigs. If Houston had scored on that possession, they likely win the game, too.

bear2be2 said:

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Mitch Henessey said:

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Mitch Blood Green said:

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Don't know how Cryer didn't have the ball.

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He did have the ball. He was the one who brought it up the floor on the final possession. He gave it up, got it back and didn't even take a dribble. He shrank when the moment got big.

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He also missed a couple of short turnaround jumpers in the paint and had a really bad baseline drive that resulted in an easy inhalation block for one of the Florida bigs. If Houston had scored on that possession, they likely win the game, too.

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Yep. I really like Cryer's game. (His personality? Not so much.) But, if anything, the end of last night's game proved Drew's thesis that he's not a lead guard. Like you said, he's a great Robin. UH didn't have a Batman in their backcourt, though. And it cost them.

It's telling that Sampson recruited Cryer to UH under the premise of being the lead guard and then never actually turned those responsibilities over to him, other than a couple of non-conference patsies in his first year there.

Johnny Bear said:

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bear2be2 said:

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Robert Wilson said:

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EvilTroyAndAbed said:

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Robert Wilson said:

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Mitch Blood Green said:

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Don't know how Cryer didn't have the ball.

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Cryer had some bad possessions down the stretch. Look like both him and Shead were tight and pressing.

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Pretty sure Shead plays for the Toronto Raptors.

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Eh, whoever that guy was. Dreds and tattoos. Dribbled his way into 2 turnovers in the last minute.

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Sharp. If Shead had been playing last night, Houston wins.

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Shead getting injured last post season early during UH's Elite 8 game with Duke was also the reason they didn't get to the FF and possibly win it all last year as well.

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Zero shot against UConn but FF maybe

My impression was that the defense that Florida drew up to prevent Houston from taking a last shot was better than the offensive play that Houston drew up for their last shot.

How does Cryer pass the ball on the last possession? If you are the guy and you get the ball in your hands with under 10 seconds left, you do not pass the ball to someone else. You take the shot because you are the guy.

Quinton said:

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Johnny Bear said:

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bear2be2 said:

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Robert Wilson said:

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EvilTroyAndAbed said:

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Robert Wilson said:

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Mitch Blood Green said:

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Don't know how Cryer didn't have the ball.

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Cryer had some bad possessions down the stretch. Look like both him and Shead were tight and pressing.

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Pretty sure Shead plays for the Toronto Raptors.

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Eh, whoever that guy was. Dreds and tattoos. Dribbled his way into 2 turnovers in the last minute.

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Sharp. If Shead had been playing last night, Houston wins.

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Shead getting injured last post season early during UH's Elite 8 game with Duke was also the reason they didn't get to the FF and possibly win it all last year as well.

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Zero shot against UConn but FF maybe

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I wouldn't say zero shot. Houston does things defensively and on the offensive glass that give them a shot in every game they play. Almost no opponent ever plays their 'A' game against them, and most have trouble achieving their 'B' game.

UConn would have been the favorite, for sure. But Houston would have had a puncher's chance IMO, simply because they are a unique matchup for everyone.

Midnight Rider said:

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My impression was that the defense that Florida drew up to prevent Houston from taking a last shot was better than the offensive play that Houston drew up for their last shot.

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Uzan gave it up to Cryer at about 7 seconds and was open down the right side, but Cryer stepped back then threw it to the middle to Sharp. When Sharp lost the ball, he realized it and Florida realized it, but no one else from UH seemed to realize it with enough time to do anything about it.

Roberts was also briefly open just inside the 3 line when Cryer had the ball; he's not the one you would want handling it out front, but he might have had a clear lane to drive to the hoop. Instead he set a screen for Sharp to come back for the ball, and after that everything fell apart.

UConn was underrated physically. They would have matched physicality and then would have overwhelmed them with skill and clamp D. No shot

Donovan Clingan would have been the difference inside for UConn. That dude erased everything around the rim, and that was Houston's game last year.

This year's UH team scrapped and clawed, just like last year, but they weren't a drive and kick team this year. Most of their 3s this year came off perimeter-oriented sets or offensive rebounds. Clingan would have shut down their attempts to get into the paint, in my opinion.

Midnight Rider said:

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My impression was that the defense that Florida drew up to prevent Houston from taking a last shot was better than the offensive play that Houston drew up for their last shot.

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I was a bit surprised that UH looked committed to taking a 3 pointer. Florida was selling out with pressure and driving lanes were open.

Clayton Jr. Now there's a gamer. Houston didn't have a gamer and Florida did.

Chucky38 said:

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How does Cryer pass the ball on the last possession? If you are the guy and you get the ball in your hands with under 10 seconds left, you do not pass the ball to someone else. You take the shot because you are the guy.

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I've been fascinated by this in basketball for years. Closing seconds. Guard brings the ball down, burns 15 or so seconds and then steps in closer and then, as the pressure builds, he throws it to a teammate who is already covered up. That guys tries to dribble to get clear and then rushes an off balance shot.

Bad coaching:

1. There was a 2 for 1 opportunity at the. 45 second mark. They dribbled that away down 1.

2. Cryer should have a taken a more open long distance three. He can make those or...

3. Down 2, drive and score, dish or get fouled.