Of course, I am celebrating the win along with everyone else!

It remains a fair question, however, and TV announcers will discuss this situation, “to foul or not to foul”, nearly every time it comes up.

There is risk and reward with each strategy and I am not sure which would be my proposed solution! Yet, after seemingly 4 times of getting beat by the “play it out” strategy, I think it’s a question Coach must be thinking about, so I am wondering what his answer is.

That’s rude of you to tell me to shut up. Would you grant me the right to raise tough questions if I prefaced them with expressions of joy, approval, and appreciation?

If so, I would like to point out that the difference in the OT period appears to be the fact that we got 1 steal (Gut) and 2 O-boards (Kamp, MSF), while UCLA got only 1 O-board. That meant extra possessions for us, even though they won the tip. Also, they missed the front end of a 1 and 1 FT, while Gut hit 1 of 2 from the line in OT. Hip Hip Jorge, indeed!

I’d also like to point out that MSF played 37 minutes without fouling out, and hit 6 of 7 from the floor, which would all seem to more than make up for the fact that he missed all 4 FT’s! 37 minutes! Wow! (prior high was 36 min vs. ASU, equally impressive considering last year’s foul troubles – major kudos for major improvement!)

You are exactly right, IMO. Though, in truth, the odds of a desperation 3 from further back than the nba range is higher than getting an offensive board and put back when there is only 2-3 seconds left, and it requires making the first as well. The player being able to shoot and make a 3 during a foul is a real possibility, especially when the team has not been coached as to the best ways to intentionally foul in that situation.

My issue last night was with the TO more so than the change in strategy Monty decided to go with (check out the post-mortem).

Regarding late game foul strategy:

When you are up 3 playing defense with a few seconds left you can only lose the game right then and there 2 ways, and both of them involve a foul: either you foul the guy while he is shooting a three, he makes it and then goes to the line to win it, or, you foul the guy, he makes the first FT, then misses the 2nd and an offensive rebound then three pointer wins it also! No foul and worst that can happen is OT. Just because Az and ucla made the shot a couple of times does not mean that fouling would have been the right move. We beat ucla, az beat us. Had we fouled both times we may have lost both, or won both. No way to know…I think Monty thinks his guys are gonna play tough D down the stretch and that more often than not the others guys will miss. Just because that hasn’t been the case recently, doesn’t mean it isn’t the better decision over the long haul. imho

Keep on keeping on. Four blown 3 point leads with less than 5 seconds remaining in a month, each coming out of a TO, is not a matter of chance. Tonight’s was very painful for me.

Monty has always been a “play it out” guy, which you can believe in or not. Regardless, that strategy works better in some situations rather than others. Monty seemed to panic, IMO, because of the previous blown leads, and called a TO when he should not have in order to change his style.

I mean, if you are a “play it out” coach, the other team just failed on their last trip down the court, AND they don’t have any time outs, WHY GIVE THEM THE CHANCE TO REGROUP? It was the perfect time to go with the strategy Monty prefers, with UCLA needing to deliver a 3 without the chance to set up a play.

It felt very much like watching a rookie blackjack player in a 50-50 situation (like doubling down on 11 with the dealer showing a 10), you pick you poison to double or not in that situation and stay with it.

Had UCLA called a TO, Howand likely believing Monty would “play it out”, then trying to foul would make more sense. I wasn’t mad that Crabbe didn’t get the foul. Lee made a fall away 3 pointer, c’mon. I was mad that Monty called a TO to give UCLA a chance to organize themselves.

i am so proud of this team’s effort. they are really looking better and better each week. jorge is incredible.

Please, shut up. Cal won. Monty may have told Crabbe to foul and he didn’t. Shocking (not really) that you focus on that after one of our best games of the season.

Great win Bears!

Gotta sweep the Oregons and beat Furd.