It was a great day today, but the night didn't end too well. Pitt's ended another NCAA Tournament run in disappointing fashion. But what did you expect? We got an unfavorable early matchup with a Butler team who isn't any different from last year (remember, they were inches away from winning the championship game against Duke).
Still, that isn't what I am going to talk about tonight. Let me start by using my journalistic skills to paint a picture in your mind:
There are 40 seconds left in a matchup between two conference rivals. They have been battling all game, back and forth. It is tied up. Everything rests in the last 40 seconds. I, the fan, am standing inches away from the TV biting my nails. I am about to see an incredible end to an intense game. Coach #1 takes a timeout. They take the court again. The ball is inbounded, but Coach #2 takes a timeout. I sit back down in frustration.
I don't get it. The most exciting part of a sporting event is the last minute. With every timeout and intentional foul, the intensity decreases. The multiple stoppages in play are ridiculous.
In football, teams are given two timeouts. I realize that basketball is a fast-paced game, but what is getting accomplished when a coach calls three timeouts in half a minute? I can't imagine that the game's result would be any different if coaches were only allowed to use one timeout in the final minute. That is the only resolution I can think of. Or maybe they should add a "one-minute warning". All I know is that there needs to be a change.
