totally agree with your comments on the underrated, very listenable Johnson-Elmore team whose broadcasts were models of economy and incisivness.

Any thoughts? Should a team be allowed to opt-out of shooting free throws in a bonus situation, if they'd prefer the chance to inbound?

The NCAA tried that as an experimental rule in the Maui season-opening tournament some years ago.

The fouled team had the choice of shooting free-throws, or inbounding the ball again. What that led to was the fouling team fouling repeatedly (10+ times) until the inbounding team finally turned the ball over. Inbounds plays are hard. Giving the defensive team multiple shots at them (relatively) penalty free hurts them team that rule tries to help.

Maybe make the double-bonus two shots plus a third if the first two are made? I don't like watching free throws either, but it would limit the "foul the other team to limit them to two points" strategy.

I don't think that it is a penalty to the defense that the offense has to reset and scramble to get back into position with all of the lost time off of both the shot clock and the game clock, especially when those seconds are huge. If anything, it is a direct benefit to the defense in the game and helps to slow down this fast-break oriented basketball and takes to the fundamentals. The good teams are the ones who are talented enough to hold their ground and force a steal by being aggressive playing defense and knocking the ball into the backcourt, giving their team the ability to go on the break and get easier points. Making the game stop takes away the momentum from the defense and allows the offense, who was not protecting the ball or making crisp passes like they should have been, turn around and set their feet on DEFENSE?! The break in play alone takes the immediate advantage of the continuous play rule now in order and inherently takes away the momentum that could have been gained had they the ability to chase the ball. All I'm saying is that with the non backcourt violation rule in play now can reward good solid hustle on the basketball court and who doesn't love hustle, especially in college basketball?

the game would be called, "Who can blow the tightest meth smoke ring into Knight's nostrils while his mouth is filled with styrofome and covered in ductape. By the by, I just smoked a big fattie. I am so wasted right now. I burped up my Wendy's frostie and have to fish the dead hooker out of my jacuzzi. It is so cold outside. I wish Bob Knight would show up at my house with a tube of KY, a clamp, two chisels, and a box of rubbers, not to mention some depends undergarments and medicinal stirrups. Old men need lotsandlotso lovin care. I will take care of the errant body hair Bobarino. Just don't be such a stranger anymore.

...but the wrong sport.

Is there any event that so consistently lives up to its reputation as the NCAA Tournament?

The NCAA Mens' Ice Hockey Tournament provides even more excitement. This is true even if you don't recognize that hockey is inherently a better game. Eight of the last sixteen finals have gone into overtime, and the sudden death nature of hockey overtime is really intense.

That does not include the 2004 Denver victory over Maine, which was a one goal game, where Denver spent the last minute and a half of the game two men shorthanded, and main skating with a 6-3 advantage.

Then there are the non-final games. St Lawrence and BU played four overtimes in a 2000 quarterfinal. Maine and Michigan played three OTs in a 1996 semifinal that featured Blaine Allison making two impossible saves on Michigan breakaways in extra time.

Also, there's only one timeout per team per game, and no incentive to foul, so the last minute of the game almost never takes more than three minutes to play. And, Billy Packer is nowhere to be found, though Tom Sagissor gives him a run for his money.

Many people in the thread have complained about the number of timeouts each team has at the end of the game. I'm not certain I see the problem. Currently for a televised game, each team gets four 30-second timeouts and one 60-second timeout per game. Only 3 of the 30-second time outs may be transfered to the second half. This means that at the maximum, there can be only five minutes of timeouts in the final four minutes of game time, but it's usually no more than half that.

The thing that really slows down the end of the game is foul shots created when the trailing team fouls to try to get the ball back. The simple solution? Give the team the option not to take the shots.

Once you're in the double-bonus, allow the fouled team to choose to either:

A) Shoot the two shots.

B) Reset the shot clock. Position an inbound passer on the sideline just behind half-court. Offensive players can be anywhere on the court. Defensive are required to be on the offensive side of half-court. Defensive players cannot cross half-court until an inbounds offensive player controls the ball.

Given option B, the offense may inbound pass to an undefended player in the backcourt and then waste a couple precious seconds as the defenders run to him, or (if they're trailing) they may pass the ball into a defended offensive zone for a chance at a quick three-pointer.

This eliminates the need to intentionally foul at the end of the game to get the ball back, because you won't get it back. You will continue to play agressively, however, because you will be required to cleanly steal the ball in order to get it back.

There is NOTHING cooler in all of sports announcing than Bill Raftery at the beginning of each game going, "and the ______ start the game MANTOMAN!" Makes my day everytime. True, I'm easy to please, but there is something so awesome about it. Love his game vocab as well, "kiss off the glass," "Lace the nylon," "Scintillating marksmanship," etc makes him one announcer that I have to turn the volume up for.

Verne Lundquist is a great partner as well. Much better than Dick Vitale's BS hyperactivity or Nantz and Packer S------ off the front runners. The only other good basketball guys are Bill Walton and Kevin "No regard for life or limb" Harlan.