I saw Pitino talk about it. “Backscreen for a guy who had done nothing all day. And he called the play for himself.” Pitino also commented on how he went to the dribble with the right hand, implying that they weren’t looking for that. Not all that dissimilar to AJ’s game winning drive against Harvard.
1 Like
I did not have Xaivian Lee ending his season before Tabby Amanze on my bingo card.
1 Like
And the Kansas big came way out past the three point line. Why? Iowa kept the big down low guarding the hoop.
I watched the relevant portions of Florida’s postgame presser and it seemed like Xaivian had the “authority” to take the layup.
Golden said he would have preferred Lee try the layup because the defender at the rim wasn’t in legal guarding position (he was indeed moving and in the restricted area). So he could have gotten a foul even if he missed the shot. But he also said Xaivian had a really good game and you can’t blame the final possession and ignore the previous 66.
The bigger brain freeze was on Iowa’s game-winning 3 right before. Golden said he was trying to foul up 2. Hence the pressure/overplay. Really? Why not just play solid defense for 9 seconds? Make them hit a contested shot against a set defense.
2 Likes
Fland just whiffed going for the steal, which was a bad choice. Should have just played soft delay pressure, keep them in front of you, don’t leave a guy wide open in the corner (Koch had hit one from there on a similar fast break earlier in the game).
On the last play, Lee should have tried to shoot IMO. I don’t think he would have gotten the call even if he’d been mugged, but there was a chance. The other option, a surprise jump stop for the short mid-range pull-up, has never seemed to be in his arsenal.
Princeton Lee definitely takes the shot. He’s the #1 option and he’s made game-winners before. Florida Lee is too scared to take the last shot. He’s usually the #4 option and he’s never taken a potential game-winner for them before.
“What if I miss?” is a thought that would never cross his mind as a Tiger. As a Gator, he’s actively looking for a bigger star to take the shot.
2 Likes
He only had 4.5 seconds to go the length of the court. He had two Iowa players converging on him and forcing him the boundary at half court and a third Iowa player covering him on the baseline as he turned to the basket. Not one Florida teammate set a pick for him. GIVE HIM A BREAK. Hindsight is always 20/20. He probably practiced that wrap around pass 1,000 times in practice and was always encouraged to do it. He had 17 points on 7 for 11 shooting. I will look up his other stats, but they were impressive as well. Too many people on this site who never probably never made a high school varsity team of any kind are too quick to lambast a kid who had a remarkable college career. Stop judging something you know nothing about.
What makes you an expert? Basketball is not complicated. You can fairly critique a player without playing high school varsity. Lee was paid 6 million buckaroos from as rick pitino stated, what is now pro basketball. He was paid to get further than rd2.
1 Like
The real mistake,as stated above, was the whiff on the attempted steal of the inbound lead pass before the wide open 3. But if the intent was to foul up 2, who does that? Too many ways to lose. Just play the right defense, prevent an easy shot and win the game.
1 Like
You don’t know anything about “Florida Lee”.
Florida was out-coached on the last two plays. Xaivian was doubled and then dribbled into triple coverage. He has the ability to stop on a dime and hit the step-back 3, but I’m sure he was executing what the coach had drawn up.
Florida man is usually responsible for all of the rot in the world.
1 Like
I think he was paid $2 million by Florida and another $4 million by a Chinese shoe company.
1 Like
That’s 6 million. Averaged 11 a game and flopped in the 2nd rd. Bottom line. Hardly amazing.
1 Like
Before or after tariffs?
1 Like
I’m a Lee defender overall. And he played a very good game against Iowa overall, and I think could hve done more fi permitted.
The guy who took too long to wake up IMO was their best player Hauck, who only took over with drvies to the rim late in the second half, to excellent effect. Should have been attacking that way from jump.
ICYMI, he already entered the portal–again.
Fake news. Do you have a link to an authoritative source? He is out of eligibility anyway.
1 Like
I think PennNation fell for a joke Twitter account:
https://xcancel.com/ShaneTuttleNCAA/status/2036527045186863226#m
This is the previous post from the same account:
https://xcancel.com/ShaneTuttleNCAA/status/2036510034117443992#m
NEWS: Alabama PG Aden Holloway is cleared to play in the Sweet Sixteen under one key condition:
Holloway will have to wear an ankle monitor on and off the court, according to judge ruling.
1 Like
I’m obviously a Lee defender as well. I’m a lifelong season ticket holder. He‘s a special talent and a great person. He excelled on the court and in the classroom as an economics major. I think Princeton’s attendance doubled after the Sweet 16 run with Xaivian and Caden Pierce. Earlier this year he struggled to make 3 point shots. Florida fans and others posted horribly racist comments that I will not repeat. In response, Xaivian did.not complain or fold under that incredible pressure. He persevered and regained his outside shot and cut down on his turnovers. He became a team leader. Hence, I stand by my assessment that he had an incredible year.
2 Likes