I don’t know what you were doing on Monday morning, but Dana Altman looked like a guy who woke up, dressed, let the dog out, cut the grass and decided that the next step on his to-do list was, “Send Iowa to the bags. “
Oregon with the seventh seed hit the Hawkeyes number 2 95-80 on Monday.
The Ducks were the best team. Altman was the top trainer. The Hawkeyes, announced as a defensive and demanding team from the Big Ten, seemed powerless against Oregon’s attack. It was a pain. I’m sure the Ducks’ victory destroyed some keys, but for the rest of us the result was as surprising as the correspondence showing up.
Altman said later: “I don’t think we’ve ever scored 95 points.”
Then that’s it. Still, in 11 seasons at Eugene, the Patos have advanced to Sweet 16 five different times. Twice, Altman reached Elite Eight. It also has a Final Four. Which just means that the Oregon coach will have to win a few more games before any of us fall into disbelief and believe that this tournament has lost its balance.
March is the month of Altman.
Eliminate talent. Change locations and years. Bubble everything if you want. It doesn’t really seem to matter in the end. What has become certain is that Altman will find a way to put his team in a successful position in the NCAA tournament. He is particularly lethal in the short term, facing elimination.
Oregon hadn’t played in 10 days, remember?
Ducks should start slowly and lose their pace. Altman avoided that before the tip and said to the players: “They played a game. They will not get tired in the first 10 minutes. We have to go out, move the ball, make moves for each other, make some easy shots and not let them hit easy baskets. “
Get out and move the ball, check.
Make moves to each other, check.
Get some easy pictures and avoid giving up on the easy ones – check and check.
What Iowa fought the most, however, was getting the talented and versatile people from Oregon. Everyone talks about Chris Duarte. He is the best OU player and the animal spirit of the program. But Altman has a pile of talented and interchangeable pieces. Its rotations are designed to promote a migraine, fragmenting the opposing defenses and letting opponents choose from a series of less than ideal options.
Hawkeyes coach Fran McCaffrey said: “Yes, anyone can bring it. Anyone can go. Everyone does three. They spread you out.
“It is a difficult team to cover in so many different ways.”
If the ducks don’t shoot well, they lose. If they shoot decently, they win. But if they film very well, they kick you out of the gym and that’s what happened on Monday in Indianapolis. I particularly liked that Oregon had 25 assists in 38 field goals. It was abandoned as a clinic.
“We try to man, zone, we try to pressure them,” said McCaffrey.
None of this worked. After a few minutes of the second half, it was evident that the Iowa season was ending. A few minutes later, it was clear that the Ducks were not coming out of the bubble and needed to think about who would do the laundry during the week.
Winning is not boring. I want to make that clear. Altman is simply predictable and businesslike. It makes success look easy. Wins, particularly in an NCAA tournament, are not to be taken for granted. But there was something routine and stereotyped about the way Altman’s team dismantled their opponent Big Ten and advanced through this tournament.
March Madness is a magnet for great stories. Sister Jean is back on the key. Oregon State and Wayne Tinkle are on Sweet 16 along with number 15, Oral Roberts. Pac-12 turned off the lights. There is so much to see here now, but let’s not forget Dana Altman’s excellence.
Oregon did it again on Monday. Altman’s team survived and advanced. They were rusty. Only two players in the squad had a real NCAA tournament experience. Iowa looked formidable. Still, Ducks played as well as anyone on this stage. They won with ease and beauty.
It was the most Dana Altman thing ever.
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