jonfromwlv wrote:
I can't recall a moment when Montgomery has used a time with any strategic importance.

All I can say is WOW.  Monty does it all the time during crunch time.  He even did it last night when he called a TO around the 5 minute mark when Cal finally cut the deficit to under 10 and then again when Cal cut it to 6.  That was when Cal came out of the TO in a zone with Crabbe at the top of the key, which seemed to confuse Carson and ASU had to call a TO with about 15 seconds on the shot clock.

The one complaint I have is that he hoards his TO's for strategy purposes at the end of games and is often too late calling them to try to stop the other teams' momentum early in games (a la Ben Howland).

jonfromwlv wrote:

One point I would make is that Montgomery does not seem to know how to use a timeout. Wooden was the undisputed master of using a timeout to control the tempo and emotion of the game. I can't recall a moment when Montgomery has used a time with any strategic importance. Montgomery could learn a lot from watching some replays of Wooden's old games and his use of timeouts.

After watching ASU, would someone give me a game plan for Az? And while you're at it, you might send a cc to Montgomery.

PS -- The psychos over at bruinsnation.com have an interesting analysis of the ucla-Washington game. The complaint is that they won ugly. If Cal had won against ASU, it would have not have been a pretty win, but it would have been huge for Cal. I would have taken it. But the larger point is that there is so much parity in Pac-12 basketball that most everybody is winning (or playing 500 ball) without style points. Most of the teams are playing with a thin bench. Nobody is dominating. Pac-12 basketball is really a form of mud wrestling.

http://www.bruinsnation.com/20...oundup-ugly-win

John Wooden

UCLA coach John Wooden gestures and calls for time out in the waning seconds of game against the University of Houston in the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, Jan. 20, 1968. Wooden made the call in an effort to set up a play which he hoped might put his Bruins ahead. Seconds later Elvin Hayes, Houston forward, was awarded with two free throws which he made to win the game, 71-69.