There were a lot of other responses while I was writing this, and they're all more appropriate. But I still feel like I have to voice a concern after what we saw tonight.... so here's what I wrote in anger in the last minute or two of the game... Maybe later people can share opinions on what I thought was a major weak point that led to this ending of the season.....

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One thing I can't stand seeing at this point is being out-muscled, out-toughed, and not even getting any calls (like the Custer inbound near the end). I want our coach to warn the refs that we can play like sadistic bastards if that's how they're going to call the game, and I want us to be able to back up that claim when we need to.

I NEVER, EVER, EVER AGAIN want to see us getting beat up and pushed around like we saw this year. Multiple broken noses on Krutwig, and especially hard contact against his face when he was wearing the protective mask... Williamson's hand broken not once, but twice.... Hard pushes into the basket upright on breakaway fouls, over and over again... Very hard fouls in the paint on penetration to discourage drives....

And we never gave any payback. For the second year in a row, Loyola was in the bottom 10 nationally-- out of 353 Division I teams-- in fouls committed. In the past two seasons, nearly 70 games, only ONE Loyola player fouled out of any game.

Other teams are using that against us, and beating us up on "ordinary contact," beating the holy god-damned fuck out of us on "basketball plays" and applying extra hard force on any incidental contact whatsoever. They're also pressing hard on deliberate fouls (a few more and a lot harder). We have NO ENFORCEMENT against them on similar play. And if the refs are letting most things go...... forget it.

I am so angry from watching the last two games of this season. It feels like we got shoved into an alley, beaten up, and our car keys stolen. We played clean for two years, until people realized that we were always going to play clean, and then they started using it against us. "You can elbow Loyola in the back to get an offensive rebound. Give them a push two beats before they are going to get a pass. If the refs call it, do it softer or earlier. Do whatever you have to do get into their heads on offensive breakaways..... by the third one they'll be tentative or fearful...." That was a big part of our season, IMO, and probably led directly to 3-4 losses.

Time to start busting some jaws and cracking some ribs on "basketball plays." I'd really like to see a smart-ass opposing player laid out hard next year in an early game, just to put out some notice against teams that think they can beat us to a pulp with no penalty. I think we ought to have at least one player who comes into the game that everyone KNOWS is going to settle a score.

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That was what I wrote at the end of the game, still upset. I'm not proud of every word, but I think the issue should be addressed.

I NEVER, EVER, EVER AGAIN want to see us getting beat up and pushed around like we saw this year. Multiple broken noses on Krutwig, and especially hard contact against his face when he was wearing the protective mask... Williamson's hand broken not once, but twice.... Hard pushes into the basket upright on breakaway fouls, over and over again... Very hard fouls in the paint on penetration to discourage drives....

And we never gave any payback. For the second year in a row, Loyola was in the bottom 10 nationally-- out of 353 Division I teams-- in fouls committed. In the past two seasons, nearly 70 games, only ONE Loyola player fouled out of any game.

Other teams are using that against us, and beating us up on "ordinary contact," beating the holy god-damned fuck out of us on "basketball plays" and applying extra hard force on any incidental contact whatsoever. They're also pressing hard on deliberate fouls (a few more and a lot harder). We have NO ENFORCEMENT against them on similar play. And if the refs are letting most things go...... forget it.

I am so angry from watching the last two games of this season. It feels like we got shoved into an alley, beaten up, and our car keys stolen. We played clean for two years, until people realized that we were always going to play clean, and then they started using it against us. "You can elbow Loyola in the back to get an offensive rebound. Give them a push two beats before they are going to get a pass. If the refs call it, do it softer or earlier. Do whatever you have to do get into their heads on offensive breakaways..... by the third one they'll be tentative or fearful...." That was a big part of our season, IMO, and probably led directly to 3-4 losses.

Time to start busting some jaws and cracking some ribs on "basketball plays." I'd really like to see a smart-ass opposing player laid out hard next year in an early game, just to put out some notice against teams that think they can beat us to a pulp with no penalty. I think we ought to have at least one player who comes into the game that everyone KNOWS is going to settle a score.