I'm certainly with you (and Coach L). I also really want the best for Newton, and am not as down on him as others are. If we want to achieve all that we hoped for at the beginning of the season, we need Newton and Brown to be major contributors. For most of the game, I thought Newton played well. Up until the last 90 seconds in regulation, Newton was 2-6 from the floor, but 6-6 from the line, and with 0 turnovers. So, on his 9 "possessions" (6 FG attempts and 3 trips to the line), he had 10 points. That's a great number against a solid Louisville defense that clogs the lane and takes away Newton's primary skill.
Where I thought Newton should be removed was in OT. Consider his stat line starting with the last 90 seconds of regulation:
0-4 FG
2-4 FT
1 turnover
1 steal
4 rebounds (which were big, especially on Brown's second missed FT)
2 fouls (with one horrific foul on McMahon's 3-point attempt in OT)
He made some important plays in OT to be sure, especially the rebounds and the steal, but he also made some bad decisions. If he had played even an average last 90 seconds of regulation, I would have fully supported Coach L's decision to keep Newton in the game in OT. But he seemed to slip into the reckless version of Newton that we have seen too often this year. Hopefully, he can learn to work with the team, and not try to be the entire team, which he seems to do at times. We need his skill set, especially against a team like FSU.
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