Another game in the 50's tonight..

[Syracuse44]

One thing I was looking forward to in the ACC was a more free-flowing, skilled game of basketball that I thought would be played. Gone would be the days of Cincy, Georgetown (who still sucks), South Florida, etc rock fight basketball. However, a disturbing trend in the ACC has arisen this season. Every team seems to play a slow down, foul plagued, low possession game, especially against SU. I truly believe that the NCAA needs to go to a 30 second max shot clock. It's not very entertaining to watch a team hold the ball for 30 seconds every possession, and then chuck up a prayer from 3 every time down the court. Thoughts?

 

[PauliePeppas]

Agree completely, 90 percent of teams refuse to run with our guys and play stall ball from the tip...the zone does invite this tactic but coaches who actually have some stones . Coach K, Beilein, Pitino, Cooley and a few others dont crawl into a ball when the game starts...A 30 sec clock would help a little but im still hoping for the 24 sec clock although I doubt that will ever happen

 

[jncuse]

Agree completely, 90 percent of teams refuse to run with our guys and play stall ball from the tip...the zone does invite this tactic but coaches who actually have some stones . Coach K, Beilein, Pitino, Cooley and a few others dont crawl into a ball when the game starts...A 30 sec clock would help a little but im still hoping for the 24 sec clock although I doubt that will ever happen

No one is refusing to run with our guys. Our guys are not trying to run themselves.

I think people need to admit our role in these scores as well. We are playing a slow tempo offence as well (one that is efficient and has been effective), and are not trying to do anything to discourage other teams. And at 23-0 it works.

I don't think its a case of other teams not having stones against us. That is just the way they play all year, even against lesser teams.

 

[PauliePeppas]

No one is refusing to run with our guys. Our guys are not trying to run themselves. I think people need to admit our role in these scores as well. We are playing a slow tempo offence as well (one that is efficient and has been effective), and are not trying to do anything to discourage other teams.

I don't think its a case of other teams not having stones against us. That is just the way they play.

Im going back as long as I can remember with teams here not just this year...teams histoically want to slow it down

 

[pearl31]

Meh. We have shown we can win in the 90s or in the 40s. We just win and that's all that matters to me.

 

[rosconey]

dam you - i thought you were talking about temps rising -sick of this bitter cold

 

[jncuse]

Im going back as long as I can remember with teams here not just this year...teams histoically want to slow it down

ACC Tempo's (out of 351 teams)
Miami 351
Clemson 347
Virginia 339
BC 314
Pitt 310
VTech 251

And we are ar 343.

As I said, its just the way many of these teams play. They are not really changing their strategy against us this year,

 

[Cowtown]

It's not just the ACC, it's everywhere. Coaches at the highest levels tend to construct their teams' strategy around their skill sets. The "one and done" dynamic involving the players with the most skill has certainly hurt college ball, with teams losing their leaders and most skilled players, and playing with more underskilled before they ordinarily might. Offensive skills take time to develop, but all you need is athletes willing to do so to play defense. So, often times the driving engine of a team's offense is the defense, via rebounding and creating turnovers. It's not a new idea. Think of John Thompson who routinely committed 3-plus hours of his 4 hour practices to defense. Tarkanian's UNLV teams and Pitino's '96 Kentucky team were similar in their approach, Butler of a few years back as well. It's not the only reason for the "downturn" but it's certainly part of it. Another issue is the huge rise in popularity of not only college hoops but basketball in general, and teams are having to look abroad for talent because there are so many more teams with aggressively managed programs, that the homegrown talent is spread much thinner. But talent often comes in peaks and swells, and I think we're just in one of those swells. It'll get better, and it won't take too long. Remember, two years ago virtually no one had even heard of Tyler Ennis ... well, except for that one guy.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Don't act like we aren't also a culprit.

We play extremely slow basketball, and it starts with our PG.

 

[orangefan13]

I don't mind the slow defense, we don't pressure the ball or chase players around screens inside, instead we protect the basket, never giving up anything easy like m2m does.

 

[Cowtown]

I don't mind the slow defense, we don't pressure the ball or chase players around screens inside, instead we protect the basket, never giving up anything easy like m2m does.

Well said. So many don't get defense is not attacking/chasing the ball, but defending your basket. Using a zone defense with this over-arching idea in mind uses energy much more efficiently and effectively.

 

[pearl31]

I don't mind the slow defense, we don't pressure the ball or chase players around screens inside, instead we protect the basket, never giving up anything easy like m2m does.

Exactly.
JB has developed a defense that wins games. This ain't about style points folks.