Has any team every won the tourney

[mark79]

using predominantly a zone defense? Besides us of course. I don’t know the answer, just curious!

 

[dollarbill44]

My instinct would be to say maybe?
My recollection is that teams used zone defense much more pre-3pt line, but not exclusively. I don't know that they kept records on those teams switching defensive styles within the games, which is how you would be able to check on that.

 

[sutomcat]

using predominantly a zone defense? Besides us of course. I don’t know the answer, just curious!

Off the top of my head, UNLV did with Tark's amoeba zone defense in 1990.

 

[Cheriehoop]

I always find it funny regarding the zone - people will look at games remarking how a team’s stellar man to man defense won the big game without noting that 99.9% of the time the losing team is also playing man. Like most else it’s the level of execution for any offensive or defensive plan. I do think great execution on the defensive end is a must in the NCAA’s.

I did find an interesting stat though from 2019. 12 of the 64 teams in the tournament that year played zone more than 15% of their defensive possessions before the NCAA’s, thus in the regular season. However 19 of the 64 teams in the tournament played zone more than 15% of their defensive possessions. March Madness Has Weaponized The Zone

More tournament bound teams were using zone in the NCAA’s than in their regular seasons in 2019. Just random interesting stat.

 

[RMH44]

Off the top of my head, UNLV did with Tark's amoeba zone defense in 1990.

IIRC, Rollie used a bunch of zone in 1985 Championship game.

 

[dollarbill44]

IIRC, Rollie used a bunch of zone in 1985 Championship game.

I was specifically thinking about that game as an example. I couldn't recall if they used a lot of zone throughout the tournament since we didn't get to see very much of the games back then.

 

[mark79]

Just watched a little bit of that Georgetown Villanova championship game to a better feeling for Villanova’s matchup zone. I still can’t believe they won that game. Georgetown was loaded with athletes but the zone may have played a role in Georgetown’s normal offensive flow.

 

[crv1728]

Who was the Michigan State coach during the Magic Johnson era? Didn’t he have some sort of match up zone that they always played?

 

[orange79]

Who was the Michigan State coach during the Magic Johnson era? Didn’t he have some sort of match up zone that they always played?

Jud Heathcote

 

[longtimefan]

Who was the Michigan State coach during the Magic Johnson era? Didn’t he have some sort of match up zone that they always played?

Jud Heathcote, and, yes, he played a zone.

 

[IthacaMatt]

using predominantly a zone defense? Besides us of course. I don’t know the answer, just curious!

UNLV. Tark's amoeba defense was a match-up zone.

 

[Cowtown]

If you think about it, Dean Smith's 4 corner stall was effectively a zone defense. The other team couldn't score when they were in it.

 

[alphaorange]

Just watched a little bit of that Georgetown Villanova championship game to a better feeling for Villanova’s matchup zone. I still can’t believe they won that game. Georgetown was loaded with athletes but the zone may have played a role in Georgetown’s normal offensive flow.

That, and the fact that Villanova shot like 80% .....

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

using predominantly a zone defense? Besides us of course. I don’t know the answer, just curious!

UNLV’s amoeba defense, Kentucky with Jack Givens’ and MSU with Magic. Nova may have played one against GT, but I don’t have a specific recollection

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

That, and the fact that Villanova shot like 80% ...

Thompson should have switched out of the man-to-man. They were getting torched.

 

[mark79]

Perhaps we should hire a Baylor assistant. Man that defense totally suffocated an elite offensive team.

Edit: frustrating thing is ours works beautifully too when we have the right personnel at the top. And we won’t compete any deaper in the tournament until we do.

 

[NKR1978]

Perhaps we should hire a Baylor assistant. Man that defense totally suffocated an elite offensive team.

Edit: frustrating thing is ours works beautifully too when we have the right personnel at the top.

The years with Triche, MCW, Rautins, Scoop - so many steals and denied entry passes leading to fast breaks. I love watching our defense when it's great.

 

[mark79]

The years with Triche, MCW, Rautins, Scoop - so many steals and denied entry passes leading to fast breaks. I love watching our defense when it's great.

Like against Indiana in the tourney. Felt sorry for Crean. Not really lol

 

[upperdeck]

using predominantly a zone defense? Besides us of course. I don’t know the answer, just curious!

wasnt gtown zone back in the ewing days.

 

[bpo57]

Perhaps we should hire a Baylor assistant. Man that defense totally suffocated an elite offensive team.

Edit: frustrating thing is ours works beautifully too when we have the right personnel at the top. And we won’t compete any deaper in the tournament until we do.

I was listening to an interview with Devonte Bandoo this morning. He played on last year's Baylor team. He was asked why Scott Drew switched to man to man from zone. He said that several of the players went to Drew, most notably Mitchell and Vital, and pleaded with the coach to play man to man. They felt their skills were more suited for man to man as several lacked the length needed to be more effective in a zone. The coach said he would give it a shot and see how it worked. Obviously pretty well.

 

[upperdeck]

gonz shot almost 55% last night.. rebounding was the big thing, but the turnovers added up as well.. when teams rebound and make a ton of 3's they will always be tough to beat. You may not rebound on D in the zone at times but that is no excuse for not going hard after it on the offensive end.

 

[bpo57]

Like against Indiana in the tourney. Felt sorry for Crean. Not really lol

I told this story before but I ran into a guy - long after that game - who had a nephew that was a walk-on on that IU team. The kid told his uncle before the game that he felt Crean did not have his team prepared to play against the zone. The guy told me he went out and bet a boatload on the Orange after he heard that.

 

[longtimefan]

I told this story before but I ran into a guy - long after that game - who had a nephew that was a walk-on on that IU team. The kid told his uncle before the game that he felt Crean did not have his team prepared to play against the zone. The guy told me he went out and bet a boatload on the Orange after he heard that.

They didn't seem prepared.

But Crean had faced the zone when he was at Marquette. ??

 

[bpo57]

They didn't seem prepared.

But Crean had faced the zone when he was at Marquette. ??

Puzzling.