Looks like JB has made some adjustments to the zone

[bballbeadle]

I’d love to pick JB’s brain on this. Is this a reaction to our guards being a touch slower than in the past, improved shooters, the extension of the 3 point line, or a combo of all three.

Call into his show!

 

[Gabjon]

No doubt it helped against BC and UVA who can't shoot to save their lives - they use it Saturday Va Tech is going to drop 80 plus on us.

I'm not sure. It makes the opponent one dimensional. VT has better shooters than UVA and BC, but that doesn't mean they have better shooters than us.

Making the game a 3pt shooting contest clearly give us our best chance of winning.

 

[SmilinBob]

I'm not sure. It makes the opponent one dimensional. VT has better shooters than UVA and BC, but that doesn't mean they have better shooters than us.

Making the game a 3pt shooting contest clearly give us our best chance of winning.

That and do a good job on defensive rebounding and not give those clear 2nd shots from 3 or layups.

 

[Cusefan0307]

The dropping the guard kept the ball out of the high post. It clearly was a strategy to keep it out of the middle. The wings coming up protected against the wing 3 pointer.

Also the defense is better than the first time we played Virginia Tech.

 

[Gabjon]

There were times last night that the guards were lower than the wings.

Yup keeping the ball out the middle has been prioritized. The forwards help more at the wing 3s. It also reduces the need for Sidibe to cover the high post and helps his rebounding positioning.

 

[SmilinBob]

We'll see soon enough when they play VT. And Jim...please keep using that bench.

 

[kuethstheman]

We'll see soon enough when they play VT. And Jim...please keep using that bench.

Jim! Please keep getting ahead by 24!

 

[hoopsupstate]

It wasn’t VT’s offense that beat us. Their physical defense caused us problems the entire game.

 

[SmilinBob]

It wasn’t VT’s offense that beat us. Their physical defense caused us problems the entire game.

Good point and SU had to work hard on both ends which is why Coach has to get that bench involved but I have a feeling he might be quick with the hook and stick to 5 too long the next time these 2 teams play. Love to be wrong on this.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I think a big part of how successful tomorrow will be the officiating. If they call it tight it is to our advantage. VPI likes to hand check.

 

[FrancoPizza]

I'm not sure. It makes the opponent one dimensional. VT has better shooters than UVA and BC, but that doesn't mean they have better shooters than us.

Making the game a 3pt shooting contest clearly give us our best chance of winning.

Except other teams are not going to sag off the 3 point line like we do to cover the foul line. Yeah if they sagged I'd like our chances against anybody. We'll still get some looks against m2m but they won't be the same quality of shots that we'll be conceding in this year's iteration of the zone.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Except other teams are not going to sag off the 3 point line like we do to cover the foul line. Yeah if they sagged I'd like our chances against anybody. We'll still get some looks against m2m but they won't be the same quality of shots that we'll be conceding in this year's iteration of the zone.

This really doesn't make sense especially in conference play we are shooting 10% better from 3 than our opponents and we are top 50 in the country in 3 pt shooting. It's actually our 2 point defense that hasn't been as good as it was in the past.

 

[Gabjon]

Except other teams are not going to sag off the 3 point line like we do to cover the foul line. Yeah if they sagged I'd like our chances against anybody. We'll still get some looks against m2m but they won't be the same quality of shots that we'll be conceding in this year's iteration of the zone.

We will still tilt the zone to a particle shooter, but we had to stop the bleeding inside and sure up our rebounding.

We currently 2 guys shooting over 40% from 3 and they have been at the top of the scouting report all year so that's not changing.

 

[Jasoncuse]

Is that an adjustment or just the way we've always tried to play the zone? You can't leave the FT area open or it's easy shots galore.

I'd like to see if the "adjustments" are anything more than playing against two wretched offensive teams. Of course, we wanted to limit the touches at the FT area and in the paint against two teams that can't shoot.

VTech will be a much tougher test with how they shoot the 3. They (Nolley mainly) struggled against us in the 1st matchup, but still dumped 40 on us in the 2nd half. Going to have to find a way to make them taker tougher deep shots tomorrow because I'm guessing they'll shoot a lot better at home than they did in the Dome.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

yea, you wouldn’t get too far asking him who is screwing up out there.

No need to ask. Just need to watch his reactions on the sidelines. It's not like he hides it.

 

[FrancoPizza]

All i can say is we should stop recruiting true centers if JB insists on having them cover the corners. It's like asking McKinley Williams to cover the bubble screen and the flat while also covering his A gap.

Can't have a 6'10 guy out there doing this. It's insanity. Honestly does anything good ever happen when the ball gets to the corner wide open like that?

 

[billsin01]

It wasn’t VT’s offense that beat us. Their physical defense caused us problems the entire game.

I think a big part of how successful tomorrow will be the officiating. If they call it tight it is to our advantage. VPI likes to hand check.

these are both good posts. Thought we struggled at times defensively against Va Tech but overall we defended well enough to win. But simply could not get a quality look in the second half. Would like to see dolezaj in the post like he was against BC. Drew four fouls in the post (and another on that fast break). Might be a way to get a few more open looks for buddy and JGIII who aren’t likely to create those on their own very often.

 

[rrlbees]

No need to ask. Just need to watch his reactions on the sidelines. It's not like he hides it.

no doubt.

 

[FrancoPizza]

No need to ask. Just need to watch his reactions on the sidelines. It's not like he hides it.

When a zone breaks down, it's usually the result of someone being out of place several moves before. I doubt JB is rewinding everything in his head before determining who he should be yelling at.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Is that an adjustment or just the way we've always tried to play the zone? You can't leave the FT area open or it's easy shots galore.

I'd like to see if the "adjustments" are anything more than playing against two wretched offensive teams. Of course, we wanted to limit the touches at the FT area and in the paint against two teams that can't shoot.

VTech will be a much tougher test with how they shoot the 3. They (Nolley mainly) struggled against us in the 1st matchup, but still dumped 40 on us in the 2nd half. Going to have to find a way to make them taker tougher deep shots tomorrow because I'm guessing they'll shoot a lot better at home than they did in the Dome.

No it was not the same way we played zone all year. Even Buddy said this in his interview after the game with Brian Higgins said they made adjustments before the Virginia game.

 

[dasher]

When a zone breaks down, it's usually the result of someone being out of place several moves before. I doubt JB is rewinding everything in his head before determining who he should be yelling at.

You don't think Jb,after all of these years, is able to determine whose fault it is? I disagree with that.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

All i can say is we should stop recruiting true centers if JB insists on having them cover the corners. It's like asking McKinley Williams to cover the bubble screen and the flat while also covering his A gap.

Can't have a 6'10 guy out there doing this. It's insanity. Honestly does anything good ever happen when the ball gets to the corner wide open like that?

What’s worse, a three or an easy dunk that fires up the crowd?

Im with you, let the guy shoot that three and leave the center in the middle where he belongs. If he actually contests that shot, he’s in the 10th row before he stops his momentum if he doesn’t just crash into the shooter resulting in a 4 point play.

 

[Cusefan0307]

What’s worse, a three or an easy dunk that fires up the crowd?

Im with you, let the guy shoot that three and leave the center in the middle where he belongs. If he actually contests that shot, he’s in the 10th row before he stops his momentum if he doesn’t just crash into the shooter resulting in a 4 point play.

Plus it puts out of rebounding position.

 

[CuseFaninVT]

Plus it puts out of rebounding position.

That’s what I was referring to with my easy dunk comment. I realize now that my wording was poor.

 

[FrancoPizza]

What’s worse, a three or an easy dunk that fires up the crowd?

Im with you, let the guy shoot that three and leave the center in the middle where he belongs. If he actually contests that shot, he’s in the 10th row before he stops his momentum if he doesn’t just crash into the shooter resulting in a 4 point play.

I remember Slick Rick's Louisville teams would burn us by overloading the zone and hit that corner 3 until we were blue in the face. I get why JB is asking the center to do this, but i'd rather try m2m for brief stints when the other team overloads. There really isn't a sane counter-move that the zone can make to an overload. The best tactic, IMO, would be to just change it up for a few possessions.