RIP 2-3 zone?

[Orangezoo]

Lots of pals, dudes, and buds in this thread. Fun stuff.

Easy killer. Let's have a good day sport!

 

[Orangezoo]

The KenPom defensive efficiency numbers are what we’ve all been citing for years now to show the diminishing returns of the zone. It is a trend. We used to regularly be a top 25 defensive team, usually higher, but it’s cratered in recent years. We’ve had sub-100 defenses Three of the past four years. Last year we were sub-200. Yes, part of it is not having top-flight athletes, but part of it is that the zone is a huge challenge to have as your only defense in a world where the 3-point shot is king, so many players can shoot it well, and teams take a ton of 3s. Oh and the zone also kills us on the defensive glass.

2017 - 119th
2020 - 116th
2022 - 207th
2023 - 188th

Not to mention highlighting a ranking in the 70s then saying top 25 pct... lol.. well there are around 75-80 in the P6 conferences and 85 teams overall in that "space" when you grandfather in the zags etc. So... that's still not good.

All this has been covered with other numbers as well that are true analytics around shooting and tendencies.

Push comes to shove things would be boring without a couple of Hulk and Runner disciples doing their thing.

 

[721Comstock]

Easy killer. Let's have a good day sport!

If pals, dudes, and buds
Were chips and nuts
Every day would be BroMas.

 

[oTTo113445]

Two years ago Braswell and Edwards made the zone better the last 8 games before that it was a mess. Jumped from about a 3.2 out of 5 positions being guarded, into 4.1 out of 5 when Braswell and Edwards made the jump. A big part of that was Buddy holding his own also. We were very close to an elite 8.
Two years ago our zone was about a 2.7 out of 5. Anything below 3, and you could be in losing record territory. Not to mention the ball handling.
This year we were about a 3.2 out of 5. Brown and Benny showed glimpses of being better maybe 1 or 2 games this year. If they did that consistently every game maybe we hit around a 3.7

Really at least 4.0 out of 5 is that sweet spot. Without being able to do that for 20 minutes a game, triangles in the weak positions on the floor, begin to tear the zone apart for 35 minutes. Had we had Braswell last year, (we would have been at least near the bubble, with our backcourt a mess. With Cole or Braswell this year, we would be headed to the tournament.
It's no different than it ever was. The Only thing that has changed, is teams are better scorers all around, and not just against the zone.

 

[FRANKIEFAN]

I agree, if they have 13’ wingspans we can cut off all the passing lanes.

There wasn't anything wrong with the zone 2009-2013. Do you think Autry will be incapable of coaching it or forget? I'm worried about next years team defensively. If we are getting shredded it might make sense to go back to it. Especially if Edwards returns.

Unrelated sport but I went to a college hockey game Wednesday night PC-UNH and was absolutely shocked at how many 6-3 and taller players were on the ice the NHL has totally moved away from big guys everyones 5-10 both teams had about 10 of them.

 

[two3zone]

Part of the reason FOR the downturn is become the game has changed and there are too many shooters to rely on it exclusively. That will only become more pronounced

We had two of the slowest non athletes at the zone for three years and one this year, it can be effective but the personnel needs to be right. That said, if we used it 10-25% of the time in the right situations I’d be ok with it.

 

[FrancoPizza]

There wasn't anything wrong with the zone 2009-2013. Do you think Autry will be incapable of coaching it or forget? I'm worried about next years team defensively. If we are getting shredded it might make sense to go back to it. Especially if Edwards returns.

Unrelated sport but I went to a college hockey game Wednesday night PC-UNH and was absolutely shocked at how many 6-3 and taller players were on the ice the NHL has totally moved away from big guys everyones 5-10 both teams had about 10 of them.

I’m done with the man-zone talk. You keep riding that Armory OnTrack train, but I’m off.

 

[mark79]

Nobody liked watching the zone during the downturn. But I certainly enjoyed it when we were good. It was nice to turn on a game and know in the first 5 minutes it was all over for the opponent because they were overwhelmed and had no answers, even with shooters on the floor. We obviously haven't had much of that in recent years.

btw, what are people's opinions of the pack line (zone) defense? Bennett seems to do well with it. That's more zone than man.

Living in Charlottesville I have been to many uva games and also to some of their practices. The reason uva is so good is that they are 110% committed to each other and to playing defense extremely hard. You virtually never see a lazy effort when they are on defense. And that hedge defense seems to really throw a lot of offenses off. I swear they commit a foul on almost every hedge but it is never called.

 

[Orangezoo]

 

[orangefog]

My only response to that is…what’s his beard’s name?