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[QUOTE="Orangeman, post: 1219827, member: 972"]
That lead to the wide open wing jump shot for 3 (by a guy that had made like 3 threes in the 2H if I'm not mistaken)…

The strategy employed, if it was indeed employed by coaching directive, was really puzzling.

The two guards out front edged higher and "bracketed" the ball-handler, but they didn't apply pressure nor force a 5-count.  This hedging accomplished nothing and forced our back three to guard 4, who were spread out all over the court.

We didn't respect the guy at the foul line, so he was wide open and they simply fed him the ball.  But you can't simply leave a guy naked there with the ball so (I believe) McCullough crashed to cover him, which lead to the kick out and easy three.  BTW, at this point in the evolution of college basketball, we should assume that every team has two capable 3-point shooters to man each wing, it's just reality.

This is all important because that wasn't a fluke play…it was a flawed defensive strategy which could have involved a "1-1-3" to apply pressure to the ball carrier (we weren't trapping anyway), force the 5-count, still cover the backside, etc.  That's if you thought zone made sense there, which I obviously don't but whatever.

The offense is clearly the bigger issue, but our Defensive strategies, such as this, hurt us late in games when we need a stop (like Michigan last week -- wide-open three for Albrecht that they didn't "earn").

Sports evolve over time, coaching staffs have to as well…we should realize that a 2-3 zone is very effective against a front line that you don't have an answer for…but anybody tall that's any good leaves before junior year, so every team has better perimeter players than interior players.
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