Defending the post

[MtnWasp]

Okay, so we know and the opposition knows that we don't have a back to the basket defender. VT and Pitt were just backing Ndongo down to the rim. ACC bigs play over the top of Claude. Dowuona cripples the O when he is on the floor.

Does Stoudamire adjust and what does he do?

Can we use Ndongo to front the bigs and sneak a guard behind the big? Do we press more (we don't look good at that at all) to deny the entry?

Do we just toe the line and give up high percentage twos down low to protect the three point line (we are bad at defending the three also)?

 

[GTHomer]

We may have to have a switching defense that includes some zone. We've got to protect Ndongo from fouls to at least give us some chance on the offensive end. Claude will need to step up and body up down low.

 

[57jacket]

Okay, so we know and the opposition knows that we don't have a back to the basket defender. VT and Pitt were just backing Ndongo down to the rim. ACC bigs play over the top of Claude. Dowuona cripples the O when he is on the floor.

Does Stoudamire adjust and what does he do?

Can we use Ndongo to front the bigs and sneak a guard behind the big? Do we press more (we don't look good at that at all) to deny the entry?

Do we just toe the line and give up high percentage twos down low to protect the three point line (we are bad at defending the three also)?

Personally, I would play zone, pack in the paint and give up the 3 pt attempts. They are getting them anyway. Stop giving them 2nd chance points. I mean, damned if you do, damned if you don't. Hard to manage the lack of a big post player. We're not good enough to press. ( Alvarado, where are you).

 

[Root4GT]

Personally, I would play zone, pack in the paint and give up the 3 pt attempts. They are getting them anyway. Stop giving them 2nd chance points. I mean, damned if you do, damned if you don't. Hard to manage the lack of a big post player. We're not good enough to press. ( Alvarado, where are you).

I would go the opposite and not try and double the guy down on the blocks if the opponent has several good 3 point shooters. Most ACC teams have them.

I would give Dowuona some minutes against Bacott on Tuesday night. I would guard Ryan on the 3 point line and hope Davis sprains his ankle early in the game. We have no one that can stay in front of him, He will penetrate at will, hit floaters or dish to Bacott or Ryan for dunks or 3s respectively.

This game could get ugly really fast.

 

[MtnWasp]

A couple of problems with going zone:

1. We are already horrendously bad at closing out three point shooters. Playing zone means that there is even more ground to cover to close out three point shooters.
2. Is anyone on the staff a zone guru? Somebody has to teach it.

I think that Ndongo is better as a weak side defender than trying to belly up. So, let Ndongo front the bigs and make the entry pass go over him. I would dip a wing down, like Coleman or even George to play the strong side, get low on the squating big and double early. We can't close out on three point shooters anyway.

 

[gte447f]

The first thing I would try is simply swapping dowouna for Claude. I think you gain some defense and don’t really lose any offense.

 

[gte447f]

We’ve gotten a few stops by randomly switching to a 2-3 zone a few times, but I think it has worked simply because it took our opponents by surprise, because some of our guys have looked a bit lost playing the zone. I think if we played it for long stretches, we would get shredded inside and out.

 

[gte447f]

I am probably wrong about dowouna, because the coaches see him every day in practice, and they must think that Claude brings more to the table.

 

[57jacket]

A couple of problems with going zone:

1. We are already horrendously bad at closing out three point shooters. Playing zone means that there is even more ground to cover to close out three point shooters.
2. Is anyone on the staff a zone guru? Somebody has to teach it.

I think that Ndongo is better as a weak side defender than trying to belly up. So, let Ndongo front the bigs and make the entry pass go over him. I would dip a wing down, like Coleman or even George to play the strong side, get low on the squating big and double early. We can't close out on three point shooters anyway.

So, a semi-zone? (dip a wing down). That's what I'm talking about.

 

[GaTech4ever]

I am probably wrong about dowouna, because the coaches see him every day in practice, and they must think that Claude brings more to the table.

If you bring anything to the table, you’re bringing more than someone who’s arriving empty-handed.

 

[MtnWasp]

In theory, Dowuona seems to have the size and physical traits to impact the game, at least on defense. But from what I've seen of him, he simply doesn't have a decent feel for the game so that all the game action goes on around him without him getting anything done.

Claude doesn't have the physical traits to make an average ACC interior player, but he at least knows what do and tries. Thus he produces at least some numbers.

 

[LargeFO]

I thought Claude would be more effective on O but probably was too bullish on the e. Carolina to acc transition.

 

[bob4gt]

When Ndongo has a small chance of stopping a score when a big gets the ball down low, the only thing you can do is try to stop the big from getting the ball. Last night I was hoping he would front the big since I don't think they could throw over Ndongo. The big may shove him out of the way, but a better chance a foul is called than with butt pushing.

 

[1979jacket]

Front them - they get muscled otherwise. I expect they will do that to UNC.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Tough task ahead.

Not much hope.

Fronting sounds like the best option but I think you have to switch that up a few times. Put one of our “less valuable” players in to guard the basket and have him get physical as soon as one of their bigs touches the ball. Dare the ref to call fouls and be prepared to pick several up. But try to keep UNC out of rhythm as long as possible.

 

[lv20gt]

Bigs can either try to contest the position down low and have the offensive player have to post up further away or they can front and try to deny. You can also play aggressive ball pressure to make entry passes harder. There are some other ways of approaching just defense in general, like the no middle concepts, that can be done but aren't really patchwork options.

Against UNC It probably doesn't matter our approach. Against most teams, I'd say our best bet it to play to the offense and just go small with some mixture of 4 of our back court players and try to combine ball pressure with helping down and hope teams don't kill us from the three point line. I don't think Sacko/Dowuona/Gapare defense helps us enough for the hit it bring sour offense. Might as well throw another shooter out there and hope we get hot.

 

[GT33]

Ndongo, Claude and Duowanna have 15 fouls between them. We need to get our money's worth tomorrow. None of those touch fouls, excuse me I bumped you, sorry I moved a nanosecond early on my screen, etc, When Yvon Joseph fouled you on Tuesday you still felt it on Saturday, you remembered it a month later during the rematch. We need some of that again if we're gonna win. When Sally blocked a shot, half the time it landed on Fowler St. Gimme a few of those also please.

 

[YlJacket]

Bigs can either try to contest the position down low and have the offensive player have to post up further away or they can front and try to deny. You can also play aggressive ball pressure to make entry passes harder. There are some other ways of approaching just defense in general, like the no middle concepts, that can be done but aren't really patchwork options.

Against UNC It probably doesn't matter our approach. Against most teams, I'd say our best bet it to play to the offense and just go small with some mixture of 4 of our back court players and try to combine ball pressure with helping down and hope teams don't kill us from the three point line. I don't think Sacko/Dowuona/Gapare defense helps us enough for the hit it bring sour offense. Might as well throw another shooter out there and hope we get hot.

I would agree our best chance is to go with our regular smaller lineup rather than trying to stick with a Duwoana/Claude plus Ndongo. Especially since UNC is going to go with with a true 4 out with Bacot plus 6'7" Harrison and 6'5" Cormac. This isn't your father's UNC double post attack. They are going to try to run even more than old school UNC teams and really run an offense that looks a lot like what we are trying to do. So us going big isn't going to help.

We are going to have to play straight up D better than we have been. To start with we CANNOT switch the first Bacot screen and have a guard try to guard Bacot on the roll. We did this last year under Pastner and I watched Smith try to wrestle with Bacot on his way to 20 easy baskets. Guards have to either commit to going over the screen or just go under and accept RJ rising up with quick 3's. I'll take that over stupidly switching this screen.

Beyond that we are not going to shut down Bacot regardless of what we do. The key is going to be to keep a big on him rather than a switched guard - and then make him work against a big for whatever he gets. The second key will be what CDS talked about in his post game pressor - the team has to be a lot more disciplined on their rotations and help assignments.

Now all this assumes/expects that perimeter guys can stay in front of their guys and not allow penetration from the wings - if they do then Bacot will have a field day on dump offs regardless of our bigs.

And you are right - we are going to have to score to keep up with them.

 

[Root4GT]

I would agree our best chance is to go with our regular smaller lineup rather than trying to stick with a Duwoana/Claude plus Ndongo. Especially since UNC is going to go with with a true 4 out with Bacot plus 6'7" Harrison and 6'5" Cormac. This isn't your father's UNC double post attack. They are going to try to run even more than old school UNC teams and really run an offense that looks a lot like what we are trying to do. So us going big isn't going to help.

We are going to have to play straight up D better than we have been. To start with we CANNOT switch the first Bacot screen and have a guard try to guard Bacot on the roll. We did this last year under Pastner and I watched Smith try to wrestle with Bacot on his way to 20 easy baskets. Guards have to either commit to going over the screen or just go under and accept RJ rising up with quick 3's. I'll take that over stupidly switching this screen.

Beyond that we are not going to shut down Bacot regardless of what we do. The key is going to be to keep a big on him rather than a switched guard - and then make him work against a big for whatever he gets. The second key will be what CDS talked about in his post game pressor - the team has to be a lot more disciplined on their rotations and help assignments.

Now all this assumes/expects that perimeter guys can stay in front of their guys and not allow penetration from the wings - if they do then Bacot will have a field day on dump offs regardless of our bigs.

And you are right - we are going to have to score to keep up with them.

I would give Bacott his 20/15 game and take guarding the perimeter shooters / drivers. Either way we do not match up well at all with this UNC team. Their guards are very quick with the dribble, can penetrate and are ok 3 point shooters. Bacott is a beast inside.

 

[MidtownJacket]

We have to attack the rim and the offensive rebound to try to get them into early foul trouble.

I’d also like to see us stay small ball and run the floor all night long at top speed. Bacot is going to get his no matter what we do, so we need to be working to keep him winded and frustrated to get a cheap foul or two as well.

Going to need Miles to shake it off and get to 20 probably too. Hopefully we rediscover our stroke from behind the line because it seems the clearest path to us stealing a win tonight.