Pitino , for the most part, has less talent than UK year to year. But his ability to adjust (ex. by installing a zone defense) keeps his team very competitive. My question is why does Coach Cal refuse to teach zone defense? With our length that we had this previous year a zone defense seemed logical.
Zone defense
- Thread starter smoke59
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Did you not see how bad of a defensive rebounding team we were playing man? It would only get worse playing zone.
UK hasn't been competitive since Cal has been here? Damn.
Got to agree with OP. Man to man only costs Cal 2 titles. Walker and Napier U Conn and Decker / Booker. Every great pitcher has a 2nd pitch to change tempo
Agreed, UK's D sucked against UCONN in 2011, no way we could have expected to win with UCONN exploding for 56 points! And the 60 they put up in 2014 was just one of the greatest offensive displays in college basketball history.
In all seriousness, the reality is bad offense is ultimately what cost UK the games in 2011, 2014, and 2015. Wisconsin is an explosive offensive team (best in the nation or top 2-3 at worst) and UK had held them to 58 points with a little over 2 minutes to go (sorry, I refuse to count that BS shot Wisconsin made 1 second after the clock it 0 against UK's D). Uk lost the game because they had 3 straight offensive shot clock violations and then the bad call/s by the refs down the stretch by the refs.
I'm not sure what you people want...holding a team to 56 is good D, holding another team to 60 is good D, and holding a team to 58 points with 2+ to go when they are the most efficient and effective offense in the nation...is good enough D to win the game. With the players UK has they should have scored a ton more than 55, 54 and 64 points in the three games outlined.
I'd like to believe that it has more todo with having only a certain mount of time to get really good at a particular defense, aka m2m. It might be alot asking freshmen to be really good at both in one year? Bottom line, cal hates zone, and I think he'd almost rather lose playing m2m than win playing a zone defense. Some coaches are just like that
I actually liked UK's defense. Seemed to me they would try to run the shooters off the three point line then funnel them into the shot blockers. Plus, UK's defense was one of the very best in every category throughout the year. Any defense can be exploited by an exceptional player from time to time so I don't think I'd change the system based on two examples.
Wisconsin was a team, of which you would like to have your own team watch a lot of film. Alas.
Kaminsky's moves were both unusual (perhaps even unorthodox), but completely predictable. Two different moves, each of which was exactly the same every time. WCS would have been having Kaminsky for lunch - if he'd watched the film.
Kaminsky's moves were both unusual (perhaps even unorthodox), but completely predictable. Two different moves, each of which was exactly the same every time. WCS would have been having Kaminsky for lunch - if he'd watched the film.
None of that really matters...if UK just keeps on scoring against the non-existent Wisconsin D.
as another poster stated the defense was not the problem
Cuse year in and year out has the best zone in CBB
how many titles do they have........yep 1
Pitino hit lightning in a bottle with his 2013 team
take away that team and he has been very underwhelming at ul
Cuse year in and year out has the best zone in CBB
how many titles do they have........yep 1
Pitino hit lightning in a bottle with his 2013 team
take away that team and he has been very underwhelming at ul
We've never watched film. Cal has the team focus on what he wants them to do. He figures that if we do that, we don't need to worry about what the other team does. For all the second guessing, we were in position to win that game in the closing minutes. We didn't execute on offense down the stretch. There is criticism to be handed out, but not changing style of play late in the year, and watching film, are something we have always done, and it has worked pretty well so far.
With the young teams we have, Cal doesn't have time to teach them multiple complicated schemes on either end. We have to choose a way and get really good at it.
With the young teams we have, Cal doesn't have time to teach them multiple complicated schemes on either end. We have to choose a way and get really good at it.
38-1 and he's the one that needs to change. You can't make this stuff up. I guess Cal will never be competitive until he is 40-0.
We got killed on the boards and from the three point line. Why would a zone seem like the logical choice? Outside of switching every screen, we played them how you have to play them. You have to come out hard on picks or else they are busting threes in your face. Doing that makes it easier for them to score around the basket, but our size and athleticism still allowed us to contest some of those shots.
Cal has never, doesn't and will never play zone - so if zone is your thing, you might want to find another school to pull for (while Cal is here) - the zone crap gets real old.
We have a hard time scoring in our offense. Too stagnant..Shot clock winding down many times before we get a shot off. I would like to see Cal change the offense before I would worry about going to a zone defense.
Agree totally. I've scratched my head the last number of years why, when we have arguably the most/best talent in college basketball on one team, that we struggle so much to score at times. Would imagine a lot of it has to do with the modern day evaluations of H.S. players. Athleticism, quickness, highlight reel dunks seem to merit more 'stars' and all-star teams than fundamentals and pure shooting. I'd be happy if Cal would just concentrate on our big men being able to hit the basket from 3 foot in.
There is some thing that I do not agree with Calipari on and they are not having a viable zone defense and not watching game films to scout other teams.
you just sorta read into posts what you want, regardless of what they actually say, huh?...
Wooden had overwhelming talent compared to everybody else.....Talent is everywhere now
We have a few months to teach 18 year olds to play college basketball. It shouldn't be surprising that our offense is typically pretty simple. It's still typically one of the most efficient in the country.
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