Best way to beat a Cal-coached team

[LowCountryCat]

Switch to a zone. That killed us last night.

Cal has already admitted that he doesn't know how to handle a zone, when he remarked that Wheeler asked him "What do I do if they switch to a zone" during a timeout, in one of the postgames this year.

He clearly doesn't TEACH a zone, because he would have to teach a zone in order to PRACTICE against it.

Either Cal is stubborn or he is afraid of a zone. Surely he could hire a competent assistant to teach him how to teach a zone.

 

[know1]

Or make any switches at all. Or just watch film of any of our games since we attempt to play exactly the same each time no matter who the opponent is and we aren't going to make any adjustment during the game. We're the easiest scouting job in all of college basketball.

 

[katwest]

I imagine in personal conversation Joe B probably ask Cal why he didn't ever play a zone defense. It is effective in certain situations, I guess he just doesn't believe in it. It's funny though, we have some of the best athletes and can't guard anybody in man to man either.

 

[zannmann]

Show up.

 

[LowCountryCat]

I imagine in personal conversation Joe B probably ask Cal why he didn't ever play a zone defense. It is effective in certain situations, I guess he just doesn't believe in it. It's funny though, we have some of the best athletes and can't guard anybody in man to man either.

It's ridiculous. Boeheim went 1 for 2 in title games and he's never run ANYTHING BUT a 2/3 zone. Probably would have won 2 for 2 if he hadn't run into the best team in history.

 

[fisherscatfan]

Show up.

 

[blackcat714]

Show up.

This was my first thought as well

 

[CatPhight]

1-3-1

 

[502 Wildcat]

I imagine in personal conversation Joe B probably ask Cal why he didn't ever play a zone defense. It is effective in certain situations, I guess he just doesn't believe in it. It's funny though, we have some of the best athletes and can't guard anybody in man to man either.

That is where the problem lies.

We actually don't have elite athletes. Toppin is in that category, but nobody else. Yet Cal plays defense like we do. We can't switch every screen and let Oscar and Keion defend point guards. That happened countless times yesterday.

 

[Lazlo7]

Surely he could hire a competent assistant to teach him how to teach a zone.

LOL that cracked me up - Cal learn / listen to someone. That is some funny stuff

 

[Wonky]

It's ridiculous. Boeheim went 1 for 2 in title games and he's never run ANYTHING BUT a 2/3 zone. Probably would have won 2 for 2 if he hadn't run into the best team in history.

Not to deviate from the topic at hand, but Boeheim was 1/3 in title games (lost to IU in ‘87)

 

[*CatinIL*]

Show up.

That's the first thing that I thought. 🤣

 

[JoeSwag]

His 2010 not knowing how to beat a 1-3-1 zone was pretty amazing. Usually that defense is meant to force contested outside shots. We had arguably the best frontcourt in the country with Cousins and Patterson and instead of feeding the blind spots of said defense, we jack up 32 threes.

Cal's refusal to watch film is another example of just stubbornness to identify any problem and do something to prevent it. Always playing down to competition it seems.

This famous quote before Wisconsin game.

"I’m not going to be able to control, nor will our team, how Wisconsin plays," Calipari said this week. "You’re not going to force them out of what they want to do. The things that we’ll work on will pertain to Wisconsin, but our players won’t know it. They won’t know why we’re doing this drill. The breakdowns will all be based on what we coaches have seen. Now, they may have watched Wisconsin play. They may have watched an NCAA tournament game. I tell them don’t watch the games. They don’t listen to me ever, so I imagine they’ve seen them.

"Our team played them a year ago, so they have an idea how good they were and are now. But we won’t watch Wisconsin tape as a team. Our staff, I’m starting to get overloaded with it to be honest with you, then I stop. I don’t need to watch 10 game tapes. We all start losing our minds."

It's ridiculous. Boeheim went 1 for 2 in title games and he's never run ANYTHING BUT a 2/3 zone. Probably would have won 2 for 2 if he hadn't run into the best team in history.

Boeheim made three title games (87 lost in the final seconds), 96, 03).

 

[ck-2]

Huggins exposed that in 2010 with a 1-3-1. Then offensively spread the floor and pull the big out top guarding a ball screen. Then have your way driving, cutting, rebounding.
The man is a recruiter and a salesman, not a COACH. And now he can’t get the recruits.

 

[Bluesbrother]

Switch to a zone. That killed us last night.

Cal has already admitted that he doesn't know how to handle a zone, when he remarked that Wheeler asked him "What do I do if they switch to a zone" during a timeout, in one of the postgames this year.

He clearly doesn't TEACH a zone, because he would have to teach a zone in order to PRACTICE against it.

Either Cal is stubborn or he is afraid of a zone. Surely he could hire a competent assistant to teach him how to teach a zone.

How 'bout just show up.

 

[LowCountryCat]

Not to deviate from the topic at hand, but Boeheim was 1/3 in title games (lost to IU in ‘87)

Fair enough I forgot about Rony Seikaly.

 

[the nail at the foul line]

In March put them on the free throw line.

 

[Soupbean]

Switch to a zone. That killed us last night.

Cal has already admitted that he doesn't know how to handle a zone, when he remarked that Wheeler asked him "What do I do if they switch to a zone" during a timeout, in one of the postgames this year.

He clearly doesn't TEACH a zone, because he would have to teach a zone in order to PRACTICE against it.

Either Cal is stubborn or he is afraid of a zone. Surely he could hire a competent assistant to teach him how to teach a zone.

Teaching Zone . . . I just happen to have the formula for that I found in a cave years ago, here goes. . .

You stand here and match up and guard anyone that comes in your area just like you do in man. Just dont chase outside your area.

Done - takes 1 minute

 

[ukatecowboy]

I imagine in personal conversation Joe B probably ask Cal why he didn't ever play a zone defense. It is effective in certain situations, I guess he just doesn't believe in it. It's funny though, we have some of the best athletes and can't guard anybody in man to man either.

Cal doesn’t play zone because the NBA doesn’t play it .

 

[jwphelps]

Switch to a zone. That killed us last night.

Cal has already admitted that he doesn't know how to handle a zone, when he remarked that Wheeler asked him "What do I do if they switch to a zone" during a timeout, in one of the postgames this year.

He clearly doesn't TEACH a zone, because he would have to teach a zone in order to PRACTICE against it.

Either Cal is stubborn or he is afraid of a zone. Surely he could hire a competent assistant to teach him how to teach a zone.

Just because you don't play a zone doesn't mean you shouldn't know how to beat a zone, there are hundreds of books out there on zone offenses. Cal runs an offense that is basically antiquated by todays standards and it too easy to game plan against defensively especially when he doesn't have a top draft pick like Wall, Fox, or a Murray who can just make plays on his own.

 

[CHANCE 52]

Fair enough I forgot about Rony Seikaly.

Nice to have a Steve Alford when the zone is present.

 

[UK_fan_41102]

Cal doesn’t play zone because the NBA doesn’t play it .

If Cal worried as much about UK as he did the NBA, he'd probably have a couple more championships.

 

[North Carolina Blue Wildcat]

3 at the top high and wide, 1 in the high post, 1 running the short baseline. Works against any zone when you PASS your way into making the defense shift. We like to dribble, handoff, dribble. That doesn’t work against a zone and isn’t that effective against man to man either but we love running it.

 

[North Carolina Blue Wildcat]

If Cal worried as much about UK as he did the NBA, he'd probably have a couple more championships.

Preach!

 

[Wildcats4ever2007]

Serious question, did we run a single out of bounds play all season to try to score or did we just throw it to the corner to Brooks every time?

I remember just recently I think it was against UT in SEC tourney, we had 3 seconds on the shot clock and instead of running a play, we just threw it to the corner again, but with Oscar instead and led to fall away long 2 for a miss. Then think how many times we gave up inbounds basket.

To me, that shows his coaching ability right there. We are Kentucky and teams don’t even have to scout situational stuff against us.

 

[rockout1]

Best way to beat a Cal team is to make his team play half court offense & keep the game close at the end where it comes down to coaching decisions.

 

[cats2010]

Serious question, did we run a single out of bounds play all season to try to score or did we just throw it to the corner to Brooks every time?

I remember just recently I think it was against UT in SEC tourney, we had 3 seconds on the shot clock and instead of running a play, we just threw it to the corner again, but with Oscar instead and led to fall away long 2 for a miss. Then think how many times we gave up inbounds basket.

To me, that shows his coaching ability right there. We are Kentucky and teams don’t even have to scout situational stuff against us.

The extended arm of brooks was the only play we had. If he wasn’t in the game we struggled getting the ball in bounds but eventually just lobbed it over the defenses’ head to around the same spot. Cal only has so much time with these guys so doesn’t have time to teach this type of stuff so I’d give him a break here.

 

[AzubuikeandFitch]

Serious question, did we run a single out of bounds play all season to try to score or did we just throw it to the corner to Brooks every time?

I remember just recently I think it was against UT in SEC tourney, we had 3 seconds on the shot clock and instead of running a play, we just threw it to the corner again, but with Oscar instead and led to fall away long 2 for a miss. Then think how many times we gave up inbounds basket.

To me, that shows his coaching ability right there. We are Kentucky and teams don’t even have to scout situational stuff against us.

It all goes back to his practice structure!!!!!
When u get away with something for so long it becomes a non issue until it isn't.
It's obvious to us "basketball beanies" that he simply doesn't do much coaching. If you don’t run out of bounds plays, go over zone offense/defense sets, or cover situational game like scenarios what are you doing?
Drill work and or scrimmaging can only go so far. He may not roll balls out but it isn't too far from it.

 

[seccats04]

The extended arm of brooks was the only play we had. If he wasn’t in the game we struggled getting the ball in bounds but eventually just lobbed it over the defenses’ head to around the same spot. Cal only has so much time with these guys so doesn’t have time to teach this type of stuff so I’d give him a break here.

Brilliant coaching there. Brooks may have the worst hands on the team, the lowest b-ball IQ and can't dribble or shoot. That's who I would throw it to also

 

[kats23]

And when the opponent is on offense, you just have to spread UK out and drive it right at their chest. We haven’t had an elite shot blocker in some time and it shows how vulnerable Cal’s defense is. It’s a been a problem the entire time he’s been here. Our guards get beat off the dribble way too easy. It’s just that early on, UK had the shot blockers to contest it and clean it up.
Not to mention you can get Kentucky in mismatches all day with motion against his switch everything defense.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

Huggins exposed that in 2010 with a 1-3-1. Then offensively spread the floor and pull the big out top guarding a ball screen. Then have your way driving, cutting, rebounding.
The man is a recruiter and a salesman, not a COACH. And now he can’t get the recruits.

Like offense, everything we do defensively is to put players in the best draft position. He wants bigs to have film of them guarding the pick and roll and playing in space.

Everything we do is focused on getting players the best draft position. Actually winning games is in second place

 

[ck-2]

Like offense, everything we do defensively is to put players in the best draft position. He wants bigs to have film of them guarding the pick and roll and playing in space.

Everything we do is focused on getting players the best draft position. Actually winning games is in second place

His mindset on that might change then. Because he’s getting close to not having any draftable
players.
We’ve gone from having two squads of nba players to one or two and the rest made up of mid major transfers and bench with only a couple guys who he can play.

 

[YardCat]

The extended arm of brooks was the only play we had. If he wasn’t in the game we struggled getting the ball in bounds but eventually just lobbed it over the defenses’ head to around the same spot. Cal only has so much time with these guys so doesn’t have time to teach this type of stuff so I’d give him a break here.

I wonder what he teaches during practice?

 

[Cowtown Cat]

That is where the problem lies.

We actually don't have elite athletes. Toppin is in that category, but nobody else. Yet Cal plays defense like we do. We can't switch every screen and let Oscar and Keion defend point guards. That happened countless times yesterday.

This! At least this season anyway. This UK team was the PERFECT team to utilize a zone defense with. It was obvious.

 

[Cowtown Cat]

Like offense, everything we do defensively is to put players in the best draft position. He wants bigs to have film of them guarding the pick and roll and playing in space.

Everything we do is focused on getting players the best draft position. Actually winning games is in second place

Yep. That’s why he needs to go!

 

[Cowtown Cat]

Serious question, did we run a single out of bounds play all season to try to score or did we just throw it to the corner to Brooks every time?

I remember just recently I think it was against UT in SEC tourney, we had 3 seconds on the shot clock and instead of running a play, we just threw it to the corner again, but with Oscar instead and led to fall away long 2 for a miss. Then think how many times we gave up inbounds basket.

To me, that shows his coaching ability right there. We are Kentucky and teams don’t even have to scout situational stuff against us.

They literally never have really. We haven’t consistently ran an OOB play in a long time. We never switch our defense, ever. Like someone stated, we are the easiest team in the country to prepare for.

 

[LowCountryCat]

We're so one-dimensional too.

I see teams with MULTIPLE three point threats on the floor. We have ONE and he hates to shoot. I find myself wishing we had a team like Tennessee.