Gonzaga game

[CatsFanIL]

I haven't seen the Zags play since November and haven't really kept tabs on them. I coach HS basketball, and coached the last couple years against one of their big men, Braden Huff.

What do you guys know about them?

Typically going to see solid M2M defense, they'll make you guard lots of ball-screens (a BIG TIME WEAKNESS FOR THE CATS), try to force you to collapse off their shooters. Nembhard and Hickman are solid, but so are Reed, Rob, Reeves, and DJ (if playing).

Game might come down to the paint and big men, and if we can actually defend ball-screens consistently enough to get stops

 

[BlueWorldOrder74]

I have a feeling we beat the hell out of them. Rupp should be wild.

If we use our bench properly we can wear them out.

 

[ZagsVisitor]

Braden is a rotation guy, but he's reliable. Could be a starter next year.

Screens:

- Zags run a lot of screen action at the top. We don't have great 3 point shooting like in years passed, but teams are still going over out picks. Hickman and Nembhard are good off the dribble, but size and athleticism can fluster them as well. If Ike is in the game/producing well, high entry post passes become our first option. It's highly dependant on what his foul situation is, and whether he can handle his defender.

- On defense, we always hedge very high. That usually leaves a big cutting down, a wing sagging to cover, and a wing open for three. If your shooters are hot, it will be a long night for us.

Defense:

We play almost exclusively M2M, and if we're getting killed in the half-court, we'll throw in an occasional press to fluster setting up your offense. Given Kentucky's pace, I think the press will be very risky for us.

Bigs in Rotation:

Starters - Graham Ike, Anton Watson
Rotation - Ben Gregg, Braden Huff

Ike - Eats against lesser defenses, post game can get flustered against bigs of equal athleticism.

Watson - Reliable producer, enough of a 3 point threat to stretch defenses, has a remarkably good faceup game for how big he is.

Gregg - Hustles every play, can shoot 3's but can also put up stat lines that are block and rebound-heavy with no points.

Huff - talented and big, but raw, and needs to get stronger. Spot minutes if our guys are in foul trouble.

Notable to watch - Dusty Stromer is a freshman wing who got thrown into the rotation. Sneaky athletic on defense, but also mistake prone with the ball. Can get hot, and cold, from 3. Few doesn't usually play freshman, but didn't have a choice this year when a grad-transfer wing got injured pre season.

Gaping holes:

- We suck at shooting freethrows,
- Our depth is hurting at all positions.

Now someone please do this for me so I can post it on our message board?

 

[DreadLox]

Braden is a rotation guy, but he's reliable. Could be a starter next year.

Thanks for taking the time.

 

[CatsFanIL]

Braden is a rotation guy, but he's reliable. Could be a starter next year.

Screens:

- Zags run a lot of screen action at the top. We don't have great 3 point shooting like in years passed, but teams are still going over out picks. Hickman and Nembhard are good off the dribble, but size and athleticism can fluster them as well. If Ike is in the game/producing well, high entry post passes become our first option. It's highly dependant on what his foul situation is, and whether he can handle his defender.

- On defense, we always hedge very high. That usually leaves a big cutting down, a wing sagging to cover, and a wing open for three. If your shooters are hot, it will be a long night for us.

Defense:

We play almost exclusively M2M, and if we're getting killed in the half-court, we'll throw in an occasional press to fluster setting up your offense. Given Kentucky's pace, I think the press will be very risky for us.

Bigs in Rotation:

Starters - Graham Ike, Anton Watson
Rotation - Ben Gregg, Braden Huff

Ike - Eats against lesser defenses, post game can get flustered against bigs of equal athleticism.

Watson - Reliable producer, enough of a 3 point threat to stretch defenses, has a remarkably good faceup game for how big he is.

Gregg - Hustles every play, can shoot 3's but can also put up stat lines that are block and rebound-heavy with no points.

Huff - talented and big, but raw, and needs to get stronger. Spot minutes if our guys are in foul trouble.

Notable to watch - Dusty Stromer is a freshman wing who got thrown into the rotation. Sneaky athletic on defense, but also mistake prone with the ball. Can get hot, and cold, from 3. Few doesn't usually play freshman, but didn't have a choice this year when a grad-transfer wing got injured pre season.

Gaping holes:

- We suck at shooting freethrows,
- Our depth is hurting at all positions.

Now someone please do this for me so I can post it on our message board?

I didn't see the European kid mentioned - hasn't he had a somewhat solid season? Good length and shoots it well from 3? Or am I giving him too much credit?

Zags ball-screen offense will give us problems. We just cannot defend a good pick/roll situation. We'll see if any improvements have happened, but if I'm the Zags I'm putting Nembhard and Watson in a ball-screen to start every possession, then try to create an advantage from there.

I'm also interested to see if the Zags can slow down Kentucky in transition. I'm willing to wager you'll hear the patented Calipari "GOOOOOO" scream all game long. He'll want the pace high, he'll want to push tempo, and avoid having to execute in the half-court as much as possible.

Good post, I appreciate your insights

 

[uk78]

One good game and people jump back on the band wagon. Seems like short-term memory. It's easy, if Zags can control the tempo then Kentucky is not that great. There are unknowns like Big Z whom weirdly saw no action against Florida and Tenn who both beat us or other Kentucky players getting too much court time. Cal is under fire so to win Zags need to first get a lead, slow down a bit, drive the interior and see if Kentucky has learned anything defensively? A press is not a bad idea for the Zags to do and change a few offensive plays to see what works. Cal doesn't seem to adjust anything during the game only at halftime. Might be tough for Zags on the travel and might find themselves getting tired toward the end.

 

[$Z71$]

I haven't seen the Zags play since November and haven't really kept tabs on them. I coach HS basketball, and coached the last couple years against one of their big men, Braden Huff.

What do you guys know about them?

Typically going to see solid M2M defense, they'll make you guard lots of ball-screens (a BIG TIME WEAKNESS FOR THE CATS), try to force you to collapse off their shooters. Nembhard and Hickman are solid, but so are Reed, Rob, Reeves, and DJ (if playing).

Game might come down to the paint and big men, and if we can actually defend ball-screens consistently enough to get stops

If we shoot 45% plus from the field and hit 8 plus 3s I think we win by 8 or more. It will be a high scoring shootout but I believe we out rebound them at Rupp. IMO they are like a slightly less offensively gifted Florida with slightly better D. As long as our offense is running well we should be able to handle business.

 

[ZagsVisitor]

I didn't see the European kid mentioned - hasn't he had a somewhat solid season? Good length and shoots it well from 3? Or am I giving him too much credit?

Zags ball-screen offense will give us problems. We just cannot defend a good pick/roll situation. We'll see if any improvements have happened, but if I'm the Zags I'm putting Nembhard and Watson in a ball-screen to start every possession, then try to create an advantage from there.

I'm also interested to see if the Zags can slow down Kentucky in transition. I'm willing to wager you'll hear the patented Calipari "GOOOOOO" scream all game long. He'll want the pace high, he'll want to push tempo, and avoid having to execute in the half-court as much as possible.

Good post, I appreciate your insights

As to a Euro, by talent, you're describing Stromer, but he's a SoCal native. The only Euro who has got minutes is Krajnovic, but he hasn't reliably broken our rotation. I'm sorry but I'm not sure who else it could be who has got minutes

If you're skeptical about the your defense, I like our high pick offense, however, if this becomes a track meet, we have neither the depth nor athleticism to keep up, and it could get bloody fast. Worst case for Zags is UK gets us into early foul trouble, and we're forced to the bench with your guys running out every possession. That could be a recipe for an early result in a long night. It is historically uncharacteristic for the Zags, but I prefer the Zags keep the game in the half court on both ends.

Prettier game = Advantage UK
Muckier game = Advantage Zags

Who is Mitchell, and how significant is it that he's not available to play?

 

[docholiday51]

Braden is a rotation guy, but he's reliable. Could be a starter next year.

Screens:

- Zags run a lot of screen action at the top. We don't have great 3 point shooting like in years passed, but teams are still going over out picks. Hickman and Nembhard are good off the dribble, but size and athleticism can fluster them as well. If Ike is in the game/producing well, high entry post passes become our first option. It's highly dependant on what his foul situation is, and whether he can handle his defender.

- On defense, we always hedge very high. That usually leaves a big cutting down, a wing sagging to cover, and a wing open for three. If your shooters are hot, it will be a long night for us.

Defense:

We play almost exclusively M2M, and if we're getting killed in the half-court, we'll throw in an occasional press to fluster setting up your offense. Given Kentucky's pace, I think the press will be very risky for us.

Bigs in Rotation:

Starters - Graham Ike, Anton Watson
Rotation - Ben Gregg, Braden Huff

Ike - Eats against lesser defenses, post game can get flustered against bigs of equal athleticism.

Watson - Reliable producer, enough of a 3 point threat to stretch defenses, has a remarkably good faceup game for how big he is.

Gregg - Hustles every play, can shoot 3's but can also put up stat lines that are block and rebound-heavy with no points.

Huff - talented and big, but raw, and needs to get stronger. Spot minutes if our guys are in foul trouble.

Notable to watch - Dusty Stromer is a freshman wing who got thrown into the rotation. Sneaky athletic on defense, but also mistake prone with the ball. Can get hot, and cold, from 3. Few doesn't usually play freshman, but didn't have a choice this year when a grad-transfer wing got injured pre season.

Gaping holes:

- We suck at shooting freethrows,
- Our depth is hurting at all positions.

Now someone please do this for me so I can post it on our message board?

We don't have anyone who can guard a broom or your grandmother (take your pick)

Our transition game is as good as anyone's in the country.
Our coach couldn't coach his way out of a paper bag.

Reeves ,Shepard and Dillingham can rain 3's down in bunches

Can't tell you about anyone else because we never know who is going to play and who is not going to play, Burks had a nice last game but we hadn't seen him in the past 4 or 5 games. We have a 7'2" kid who is pretty good and is suited to the type of game you play but our coach is reluctant to play him much

We have 2 other 7 footers who could be factors

We will play M2M exclusively. Your best offense might be to get the ball to front court then throw it off one of our players so you can run an inbounds play. We can't defend that at all

I think we will be a bad match up for you guys, if you aren't a physical team. We are elite in transition and can put points on the board.

I know this isn't as player specific as was you excellent team breakdown but trust me it is as accurate as you are going to see.

 

[ukatecowboy]

As to a Euro, by talent, you're describing Stromer, but he's a SoCal native. The only Euro who has got minutes is Krajnovic, but he hasn't reliably broken our rotation. I'm sorry but I'm not sure who else it could be who has got minutes

If you're skeptical about the your defense, I like our high pick offense, however, if this becomes a track meet, we have neither the depth nor athleticism to keep up, and it could get bloody fast. Worst case for Zags is UK gets us into early foul trouble, and we're forced to the bench with your guys running out every possession. That could be a recipe for an early result in a long night. It is historically uncharacteristic for the Zags, but I prefer the Zags keep the game in the half court on both ends.

Prettier game = Advantage UK
Muckier game = Advantage Zags

Who is Mitchell, and how significant is it that he's not available to play?

Mitchell up to last couple of games has been one of our most reliable players. 6-9 transfer from West Virginia. Good 3 point shooter. Not sure but he may lead us in rebounding .

 

[UKWildcats1987]

They have lost to every decent team they played this year. Their best win was UCLA and that's not saying much.

Looks like they beat Syracuse. They are 15 and 8 but n awful acc.

 

[ZagsVisitor]

We don't have anyone who can guard a broom or your grandmother (take your pick)

Our transition game is as good as anyone's in the country.
Our coach couldn't coach his way out of a paper bag.

Reeves ,Shepard and Dillingham can rain 3's down in bunches

Can't tell you about anyone else because we never know who is going to play and who is not going to play, Burks had a nice last game but we hadn't seen him in the past 4 or 5 games. We have a 7'2" kid who is pretty good and is suited to the type of game you play but our coach is reluctant to play him much

We have 2 other 7 footers who could be factors

We will play M2M exclusively. Your best offense might be to get the ball to front court then throw it off one of our players so you can run an inbounds play. We can't defend that at all

I think we will be a bad match up for you guys, if you aren't a physical team. We are elite in transition and can put points on the board.

I know this isn't as player specific as was you excellent team breakdown but trust me it is as accurate as you are going to see.

Mitchell up to last couple of games has been one of our most reliable players. 6-9 transfer from West Virginia. Good 3 point shooter. Not sure but he may lead us in rebounding .

Great stuff, thank you. Both posted to GU Boards.