A large portion of our defensive woes is because we have no continuity from last season.
Pope had BYU playing better defense. They weren't elite by any stretch, but the median BYU team he coached was much better than this team on defense. We'd be fringe top 10 right now in Kenpom if we were as good defensively as BYU was last year. The difference? Year to year continuity. A core group of players, even if they didn't play much, carry the experience and a sort of psychology about how to play within the coach's framework. There isn't a need to reinvent the wheel twice.
Alabama returned a core of 4 players that rank in the top 6 in minutes played this year from a team that was horrible on defense. They added some freshman talent and a fantastic paint defender who plays just 18 minutes a game and they've jumped from ranking in the 100's to the top 40 in defensive efficiency. Is Cliff Omoruyi playing less than 20 minutes game worth a 70 spot jump in adjusted defensive efficiency? The returning players also got better at defending by gaining experience playing together.
Pope had BYU playing better defense. They weren't elite by any stretch, but the median BYU team he coached was much better than this team on defense. We'd be fringe top 10 right now in Kenpom if we were as good defensively as BYU was last year. The difference? Year to year continuity. A core group of players, even if they didn't play much, carry the experience and a sort of psychology about how to play within the coach's framework. There isn't a need to reinvent the wheel twice.
Alabama returned a core of 4 players that rank in the top 6 in minutes played this year from a team that was horrible on defense. They added some freshman talent and a fantastic paint defender who plays just 18 minutes a game and they've jumped from ranking in the 100's to the top 40 in defensive efficiency. Is Cliff Omoruyi playing less than 20 minutes game worth a 70 spot jump in adjusted defensive efficiency? The returning players also got better at defending by gaining experience playing together.
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