Our one or two possessions of zone

[Jamal Mercer]

Arkansas ran the simplest junior high level screen at the top, Mark used it and hit a wide open 3.

1. This is because we probably haven’t practiced zone…..ever.

2. Reeves should have recognized that with even the slightest bit of basketball knowledge and stepped up from his position. (Relax, he’s my favorite player)

3. The time to use a zone and spend practice time on it has probably passed this team by.
It’s sink or swim with our atrocious man D now.

Here’s to hoping the right people take the shots going forward and the right people play the majority of the minutes.

 

[CELTICAT]

I was happy to see it, even if it didn’t work. Arkansas isn’t a good outside shooting team, but we all know how it goes in Rupp. Might be the kind of thing that actually gets stops later this month.

 

[St.PatterSoN-54-]

Yeah I disagree. They were hitting elementary school layup lines when we were in man, so at least a zone made them work fir an open three. Other recent games, mixing in the zone occasionally has given us stops and TOs. I’m fine that we are primarily MANTAMAN, but it doesn’t hurt to mix in the zone to keep them off guard.

 

[EliteBlue]

Arkansas ran the simplest junior high level screen at the top, Mark used it and hit a wide open 3.

1. This is because we probably haven’t practiced zone…..ever.

2. Reeves should have recognized that with even the slightest bit of basketball knowledge and stepped up from his position. (Relax, he’s my favorite player)

3. The time to use a zone and spend practice time on it has probably passed this team by.
It’s sink or swim with our atrocious man D now.

Here’s to hoping the right people take the shots going forward and the right people play the majority of the minutes.

That last paragraph rings loud and true. It’s wild that would even be a concern

 

[ORCAT10]

Arkansas ran the simplest junior high level screen at the top, Mark used it and hit a wide open 3.

1. This is because we probably haven’t practiced zone…..ever.

2. Reeves should have recognized that with even the slightest bit of basketball knowledge and stepped up from his position. (Relax, he’s my favorite player)

3. The time to use a zone and spend practice time on it has probably passed this team by.
It’s sink or swim with our atrocious man D now.

Here’s to hoping the right people take the shots going forward and the right people play the majority of the minutes.

Thought the same. Coached middle school basketball for years and we ran the same thing.

 

[Jamal Mercer]

Yeah I disagree. They were hitting elementary school layup lines when we were in man, so at least a zone made them work fir an open three. Other recent games, mixing in the zone occasionally has given us stops and TOs. I’m fine that we are primarily MANTAMAN, but it doesn’t hurt to mix in the zone to keep them off guard.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been clamoring for zone all year. BUT, if we don’t know how to guard that simple screen in the zone, then it might just be too late.

 

[cats2010]

Arkansas ran the simplest junior high level screen at the top, Mark used it and hit a wide open 3.

1. This is because we probably haven’t practiced zone…..ever.

2. Reeves should have recognized that with even the slightest bit of basketball knowledge and stepped up from his position. (Relax, he’s my favorite player)

3. The time to use a zone and spend practice time on it has probably passed this team by.
It’s sink or swim with our atrocious man D now.

Here’s to hoping the right people take the shots going forward and the right people play the majority of the minutes.

Cal isn’t paid enough to coach multiple defenses to his team. He should be embarrassed that his team doesn’t know how to execute a zone but he isn’t. He actually took pride in that post game where he stated their zone worked because they (with emphasis) didn’t know what they were doing!!!!! Once cal is finally gone, despite having less talent, fans are going to be amazed watching a coached basketball team again. We have gone so long without it, I think most have forgotten what that looks like.

 

[ukjenning44]

Cal will be the downfall of this team. With all the depth we have I would be pressing, zoning, man. Keeping the opposition off balance.
Cal just wants to roll the ball out. He’s lazy and useless and I want him gone.

 

[Soupbean]

How bout this ….. in keeping with the spirit todays culture let’s stop using the term “zone” defense and instead start calling it “alternative” defense. I think this will will help in a couple ways.

1. It will do away with the outdated notion and connotation Cal and others have of a ZONE where they think it means defended just stand in place in an area without really defending anyone.

2. It would allow us to include several different defensive approaches besides plain man to man and be okay trying them. Such as….

Guys line up three around the perimeter and match up on the ball aggressively whenever it is close to them, like man defense without the chasing.

Or guys line up 1out front 3 on the next line then 1 in the back. Then when ball comes onto half court we trap hard on the wings and rotate the other guys in the passing lanes to create turnovers etc.

These could be used occasionally to change tempo save fouls and force the other guys to adjust.

I know they sound like zone defenses but they’re not, they’re ALTERNATIVE resistance plans.

 

[cal=8]

I was happy to see it, even if it didn’t work. Arkansas isn’t a good outside shooting team, but we all know how it goes in Rupp. Might be the kind of thing that actually gets stops later this month.

I agree and I think you'll see it thrown in for a couple possessions against Vandy too. He's probably seeing how we execute and making "Tweaks" (lol) At least we know he's trying to get ready for any scenario. With the length this team has we should be able to play an effective zone.

 

[cal=8]

How bout this ….. in keeping with the spirit todays culture let’s stop using the term “zone” defense and instead start calling it “alternative” defense. I think this will will help in a couple ways.

1. It will do away with the outdated notion and connotation Cal and others have of a ZONE where they think it means defended just stand in place in an area without really defending anyone.

2. It would allow us to include several different defensive approaches besides plain man to man and be okay trying them. Such as….

Guys line up three around the perimeter and match up on the ball aggressively whenever it is close to them, like man defense without the chasing.

Or guys line up 1out front 3 on the next line then 1 in the back. Then when ball comes onto half court we trap hard on the wings and rotate the other guys in the passing lanes to create turnovers etc.

These could be used occasionally to change tempo save fouls and force the other guys to adjust.

I know they sound like zone defenses but they’re not, they’re ALTERNATIVE resistance plans.

I think you're on to something here. It also opens a whole new format to argue about. It'll be the same only different!

 

[gbl97]

Once cal is finally gone, despite having less talent, fans are going to be amazed watching a coached basketball team again. We have gone so long without it, I think most have forgotten what that looks like.

This x1000.

 

[IL Wildcat]

Arkansas ran the simplest junior high level screen at the top, Mark used it and hit a wide open 3.

1. This is because we probably haven’t practiced zone…..ever.

2. Reeves should have recognized that with even the slightest bit of basketball knowledge and stepped up from his position. (Relax, he’s my favorite player)

3. The time to use a zone and spend practice time on it has probably passed this team by.
It’s sink or swim with our atrocious man D now.

Here’s to hoping the right people take the shots going forward and the right people play the majority of the minutes.

Yeah, I saw that, too. Just one simple screen at the top of the key and the guy is wide open on the shot. I hated it. I thought a zone would have been effective. All we needed was 3 or 4 stops and were right back in front.

Of course, as it turned out, 3 or 4 steals and finishing at the other end changed the entire complexion of the game. Edwards was excellent defensively (and offensively) in that stretch. Dillingham was good, too, and elite finishing at the other end.

I'm sure Cal will just point out that we gave away threes every time we zoned and that will be it. But the simple ways our zone got beat could easily be fixed. But you're right, gotta practice it. Maybe they will now that he's admitted this team won't be a great man to man team. My thought: just switch to the zone for a few possessions to change the rhythm of a team that is playing the way Arkansas was playing for so long there. Or even just switch to it here and there, randomly, to get the opponent off balance, not knowing what's coming.

 

[yes_takeaside]

I thot the Marks shot caught the D by surprise. Everyone assumed Arky would stall for the last shot so the zone was just not active.

Think that’s why Cal went to it. Make them take an outside shot at the buzzer rather than give up another drive to the basket.

 

[Jeff Sykes]

Cal's excuse is just really bad. "They made a 3 against the zone". Well, no crap. How many did they make against the man to man they played?

 

[IL Wildcat]

Cal's excuse is just really bad. "They made a 3 against the zone". Well, no crap. How many did they make against the man to man they played?

So, here's my take. I'm not usually a big critic of Calipari's preference for man to man. I get it. If you can't guard your man, you're gonna struggle defensively throughout your entire career. Why not learn to guard your man? It makes sense. But when a team is playing with such great rhythm offensively (the way Arkansas was most of that 2nd half) and your man to man is not able to get stops (or the referees are calling fouls on every defensive possession), you've got to be able to change or adjust something to throw off that rhythm. I'm not saying that needs to be your primary defense, but I do think you've gotta be ready to throw it in at key moments. I'm hoping, since Cal has admitted to everyone that this team's defense "is what it is," which is code for "not a good defensive team," then perhaps he's gonna work on that zone in case it's needed- hopefully, he's hedging his bets with a zone in his back pocket. As we all know, all it takes is one bad game in the postseason. There is no tomorrow if you lose.

 

[Untouchables22]

Cal isn’t paid enough to coach multiple defenses to his team. He should be embarrassed that his team doesn’t know how to execute a zone but he isn’t. He actually took pride in that post game where he stated their zone worked because they (with emphasis) didn’t know what they were doing!!!!! Once cal is finally gone, despite having less talent, fans are going to be amazed watching a coached basketball team again. We have gone so long without it, I think most have forgotten what that looks like.

Scott Drew at Baylor had to switch his primary defense from man to man to 1-3-1 because like us his team struggled mightily in man to man. Coach K famously in 2015 turned the season around by switching to zone. 1 or 2 possessions is progress to at least make the other team spend practice time practicing zone offense but you’re right that it’s inexcusable Cal refuses to consider alternate defense. Remember THIS season the players had to basically demand they be allowed to lightly press before he would allow it.

 

[cats2010]

Scott Drew at Baylor had to switch his primary defense from man to man to 1-3-1 because like us his team struggled mightily in man to man. Coach K famously in 2015 turned the season around by switching to zone. 1 or 2 possessions is progress to at least make the other team spend practice time practicing zone offense but you’re right that it’s inexcusable Cal refuses to consider alternate defense. Remember THIS season the players had to basically demand they be allowed to lightly press before he would allow it.

I just read an article where cal was talking about their two zone possessions against Arkansas and he said and they hit a 3, are you happy? I mean has me not watched every open 3 teams have gotten all year against our man to man in addition to the wide open layups and dunks. He has serious mental flaws and I cannot wait for his ass to bounce out of here however it happens.

 

[Untouchables22]

I just read an article where cal was talking about their two zone possessions against Arkansas and he said and they hit a 3, are you happy? I mean has me not watched every open 3 teams have gotten all year against our man to man in addition to the wide open layups and dunks. He has serious mental flaws and I cannot wait for his ass to bounce out of here however it happens.

If I’m being honest I think most of it is that he knows he doesn’t know how to coach any other defense well. He is an elite recruiter (best ever), elite motivator, and elite team builder of getting large ego players to buy into a team concept. But schematically coaching he is very poor. It took 14 years for us to utilize good inbounds plays finally!!!

 

[kingdom come cat]

Our man defense held Arkansas a 32.3% shooting team to just 41.2% in this game on threes but that last number would have been much better if Cal hadn't played zone on those two plays and given up a three, also a Arkansas team that averages 50.77% on twos to 57.44% shooting, mostly layups or dunks, that's when we didn't foul them on drives, luckily we did hold them to 27 of 28 on free throws. I will say that their defense was as bad as ours. So all we have to do in the NCAA tornament is play teams that are as bad as we are on defense, which be should be pretty simple to pull off, there by we should't need any alternative defenses. No South Carolinas or UNCW type teams.