Zone

[megablue]

How do you think our team will do against a team who plays a tight zone against us for the majority, if not all, of a game ??
We have so many players, practically everybody, who is quick with the ball and can take you off the dribble ... I cannot help but wonder how we'll do against teams who realize they cannot guard us in man ... and do not try to. Surely, this will happen.

 

[BlueWhite21]

How do you think our team will do against a team who plays a tight zone against us for the majority, if not all, of a game ??
We have so many players, practically everybody, who is quick with the ball and can take you off the dribble ... I cannot help but wonder how we'll do against teams who realize they cannot guard us in man ... and do not try to. Surely, this will happen.

Idk but I don't like it when you got Cal asking a damn D2 team not to zone us in an Exhibition game. I'd feel better and less embarrassed if I didn't even know that detail. Hell, surely though we'll be fine with the ball handlers and shooters we got. But, then again not to be negative but I've seen UK struggle through whole seasons of just tryin to figure out how to beat a zone. Then once that blueprint is there it's like we can know what to expect going into every game until we figure it out.

 

[Wonky]

Idk but I don't like it when you got Cal asking a damn D2 team not to zone us in an Exhibition game.

Has it been confirmed Cal actually did this or is it just an internet rumor?

 

[JwUKFan11]

I'd recommend this thread and in particular the first comment and then looking at the numbers of Zone. It's really a non issue for anyone paying attention. https://kentucky.forums.rivals.com/...x-follow-brandon-ramsey.398640/#post-12273897

 

[kybassfan]

This is why you pass. This is why skilled passing and moving without the ball is incredibly important. Even more important than jacking threes.

 

[BlueWhite21]

Has it been confirmed Cal actually did this or is it just an internet rumor?

I don't listen to Cals interviews much anymore and I didn't hear him say it directly, but it was reported by Courier Journal, LHL, and several others that Calipari said it himself in the post game press conference that he asked KSU to not press because he hadn't got to work on it yet. Its crazy that he'd do that to begin with and on top of it it's an Exhibition game that UK wins 99-53 or something like that.

Looks like that'd be the best time to have a team to throw anything at you. You can have an ideal where your at before you even start to work on it and even if the zone does slow you down a bit its not likely to slow you down enough to give you an L in an Exhibition game that doesn't count anyways.

Throw em to the wolves and see where you at as a team. That's the best way to figure shit out sometimes. I mean they will have to go through it and my guess is that will come very soon.

 

[OmahaCats]

Has it been confirmed Cal actually did this or is it just an internet rumor?

It was probably said as somewhat of a joke. But who really cares. This team will just get better and better as the season progresses

 

[Cowtown Cat]

We will do just fine. We have several good shooters. Also, put Mitchell and/or Thiero in the middle of the floor and back cut them all night long. Can put Big Z/Bradshaw in the middle as well, as they can both hit the outside and midrange jumper and both can pass. The game is so much easier when you: A - have good shooters, B - have multiple guys that can pass and C - have high IQ guys that know how to cut and free themselves up for easy buckets.

 

[runt#69]

The spacing this team is showing tends to make me feel like they would be ok against a zone. At some point, they're going to have to prove they can consistently hit outside shots in a game. Some team is going to make them prove it. Sooner it happens, the better, I'd say.

At this point, I'd welcome anyone playing a zone defense against this team. I would not be surprised to see them eat it up and several guys feast like there's no tomorrow.

...... then again, what's the chances of all 8 players going cold in a single night?

can't happen, right?

Right ?!?!?

 

[Eagles_Ball]

We will do just fine. We have several good shooters. Also, put Mitchell and/or Thiero in the middle of the floor and back cut them all night long. Can put Big Z/Bradshaw in the middle as well, as they can both hit the outside and midrange jumper and both can pass. The game is so much easier when you: A - have good shooters, B - have multiple guys that can pass and C - have high IQ guys that know how to cut and free themselves up for easy buckets.

This. Any Cal teams that have been good against zones have had a playmaking "big" in the middle of the zone. AD is the most obvious, duh. He and MKG would slide in and out while the other lurked in the short corner. KAT and WCS team sticks out to me as well. PJ and Reid were okay, but had some really freaking good perimeter players to open the middle a bit and make it easier to work.

If this entire team ever gets on the freaking court, I think the bigs they have will be able to neutralize the zones a bit. Bradshaw has the skill set to just be a monster in the middle against a zone. For all of Oscar's attributes, we all know he was much better with his back to the basket. That team lacked the playmaker in the middle so they had to scheme completely differently versus zones.

 

[ganner918]

The spacing this team is showing tends to make me feel like they would be ok against a zone. At some point, they're going to have to prove they can consistently hit outside shots in a game. Some team is going to make them prove it. Sooner it happens, the better, I'd say.

At this point, I'd welcome anyone playing a zone defense against this team. I would not be surprised to see them eat it up and several guys feast like there's no tomorrow.

...... then again, what's the chances of all 8 players going cold in a single night?

can't happen, right?

Right ?!?!?

I won't be surprised to see Kansas play a lot of zone against us. We're playing small and will try to pull Dickenson out of the paint, in man he either has to come out on Mitchell who can nail a jumper or they'll have to have him on Thiero and just sag off and leave him unguarded and hang out in the paint.

 

[ukjenning44]

Go watch the 2010 Elite 8 game against WVU. Cal turd lost with Wall, Cousins, Bledsoe, and Patterson to a crap WVU team that got smoked the next game.
Cal has definitely done the least with the most over the last 20 years.

 

[entropy13]

Go watch the 2010 Elite 8 game against WVU. Cal turd lost with Wall, Cousins, Bledsoe, and Patterson to a crap WVU team that got smoked the next game.
Cal has definitely done the least with the most over the last 20 years.

That game was frustrating for sure, but to call 2010 WVU a crap team is nonsense. They were the Big East champions. Arguably, they were the toughest 2-seed and shouldn't have been in our bracket at all Anyway, yeah, they got beat handily by Duke the next game, but Duke won it all that year.

 

[Eagles_Ball]

That game was frustrating for sure, but to call 2010 WVU a crap team is nonsense. They were the Big East champions. Arguably, they were the toughest 2-seed and shouldn't have been in our bracket at all Anyway, yeah, they got beat handily by Duke the next game, but Duke won it all that year.

And they could do the one thing that team struggled with. They spread you out and forced you to guard the perimeter with your bigs. I just remember them bombing 3s and constantly curling Cousins and PPat to death when those two were forced to guard the perimeter.

 

[Woodsmoke]

I don't listen to Cals interviews much anymore and I didn't hear him say it directly, but it was reported by Courier Journal, LHL, and several others that Calipari said it himself in the post game press conference that he asked KSU to not press because he hadn't got to work on it yet. Its crazy that he'd do that to begin with and on top of it it's an Exhibition game that UK wins 99-53 or something like that.

Looks like that'd be the best time to have a team to throw anything at you. You can have an ideal where your at before you even start to work on it and even if the zone does slow you down a bit its not likely to slow you down enough to give you an L in an Exhibition game that doesn't count anyways.

Throw em to the wolves and see where you at as a team. That's the best way to figure shit out sometimes. I mean they will have to go through it and my guess is that will come very soon.

You actually think Cal was serious when he said this? Cal messes with fan’s minds all the time because it’s easy to do.

 

[JonathanW]

This is why you pass. This is why skilled passing and moving without the ball is incredibly important. Even more important than jacking threes.

Agree, this is where you run Mitchell to the FT line, pass it to him, and then he can shoot or pass from there.

 

[WeWant9]

There’s been some Cal teams that looked clueless against a zone. I don’t think this will be one of those teams. It seems like a smart team who can find the open man.

I’m more worried about big, physical teams who can match our athleticism.

 

[thedahc]

Idk but I don't like it when you got Cal asking a damn D2 team not to zone us in an Exhibition game. I'd feel better and less embarrassed if I didn't even know that detail. Hell, surely though we'll be fine with the ball handlers and shooters we got. But, then again not to be negative but I've seen UK struggle through whole seasons of just tryin to figure out how to beat a zone. Then once that blueprint is there it's like we can know what to expect going into every game until we figure it out.

"not to be negative but" seems like something you probably say often right before being super negative.

 

[JHannibalSmith]

This is why you pass. This is why skilled passing and moving without the ball is incredibly important. Even more important than jacking threes.

Exactly. Unselfish teams with good ball movement are a nightmare to defend, even if they struggle from the perimeter. Zone defense or not. And, additionally, having an elite passer in the post like Mitchell is invaluable. It’s incredibly difficult to zone teams that have skilled, smart bigs who can flash to the foul line & quickly catch & skip passes, diagonally, to shooters, find back door cutters, or, turn & knock down the 15-footer.

I’m looking forward to seeing Mitchell & Ivisic playing, together. Ivisic is also a great passer for a big & while I’m not expecting many high-low sets, they could be deadly together if Calipari chooses to go that route, occasionally. It’s beautiful basketball when executed properly.

 

[Cal-4-Three]

I won't be surprised to see Kansas play a lot of zone against us. We're playing small and will try to pull Dickenson out of the paint, in man he either has to come out on Mitchell who can nail a jumper or they'll have to have him on Thiero and just sag off and leave him unguarded and hang out in the paint.

Kansas doesn't really play a lot of zone defense so I wouldn't bank on it. They may throw it out for a couple possessions etc but I don't see them doing it often. Zone is extremely hard to rebound out of and any coach will know that they have an advantage in rebounding playing against kentucky unless they go zone.

 

[MasonCoBlue]

With they way our guards can penetrate, coupled with multiple outside threats, Reed should be salivating seeing a zone. He's designed to be a zone buster.

 

[YardCat]

Has it been confirmed Cal actually did this or is it just an internet rumor?

Cal will deny it and weed eat it under the rug. Maybe he had Ellen ask the coach not to play zone.

 

[BlueWhite21]

"not to be negative but" seems like something you probably say often right before being super negative.

Well I don't like to be negative. Oh, and definitely not super negative 😂. I wasn't really being all that negative anyways. Just kind of speaking on it the way its looked to me.

I'd love to be able to say "Shit, now that Cal really knows how to bust a zone defense up and we've looked great against a Zone ever since Cal came to Lexington." That'd be getting just a little bit too superduper positive though and outright lying. It's a nice day outside though.

 

[ganner918]

Kansas doesn't really play a lot of zone defense so I wouldn't bank on it. They may throw it out for a couple possessions etc but I don't see them doing it often. Zone is extremely hard to rebound out of and any coach will know that they have an advantage in rebounding playing against kentucky unless they go zone.

I just know Self has pulled out the freaking triangle and 2 against us in the past, if he sees a way to exploit us he'll do it

 

[BlueWhite21]

You actually think Cal was serious when he said this? Cal messes with fan’s minds all the time because it’s easy to do.

Well, he said it. So he shouldn't get so mad and be so thin skinned when ppl laugh at him or question his coaching. I didn't listen to the post game show. I don't listen to many of Caliparis interviews. I don't even care if he was serious or not. It's still kind of embarrassing either way.

I don't know if he is messing with the fans or if the fans are messing with him. If a coach is gonna make those kinds of comments to "mess" with fans then he doesn't need be talking about being tired and how he just wants to go home when it's time to go out and talk to Tom Leach or deal with the press like last yr when South Carolina beat UK ass at home. I really want Cal to do well. I want UK to do well. So hopefully he does just that.

But this stuff like saying Cal just messes with the fans heads because it so easy to do. Well, It's a bitch that winning NCAA tournament games just not so easy to do anymore.

 

[megablue]

That game was frustrating for sure, but to call 2010 WVU a crap team is nonsense. They were the Big East champions. Arguably, they were the toughest 2-seed and shouldn't have been in our bracket at all Anyway, yeah, they got beat handily by Duke the next game, but Duke won it all that year.

WVU was good, but I think their leading scorer and point guard did not play in the game. 4-32 on threes killed us that day.

 

[JLucky1]

May take a bit but I think you give the ball to Mitchell at the high post or let dillingham get a paint touch and we will be pretty good against the zone with the shooters we have.

 

[ala_kat2]

How do you think our team will do against a team who plays a tight zone against us for the majority, if not all, of a game ??
We have so many players, practically everybody, who is quick with the ball and can take you off the dribble ... I cannot help but wonder how we'll do against teams who realize they cannot guard us in man ... and do not try to. Surely, this will happen.

We will crap the bed. Cal wont play zone and probably cannot teach how to play offense against a zone. You gotta stop the dribble drive and feed the open spot in the zone and pass back out to open shooter.

 

[kyboy1998]

And they could do the one thing that team struggled with. They spread you out and forced you to guard the perimeter with your bigs. I just remember them bombing 3s and constantly curling Cousins and PPat to death when those two were forced to guard the perimeter.

That WVU team was among the worst perimeter shooting teams in the tourney that year. Like really bad. They just had a good game.

 

[megablue]

That WVU team was among the worst perimeter shooting teams in the tourney that year. Like really bad. They just had a good game.

They shot poorly, but we shot terribly.

Kentucky vs. West Virginia (March 27, 2010)

www.bigbluehistory.net

 

[kyboy1998]

They shot poorly, but we shot terribly.

Kentucky vs. West Virginia (March 27, 2010)

www.bigbluehistory.net

I’m assuming someone denied that.

 

[Eagles_Ball]

That WVU team was among the worst perimeter shooting teams in the tourney that year. Like really bad. They just had a good game.

Right. The game that mattered. Good shooting team or not, that game they were able to do what that team couldn’t defend.

 

[megablue]

I’m assuming someone denied that.

WVU may have held true to their seasonal averages, but we shot horribly from both the field AND the free-throw line. They zoned us pretty much the entire game with an extended 1-3-1 zone. We were lost.