...and this one came down to who takes more advantage of mismatches.
This OP will be brief, as I have some things to attend to --- although I may create a couple of GIFs later to illustrate a point --- so I'm gonna keep the focus for now on a contrast to the first State game. First...
- The obvious mismatches our respective lineups create (our two BIgs vs their four-out) ended up in their favor in Raleigh. Today we managed to move it in our direction, albeit only slightly. Those mismatches work 2 ways for them in Keatts' offense: 1) They're gonna get isos from time to time with one of our Bigs trying to guard a smaller guy on the perimeter well into the shot-clock --- I can live with those as long as our guy makes them at least earn their look, and 2) more dangerously (and this one is an absolute no-no), allowing them to create chaos off upper-elbow ball-screens. In other words, if their ballhandler is allowed to get to the screen clean from the wing, that inside-curl move is deadly because that immediaely gets him into the paint with nothing but a chasing defender or a BIg trying to recover in a switch. As I've emphasized over and over, NOTHING good comes from that. NCCentral exposed that in our defense and State ain't the only team that's exploited it.
- so... how do we fix it? It starts with defensive approach angles, and honestly, that starts with your initial stance. In a past "stuff" post I tried to explain the imaginary isosceles triangle concept of our forces, and to be sure, the aforementioned screens they use are designed to defeat that. Basically, it comes down to the on-ball defender COMMITTING to his force (which means trusting your baseline help) and not letting him get to the screen without you in his pocket impeding his path to the paint. We did occasionally get that right today, and when we did they mostly got diddly. But while we got it right more often than in Raleigh, it still wasn't often enough, and their paint points ensued. Fortunately they missed enough kick-out 3s to ease the sting. If I can find adequate video footage later, I'll make a couple of GIFs of right/wrong possessions.
- before I go, briefly on the offensive side, we did 2 important things better today. 1) we were better in transition, and got a lot of points in Secondary action --- now, if we can just nip the rest of those decision-making / dumb passes lapses, there is potential there. 2) (and this was WAYYY better), we got the ball to our Bigs where they could do something with it (and where our obvious mismatches were), and more importantly, they were gathering themselves and making strong moves, as opposed to just throwing it up on the glass... AND, they were finishing thru contact this time (which is always needed in a Roger Ayers game --- bless his heart, Roger is fair and consistent, but it's a wonder he doesn't have a colon blockage from all the whistles he's swallowed over the years )
Anyway, a win over State = Order Restored. Also some good signs of improvement with more to go. Learning is always better with win...
This OP will be brief, as I have some things to attend to --- although I may create a couple of GIFs later to illustrate a point --- so I'm gonna keep the focus for now on a contrast to the first State game. First...
- The obvious mismatches our respective lineups create (our two BIgs vs their four-out) ended up in their favor in Raleigh. Today we managed to move it in our direction, albeit only slightly. Those mismatches work 2 ways for them in Keatts' offense: 1) They're gonna get isos from time to time with one of our Bigs trying to guard a smaller guy on the perimeter well into the shot-clock --- I can live with those as long as our guy makes them at least earn their look, and 2) more dangerously (and this one is an absolute no-no), allowing them to create chaos off upper-elbow ball-screens. In other words, if their ballhandler is allowed to get to the screen clean from the wing, that inside-curl move is deadly because that immediaely gets him into the paint with nothing but a chasing defender or a BIg trying to recover in a switch. As I've emphasized over and over, NOTHING good comes from that. NCCentral exposed that in our defense and State ain't the only team that's exploited it.
- so... how do we fix it? It starts with defensive approach angles, and honestly, that starts with your initial stance. In a past "stuff" post I tried to explain the imaginary isosceles triangle concept of our forces, and to be sure, the aforementioned screens they use are designed to defeat that. Basically, it comes down to the on-ball defender COMMITTING to his force (which means trusting your baseline help) and not letting him get to the screen without you in his pocket impeding his path to the paint. We did occasionally get that right today, and when we did they mostly got diddly. But while we got it right more often than in Raleigh, it still wasn't often enough, and their paint points ensued. Fortunately they missed enough kick-out 3s to ease the sting. If I can find adequate video footage later, I'll make a couple of GIFs of right/wrong possessions.
- before I go, briefly on the offensive side, we did 2 important things better today. 1) we were better in transition, and got a lot of points in Secondary action --- now, if we can just nip the rest of those decision-making / dumb passes lapses, there is potential there. 2) (and this was WAYYY better), we got the ball to our Bigs where they could do something with it (and where our obvious mismatches were), and more importantly, they were gathering themselves and making strong moves, as opposed to just throwing it up on the glass... AND, they were finishing thru contact this time (which is always needed in a Roger Ayers game --- bless his heart, Roger is fair and consistent, but it's a wonder he doesn't have a colon blockage from all the whistles he's swallowed over the years )
Anyway, a win over State = Order Restored. Also some good signs of improvement with more to go. Learning is always better with win...