I have an epiphany regarding defense...

[Greene Rice FIG]

kenpom has us 25th and bart has us 35th in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency. That puts us right about where we were last year (our O is much better than last year).

I guess that means we are a good defensive team. However when I look at us individually I think most in our rotation are poor on ball defenders. I am very confident in my assessment here so how are we good? Yes we are a good defensive rebounding that helps, but a team that doesn't cause turnovers offsets it.

When it comes down to it lateral quickness and being a good on ball defender may not be nearly as important as I thought. Defending the 3 point line and getting through screens is so much more important. Also having bigs that rotate and can block shots is important.

Paul Mulcahy will have a lot to learn about how to play defense, but if he is a willing defender (he will be) he'll do just fine defensively.

 

[kcg88]

We're 25th nationally but only 11th in Big Ten play. The games against FDU, BU, and EMU really helped inflate our ranking.

Conversely the Purdue and Minnesota games are really hurting our in-conference rating.

 

[Mr_Twister]

How did we ever lose to Fordham who at this date has not won an Atlantic 10 conference game?

 

[Degaz-RU]

How did we ever lose to Fordham who at this date has not won an Atlantic 10 conference game?

Because our offense was still finding it’s way, and simply that Honor kid just caught fire. Plus it was a road game.

A perfect (sh*t) storm.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

We're 25th nationally but only 11th in Big Ten play. The games against FDU, BU, and EMU really helped inflate our ranking.

Conversely the Purdue and Minnesota games are really hurting our in-conference rating.

We are 5 out of 10 with holding opponents under 1 PPP that is pretty darn good. The Purdue and Minnesota games have killed the overall numbers.

 

[RUChoppin]

Omoruyi is such a huge part of it, too. He is really good at help defense, and closing down passing/driving lanes through the middle - which frequently results in charges taken, but also poor shots and passes back out to the top. He can guard the 2-4 consistently, and occasionally the 5 depending on the matchup. The two games we got blown up defensively were two games he was on the bench - he really changes the complexion of the game on defense when he's on the floor.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Because our offense was still finding it’s way, and simply that Honor kid just caught fire. Plus it was a road game.

A perfect (sh*t) storm.

Offense wasn't an issue. We gave up 78 points in 70 possessions. We gave up 58 in 69 possessions vs. Indiana

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Omoruyi is such a huge part of it, too. He is really good at help defense, and closing down passing/driving lanes through the middle - which frequently results in charges taken, but also poor shots and passes back out to the top. He can guard the 2-4 consistently, and occasionally the 5 depending on the matchup. The two games we got blown up defensively were two games he was on the bench - he really changes the complexion of the game on defense when he's on the floor.

Our transition D was awful in those games too......and my zone theory. Will be interesting to see what Pike does vs. OSU this time. Wesson was a beast.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

3/4+ of Eugene's charges have been drawn as a helper which means an on ball defender got beat. I think Choppin may be right that he is a VERY important ingredient of the recipe

 

[RUChoppin]

3/4+ of Eugene's charges have been drawn as a helper which means an on ball defender got beat. I think Choppin may be right that he is a VERY important ingredient of the recipe

Even when he doesn't take a charge, it results in an "oh ****" moment for the driving player - which can become a bad shot, turnover, or pass back out of the lane. His help defense is really good.

And I think it's rubbing off on other players, too - even if the on-ball defender gets beat, there are players who are stepping into the lane and forcing the penetrating player to make decisions. That "team defense" concept helps make up for each individual maybe not being the best one on one defender.

 

[RU82]

I was pleasantly surprised by how well Harper was able to stay in front of Romeo Langford (who btw seems like a very fine young man off the court).

Both Harper and Mathis are unusually physical players for freshman.

 

[littlenis5]

I think your assessment was too much in a vacuum. Our on ball defense isn’t great as you mention, but our help defense is a huge upgrade over last year. Shaq/Myles is a huge upgrade over Freeman/Duke/Sa. Even the best on ball defenders need helpers and this team has gelled on that side of the ball lately.

When ball handlers get into the teeth of the defense, there’s usually three guys trapping and there’s nowhere to go but throwing up a wild shot

 

[RUDead]

kenpom has us 25th and bart has us 35th in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency. That puts us right about where we were last year (our O is much better than last year).

I guess that means we are a good defensive team. However when I look at us individually I think most in our rotation are poor on ball defenders. I am very confident in my assessment here so how are we good? Yes we are a good defensive rebounding that helps, but a team that doesn't cause turnovers offsets it.

When it comes down to it lateral quickness and being a good on ball defender may not be nearly as important as I thought. Defending the 3 point line and getting through screens is so much more important. Also having bigs that rotate and can block shots is important.

Paul Mulcahy will have a lot to learn about how to play defense, but if he is a willing defender (he will be) he'll do just fine defensively.

Let it go, bro. Your becoming obsessed with PM lateral movement.

Heading toward KYK and Eugene can't dribble territory.

:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

 

[RU at the shore]

The rebounding has been tremendous. Offense and Defense

 

[RU-ROCS]

Omoruyi is such a huge part of it, too. He is really good at help defense, and closing down passing/driving lanes through the middle - which frequently results in charges taken, but also poor shots and passes back out to the top. He can guard the 2-4 consistently, and occasionally the 5 depending on the matchup. The two games we got blown up defensively were two games he was on the bench - he really changes the complexion of the game on defense when he's on the floor.

Agree 100%. Those drawn charges are also huge because they result in a TO by the opposition and a foul, often on one of their lead offensive weapons.

 

[Scarlet Shack]

This is an interesting post

Couple of points

1.) I don’t think we are nearly as bad on the ball as the eye ball suggests ...partially because we play a brand of denfense that helps, roots out the picks and is hedging to help so we aren’t quite straight up man

2.) we are really much much better getting up and over the ball screens now than we were early in the year

3.) our defense hedging is really good

4.) having some guys help and swat it away really helps...as does Eugene taking the charges

Bottom line ...team defense is coming

 

[RutgHoops]

Two things:

Getting over ball screens is huge as we are not often caught in mismatches and/or caught where players are off balance/chasing on switches. And our post defense is really, really good. With our size and athleticism in the post most everything around the basket is contested. I have no stats to back it up, but I think in the post, where teams normally shoot 55- 60%, we hold teams under 50% in those same spots.

It also doesn't hurt that we are very good at not allowing second shots

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Numbers don't lie. We are a very good defensive team. Maybe my expectations of what is good on ball defense is way too high.

The real purpose of my post is that (articulated in the 2 posts above) lateral quickness/ good on ball defense is a much smaller part of the recipe of being a good defensive than I might have initially thought.

Being a willing defender that buys in to team defense and gives the effort (and gets strong) is what really matters

 

[Scarlet Shack]

Numbers don't lie. We are a very good defensive team. Maybe my expectations of what is good on ball defense is way too high.

The real purpose of my post is that (articulated in the 2 posts above) lateral quickness/ good on ball defense is a much smaller part of the recipe of being a good defensive than I might have initially thought.

Being a willing defender that buys in to team defense and gives the effort (and gets strong) is what really matters

Greene

Keep in mind that basketball is has changed a lot ...it’s more abut defending above the arc now ...and then picking up tighter as the ball is worked closer to the Rim.

The points per shot makes defending 22 feet much more important than 17-20 feet...So it’s not so much about being up and matching step for step on the perimeter ..and being in the right place st the right tone to prevent the three ball from
Being launched unobstructed

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Yes. defending the 3 point line is much more important than staying in front of your man.

Pikiell's decision to put Harper (and then Kiss :scream on Langford instead of Mathis was puzzling. In the end it worked Langford was able to beat Harper off the dribble when he wanted, but it didn't translate in to points.

I think it showed that Pikiell had confidence that the bigs would make the right rotations

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

I think a couple of things matter...

A) making baskets on offense, helps the defense.

B) i think we are not playing against faster teams like Minnesota Purdue and eventually Illinois and Iowa twice. Nebraska Ohio State Northwestern and Indiana are content with running their offensive sets.

C) Shaq Doorson is good interior at bodying up without clubbing down with his arms. Shaq Carter is willing to attempt to swat a shot away while Eugene is waiting for the driver to take charges.

D) i think Mulcahy sat behind the RU bench last night, so i think he'll absorb the defensive concepts fine. Peter Kiss has started to look better defensively which isn't anything more than mindset...Kiss has the athleticism but it's not going to work unless the player knows what to look for.

E) The toughest thing about a climb up the standings is to absolutely know what an opponent wants to do on offense and the RU coaches know as well.....and literally leave it up to a handful of possessions where the opposing coaches expect their offensive player to win that battle most possessions.

I also think having a 1 and done type of player like Langford, can make a coach's job easier and more difficult. He has to showcase the player for the next level, while trying to maintain the team concepts.

It's was easy to defend RU in the last couple of years because we knew 33 % of the teams shots were going to be taken by Sanders....it makes it tougher to score in conference when everyone knows what you run and you don't have other options who can create their own offense. I think the rematches with Ohio State Indiana, Northwestern, Penn State and eventually Iowa, will be on the RU staff to scout and practice so we defend better than the 1st matchup.

The good news IMO, RU seems to be past a lot of the defensive breakdowns we saw a couple of weeks ago and Ron Harper has taken on the responsibility of being a better player and defender. I think RU improves on both ends when Harper plays well.

 

[RU848789]

Numbers don't lie. We are a very good defensive team. Maybe my expectations of what is good on ball defense is way too high.

The real purpose of my post is that (articulated in the 2 posts above) lateral quickness/ good on ball defense is a much smaller part of the recipe of being a good defensive than I might have initially thought.

Being a willing defender that buys in to team defense and gives the effort (and gets strong) is what really matters

I was thinking similarly. During the early part of the game, I worried about how much more "athletic" (quickness, jumping ability) IU looked vs. us and thought we would give up too many easy blow-by drives and dishes/baskets and they'd be able to shut us down.

But during our run in particular, I kept noticing how well we got over ball screens, but also how well we did with help defense when someone didn't get over a screen or if the defender was beaten by the ball handler up top - that usually made the guy with the ball have to attempt a tough shot or pass or bring it back out. So "team" defense seemed to be as important as one on one on the ball defense. Plus, we're also quite tall and rangy at almost every position, so we get arms in lanes and deflect or prevent some passes (and prevent shots), making it harder for the other team.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Rice got teams to play good D with real bad on ball defenders. One thing to beat your defender, but what happens next....