We were a very poor defensive team in December, the only chance we had at guarding them was to pressure the ball in transition. We are a very good defensive team right now, it's our strength, it was our weakness in the last game.
I think Cal will push it v UCLA
- Thread starter KWilt43atbuzz
- Start date
Pressuring UCLA will create a major problem for our defense. While we are trying to apply ball pressure we are not going to be set on defense, all it takes is a couple of passes and they have an open 3 pointer that they rarely miss.
If UK's defense isn't set they are going to give up open threes. This is why Cal rarely presses.
They lead the country in A/TO ratio.
We rank 16th in opponent's A/TO.
Something's gotta give.
I know you usually just post links without discussion, but some of us like to talk about the game. [laughing]
I agree with you here, applying pressure in a surprise situation might create some steal oportunities, but IIRC, Wichita State hit at least one three on us when we tried to press them.
Every time we press we leave ourselves open to getting beat by exceptional shooters.
But this is JMO, Cal will probably press all game long, win by 40 and stick his tongue out at me. LOL.
Will need to use Fox and/or Hawkins/Briscoe as a one man press, and continue to apply that pressure when they cross mid court.
Hopefully lots of intense one on one harassing of the ball handler 30 feet from the basket, like UCONN did to us in 2014.
I agree with this. Running and gunning is not who we are now, we are a half court team now.
Run what you brung.
I like that, but I worry about Fox picking up a cheap, reach in, foul or two. We HAVE to have him on the floor in this one.
Exactly. In half court sets, against the #79th ranked defense, this backcourt should get to the rim and get fouled a lot.
Arkansas is a run and gun team, they are an extremely poor man's UCLA, but we didn't press them with the exception of a couple of select times. If we aren't going to press Arkansas, we ain't gonna press UCLA.
Based on the style of play and not the ability a team has in breaking the press? We pressed Ark situationally which is what I think we will do. Cal has never pressed the whole game vs anyone
Funny you just described Vandy. Except I think Vandy shoots it better. We didn't seem to have any problem when we pressed WSU setting up our defense
One day UK fans should realize that Cal wants to, likes to, and will if all possible is slow the game down and grind. Even when he had 2 of the most dominant teams in modern times, 2012 and 2015, when it got to tournament time, he slowed the game down. It's who he is and what he's comfortable doing.
So no. He's not going to try to outrun UCLA. You win by making the other team do what they don't want to do.
So no. He's not going to try to outrun UCLA. You win by making the other team do what they don't want to do.
OP: You do realize we've only hit 80 points twice in the last ten games, right? Early on all the talk was about how the Cats got up shots only 12 seconds into the shot clock. Those days have passed. A long time ago. This game will be nothing like the one before, or any other game early on where we pushed it. For better or worse, Cal's philosophy changed.
I don't think the OP even believes this. He's trying to get to his one millionth created thread and just had to write something.
You think Vandy shoots it better than UCLA? Is there a ranking you're seeing somewhere on that? That would surprise me.
I think from three they do as a team well at the time we played them anyway they were shooting really well. And ur argument vs the press was the three point shooting and offense. My argument is Vandy was the hottest shooting team in the league when we played them at Rupp playing very good offensively at the time our press caused them fits because it's ball handling not shooting that determines if a press works or not
Last edited:
Vandy was hot when they played UK, I won't doubt that, but did you see them lose to Northwestern? They couldn't hit the broad side of a barn.
UCLA has been hot from 3 point range with multiple shooters all year, against most teams they have faced.
There is only one team that scores the ball better than them and that's Gonzaga apparently. Vandy isn't in UCLA's zip code.
Last edited:
The 3 point shot was a much bigger part of Vanderbilt's offense than UCLA's.
They both make 9.9 threes per game. UCLA shoots it 3% better.
But Vandy's three point rate is 6th in the country. UCLA's is only 149th. This is due to UCLA playing at a much faster pace.
Right, so they shoot it 3% better AND they have a more complete offense than Vandy.
Also, you know better than to use the phrase "fast pace" around here. We have our own patented phrase for that.
No question that UCLA has a more complete offense than Vandy did. But Vandy was quite a test when it came to knocking a team off the three point line.
No doubt, but they were easier to defend, because that's all they could do.
You could get away with pressing Vandy, they don't have guards that are string enough to sustain that all game long and they were only a one trick pony.
Press UCLA and they can make you pay.
I think turning it into a grind-it-out game works best for us in this situation.
I don't think UCLA is as prepared as we are to play a tight game in the 60's-70's. UCLA likes to run, but I think the last month and especially last Sunday has prepared these Cats to grind out wins in high pressure situations.
I don't think UCLA is as prepared as we are to play a tight game in the 60's-70's. UCLA likes to run, but I think the last month and especially last Sunday has prepared these Cats to grind out wins in high pressure situations.
We aren't pressing UCLA much. I happen to think knocking them off the three point line matters more than anything.
Unlike some, I can live with Welsh shooting 17 footers, as long as we limit them to one shot.
Scrambling to cover their inside guys, giving up a wide open kick out three, then maybe a long rebound - that's a recipe for disaster, imo.
All that being said I wasn't doubting UCLA is a better offensive basketball team. I am not even saying we play the same way. I said that we could press some. It might disrupt them a little. Get them out of sync a little. As for whether we slow it down offensively or not depends alot on what UCLA does. If they crash the boards and don't get back then I can see Cal running if they all spring back like most teams have been doing he will play like we have been playing he has made us a very versatile team this team is comfy running. Running half court offense vs man to man and now we are pretty solid vs the zone. I like our chances
We can comfortably play fast. We can comfortably play slow.
UCLA is only comfortable playing fast.
So, why would we oblige them and play into their hands by playing uptempo? Why would Cal spend 6-8 weeks tearing this team down and rebuilding it so that they could learn to play a grind it out style, only to forsake that against the very team we would most need to grind?
UCLA is only comfortable playing fast.
So, why would we oblige them and play into their hands by playing uptempo? Why would Cal spend 6-8 weeks tearing this team down and rebuilding it so that they could learn to play a grind it out style, only to forsake that against the very team we would most need to grind?
That's what I've been saying. Pressing them will not end well.
Also, I've been impressed with Welsch's shooting from mid range, it's automatic.
Welsh is automatic. But I would rather have Welsh shooting a 15 footer with a hand in his face, than any of them shooting wide open threes.
Or any of them getting second chance points.
If they can beat us with nothing but Welsh jumpers, they probably deserve to beat us.
Our problem with UCLA hasn't been Welsh. It's that we haven't taken anything away.
I actually dont think they would shred WVU. That press is an anomaly. WVU is the only team ive seen press that well off a miss. They swarm. Its a work of art honestly.
Yeah it 2012 completely just slowed in down against Indiana in the sweet 16...only scored 102 that game. Probably the most ridiculous post I've seen. That team and several others ran a break offense as soon as it was off the board. Go back and watch that uofl game in the final four, they pushed and an absurd pace. Even The commentators said multiple times UK plays comfortable at uptemp pace...suppose they werr saying it to thriw everyone off. The only reason they slowed the offense down in games in 2015 was so he could feed Towns in the post, ppl kind of had a hard time gaurding that guy. I guess you think you aren't supposed to play to your strengths...only let the other team dictate what you do.
Well yeah UK wants to get out and run. UCLA will try and keep it a half court, they'll try and pick when they run but UK will play fast.