🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Our press was a cornered tiger with one way out: through a little metal hoop. Lethal. Undeniable. Repeatable?

Some people say our team is not deep enough to press like that more of the time. Maybe true. But with the level of intensity, discipline and athleticism we displayed in the press it certainly seemed to be one of our strengths. Why not roll that out more when the game is in the balance? Why not against pressing teams? If they want to press, make them work hard on both ends of the court. Down double digits with under 3 to go, we played to win, not just to not lose. And we won!

To minimize the negative effects, roll it out when you don't have a game within 3 days.

Also, for those who say depth is a problem because of foul trouble, I'd suggest that maybe tempo would be fast and so foul heavy regardless if we press or not against an up tempo team like West Virginia. Refs have proven often that their tolerance for physicality appears to be set by the tempo and physicality of the game the more aggressive team brings. I'm not sure that we get whistled any more in a press than out of it. In fact, someone like Bragg might survive longer when the game is more physical, and I wonder if subliminally there is an effect of playing d in the back court, where the ref considers both teams to be on offense so relaxes against the team pressing.

I like it. I think it would speed Baylor up.

I enjoyed Lucas setting those deadly traps in the corner, that's for sure!

@DanR

Lucas came up big with the press at the end of the game.

@approxinfinity Coach Self has thrown so many wrinkles into his game plan for opposing coaches to sort through that its damned near impossible for them to game plan against. What have we seen so far? Just off the top of my head; 4 out 1 in, back to basics with his 3 out 2 in, even playing 5 guards for a few possessions, all of which can shoot from outside. On the other end, weve seen man to man, we've seen two or three different zone defenses, we've seen the press now too.
I'm thinking Coach Self has the biggest freeking magic hat in the business right now!