🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Self subs Mason for Tharpe, but the lead does not narrow significantly.

Inference: Tharpe, despite his defensive limitations, was not the real problem.

The problem was not enough help from Wiggins and Selden. Both the freshmen wings were overwhelmed the first half by playing against guys as fast as they were and by having to defend without Embiid being healthy enough to cover THEIR defensive limitations.

If Self sticks with a limited Embiid, then the 4 has to take on a much greater defensive load of covering the freshman wings' mistakes and failures to help.

A healthy Embiid covered a multitude of deficiencies, but even Embiid could not cover up the defensive weaknesses of the freshmen wings against the LSAs of Florida and SDSU, much less when injured against Texas.

The gaping holes in this team's defense against the LSA teams are Wiggins and Ellis.

Ellis can usually guard his man, but he can't give help,or defensive rebound against these teams.

Wiggins often guards his perimeter man very well with and without the ball, too, and most games gives help on the perimeter, but having to give help inside exposes his softness. He doesn't know how to guard the blue meanies inside, and so doesn't give effective help there unless they are short, no talents.

Self defense requires a 3 fast enough to give perimeter help and feisty enough to help with the blue meanies inside. Brady and Selby at 6-3 or less could do it most of the time. But it took the talent of Rush and Releford to get it done against the most talented teams. Rush was tough enough to do it as a freshman. Releford needed 2.5 development years to master it.

Wiggins appears not able to do it for whatever reason.

Perry could be this kind of 3, but being more than a finesse 4 this season seems beyond him.

Until Embiid and Black get a lot better, or Traylor makes a nonlinear leap this problem is apt to surface against the LSA teams.

One logical step is to shift the 3 defensive role to Selden and have Wiggins play 2 and we saw some of that vs Texas the second half. It's a huge burden for Selden, but Self basically turned the offense over to Selden the second half and Selden responded well. Now Self must do the same with the defensive role, even though Wiggins ought to be more suited to it. Selden has the toughness now to play with the blue meanies. Wiggins appears not to. Wiggins could flourish outside and not be "scared" as the Texas player described Wiggins.

Moving Wiggins outside on both ends forces opponents to take ONE their of their LSAs away from helping in the paint, or Wiggins will run wild outside.

Go for it Bill.

@jaybate 1.0 Sounds like a rational proposal, esp. til Embiid and Black regain wheels, and til Wiggins progresses deeper into the growing violence of the mosh pit which has become the setting for amateur hoops play in the paint. X Factor now has become officiating...from game to game, ambivalence of whistle toots.

@REHawk

Got to love these new rule enforcements... no hand checks allowed on the perimeter, but you better bring a gun into the lane.

@drgnslayr

I don't know it is just me but it seems that in most of the games I have watched lately. regardless of conference, the home teams seems to get an inordinate amount of the borderline and sometimes not so borderline calls.

@JayHawkFanToo

Now that I think about it... it does seem that way!

I would never want to be a ref, but especially now.

I think they are so confused as to what to call now. The rule enforcement change (and rules change) has just opened up the possible variability on the call. So the NCAA head office contacts the officiating division and tells them to hammer down on these rules.... they do so and in the process destroy the game. Now every ref in every conference feels a bit left out in the dark. All of them have backed off at least slightly. The fans now expect a looser game again. It's a big friggin' mess.

And wait until March! When conference teams are meshed into a national tournament, and conference refs are mixed like vinegar and oil in your salad! Fans are not going to want to be caught off guard in March! Fans want consistency. There is going to be some crazy calls and hot coaches who will want to criticize it (if they can).

I think I'd rather be a scuba diver having to dive at the nuclear accident off the coast of Japan than officiate college basketball in March!

@REHawk The officiating is always the x-factor, it's just a different focus now. Officiating in every sport is handcuffed by egomaniacs that truly believe that the game cannot survive without them, and that they are as much a part of the game as the participants.

But as Fran said in the last broadcast, players and coaches live and die with each game ... the refs just pack their bags and go to the next game site.

@jaybate I had posted the other day that Self has to consider multiple options to improve our outcomes. This is mainly because of our poor defense. How about a multi-step plan to improve our outcomes in recognition that defense won't likely be something we can rely upon:

1. Your suggestion -- have Selden and Wiggins switch roles on defense.

2. Run more set plays to attempt to create more scoring opportunities, particularly against teams that are top level defensively. In particular, plays that set up kick outs for three pointers, permit some pick and roll action, and that result in the balance of the team being in solid rebounding position (an underestimated value of set plays, in my book). On the three point shooting, our best three point shooter so far (Tharpe) has shot one three pointer in the last two games. Greene has proven that he'll hit open looks. Getting guys good, open looks should be a point of emphasis.

3. Implement a zone pressing scheme to change pace, catch the other team off guard, create scoring opportunities, and make opponents spend prep time.

4. When faced with a zone defense, aggressively screen against the zone to create lanes and space for penetration, passing, and attacking. Not token screens.

5. Look to run at every opportunity, including attacking off made baskets. Player nearest the ball inbounds immediately, every time, perhaps at various stages of the game.

6. On offense, drag Embiid and Ellis away from the basket more to create space for drives by our penetrators -- Wiggins, Selden, and Mason.

7. Challenge Wiggins to create 5 baskets a game for his teammates. Every drive doesn't have to result in a shot. All that attention creates opportunity. Taking that opportunity changes the way defenses have to play Wiggins on a drive, thus creating more opportunity.

Would be interested in any more suggestions.

@drgnslayr

I fully agree. It remind me of the old days when Big 8 and Big 12 games were called tight and other conferences, such as the Big 10, allowed very physical play. This was a definite disadvantage at tournament time where refs allowed a lot of contact that our Conference teams were not accustomed to and hence ended at a disadvantage.

The other surprising thing about last night's game is that Gallagher-Iba Arena was only 2/3 full at best, and on Eddie Sutton appreciation night nonetheless. The official attendance is listed as 10,132 of a 13,611 capacity. The entire upper sections were essentially empty and looked like the listed attendance was based on tickets sold and not actual butts on seats.

@HighEliteMajor, I like your additions. Wigs is going to get hurt trying to get to the iron on a regular basis in any kind of conventional offense (see my recommendation for using he or Selden in the center of a four corner at the end). Curl screens seem the agenda for both Wigs and his backup, Brannen vs. m2m, and I have always been an advocate of screening on zones, too. The ball can be whipped around the perimeter to make the zone slide, and one post can be used to screen for the other post, or a wing. Good shooters just need a second to get the look. 2-2-1 seems necessary against the SDSU/UT types. If Joel and Ellis can't muscle with opponents and score, then it is imperative they set ball screens out of the paint, pivot and crash the boards. The days of Embiid's phenomenally quick spin moves seem over for awhile. Wiggins needs some clear outs and be allowed to put the ball on the deck, even though his dribbling is suspect, so he CAN dish to open guys. Agreed. Regarding running every opportunity, I would like to see Self signal running for 5 possessions, walk it for a couple possessions, run for 5, etc. Squeeze and release on running seems a half step this team could make. I'm afraid full on would get these guys too sped up and the opponent to used to one speed. The spine of our agreement here is that the the team suddenly has less of a power game inside, the subs don't seem ready to pick up the slack inside, and so its time to shift to speed and varying speeds and increased playing through Wiggins, Selden and Ellis on the move. Finesse the break, if you have to finesse.

One more suggestion: I was reading Dean Smith's book on basketball last night. He said they used to run the four corners whenever the other team was getting momentum. Selden and Wiggins hold enormous MUA on most of the guys that guard them one on one. They only run into trouble in crowds in the paint. My thinking is when an opponent starts to roll get the following on the floor: Embiid (if he can go), Wiggins, Selden, White and Naa (or Frankamp if he gets back). Spread the floor with three 3 point shooters but leave Embiid on a low block. Put the ball in either Selden's, or Wiggins' hands in the middle. Let either of these guys work one on one with their man, while the other is way out side with the other guys. If Wigs is working for a bucket, and the defense collapses kick to one of the trey shooters, or dish to Embiid, when Embiid's post man commits to stop Wigs (or Selden).

Or just flat out run the four corners with the same team. Its time to start getting something out of the three ball shooters collecting dust, when we have no power game, but we do have a gimpy footer that can still grab some boards for put backs.

@REHawk I am getting very interested in Dean's old four corner if they are going to call it tight on the perimeter and butcher ball inside. Put the guys where the fouls will be called.

@REHawk Also, I want to make it clear that I am not down on Perry Ellis. I just think he is struggling with the 4 role when ever he has to play it as a power 4. When Embiid was fit enough to let him roam, Perry had superb games against all but the LSAs. When the ground level cameras show him he looks quite short out their compared to some of the power 4s in height he faces. Perry is a very good ball player caught in a role that doesn't fit him, when he is playing players that can muscle his spin moves and get up and block his Js. Notice that no one else fares even as well offensively at the 4 this season. And Jamari has had flashes but nothing good sustained as long as Perry. This is a role problem. We don't have a player on the team really well suited to playing the 4 against the long and strongs. Perry right now is stuck in the same thankless role that Brady Morningstar was. Both were very good players. Both were being asked to play out of position. Both looked pretty good against a lot of the competition. But when the long and strongs showed up, both saw their contributions dwindle. The only way that I know that Self can mask Perry is to run an offense that screens his man some. But that is not very popular in Self's offensive thinking. Whatever, Perry has got to keep fighting. And he will.

@jaybate 1.0 We could really use the tools and inclination of Cliff Alexander right now!