Evansville 2/03

[STEPBACK_SWISH3]

I'm ready for Arch Madness

 

[ChiRedbirdfan]

I agree Rico. Team plays alot better in zone d then going man. We was chasing them.

This ISU team lacks quickness and speed, especially at the guard level, to play good defense be it man or zone defense. I don't subscribe to the concept that a person or team that is too slow/not quick enough to play good man is capable of playing good zone defense. The zone defense helps mask poor individual defensive play, IMO.

 

[Chicagobirdfan]

I agree Rico. Team plays alot better in zone d then going man. We was chasing them.

This ISU team lacks quickness and speed, especially at the guard level, to play good defense be it man or zone defense. I don't subscribe to the concept that a person or team that is too slow/not quick enough to play good man is capable of playing good zone defense. The zone defense helps mask poor individual defensive play, IMO.

I agree here. It’s either easy layups in man or wide open 3s in zone. We can get away with it against teams like Bradley and valpo given they do not get uncharacteristically hot from the outside, but teams like drake and Indiana St will keep giving us fits.

 

[Adunk33]

I agree Rico. Team plays alot better in zone d then going man. We was chasing them.

This ISU team lacks quickness and speed, especially at the guard level, to play good defense be it man or zone defense. I don't subscribe to the concept that a person or team that is too slow/not quick enough to play good man is capable of playing good zone defense. The zone defense helps mask poor individual defensive play, IMO.

Correct. That's kind of the point of a zone. If the man defense is constantly getting beat off the dribble and the other team is able to attack the basket/get fouled then you go to a zone. Zone defense is much more of a team effort rather than individual. I think this team has played a 2-3 better than any other Muller team, including last year. Last year had a bunch of GREAT man defenders. A zone defense is 95% effort and 5% skill. You should be able to throw a 40 year old man out there to play a wing in a zone, as long as he gives it his all, he'll be effective. A man defense is probably 50/50 effort vs skill.

Our zone has been good for the most part this year, we have had some team's just go off from 3. When we went man vs UE, that is when they made their run and took the lead. I think when we were up 13 and shooting well, Muller thought for a split second, "oh we got this" and decided that since our man defense needed work, that we would start to use it. We could have played a zone all game. Ryan Taylor shot 8-12 from 3 with probably 5 or 6 with a hand in his face. It's hard to make 8 of 12 shooting alone in a gym, let alone in a game.

I've always appreciated man defense for the traditional sense of it, but the zone is fun to watch. If you have a shot blocker in the back and the other team gets it to the middle, thats a tough shot to make. David's last few games have been great and we should play some more zone. Then again, against SIU we could probably play some zone.

With David and Phil out there, we cannot switch screens! Too many times in the man defense do I see David or Phil up top on a guard before they are able to switch back. Stay on the screener big boys!

 

[Redbird28]

With this particular roster, I think mixing in some 3-2 zone would have some success. Play DN and PF down low in the post and implement the other 3 around the perimeter to cut off the open 3 point shots from the top and wings. Gives the defenders less distance to travel to close out on the shooters and gives the man-style wing matchups in general. With our length I think this would be successful and might help mask chasing the smaller guard oriented teams in man that we seem to struggle against.

With the game played the way it is today, I kind of lean this way in general since most teams camp out around the arc and launch away. It's a defense that no one I can think of utilizes and therefore would be a matchup advantage if mixed in properly because it'd be a little tougher for teams to identify and as a result their offensive flow would be disrupted.

 

[DWRedbird]

I agree Rico. Team plays alot better in zone d then going man. We was chasing them.

This ISU team lacks quickness and speed, especially at the guard level, to play good defense be it man or zone defense. I don't subscribe to the concept that a person or team that is too slow/not quick enough to play good man is capable of playing good zone defense. The zone defense helps mask poor individual defensive play, IMO.

Correct. That's kind of the point of a zone. If the man defense is constantly getting beat off the dribble and the other team is able to attack the basket/get fouled then you go to a zone. Zone defense is much more of a team effort rather than individual.I think this team has played a 2-3 better than any other Muller team, including last year. Last year had a bunch of GREAT man defenders. A zone defense is 95% effort and 5% skill. You should be able to throw a 40 year old man out there to play a wing in a zone, as long as he gives it his all, he'll be effective. A man defense is probably 50/50 effort vs skill.

Our zone has been good for the most part this year, we have had some team's just go off from 3. When we went man vs UE, that is when they made their run and took the lead. I think when we were up 13 and shooting well, Muller thought for a split second, "oh we got this" and decided that since our man defense needed work, that we would start to use it. We could have played a zone all game. Ryan Taylor shot 8-12 from 3 with probably 5 or 6 with a hand in his face. It's hard to make 8 of 12 shooting alone in a gym, let alone in a game.

I've always appreciated man defense for the traditional sense of it, but the zone is fun to watch. If you have a shot blocker in the back and the other team gets it to the middle, thats a tough shot to make. David's last few games have been great and we should play some more zone. Then again, against SIU we could probably play some zone.

With David and Phil out there, we cannot switch screens! Too many times in the man defense do I see David or Phil up top on a guard before they are able to switch back. Stay on the screener big boys!

I disagree with this being the best zone team Muller has had. This team over rotates in the zone far too often, and gives up far too many open shots for our zone to be as good as last years. We have potential to be good, but we are no where near it yet. Last years team, overall defensively was far superior to this team, both man and zone in my opinion.

I think we will play a little more zone with Key out, especially to help keep our guards out of foul trouble, but I wouldn't say it should be this team's go to. Then again we aren't really better man to man either, so I guess bring on the zone.

 

[Trey_Guidry4three]

Better zone than last year's team? Seriously???

 

[Adunk33]

Better zone than last year's team? Seriously???

Last year's team was a GREAT man defense team. Their zone was good. This year's zone is great when compared to this year's man. Maybe that's why the zone seems so much better this year.