MugCostanza
Well-known member
Pitino has been saying for about two months now that the defense is nowhere near where it should be but now we've officially reached the point where it would be foolish to expect it to improve enough to make this a tournament team without a major scheme change.
The Michigan game should have been the wake up call. Michigan got anything and everything they wanted. Dug ate us up and their shooters had a field day. Then Dayton dropped 1.22 points per possession on us (104.3 is the D1 avg for those that aren't into the analytics). Now we got torched to the tune of 1.2 PPP by Boston College. For reference, Fairfield, The Citadel, Central Connecticut, Richmond, and Harvard all held BC to fewer PPP than we did. We now sit 127th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom.
Unfortunately, under the current defensive philosophy we're at the mercy of the type of opponent we play. Skilled bigs that can play on the perimeter - either shooting, driving, playmaking or all 3, have given us fits and that isn't going to change. Teams that can pull Joel away from the lane can get easy baskets any time they want as there is nobody protecting the rim when Jenkins, Dingle, Ledlum etc inevitably get beat off the dribble.
The three losses this year:
Michigan - Shot 58% on 2s. While their starting big Tarris Reed isn't super skilled, Will Tschetter got 16 mins and he's a pick and pop type 5 that the opposing big has to respect on the perimeter. Michigan got any shot they wanted the whole night but the driving lanes were especially opened up when he was on the floor. Joel had 1 block in the game.
Dayton - Shot 56% on 2s. DaRon Holmes is one of the best bigs in the country and while not necessarily a shooter he did hit a 3 on us and is skilled enough to make things happen with the ball in his hands on the perimeter. Joel had 0 blocks in the game
Boston College - Shot 61% on 2s. Quinten Post is one of the most underrated players in the country and must be guarded anywhere on the court. Joel had 0 blocks.
In the 3 wins against non cupcake teams this year:
North Texas - Shot 33% on 2s. Their two bigs are complete nonfactors on the perimeter. Joel had 5 blocks.
Utah - Shot 44% on 2s. Their main big and his backup don't have to be guarded outside the paint. Joel had 2 blocks.
West Virginia - Shot 40% on 2s. Edwards is very good but is a true big and doesn't pose a threat on the perimeter, neither does his backup that played when he was in foul trouble. Joel had 3 blocks.
So, in the 3 losses, the teams were able to pull Joel away from the lane and absolutely torch us at the rim, all making > 55% of the 2 point attempts. Joel combined for 1 block in those 3 games. The only other game we gave up more than 50% of 2s on makes was the opener against Stony Brook. In the 3 games we won, Joel was able to patrol the paint and combined for 10 blocks in those 3 games.
The question now is will Pitino and staff attempt to change the defensive philosophy now that it's evident the current scheme isn't really improving. To me, this roster isn't equipped to play the aggressive ball pressure on the perimeter that Pitino wants to play. While it is generating some turnovers, the downsides outweigh that. Jenkins, Dingle, Sim, and Alleyne can't stay in front of anybody and they are picking up cheap fouls often because they play with their hands more than their feet. In addition, Pitino hates allowing teams to shoot 3s against him and while I think many coaches/teams fall into the trap of overhelping off of shooters, I think the help D is going to have to be ramped up here because the current philosophy is unsustainable.
Going forward I think we get a little lucky that the Big East is comprised more of traditional physical bigs than the modern skilled shooting bigs but there will still be some issues.
UConn - Clingan obviously a true big but a nearly dominant force at that.
Marquette - Ighodaro is a true big but their backup Ben Gold is definitely a pick and pop type shooter that plays a decent amount of minutes.
Creighton - Kalkbrenner has added a 3 point shot to his game, making 3 already this season.
Villanova - Dixon a skilled big that we'll have to guard on the perimeter.
Xavier/Providence/Seton Hall/Butler - These teams generally have bigs that can't really space the floor.
Georgetown/DePaul - Have to beat them regardless.
I'll be interested in seeing if Pitino changes course midseason in regards to his style of play on the defensive end. He's been publicly, and I'm certain privately, challenging the players to be better defensively but no real strides have been made yet.
The Michigan game should have been the wake up call. Michigan got anything and everything they wanted. Dug ate us up and their shooters had a field day. Then Dayton dropped 1.22 points per possession on us (104.3 is the D1 avg for those that aren't into the analytics). Now we got torched to the tune of 1.2 PPP by Boston College. For reference, Fairfield, The Citadel, Central Connecticut, Richmond, and Harvard all held BC to fewer PPP than we did. We now sit 127th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom.
Unfortunately, under the current defensive philosophy we're at the mercy of the type of opponent we play. Skilled bigs that can play on the perimeter - either shooting, driving, playmaking or all 3, have given us fits and that isn't going to change. Teams that can pull Joel away from the lane can get easy baskets any time they want as there is nobody protecting the rim when Jenkins, Dingle, Ledlum etc inevitably get beat off the dribble.
The three losses this year:
Michigan - Shot 58% on 2s. While their starting big Tarris Reed isn't super skilled, Will Tschetter got 16 mins and he's a pick and pop type 5 that the opposing big has to respect on the perimeter. Michigan got any shot they wanted the whole night but the driving lanes were especially opened up when he was on the floor. Joel had 1 block in the game.
Dayton - Shot 56% on 2s. DaRon Holmes is one of the best bigs in the country and while not necessarily a shooter he did hit a 3 on us and is skilled enough to make things happen with the ball in his hands on the perimeter. Joel had 0 blocks in the game
Boston College - Shot 61% on 2s. Quinten Post is one of the most underrated players in the country and must be guarded anywhere on the court. Joel had 0 blocks.
In the 3 wins against non cupcake teams this year:
North Texas - Shot 33% on 2s. Their two bigs are complete nonfactors on the perimeter. Joel had 5 blocks.
Utah - Shot 44% on 2s. Their main big and his backup don't have to be guarded outside the paint. Joel had 2 blocks.
West Virginia - Shot 40% on 2s. Edwards is very good but is a true big and doesn't pose a threat on the perimeter, neither does his backup that played when he was in foul trouble. Joel had 3 blocks.
So, in the 3 losses, the teams were able to pull Joel away from the lane and absolutely torch us at the rim, all making > 55% of the 2 point attempts. Joel combined for 1 block in those 3 games. The only other game we gave up more than 50% of 2s on makes was the opener against Stony Brook. In the 3 games we won, Joel was able to patrol the paint and combined for 10 blocks in those 3 games.
The question now is will Pitino and staff attempt to change the defensive philosophy now that it's evident the current scheme isn't really improving. To me, this roster isn't equipped to play the aggressive ball pressure on the perimeter that Pitino wants to play. While it is generating some turnovers, the downsides outweigh that. Jenkins, Dingle, Sim, and Alleyne can't stay in front of anybody and they are picking up cheap fouls often because they play with their hands more than their feet. In addition, Pitino hates allowing teams to shoot 3s against him and while I think many coaches/teams fall into the trap of overhelping off of shooters, I think the help D is going to have to be ramped up here because the current philosophy is unsustainable.
Going forward I think we get a little lucky that the Big East is comprised more of traditional physical bigs than the modern skilled shooting bigs but there will still be some issues.
UConn - Clingan obviously a true big but a nearly dominant force at that.
Marquette - Ighodaro is a true big but their backup Ben Gold is definitely a pick and pop type shooter that plays a decent amount of minutes.
Creighton - Kalkbrenner has added a 3 point shot to his game, making 3 already this season.
Villanova - Dixon a skilled big that we'll have to guard on the perimeter.
Xavier/Providence/Seton Hall/Butler - These teams generally have bigs that can't really space the floor.
Georgetown/DePaul - Have to beat them regardless.
I'll be interested in seeing if Pitino changes course midseason in regards to his style of play on the defensive end. He's been publicly, and I'm certain privately, challenging the players to be better defensively but no real strides have been made yet.
