Marquette's Offense versus UConn's Defense

 Marquette Golden Eagles 6-5 (2-3)

#	Player	Height, Weight	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	FG%	3PT%
25	Koby McEwen	6-4, 195	31.5	13.5	3.5	2.5	44.9	41.2
33	Dawon Garcia	6-11, 235	29.5	12.4	7.3	0.9	45.3	10-27
23	Jamal Cain	6-7, 200	29.1	11.5	6.5	1,3	48.0	45.0
21	D.J. Carton	6-2, 200	28.1	11.4	3.4	3.9	41.7	35.4
4	Theo John	6-9, 245	26.0	7.9	5.8	1.3	62.0	3-4
2	Justin Lewis	6-7, 245	21.9	8.5	6.3	1.1	41.5	5-20

Kenpom Stats:

31st in adjusted offensive efficiency

80th in effective field goal percentage

40th in 3PT percentage at 38%

228th in Turnover percentage at 20.9% (1 in 5 possessions result in a turnover!)

Marquette’s Offense versus UConn Defense: 

Marquette excels at four main areas on the offensive side of the ball:

1. Spot Ups

2. Pick and Rolls

3. Post Ups

4. Transition

Marquette Spot-Ups

Spot Ups are considered anytime a player receives a pass while spotting up. It can be a catch and shoot, dribble pull-ups, drives to the hoop, or floaters. It is not considered a spot up if a player is coming off a screen or ballscreen. My guess would be a lot of Marquette's spot ups come from the pick and roll. 

Overall, 21.6% of Marquette’s possessions come from the spot up and they are averaging 1.096 Points Per Possession, good for 21st in the country. They are shooting 42.5% on all spot ups and are scoring in some regard (three-pointer, two-pointer, free throw) on 43.6% of spot up possessions. They also only turn it over 5.3% of spot up possessions.

Guard Koby McEwen is the best in spot-possessions, shooting 17-34 from the field and scoring on 52.4% of possessions. Jamal Cain is used in the next most spot-up possessions, shooting 16-31 from the field and scoring on 53.1% of possessions. Here is a chart of Marquette’s most used spot-up players:

Player	Possessions	Total Field Goals	% Scored
Koby McEwen	42	17-34	52.4
Jamal Cain	32	16-31	53.1
DJ Carton	29	9-27	37.9
Dawson Garcia	21	9-20	42.9
Justin Lewis	19	6-17	31.6
Greg Elliot	17	7-13	52.9

How does UConn Defend Spot-Ups:

UConn is elite when defending spot-up possessions, ranking 44th in the country in Points Per Possession allowed. UConn has been involved in 107 defensive spot-up possessions, allowing just 0.757 points per possession. They are holding teams to just 31.5% from the field and are allowing teams to score on 31.8% of spot-up possessions.

According to Synergy, RJ Cole and James Gaffney are both considered excellent defenders in spot-up possessions holding opposing offensive players to under 25% shooting. James Bouknight has been involved in the most spot-up defensive possessions (22) and is holding opponents to 7-18 shooting. Here is a chart of UConn’s most used spot-up defenders:

Player	Possessions	Total Field Goals	%Scored
James Bouknight	22	7-18	40.9
Tyrese Martin	18	5-16	27.8
RJ Cole	15	3-14	20
Jalen Gaffney	14	3-12	21.4
Isaiah Whaley	11	3-10	27.3
Brendan Adams	10	2-9	30

Marquette Pick and Rolls

21.4% of Marquette’s possessions end in the ball handler’s hands or the screen-setters hand and feature two main ball handlers, McEwen and DJ Carton.

McEwen has been involved in 96 pick and rolls while Carton has been involved in 94. The next highest used pick and roll ballhandler is Jamal Cain, with only 17 possessions. 

Out of the 96 possessions by McEwen, he keeps it just over half the time, converting on 17-38 field goal attempts. He is shooting 40.9% from the field on dribble pull-ups and 45.5% when he takes it to the hoop. Overall, Marquette is scoring on 39.6% of McEwen pick and rolls and he is only turning it over on 10.4% of pick and roll possessions.

Meanwhile, Carton has a turnover rate of 23.4% in pick and roll possessions and an astounding turnover rate of 30.4% when he keeps it on pick and rolls. It may fit Carton better to pass of the pick and rolls as when he does, the Golden Eagles are 16-32 on field goal attempts. When Carton does keep it and doesn’t turn it over, he is 15-34 from the field. 6-11 on Off-the-dribble jumpers, 3-8 on runners, and 2-8 when taking it to the basket.  Overall, Marquette is scoring on 39.4% of defensive possessions. If you like chart-form, here you go 

Player	Possessions	Keeps	Total FG	Turnover %	% Scored
McEwen	96	50	17-38	10.4	39.6
Carton	94	56	15-34	23.4%	39.4
Cain	17	13	4-13	5.9%	29.4%

Here is a chart of who McEwen, Carton, and Cain are likely to pass to off the pick and roll

Player	Hits Roller (FG)	Pass to Spot Up	Pass to Cutter	Total FG
McEwen	14 (3-13)	27 (9-25)	5 (4-4)	16-42
Carton	21 (8-17)	15 (6-13)	2 (2-2)	16-32
Cain	3 (1-2)	1 (0-1)	-	1-3

While we are on the topic of pick and rolls, here is a breakdown of total ballscreens set by Marquette’s frontcourt players: John, Lewis, and Garcia

Player	Total Ballscreens	Rolls	Pops (FG)	Slips (FG)
John	3	2	1	-
Lewis	25	2	16 (5-14)	7 (3-5)
Garcia	18	1	13 (3-12)	4 (2-4)

It should be noted here that when Marquette sets ballscreens, they tend not to roll to the hoop, rather popping to the three-point line or slipping the screen all together.

How Does UConn Defend the Pick and Roll:

Let’s turn to UConn’s Pick and Roll Defense, something that has been very good this season and continues to improve with every game and each possession. Overall, UConn has only been involved in 69 pick and roll possessions that end in the ball handler’s hands or the roll man’s hands. 

Starting with the on-ball defender, Gaffney has been involved in the most pick and roll situations (18 possessions) and is only allowing 2-12 shooting which is considered Excellent by Synergy standards. 

Player	Possessions	Field Goals	% Scored
Jalen Gaffney	18	2-12	27.8
RJ Cole	11	3-8	45.5
Tyrese Martin	8	2-7	25
James Bouknight	7	2-4	42.9
Brendan Adams	5	1-3	20

As a team, UConn is allowing just 12-37 shooting when the ball-handler keeps it on the pick and roll. When opponents have passed it to the screener against UConn, they are scoring on just 31.3% of pick and roll possessions while also turning it over 31.3% of the time.

Marquette Post-Ups

Next, let’s take a look at post ups. 12.7% of Marquette’s possessions come off post ups and they are averaging 0.845 PPP, considered “Good” by Synergy. Big man Theo John far and away leads the team with 77 total postups. Justin Lewis is second on the team with 40 post-up possessions and lastly, Dawson Garcia is third on the team with 24 possessions. When the ball goes into Garcia, it is not coming out as he has only passed it out 1 time.

John has kept the ball in the post 58 times, shooting 21-34 from the field and on his 19 passes out of the post, Marquette is 6-15 from the field. Overall, Marquette is scoring on 48.1% of all offensive possessions that go into the post to John. However, he does turn it over on 22.1% of post possessions.

Player	Post Ups	Passes	Total FG	Turnover %	% Scored
John	77	19	27-49	22.1	48.1
Lewis	40	13	11-28	15	37.5
Garcia	24	1	8-19	12.5	41.7

How Does UConn Defend Post-Ups?

Not much of a sample size, but overall, UConn has been involved in 23 post-up possessions on defense this season, allowing 0.826 PPP which is about average. They are allowing teams to shoot 7-14 from the field and score on 43.5% of possessions. 

Isaiah Whaley has been involved in the most post-up possessions (9) and is allowing some type of score on 55.6% of possessions. However, he is forcing turnovers 22.2% of the time.

Player	Possessions	Field Goals	Turnover %	% Scored
Whaley	9	3-5	22.2	55.6
Carlton	5	3-5	0	60
Sanogo	5	1-2	40	20

What about Transition?

Yeah, this is an interesting one. Marquette is considered very good in transition, averaging 1.092 PPP in transition, converting on 38-77 field goals and scoring 41.9% of the time. Meanwhile, UConn is allowing 61.1% shooting from the field and an astounding 1.2 PPP.

These contrasting statistics would make it seem that it would be an easy decision for Marquette to play fast in order to take advantage of their transition success and UConn’s transition failures. However, according to Kenpom, Marquette is 227th in the country in adjusted tempo so 11 games in, it is not exactly in their DNA to push the ball consistently up the court off misses.

Now that we have all this information, what do we do with it? 

Major Questions:

1. What are the matchups, specifically who guards McEwen?

Starting with the post, John is someone who Marquette will willingly throw the ball into so I would imagine Carlton or Sanogo earns this assignment. Whaley could handle John for a few possessions, but my guess is we would rather have him guard Garcia or Lewis. Garcia is 6-11 and will play some stretch five but is more willing to pop to the three point line on ballscreens rather than post up. By keeping Whaley out of the John matchup, it will allow him to be used in hard hedges (something he is very good at) and hopefully stay out of foul trouble.

To the backcourt! As noted, McEwen and Carton are used heavily in pick and roll situations but are used differently. Carton is at his best when he gives it up (when he is not turning it over). My guess is with Carton more prone to turn it over on keeps, Cole will earn the assignment in order to hound him for 94 feet. Clearly, he does not do well with pressure and Cole, one of UConn’s best on-ball defenders is about as good as it gets when it comes to pressuring opponents guards.

This leaves McEwen and Cain, Marquette’s best spot-up players and three-point threats. McEwen can play both on and off the ball whereas Cain relies on others playmaking ability to get him the ball in catch and shoot situations or straight line drives to the hoop. I could see Gafney definitely getting time on McEwen off the bench but am very curious to see who Hurley starts on McEwen and who defends him for a majority of the game.

There are two schools of thoughts here. The first is to go with Martin because he is bigger than McEwen while being just as athletic. It will allow him to continue to develop into a necessary piece for this UConn team while also conserving Bouknight’s energy for offense. Bouknight would then be tasked with 6-7 Cain who does most of his work on catch and shoots in spot-up situations. This means Bouk, who could be tasked with being the MIG at several points during the game, would have to be very in tune with defensive rotations and the scout, something that has been the only tiniest little flaw in his game thus far.

The other thought is you simply put Bouknight on McEwen and allow for the two elite scorers to battle it out. Bouknight has consistently been known for his offense this year, but has shown flashes of underrated great on-ball defense. If Bouknight gets tasked with McEwen and wins the matchup, NBA scouts will continue to salivate at the mouth for him. This would then task Martin to begin on Cain, meaning Martin could be involved in the MIG position while also keeping Cain at bay on closeouts. If you have read any of these articles or followed us on twitter, you know we love Martin’s MIG defense and the fact that he always keeps his feet moving.

If I were looking at this from a coach’s perspective, I would go with Martin on McEwen since based on stats, McEwen is just as effective off-the-ball meaning Martin’s ability to defend both on the ball and off-the-ball will come into play here.

Either way, the Bouknight-Martin as Batman and Martin Duo could shine through once again, this time on defense.

2. How does UConn’s Pick and Roll MIG defense adjust versus the pick and pop and look in general?

As we know with UConn’s pick and roll defense, they employ the hard hedge and MIG.  I would have to take a look back at the Creighton and DePaul film but I can’t remember either team emploring screensetters to pop to the three-point line. This means our MIG defense may look a little bit different and will continue to require discipline and communication. Luckily, Marquette’s two main screen setters, Garcia and Lewis, aren’t the greatest threats from the perimeter, but you still don’t want to give too many open looks too often.

I would imagine UConn will make it a point to force the ball out of McEwen’s hands with the hard hedge as he is the most used player/biggest threat in this Marquette offense. I’m curious to see what UConn will do with Carton since he is more prone to turn it over on keeps. My guess we still hard hege him because that’s just what we do, but there is the potential of going under on ballscreens for him, something Cole did against USC’s Tahj Eaddy.

As discussed above, if a defender is guarding Cain but is in the MIG position, they will have to not only close out hard to prevent the three, but they’ll have to closeout under control in order to avoid blowbys. Or Hurley and UConn can go with the approach of whoever is NOT guarding Cain is put in the MIG position (communication). 

However, this would put UConn in a tough position when Carton is coming off a ballscreen since whoever is guarding Cain and McEwen will be put in a difficult position being the MIG and defending either of Marquette’s best spot up players. Another reason why it may make most sense to simply go under on Carton ballscreens….but he is 6-11 on off-the-dribble jumpers which would be open when going under on ballscreens so….

Either way, these are the little intricacies of the game that we just love to cover here at BleedBlueBlog.

James Bouknight's Pick and Roll Efficiency

James Bouknight had a stretch in the second half where he was involved in a pick and roll or dribble handoff for eleven straight possessions, making arguabley the correct read on each possession. The stretch is one of the main reasons why Bouknight's stock continues to rise and why he is planning on leaving for the NBA after this season.

In this article, we are going to start with some first half possessions and how Bouknight attacked the pick and roll while Creighton defended him. Then, we will delve into the second half and look beyond the 40 point performance to explain why the sophomore is as good as he is. 

**Again for optimal viewing, I would recommend changing the Playback Speed to 0.75 in Settings**

Clip #1 - 16:15 1st Half

Notice how #13 does not hard hedge as Bouknight comes off Carlton's ballscreen. If Bouknight could have a do-over, my guess is he pulls the three right away but instead reverts back to a step-back-three (something he is very comfortable with) and misses. Judging by the upcoming clips, this is not how McDermott and Creighton want to guard Bouknight.

The Next Possession - 15:50 1st Half

While this is not Bouknight coming off a ballscreen, it gives us a clear indication of how Creighton wants to defend him. Bouknight tries to curl off Carlton's downscreen is greeted by three Creighton defenders forcing him to give it up. Bouknight could try to slip it to Carlton but it would be a tough pass to make, especially so early in the game (just wait until the second half).

7:30 in 1st Half 

Similarly, later in the half, Creighton hard hedges Bouknight on the ballscreen and is in proper MIG position under the basket. Bouknight is forced to give it up.

Bouknight Trying to Counter - 6:40 in First Half

Here, Bouknight tries to force it to Whaley on the roll and is a little too late on the pass / it's not really there. At this point though, UConn is down 12 and he is trying to make something happen so you can't really fault him.

"I got this." - James Bouknight, 4:30 1st Half

Similar to a pick and roll, Creighton is defending dribble handoffs the same way, staying attached to Bouknight with multiple defenders forcing him to either give it up or into difficult shots. In this clip, Bouknight decides that his offense is simply better than the defense and he gets to his spot, rises it up, and drills the jumper.

Now to the second half where James Bouknight proceeded to put on a show to Basketball Nerds like ourselves (I'll try to have voiceovers on @BleedBlueBlog soon).

Possession #1 - Danny Hurley Special: Backdoor, Absurd finish, 19:40 2nd Half

In the first half, Bouknight was involved in many dribble handoffs by UConn's big men. To start the second half, Hurley countered this with a beautiful backdoor set from Whaley to Bouknight that resulted in an absurd finish. As you can see, #34 is trying to read the handoff and over the top of it. Bouknight makes the read and received a great pass from Whaley.

Possession #2 - Hit the Roller, 19:15 in 2nd Half

Whaley gives Bouknight a ballscreen early in the shot-clock and semi in transition. There is a hard hedge by Creighton but really no backside help. Bouknight makes the easy decision and delivers it to a wide open Whaley for two.

Possession #3 - Hit the Roller, 18:30 in 2nd Half

Same thing as last possession except this time Bouknight reads it early. A hard hedge by Creighton leaves Carlton wide open rolling to the paint. Bouknight delivers a smooth pass, but unfortunately Carlton is called for a charge.

Possession #4 - "All good." 17:55 in 2nd Half

Again, the very next possession and again, another ballscreen involving Bouknight. Creighton does a good job hedging and forcing Bouknight backwards. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, Bouknight is then able to have a one-on-one matchup and dribble into one of his favorite spots to shoot from - a top of the key three. Bang.

Possession #5 - Too Hot To Handle, 17:20 2nd Half

Again, the next possession and again, another ballscreen with Bouknight. Here, it is Sanogo setting the ballscreen and rolling to the rim. Bouknight is patient and delivers just an absolute dime that is a little too much for Sanogo. The pass though is made at the correct time and thrown in the right place, an improvement from the pass he tried to throw Whaley in the first half. Additionally, this is a pass that will lead to plenty of dunks in the NBA and hopefully later this season.

Possession #6 - "What are you going to do now?" 16:20, 2nd Half

At this point in the second half, Bouknight has passed to the roller or attempted to pass to the roller four out of the last five possessions. Therefore, #13 on Creighton does not give a hard enough hedge and Bouknight, recognizing this, simply pulls an essentially uncontested three from his favorite spot - Bang.

Possession #7 - "LOL" 15:20, 2nd Half

While this is after an offensive rebound, it is still considered the very next possession. Here, Creighton's hard hedge forces Bouknight backwards but it is not in a contained manner. Therefore, Bouknight is able to turn the corner and show off his supreme athleticism, tying the game for UConn and eventually giving them the lead with the made free throw.

Possession #8 - No Hedge, Downhill. 14:40, 2nd Half

What is unique about this possession is the lack of hard hedge from #32 on Creighton. I'm not sure if this is a brekadown in coverage or an adjustment made by the coaching staff. Either way, it allows for Bouknight to get downhill quickly and draw the foul.

Full Disclosure, the next four possessions are not nearly as sexy but are still in the streak of ELEVEN straight pick and roll / dribble hand off possessions for Bouknight.

Possession #9 - Creighton figures it out. 14:05, 2nd Half

Creighton finally forces Bouknight to give it up here. #13 does a great job hard hedging and along with #4 are able to contain Bouknight and force him to give it up. The MIG defender is also in proper positioning, discouraging the pass to Sanogo on the roll.

Possession #10 - Trying Something New, 13:30, 2nd Half

For the first time since early in the second half, Bouknight rejects the ballscreen, aka, going in the opposite direction that the screen is coming from. My guess is Bouknight can anticipate the hard hedge coming so he pulls it back into a stepback. It's a tough shot and he misses, but at this point, Bouknight can practically do whatever he wants. Plus, it is still a very smooth move and release.

Possession #11 - Still Feeling it. 12:30, 2nd Half

Bouknight begins this clip by rejecting the ballscreen from Sanogo before deciding to use it. He is again met by a hard hedge and a double but he is able to deliver another slick one-handed pass to Sanogo, splitting the double team. Sanogo misses the short jumper but still, another dime and another great read by Bouknight.

Possession #12 - Hit the roller, ends in dunk. 11:45, 2nd Half

This is the last possession of this stretch and fittingly enough, it starts with Bouknight and ends in a dunk. Creighton hard hedges well again, forcing Bouknight towards the sideline as he tries to get downhill. Before falling out of bounds, Bouknight is somehow able to deliver a perfect one handed pass to the rolling Sanogo. Sanogo catches, gathers, and makes the easy pass to Martin for the impressive two-handed slam.

Bouknight then gets a very well-deserved rest on the bench.

My takeaway - James Bouknight is really freakin good.

An In-depth Look at UConn’s Pick and Roll Coverage and the Discipline and Communication it Requires.

In the game against number-ninth-ranked Creighton, UConn implored 28 hard hedges (give or take a few) on ball-screens, a staple of the Dan Hurley defensive scheme. The reason for using a hard hedge is to force the primary ball-handler backwards and prevent him from getting “downhill.” When facing talented guards who can either knife through the paint or have the ability to hit off-the-dribble threes (like Zergowski), the hard hedge is a great way to disrupt the offense. Furthermore, with UConn’s consistent full-court pressure, placing added pressure on the ball-handler by hard hedging is just another way to wear a team down, something Hurley has been adamant about.

As we have seen over the past two years, Isaiah Whaley may be the best hard hedger in the Big East and even the country. His ability to force the ball-handler backwards and recover in impeccable time is second to none (full disclosure - I don’t know much about other big men’s hard hedge ability but maybe Rothstein or Mark Titus can help me out on this one).

The only downside of the hard hedge is potential wide open dunks, layups, or three-pointers allowed. The most famous example I can think of is when defenses try to hard hedge or trap Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors. A big part of the Warriors’ success was how they handled this - Draymond Green, the screen setter, would slip or do a bit of a half-roll to the free throw line, creating a 4-on-3 advantage.

With a smaller court in college and far fewer players with the same skill set as Green or Curry, the defensive scheme is a popular one and one that Hurley and co has tried to have the players master. There are two key components to a successful hard hedge. 

How the Hard Hedge Works

First, there is the initial ball-screen where the on-ball defender and the screener’s defender must make sure they force the ball-handler backwards. Any split of the two results in a potential 5-on-3 and certainly a high-percentage chance at a make. The initial on-ball defender must get above the screen-setters hip and “lock and trail” the ball-handler until he can get back in front. The screener’s defender, meanwhile, must hedge hard and long enough for his teammate to recover before quickly returning to his man, the roller.

The second component is the one we will cover in-depth in this article: the MIG - the Most Important Guy. For the most part, the MIG is a weak-side defender (opposite side of the court). On the roll or slip by the screen-setter, it is the MIG’s job to sit in the paint and “tag” the roller, discouraging an easy pass into the paint for a layup or a dunk. The MIG must also be aware of the potential of a skip pass to his primary assignment and have the ability to recover.

There are two schools of thought on designating the MIG. The first is to always make it the defender guarding a certain player, usually a non-shooting threat and a non-big man. The other is based on positioning and communication which seems to be the strategy Hurley relied on for the game against Creighton. With Creighton having usually four three-point threats on the court to go along their screen-setter, UConn had to rely on constant communication and proper positioning in order to avoid easy dunks, layups, or three-pointers.

How it Worked against Creighton

Against Creighton, Gaffney, Cole, Martin, and Adams were the primary players in the MIG position, and by no coincidence they are all guards/wings who are also arguably UConn’s best defenders (on or off-the-ball). The four of them’s IQ comes into play here as knowing the scout is key. If the player they were guarding is a three-point threat, they need to read the ball-handler’s eyes (almost like a safety reading the quarterback’s eyes) and know when to fully commit to the tag versus shading towards the shooter. If the player they are guarding is a non-shooting threat or a non-threat overall, then they can fully commit to tagging the roller before recovering to their man.

Bouknight was also involved in a lot of MIG possessions and for the most part was always in really good positioning. However, sometimes, he would become slightly undisciplined with his closeouts or staying on his feet. This is of course totally fair as he was literally putting the team on his back on offense. It should be reiterated that despite working his butt on offense in terms of scoring and being illegally grabbed, his on-ball defense and off-the-ball defensive positioning was really good AND he still has room to improve. For all the love he gets on offense, he is well on his way to becoming a legitimate two-way player, if he’s not already there.

Jackson was involved in one MIG possession which resulted in a Creighton dunk...Freshman learning the defensive scheme

Out of the 28 hard hedges, five ended with makes off the initial pick and roll action and almost all were wide open. While the success rate of not allowing a wide open dunk or layup is over 80%, it can be frustrating to a fan to see these possessions happen. Let’s take a look at what happened on those breakdowns and then more often what does happen in most instances.

**When looking at these clips, it may be helpful to change the "Playback Speed" to 0.75 in Settings**

Here is an initial look at Cole being the MIG in this possession - 

Notice how Cole is guarding #4 in this possession but he is stationed right in the middle of the paint waiting #13 to roll into the paint. Cole's presence discourages the pass to the roller and causes an errant pass out of bounds.

Now to the breakdowns (and fixes of those breakdowns) on defense:

Breakdown #1 - 10:05 in 1st Half, Creighton Dunk

This is a tough one. Freshman Andre Jackson is in the proper positioning initially but needs to wait until Sanogo returns to his man. By leaving #13 too early, it allows for an easy dunk. It's tough to fault a freshman for this mistake as you can see, he is worried about his own man, #0, being wide open in the ball side corner. This is where being a seasoned vet or being very in tune with the scout pays off. #0 was 3-11 from three heading into the game. (Additionally, the Gaffney-Sanogo duo could probably defend this a little better as well)

The Fix - 8:15 in 1st Half, Cole MIG, Solid rotation, better O

Here, notice Cole practically sit in the paint as #32 rolls into the paint. Jackson learned from his prior mistake and correctly defends the ball over his man, switching onto #0. Carlton also does a really good job forcing #11 out towards half court and quickly returns back to the paint. Cole waits for Carlton to return to #32 before flying back out to #24, a shooter (knowing the scout).  This is good rotation, just better offense.

Breakdown #2 - 6:50 in 1st Half, Creighton Dunk, No MIG

This is a great set by Greg McDermott, elevating everyone above the three-point-line and keeping two players on the far side of the court. As mentioned previously, the slip is a great counter to the hard hedge and when there is no MIG, it allows for easy opportunities. While UConn is caught in some weird matchups like Gaffney on #23, my guess is it should be either Gaffney or Cole in the MIG spot. Both are clearly far too hung up on their man.

The Fix - 2:55 in 1st Half, Cole MIG

Out of a timeout, McDermott tries to run a similar action, but notice Cole retreating to the paint rather than following #11 to the corner. He is in the MIG position even though #11 is a great shooter. Carlton also recognizes the action and stayed attached to #32 while Bouknight has far more active hands than in the breakdown.

Breakdown #3 - 7:45 in 2nd Half, Lucky

 

As you can see by McDermott's reaction, if #0 rolls to the hoop, he has a wide open lane to an easy layup or dunk. By the time Martin notices where he is supposed to be, it would have been too lane. UConn gets lucky. (Notice no RJ Cole in this possession)

Breakdown #4 - 7:00 in 2nd Half, Creighton Offensive Putback

This is a good offensive set by Creighton with plenty of misdirection. As #24 comes off the ballscreen and #13 rolls to the hoop, notice how Bouknight, Gaffney, and Martin are all hung up on their man and no one is in the MIG position. This is where the communication aspect is key. My guess is it is Gaffney's responsibility to be the MIG while communicating to Bouknight and Martin that #11 is coming towards the top of the key. (Notice no RJ Cole this possession)

The Fix - 6:10 in 2nd Half, Adams MIG

Notice how Adams gets into the paint while keeping his head on a swivel, noticing how Gaffney has moved to the corner and #24, a shooter, rotates to the top of the key.

Breakdown #5 - 1:05 in Overtime, Creighton Alley-oop, Dagger

Great finish by #13 on this but a couple of things here that I'm chalking mostly up to fatigue. First off, Carlton doesn't hedge hard enough. Secondly, #13 is rolling too far way from Cole for him to rotate all the way over so it is really Martin's responsibility to dig in there and "tag" the roller. He is instead too hung up on #23. Again, great finish, first game in 17 days, overtime, should have won in regulation. This is where the discipline factor comes into play.

Here are a couple looks at Martin's MIG play which along with Cole, was some of the best of the day, especially late:

5:25 in 2nd half, down 57-55

As soon as #11 comes off the dribble hand-off, Martin is in position, ready to tag #13. I love how he keeps hit feet moving and is ready to close out on #23 who had earned the respect as someone who could knock down an open three at that point.

1:10 in 2nd half, up 63-61

It is a little difficult to tell, but as #11 comes off the ballscreen and is being doubled by Whaley and Gaffney, he is looking for #13 rolling to the hoop. Martin, despite his man--#23--popping to the three-point line, stays in the paint long enough to tag the roller and discourage a pass being made. Gaffney and Whaley then force a turnover.

2:30 in overtime, down 69-68

Obviously critical point in the game here. Martin is in great position to tag the roller, waiting for Carlton to recover before closing out on #34. It is a hard high hand as #34 is a shooter and the Martin proceeds to play the drive perfectly.

One more for fun because it is by far my favorite defensive possession of the game due to circumstances. It could also be the fix for Breakdown #4, but I thought I would leave the audience with some top-notch defense and call it a day.

5:05 in 2nd half, Up 58-57, just took lead off Bouknight And-1

It starts with Cole's full-court defense. At the 4:50 mark, #32 comes to set a ballscreen for #11. Look at how all three of Gaffney, Bouknight, and Martin are in the paint - you can't even tell which one is the MIG because they all are! On the re-screen by #32, Martin becomes the official MIG and tags him as he rolls to the hoop. Once Whaley is back on #32, Gaffney's denial forces the ball to be caught way outside and allows plenty of time for Martin to recover onto #23. They then try to iso #34 onto Bouknight who will have none of it.

Hope you enjoyed the article and learned more about Hurley's defense. It is very good at the moment and is only going to get better. Also, shoutout to UConnHuskyGames for having all this great content for me to go to!

Film Review: USC versus BYU (First 30 minutes)

After 30 minutes, I had seen enough. It was a slow and painful death for BYU, reminiscent of certain games during the Ollie era where you may be saying to yourself “Come on Kevin, adjust!” or “You know what, we are getting good shots, we just aren’t making them!”

This article is about USC, though, not about BYU or about Kevin-Ollie led teams (real quick though- we love you Kevin and thank you for the ring!!!).

I was impressed with USC for two main reasons:

1. They dictated tempo throughout the whole 30 minutes I watched. In the first half, they almost appeared stuck in the mud, playing at their own pace. While it wasn’t the prettiest thing, it definitely affected BYU and they started to slowly pull away from the Cougars. The very first possession of the second half, they pushed it hard off BYU’s first miss, scoring easily in transition. BYU immediately pushed it up the court thinking “oh this pace, great!” Nope. USC reeled it right back in and continued to dictate tempo.

2. They have a really good grasp on who they are for this early in the season, especially given the circumstances. Offensively, they want to play out of the midpost/elbow/block area and they run simple actions to get the ball there. There was rarely an ill-advised shot and most turnovers came off illegal screens. Defensively, they keep it relatively packed in and are in position to help with length and consistent feet movement.

They also have Evan Mobley who is really really talented...so I guess it’s three things.

The game comes extremely easy to the #3 ranked ESPN recruit. I know there have been Kevin Durant comparisons which seems a bit absurd because, you know, Durant is one of the most talented players to ever play, but I get why people may say it. He went 8-12 in 29 minutes in the win over BYU and everything just came so natural to him. There were times he even looked bored! There were also times where you would forget he was out there (Good or bad??)

Either way, the dude is good. And his supporting cast isn’t so bad either.

Let’s take a look!

#4 Evan Mobley - 7’0, 210 Freshmen 

16.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 2.0 BPG, 67.7 FG%, 2-3 3PT

See above. #3 Ranked ESPN recruit

Can do it all → very good stroke from midrange and three; can put it on the deck; will bring it up in transition. A threat whenever he catches it. They love to throw it to him at the elbow.

Fake DHO and keep for a drive 

Looks bored at times...could lead to carelessness?

#13 Drew Peterson - 6’8, 185 Junior 

14.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.3 APG, 63.6 FG%, 5-8 3PT

Legitimate threat

Extremely impressed with him → main scorer early

Very good body control, very crafty, loves to back defender down into midpost area and then playmake off there

Good coming off ballscreens, especially at keeping defender “in jail”

Good catch and shoot shooter

Defended BYU’s best player

#2 Tahj Eaddy - 6’2, 165 Senior 

12.7 PPG, 3.3 APG, 54.2 FG%, 5-11 3PT

Senior from West Haven, CT!!

Very shifty and has a very sound pull-up game especially to his right

Can catch and shoot from three but I think he would rather playmake off dribble

#3 Isaiah Mobley - 6’10, 235 Sophomore 

10.3 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 44.4 FG%, 0-5 3PT

Evan’s older brother → there are going to be times where he does something and you say “this guy”

Will put it on the deck, get to his spot, jump stop and go up strong (charge/travel opportunities)

Doesn’t do anything that special just a big bruiser who rebounds well and finishes strong

#5 Isaiah White - 6’7, 205 Senior

8.3 PPG, 50.0 FG%, 1-4 3PT

Decent stroke but would be better if he set his feet

They will throw it into post to him

Physical driver

#1 Chevez Goodwin - 6’9, 215 Senior

6.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 52.9 FG%, 

Didn’t get to him in fim → Must have scored late

#20 Ethan Anderson - 6’1, 210 Sophomore 

6.7 PPG, 3.0 APG, 50.0 FG%, 3-7 3PT

Started and played 9 minutes

Not a great release

OFFENSE: 

USC was pretty simple with their actions. They love to get the ball in the midpost/elbow area or on the block and will do it for any one of their players. They have two different ways they do this. One is a block to block screen. The other is by having someone curl off Mobley at around the elbow and to the hoop. Mobley then extends his long arms and receives a pass for an isolation situation. Also, the occasional UCLA cut for either a post entry or elbow entry.

Another popular action is having either Mobley brother set a backscreen for someone and then go set a ballscreen for whoever has it. This makes it difficult on the big guarding either Mobley brother since they have to defend the backscreen and the ballscreen.

Couple of nice sets out of timeouts to keep your eyes peeled for:

1. Lob set for Mobley that is very similar to the one we have seen Hurley run for Bouknight.

2. Three-point set for Peterson

They crash offensive boards hard. Two offensive boards off free throw misses

DEFENSE:

To start, let me say this...BYU shot 7-30 from three. That’s not good. 

BUT! USC had a good game plan to handle BYU’s continuity ball screen offense. They consistently went over on screens and were pretty packed in in terms of helping. There was usually very good help on baseline drives. BYU had their most success on “empty ballscreens” aka when the guy setting the ball screen rolls, he is rolling towards an area where NO one else is...all three players are on the other side of the court. When BYU did this, it would leave either the roller open, the ballhandler a pullup/floater opportunity, or a kickout to someone who’s defender came ALL the way over to help.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

As has been mentioned by many writers, one of UConn’s biggest strengths this year is their depth, particularly in the backcourt. Top to bottom, UConn’s guards and wings are better than USC’s. I would think there will be many ballscreen sets with an emphasis on Bouknight and Gaffney really getting into the paint and into the teeth of the defense (this is where BYU had the most success in terms of open shots, not necessarily made shots). RJ Cole will be relied on as well to create on these ballscreens but his ability to stretch the defense will be critical tonight (along with Polley and Brendan Adams corner threes). As long as he stays out of foul trouble, this is a game where Cole can really show his professional scoring ability to UConn fans.

On the other side of the court, the biggest question I have is how our frontcourt matches up with the Mobley brothers. Evan is better than his older brother, but Isaiah is still a huge body and is definitely no slouch. We know what we’re getting with Whaley (amazingness), but this could be a game where UConn fans continue to fall in love with Sanogo due to his thick frame and actual ability to contribute on offense (unlike Josh, sorry Josh). I’m sure Hurley and staff are eager to see what the freshman can do against a talented frontcourt this early in the season.

Newcomers delight tonight.

It's All About the U

MIAMI HURRICANES (4-2)

WINS OVER: LOSSES TO:

Florida Atlantic 74-60 Louisville 87-74

UCF 79-70 Florida 78-58

Quinnipiac 80-52

Missouri State 74-70

KENPOM STATS:

• 31st in adjusted offensive efficiency
• 11th in Turnover percentage
• 69th in 3PT%
• 299th in Assists / field goals made
• 307th in Free Throws 
• 338th in Free Throws allowed 
• No one averaging over 3 assists per game

6 players over 20 MPG ; three double figure scorers

#23 Kameron McGusty - 14.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 39.2 FG%, 11-32 3PT

Haven’t been overly impressed with him in the first half...that changes in second half versus Florida. Catch and shoot three looks good. Makes really difficult shot at the end of the half to put the game within 5. Likes to make plays off the dribble. They throw it to him and the offense kinda stops, waiting for him to make a play. Clearly he has earned this right. Making an effort to get him going right away at the start of the second half. Three possessions in a row at the start of the half designed to get him the ball and then receive double ball screen→ make, foul, miss three by #0. Him and Lykes (#0) play off each other really well when they’ve both got it going.

#1 Dejan Vasiljevic - 14.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 49.2 FG%, 17-39 3PT

Great Shot maker. Has range. Ability to shoot off the dribble from deep as well as inside the paint. His fault is he loves to take those high difficult shots and if he’s not hitting them, it’s not the best optic. WIth that being said, he’s proven in the past he can make these tough shots so if he gets hot you just kinda gotta shrug your shoulders and say okay.

#0 Chris Lykes - 13.8 PPG, 10-28 3PT

5-7. Good off the dribble shooter, loves to pull behind a ball screen. Very quick with the basketball. Can get into the paint and finishes well despite his size. Does a great job with ballscreens by either getting downhill super quick or stepping behind to shoot. When he has it going, he’s an extremely fun player to watch but occasionally gets far too careless with the basketball. They run this set for him a ton in the second half where he’s coming off multiple screens for a curl and a jumper. Hounds you on the ball. So low to the ground. Lot of Alterique Gilbert in him. Him and McGusty (#23) play off each other really well when they’ve got it going.

#5 Harlond Beverly - 9.3 PPG, 6-16 3PT

Freshman top 60 recruit. 6th man, will run point. Loves to attack and to use the floater especially when going to his left. Asserted himself in the first half of the Missouri State game, kind of a no show in the Florida game.

#14 Rodney Miller Jr. - 7.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 60.6 FG%

Made an effort to throw the ball into him in the post against Florida. Three straight possessions out of the Under 16 timeout they go to him → resulted in two buckets and a foul. They like to throw it into him and then cut right off him. He is a decent passer from that position. He can make a move to the hoop→ kind of lulls you to sleep down there but finishes well. Defensively, he is really struggling with the pick and pop Florida is running.

#21 Sam Waardenburg - 3.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.2 BPG

Loves to set screens and rebound. Will shoot the three ball if open - decent stroke. Not going to beat you.

OFFENSIVELY (this is all from the Florida game since Missouri State was running this matchup zone so X’s and O’s were scarce): Laranaga was kind of funny with this stuff. He had a set he ran over and over again to start the game. Out of the under 16, it was a different set over and over. After the Under 8, it was a different set over and over again. To start the half, it was a different set over and over again.

Ran a variation of the same set the first five possessions of the game. Iverson set for for #0 or #23. They’ll put #1 (shooter) on one of the elbows and he will go set ball screen but slip it looking for a corner 3. If that’s not there, #14 will follow into a ball screen. They’ll do it again but #1 and #14 will set a double ball screen with #1 popping.

They also like to run this simple set where #1 sets a ball screen at around the TOK for a guard while a wing will run off a screen by #14 on the low block. They like to throw it to the wing and then post entry to #14. They ran it 3 straight possessions out of the under 16 timeout and got two layups and a foul. When they throw it to #14, the player who threw it into him cuts off him right away for a simple give and go.

ANOTHER SET: #0 throw it to wing, receives UCLA screen from high post. He then goes to set flex screen for guy on weakside wing. #0 then receives down screen. They are looking for him coming off this downscreen to curl, catch, and shoot. Use it a lot in the second half.

Some counters to this like having #23 or #1 quickly pop out to wing for the pass while the defense thinks #0 is receiving the downscreen.

ANOTHER SET (start of second half to get #23 going): #23 starts with ball passes it, makes a shallow cut (barely inside the 3pt line) out to the wing. They throw it to him and then he gets a staggered double ball screen where he can just kind of go make a play.

In transition, they like to set either double or even TRIPLE ball screens. Alignment is shooter, big, big, with the shooter fading to the corner, first big rolling, second big popping.

Florida liked to switch a lot so when there would be a mismatch they loved to have the guy with the mismatch pass it and get it right back to attack his defender right away.

DEFENSIVELY: On ballscreen coverage, they like to go over and hedge and did a good job tagging on the roller against Missouri State. Against, Florida, not so much. Already missed two or three tags in the first 10 minutes. Really struggling to defend Blackshear (a 5 who can shoot it and make plays), especially in pick and pop situations. Their ballscreen coverage is way worse in this game than the Missouri State game leading to easy Florida shot opportunities. I would imagine Laranaga tightened it up on the offday yesterday.

When Missouri State was trying to throw the ball into the post, Miami liked to front it and then would double almost every time on the post entry. Good job and very sound at it. Good rotation, forced turnovers. 

AGAINST MISSOURI STATE (JUST FIRST HALF):

Missouri State didn’t played all that great but they are doing a good job changing defenses and keeping Miami off balance. They’ve got this matchup zone/2-3 extended going and Miami struggling to crack it. Miami probably should have been up by more than 8 at half, but Missouri State just made some really tough shots to remain in the game.

AGAINST FLORIDA (FIRST HALF + FIRST HALF OF SECOND HALF):

Florida goes on a 17-0 run in about a 6 minute span. Miami is running their stuff but no one is really able to get down hill or break free for option shots. After 17-0 run, Miami comes back with 5 straight made field goals. Blackshear is just killing them from beyond the arc - They don’t know how to defend him. Will be interesting to see if we go Akok at the 5 at any point to stretch #14 outside...only playing Akok at the five 8.4% of gametime this season...and he’s banged up. Florida extends their 1-3-1 three quarter court out of the Under 4 timeout and Miami really struggles with it initially. Just far too careless with the basketball at times. Florida puts the game away in the second half by holding Miami without any points for a 7 minute stretch. You combine that with the stretch in the first half, that’s 13 minutes without any points...that’s over 25% of gametime...eek. 

Miami plays their starting lineup 32.1% of minutes and you kind of got the feeling in the second half that once they went to their bench, the production and the ability to get open shots really dropped off.

12 Minutes on the Xavier Musketeers

Xavier Musketeers (5-0)

WINS OVER:
Jacksonville 76-57
Siena 81-63
Missouri 63-58 (OT)
Missouri State 59-56
Towson 73-51

KENPOM STATS:

• 47th in adjusted offensive efficiency
• 16th in adjusted defensive efficiency
• Rank in the top 60 in three of the four “Four Factors” defensively (Effective FG%, Turnover%, Offensive Rebound%)
• 34th in 3PT% Defense
• 61st nationally in experience
• 39th nationally in height 
• Their starting lineup of Goodin, Scruggs, Marshall, Carter, and Jones is used 24.5% of games.
• Marshall is used close to 30% of possessions (94th nationally)
• Jones is used 28.0% of possessions. He also ranks 87th nationally in offensive rebounding%. 

What these stats mean to me - They are very solid defensively and have some thick boys to man the middle of the paint. This is a much different matchup than Buffalo. Xavier wants to turn games into a rock fight and then beat you with the trio of Scruggs, Marshall, and Jones. They do not shoot the three ball that much, again would rather dump it in side and go to work. Watching the first half is like watching a slow and painful death for Towson.

9 players averaging double digit MPG ; 6 players averaging 20+ MPG

Starting lineup is 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-8, 6-9. 

#1 Paul Scruggs - 12.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 2.3 SPG, 54.1 FG%, 5-19 3PT; 11-4-5 in win over Towson

#13 Naji Marshall - 15.0 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 4.0 APG, 4-24 3PT, 3.2 TPG ; 9-9-5 in win over Towson...5 turnovers 

#4 Tyrique Jones - 14.0 PPG, 8.6 RPG , 54.9% FG ; 12 and 12 in win over Towson
FROM BLOOMFIELD!!!

#3 Quentin Goodin - 5.8 PPG, 5-19 3PT ; 4 points 1-5 from field in win over Towson

#25 Jason Carter - 7.6 PPG, 5.6 RPG ; 13 and 9 in win over Towson

#11 Bryce Moore - 6.2 PPG, 7-18 3PT ; went 3-6 from 3PT in win over Towson

OFFENSIVELY:
So far just spread out not too many sets...one box set that was a rip screen Screen the Screener action, ended in post. Couple other sets that are rip screen into screen the screeners. Looking for postups. Big men like to slip screens. Guards are making pretty tough passes but they are executing them. Not too much creativity on offense but they look for post ups a lot, especially in transition. Always the first look in transition especially if the guy has got position. Love to post up #4 (Jones). End of shot clock is usually always a ball screen for #1 or #13. Secondary double stagger away but I feel like it’s more just to occupy help defense so they can try and throw it into the post. Everyone 1-5 has the ability to make a play. Don't sleep on Carter.

DEFENSIVELY:
Starting lineup switched 1-4 which means they feel pretty good about Carter (#25) as a defender when defending guards. Full court man to man pressure but most of it is false pressure. They just wanted to make Towson work just a little bit harder. When not pressuring full, they like to pick up at half court but not really in your face guarding, just really disciplined containing on the ball. Guys are constantly in good help position. They are super physical, especially off the ball → bump any cutter coming through the paint. On ball screens, they’re going over with a hard hedge. Towson has run multiple ball screen sets, haven’t been burned too much.

THE BUFFALO BULLS

Buffalo Bulls (2-1)

Lost Dartmouth 68-63 →went 8 deep; splits were terrible 35.3 FG%, 10-35 3PT, 5-13 FT
Win Nazareth 109-72
Win Harvard 88-76 → 13-26 from 3, 44.9% from field, 13-15 FT

KENPOM NOTES:

• Williams (#11) and Jordan (#4) are the most highly used contributors and are each used about a quarter of Buffalo’s possessions
• 38th in Adjusted Tempo
• 26th in Average Possession Length 
• 33rd in Assists Per Field Goals Made (UConn is 275th)
• 331st in Average Height 
• 8th in points by way of the three ball (45.7% of points are by 3)
• 48th in Offensive Rebounding %

Five Players in Double Figures ; 6 Players averaging 20 MPG ; essentially an 8 man rotation

#3 Jayvon Graves - 16.7 PPG 6.3 RPG 48.6 FG%  7-18 3PT
Really difficult shot maker ; can break down guys off the dribble ; used in Roll and Replace action on a high ball screen where he replaces to the TOK while the big rolls. They like to throw it back to this guy and let him make a play

#10 Ronaldo Segu - 14.3 PPG 5.0 APG 70.0 FG% 9-14 3PT
Sixth man. Used a lot in ball screens ; can break down guys but also an excellent stand still catch and shoot three-point shooter

#2 Antwain Johnson - 13.7 PPG 44.4 FG% 8-20 3PT
Not really used that much in the first half ; got downhill a couple of times. Comes out in second half hot. Couple buckets and then used in the Roll and Replace game as the replacer. Microwave!!! Got silly hot to start second half. They did a great job finding him as he heated up.

#4 Davonta Jordan - 11.0 PPG 4.7 APG 54.5 FG% 8-14 3PT
Been most impressed with his ability to break down guys off the bounce and get into the lane. Used heavily in ball screens. When coming off the ballscreen it is almost too easy for him to get into the lane. Couple clearout calls for him to attack.

#34 Josh Mballa - 10.3 PPG 7.7 RPG 45.8 FG% 0-1 3PT
6’7 French man ; not your prototypical big. He can catch 12-15 feet away from the hoop and will try and make a move. Got the line a ton in the first half and knocked down all but one FT. Runs pretty well in transition - right to the rim.

#11 Jeenathan Williams - 9.3 PPG 5.0 RPG 37.5% FG 2-10 3PT
Ran multiple actions to isolate him both in the post and on the wing. He loves to pump fake and drive baseline (particularly from the left corner). Many super athletic finishes. They love to put him in the replace spot on the roll and replace and then kick back to him and let him make a play. Very good at going left and tough finishes.

#1 Gabe Grant
Worth putting his name in the scouting report. His first three touches in the half court, he shot and missed all of them. They still then went to him in an ATO look for three. Clearly they are confident in him shooting it. Johnson got so hot in the second half they didn’t really need to go to him.


OFFENSIVELY: Very free style of play. A few sets here and there but for the most part Coach Whitesell just lets them play. A mixture between 4 out 1 in and the dribble drive offense. They just love to attack, especially off a simple high ball screen. Everything they do is to try and get downhill and into the paint. The first option is to put their chin on the rim and try and score. If that is totally clogged up, then they will try and kick out to perimeter for catch and shoot options or for that guy to then and try to attack the hoop. Love to attack the offensive glass. Despite giving up height, they send multiple guys to the offensive glass.

Three main sets ran. One is an Iverson set (guy going from right wing to left wing across two screens at both the right and left elbow). Out of this they did a number of things. Throw it to elbow and look for hi-lo look,. Throw it to elbow and get a backdoor layup. Throw it to guy coming off screen and have him attack. Have everyone clear so they can have an isolated look for whoever they feel has the best matchup.

Second main set is this roll and replace action. High ball screen around the slot/TOK area. Big rolls while player on opposite block replaces to the TOK. They love to put #11 or # 3 in that spot and then throw the ball back to them and let them make a play. Seems like they just like to put whatever guy they think is going to make a play that possession in that spot.

Zipper Action. Guy starting on the low block and receiving a screen from a guy on the same side elbow. They’ll have a guy catch it and receive a ball screen and look to make a play. Mostly their guards put in this position → #2, #3, #4, #10

DEFENSIVELY: Lot of ball pressure with denial on the wings. They want to play fast and that starts on the defensive end trying to turn you over and speed you up. Harvard was able to get into the lane pretty easily but Buffalo’s hands were everywhere once they got in there. They have clearly been coached well in terms of having extremely active hands getting in the passing lanes to earn tips for trips. Liked to front the post and while Harvard didn’t look to the post much, the two times they threw it in there in the first half, Buffalo doubled. Both times resulted in turnovers. Wouldn’t be surprised to see them double Carlton over and over again especially since UConn’s game plan at the start of games has been to throw it into him and he has so far not handled the double all that particularly well.

TRANSITION: When I say all five players on sprinting into transition offense, I mean it. Make or miss they are trying to push the ball up super quick and make a play right away. This could be corner threes or simply breaking guys off the dribble and getting into the lane. No one is afraid to catch and make a play. Everyone is a threat. If a guy gets hot, they do a really good job trying to find him.