Did you notice anything about the NCC tournament game? Well, sure, the obvious is all the upsets and surprises. But that’s common this time of year. Less notable, but important from a handicap perspective, is all of the defense. On Friday and Saturday the tournament games fell short of the total by 17-8.
This is also not unusual. Each day, the tournament drops teams as the winner (or should we say survivor) advances to the Sweet 16, the Elite 8, the Final Four. This means that the games are more meaningful. You win and advance, bringing all kinds of glory and pride to your institution. Lose, and you go home. There is a lot at stake. It’s natural to assume defensive intensity will increase as games become more important.
No more ignoring a loose ball on the floor because a player might not feel like going for it, like they might in a January game. Every fumble, every hustle, every possession can be the difference between advancing or finishing the season.
Look what Duke did on Saturday. Duke and George Washington have open offenses, but the Blue Devils can play defense when they put their minds to it. And they did, not to mention a few checkups of hands, elbows and muscles under the glass. Duke held George Washington to 30% shooting in a 74-61 victory that fell short of the total by 22 points.
Other times, teams that like to play fast-paced will be matched against teams that like to play slower. Slow teams often dictate the pace, as was the case when LSU and Texas A&M squared off. If you watched the game, you saw two teams that refused to allow easy baskets. The result was a tense, tight, slow defensive duel. LSU won in a late sentence despite shooting 35%. A&M got the game they wanted, coming up short for the win but getting ATS coverage. Excellent defense allows underdogs a better chance to hang on.
Coaches make a big difference in whether a team knows how to play defense or not. This applies to practice, where the coach has to work to teach the players when to switch and recognize what the offense is doing and how to adjust, as well as make game adjustments. UCLA coach Ben Howland excels at both and the Bruins’ defense saved them in a 62-59 victory over Alabama. Defense made the difference as UCLA hit free throw after free throw down the stretch.
Other times, teams have little chance of winning a game unless they slow down and try to hang on with a tough defense in hopes of springing an upset. That was evident Thursday when Penn shot 32% against Texas but limited the Longhorns to 40% shooting in Texas’ 60-52 victory. Penn led 23-22 at the half and trailed just one point with 5:53 left in the game. “We were able to pace ourselves and get the shots we wanted,” said a Penn player.
And what about Bradley? The Braves shot 37% and STILL stunned Pitt, 72-66. The defense led the way, of course. Pitt’s point guard, Carl Krauser, said before the tournament began that he was looking forward to a possible rematch with former Pitt coach Ben Howland and UCLA in the regional final. Whoops! Focus on the game at hand, guys. And don’t be surprised if you see more low-scoring, defensive games in the coming weeks, because defense means even more this time of year. Good luck, as always… Al McMordie.