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Tom B.
01-31-2018, 12:16 PM
As the loss to Virginia recedes into memory, I just thought we should all pause for a moment to appreciate what Virginia is doing defensively this season.

Virginia held Duke to 63 points, which was 28.6 points below Duke's per-game scoring average at the time.

But as Barry Jacobs pointed out, Duke's 63 points was actually 11.4 points better than the average per-game number of points allowed by UVa up to that point. Duke's shooting percentage of 48.2% against Virginia was also 11 points higher than the average shooting percentage that Virginia allows (it was turnovers that killed Duke against UVa, not bad shooting.)

And Duke's 63 points was the third highest point total allowed by Virginia this year. Only West Virginia (which beat UVa 68-61 back in December, UVa's only loss so far) and VCU (which lost to UVa 76-67 back in November) have scored more against Virginia.

Duke is one of only five teams (in 20 games) to crack 60 against Virginia. Meanwhile, UVa has held twice as many teams (10) under 50. Nobody has hit 70 against UVa so far this season, but two opponents (including one ACC team) have failed to reach 40.

That's how good UVa's defense is.

thedukelamere
01-31-2018, 12:26 PM
it was turnovers that killed Duke against UVa, not bad shooting

26% from 3 and 45% from the charity stripe won't win you many games against top level competition.

But yes, their defense is impressive and plays very well together as a unit, regardless of hoo they bring in.

MarkD83
01-31-2018, 12:26 PM
Thanks for the perspective for this.

There were also some factors that have been pointed out that would be different if Duke plays UVA in the future such as...
1) Making more free throws
2) Grayson being Grayson (he looked better against ND)
3) lack of bench - Alex being sick, Javin and Marques still hurt but now being on the mend

There are some things that are "lost" due to the "loss"
1) Undefeated home record
2) Chances of finishing 1st in the regular season (I can't see UVA getting 3 losses the rest of this regular season)
3) Number 1 seed in the NCAAs? Duke needs help with this. If UVA continues playing the way they are even with a loss or two gets a number one seed. Villanova and Purdue also look like locks for a number 1. Does the committee give a second ACC number 1 seed or do they give it to some other conference champion.

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
01-31-2018, 12:31 PM
There are some things that are "lost" due to the "loss"...


3) Number 1 seed in the NCAAs? Duke needs help with this. If UVA continues playing the way they are even with a loss or two gets a number one seed. Villanova and Purdue also look like locks for a number 1. Does the committee give a second ACC number 1 seed or do they give it to some other conference champion.

This just really truly is false. Number one seeds are up in the air until 48 hours before the selection committee hands down brackets. Pretending that we are shut out of that right now is just being a Debbie Downer.

MarkD83
01-31-2018, 12:33 PM
This just really truly is false. Number one seeds are up in the air until 48 hours before the selection committee hands down brackets. Pretending that we are shut out of that right now is just being a Debbie Downer.

I would have thought that until last year where Duke won 4 games in 4 days including beating a number 1 seed and still got a number 2 seed. My thought is the committee already had Duke at a number 2, no matter what they did in the ACC tournament.

W&LHoo
01-31-2018, 12:37 PM
Appreciate the respect the board has for our defense, and it has been historically good this year.

That said, we might be about to blow it tonight against Louisville.

The Cards are an underrated team that's getting back into rhythm after all of the off-court drama that occupied them over the past several months.

On top of that, we've got (depending on the rumor) between 2 and 5 guys who might not be fully available to Coach Bennett. Our rotation is basically just:

Guy (fine)
Jerome (fine)
Diakite (fine)
Johnson (fine, but really just plays spot minutes)
Salt (rumors of flu)
Hall (rumors of flu)
Wilkins (rumors of flu/sickle cell PLUS a back injury)
Hunter (twisted his ankle playing you guys and hasn't practiced, including today)

Apparently Jay Huff isn't sick and may be seeing serious minutes even though Coach Bennett isn't persuaded he fully understands the defense. I'm as nervous about this one as I have for any this season barring our game against you guys in Cameron.

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
01-31-2018, 12:38 PM
I would have thought that until last year where Duke won 4 games in 4 days including beating a number 1 seed and still got a number 2 seed. My thought is the committee already had Duke at a number 2, no matter what they did in the ACC tournament.

There's a big difference between saying that Duke should have worked there way onto the top line last year and saying "it is January and we are out of it because we lost to the number two team in the nation."

bluesin
01-31-2018, 12:43 PM
If we go into the ACC tournament with 8 losses and win the whole thing again then I'll agree we need help to get to the 1 line. But, saying we need help now is IMO flat out wrong. I can't see any scenario where if we win the rest of our games we aren't a 1 seed. We might need help from ourselves to win those games, but it's totally within our control.

CDu
01-31-2018, 12:45 PM
I would have thought that until last year where Duke won 4 games in 4 days including beating a number 1 seed and still got a number 2 seed. My thought is the committee already had Duke at a number 2, no matter what they did in the ACC tournament.

That was an 8-loss Duke team at the time. I think we were primed for a 3 or potentially even a 4 seed had we not gone on that historic tourney run.

This is a 3-loss Duke team compared with a 2-loss Purdue and 1-loss Nova and UVa. If UVa loses tonight and we both win out until the ACC Final, I think we stand a darn good shot at a #1 win a win in that game. If UVa loses two more, I would say we absolutely get a one if we beat them in the tourney and finish with fewer losses.

Now, we can surely debate whether or not UVa will lose enough to get bumped behind us. But even if they don't, I can't imagine an ACC team with only 3 losses getting relegated to a 2 seed.

Wander
01-31-2018, 12:56 PM
3) Number 1 seed in the NCAAs? Duke needs help with this. If UVA continues playing the way they are even with a loss or two gets a number one seed. Villanova and Purdue also look like locks for a number 1. Does the committee give a second ACC number 1 seed or do they give it to some other conference champion.

You're applying way too much of a BCS-era college football mentality. UVA, Villanova, Purdue, Duke, Michigan State, and Kansas are going to collectively lose at least 10 more games in the remainder of the season. No one is locked into anything.

MarkD83
01-31-2018, 01:00 PM
That was an 8-loss Duke team at the time. I think we were primed for a 3 or potentially even a 4 seed had we not gone on that historic tourney run.

This is a 3-loss Duke team compared with a 2-loss Purdue and 1-loss Nova and UVa. If UVa loses tonight and we both win out until the ACC Final, I think we stand a darn good shot at a #1 win a win in that game. If UVa loses two more, I would say we absolutely get a one if we beat them in the tourney and finish with fewer losses.

Now, we can surely debate whether or not UVa will lose enough to get bumped behind us. But even if they don't, I can't imagine an ACC team with only 3 losses getting relegated to a 2 seed.

So right now there are teams like Kansas, Xavier, Cincy and MSU with 3-4 losses that would compete for the 4th number 1. If they all win out (OK Cincy and Xavier will knock themselves out) which of these would have to lose for Duke to get a number 1. Or can all the teams go undefeated the rest of the way and Duke still gets a number 1.

The overall question is who do we cheer against in the next month to help Duke the most.

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
01-31-2018, 01:01 PM
The overall question is who do we cheer against in the next month to help Duke the most.

The answer to that is Duke. Few if any of those teams will win out. If Duke wins out and doesn't get a one seed, I will make you a dozen pies.

Tom B.
01-31-2018, 01:13 PM
26% from 3 and 45% from the charity stripe won't win you many games against top level competition.

Good point about the free throws. Yes, that was also certainly a key factor. A subpar three-point shooting night is survivable, especially given how effective our shooting has been (and was against UVa) inside the arc. But combine those turnovers and missed free throws (at least three of those second-half misses were front ends of one-and-ones), and against a team that plays defense like UVa, you're in trouble.

sagegrouse
01-31-2018, 01:15 PM
I would have thought that until last year where Duke won 4 games in 4 days including beating a number 1 seed and still got a number 2 seed. My thought is the committee already had Duke at a number 2, no matter what they did in the ACC tournament.

I believe the TSC chairman said on Selection Sunday that Duke began the week as a #4 seed.

Wahoo2000
01-31-2018, 01:16 PM
That was an 8-loss Duke team at the time. I think we were primed for a 3 or potentially even a 4 seed had we not gone on that historic tourney run.

This is a 3-loss Duke team compared with a 2-loss Purdue and 1-loss Nova and UVa. If UVa loses tonight and we both win out until the ACC Final, I think we stand a darn good shot at a #1 win a win in that game. If UVa loses two more, I would say we absolutely get a one if we beat them in the tourney and finish with fewer losses.

Now, we can surely debate whether or not UVa will lose enough to get bumped behind us. But even if they don't, I can't imagine an ACC team with only 3 losses getting relegated to a 2 seed.

Me neither. That's why I was so pissed about 2015. UVA was #2 in the country for the bulk of the conference season. We won the ACC regular season outright and were 29-3. Still got a 2 seed.... to add insult to injury, we got placed right next to a significantly underseeded MSU, who promptly took our cookies and went to the final four.*

(Doing my best Jason Evans bit):
-Wahoo "Yes I know there were a ton of other elite teams that year that had 3 losses or less, but I don't care since that datapoint doesn't support my argument that we SHOULD have been a 1 seed" 2000


*For as bad as people say UVA has been in the tournament, all of our "upset" losses came to either the odds-on tourney favorite, or a team that got to the final four.

Troublemaker
01-31-2018, 01:34 PM
Appreciate the respect the board has for our defense, and it has been historically good this year.

That said, we might be about to blow it tonight against Louisville.

The Cards are an underrated team that's getting back into rhythm after all of the off-court drama that occupied them over the past several months.

On top of that, we've got (depending on the rumor) between 2 and 5 guys who might not be fully available to Coach Bennett. Our rotation is basically just:

Guy (fine)
Jerome (fine)
Diakite (fine)
Johnson (fine, but really just plays spot minutes)
Salt (rumors of flu)
Hall (rumors of flu)
Wilkins (rumors of flu/sickle cell PLUS a back injury)
Hunter (twisted his ankle playing you guys and hasn't practiced, including today)

Apparently Jay Huff isn't sick and may be seeing serious minutes even though Coach Bennett isn't persuaded he fully understands the defense. I'm as nervous about this one as I have for any this season barring our game against you guys in Cameron.

I hope you guys are/get healthy and stay that way.

Putting aside any problems in the health department, though, UVA is probably due for slight regression in its defensive efficiency, anyway. The amateur stat nerd in me can't help it. When I see UVA is sporting an 80.8 defensive efficiency, I think two things: (1) "wow," and (2) "regression candidate." This isn't to say UVA won't continue to be a great defense, including continuing to be the #1-ranked defense in the country (since you're pretty far ahead of #2 and ridiculously far ahead of #3). I just tend to think UVA will finish the season in the mid-80s for defensive efficiency.

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
01-31-2018, 01:34 PM
It is pretty much impossible to compare one year to the next as far as win/loss records

Nugget
01-31-2018, 01:36 PM
Me neither. That's why I was so pissed about 2015. UVA was #2 in the country for the bulk of the conference season. We won the ACC regular season outright and were 29-3. Still got a 2 seed... to add insult to injury, we got placed right next to a significantly underseeded MSU, who promptly took our cookies and went to the final four.*

(Doing my best Jason Evans bit):
-Wahoo "Yes I know there were a ton of other elite teams that year that had 3 losses or less, but I don't care since that datapoint doesn't support my argument that we SHOULD have been a 1 seed" 2000


*For as bad as people say UVA has been in the tournament, all of our "upset" losses came to either the odds-on tourney favorite, or a team that got to the final four.

I wouldn't say U.Va. has been bad in the tournament other than last year's stinker against Florida. Blowing the 15 point second half lead against Syracuse in 2016 was just so awful and inexplicable that it's hard to believe it even happened. The losses to Michigan St. were just bad luck.

Wahoo2000
01-31-2018, 01:44 PM
Appreciate the respect the board has for our defense, and it has been historically good this year.

That said, we might be about to blow it tonight against Louisville.

The Cards are an underrated team that's getting back into rhythm after all of the off-court drama that occupied them over the past several months.

On top of that, we've got (depending on the rumor) between 2 and 5 guys who might not be fully available to Coach Bennett. Our rotation is basically just:

Guy (fine)
Jerome (fine)
Diakite (fine)
Johnson (fine, but really just plays spot minutes)
Salt (rumors of flu)
Hall (rumors of flu)
Wilkins (rumors of flu/sickle cell PLUS a back injury)
Hunter (twisted his ankle playing you guys and hasn't practiced, including today)

Apparently Jay Huff isn't sick and may be seeing serious minutes even though Coach Bennett isn't persuaded he fully understands the defense. I'm as nervous about this one as I have for any this season barring our game against you guys in Cameron.

Couple things:
-Everything I've read says it's Hall and Diakite, not Hall and Salt, with the flu-like symptoms. Both practiced yesterday, so hopefully good to go, even if less than 100%
-Haven't heard a word about Wilkins sickle-cell trait flaring up, and nothing official on the back, though Tony said his limited PT against Duke was more foul trouble and DeAndre playing well vs the zone than his injury. I'm sure it's lingering a bit, but not too bad.
-Hunter is a game time decision, hopefully we can hold him out and still win comfortably to give the other nicked up guys some extra rest before Syracuse on Sat
-I'll be beyond shocked if Huff plays at all unless ALL of the following happen:
1. Diakite is just a no-go or too sick to be effective
2. Hunter is out
3. Foul trouble or injury/illness limit 2 of Salt/Wilkins/Hall

I think people see that Louisville has tall skinny guys and are like, "yeah, perfect game for Huff to get some run". This is incorrect. Huff still has a good chunk of developing to do. At this point, he's more Chase Metheney than Frank Kaminski. I think he'll develop into a massive impact-player, but it's at least a year (or 2) out.

Wahoo2000
01-31-2018, 01:46 PM
I hope you guys are/get healthy and stay that way.

Putting aside any problems in the health department, though, UVA is probably due for slight regression in its defensive efficiency, anyway. The amateur stat nerd in me can't help it. When I see UVA is sporting an 80.8 defensive efficiency, I think two things: (1) "wow," and (2) "regression candidate." This isn't to say UVA won't continue to be a great defense, including continuing to be the #1-ranked defense in the country (since you're pretty far ahead of #2 and ridiculously far ahead of #3). I just tend to think UVA will finish the season in the mid-80s for defensive efficiency.

Agree with this 100%. Of course, I've been saying it since early Jan (that regression is coming), but somehow we've gotten almost 5 points BETTER on Pomeroy's scale. Still think barring injury it'll be near the top of the heap in the kenpom era at the end of the regular season.

DarkstarWahoo
01-31-2018, 01:53 PM
I’m told Diakite wanted to practice yesterday and said something to the effect of “So I’m just supposed to sit and do nothing?!?”

My guy also said he thought Hunter was trending toward playing, but I could easily see him sitting or at least in a “break glass in case of emergency” situation. He’ll be too important against the Syracuse zone in the next game.

left_hook_lacey
01-31-2018, 02:27 PM
Me neither. That's why I was so pissed about 2015. UVA was #2 in the country for the bulk of the conference season. We won the ACC regular season outright and were 29-3. Still got a 2 seed... to add insult to injury, we got placed right next to a significantly underseeded MSU, who promptly took our cookies and went to the final four.*

(Doing my best Jason Evans bit):
-Wahoo "Yes I know there were a ton of other elite teams that year that had 3 losses or less, but I don't care since that datapoint doesn't support my argument that we SHOULD have been a 1 seed" 2000


*For as bad as people say UVA has been in the tournament, all of our "upset" losses came to either the odds-on tourney favorite, or a team that got to the final four.

I hate to break it to you, but that's what happens as you advance in the tournament, you face better and better competition. :D

Vegas has you as the 6th favorite to win it all right now, so odds are, you'll run into the odds-on favorite and/or a team that gets to the final four again this season.

CameronDuke
01-31-2018, 08:14 PM
The last ACC team to run the table in the regular season within the league was the 1998-1999 Duke team who went 16-0 that year then won the ACC Tournament. Can Virginia run the table at 18-0 this year in the league in the regular season? They're 9-0 and about to beat Louisville to get to 10-0 with the rest of their games against teams in the ACC with current ACC records of 5-4 at best. Further, can they go 18-0 and then win the ACC Tournament to go 21-0 in games against ACC opponents this year? Lastly, can they then go 6-0 in the NCAAT? That would put them at 38-1 this season. Or have they already peaked? Did they peak too early?

CameronDuke
01-31-2018, 08:38 PM
The last ACC team to run the table in the regular season within the league was the 1998-1999 Duke team who went 16-0 that year then won the ACC Tournament. Can Virginia run the table at 18-0 this year in the league in the regular season? They're 9-0 and about to beat Louisville to get to 10-0 with the rest of their games against teams in the ACC with current ACC records of 5-4 at best. Further, can they go 18-0 and then win the ACC Tournament to go 21-0 in games against ACC opponents this year? Lastly, can they then go 6-0 in the NCAAT? That would put them at 38-1 this season. Or have they already peaked? Did they peak too early?

They actually get Louisville on the road who they've owned and then no one else with an ACC record currently better than 5-4 on the back 9 of their ACC regular season remaining schedule. Louisville actually has tightened this one up a bit late in Charlottesville.

Troublemaker
01-31-2018, 08:56 PM
They actually get Louisville on the road who they've owned and then no one else with an ACC record currently better than 5-4 on the back 9 of their ACC regular season remaining schedule. Louisville actually has tightened this one up a bit late in Charlottesville.

UVA will be favored in every game remaining, but on aggregate, they only have about a 15% chance of going undefeated, per kenpom.

CameronDuke
01-31-2018, 08:58 PM
UVA will be favored in every game remaining, but on aggregate, they only have about a 15% chance of going undefeated, per kenpom.

Not bad odds honestly. 21-1, 10-0 now. Amazing, amazing run we are witnessing by a team in our league right now. If they get past Cuse and the 2-3 zone Saturday inside the Carrier Dome, I don't see them losing anytime soon.

Troublemaker
01-31-2018, 09:02 PM
Not bad odds honestly. 21-1, 10-0 now. Amazing, amazing run we are witnessing by a team in our league right now. If they get past Cuse and the 2-3 zone Saturday inside the Carrier Dome, I don't see them losing anytime soon.

I should clarify. ~15% to go undefeated through the end of the regular season. Obviously it'd be even lower if we start counting postseason play.

I don't know that I view @Cuse as a bigger threat than the game right after: @FSU.

CameronDuke
01-31-2018, 09:15 PM
I should clarify. ~15% to go undefeated through the end of the regular season. Obviously it'd be even lower if we start counting postseason play.

I don't know that I view @Cuse as a bigger threat than the game right after: @FSU.

I would agree with that. Something tells me they will lose either at Cuse or at FSU. They have to go to Miami a game after the at FSU game too (after hosting Virginia Tech). They have to go to Louisville still, too, but as I said earlier, Bennett owns Louisville. From what I have seen of them, however, you almost have to play nearly a perfect game in terms of offensive execution to beat them. They just suffocate you defensively and their offense is so surgical and efficiently ran.

akg4y
01-31-2018, 09:38 PM
I would agree with that. Something tells me they will lose either at Cuse or at FSU. They have to go to Miami a game after the at FSU game too (after hosting Virginia Tech). They have to go to Louisville still, too, but as I said earlier, Bennett owns Louisville. From what I have seen of them, however, you almost have to play nearly a perfect game in terms of offensive execution to beat them. They just suffocate you defensively and their offense is so surgical and efficiently ran.

We actually had a tough time with Lville tonight, their height bothered us and they got a lot of easy shots and scored more than anyone expected. They also hit a ton of 3s. If that happens again at their place we will likely lose, the reason we won today was we shot 56% from 3, Guy & Jerome just balled out.

My guess is the game in Louisville will be more of our standard, a 58-52 type game with UVA winning at our pace, but they could easily pull that one out.

In terms of our remaining games the game @Cuse and @Louisville are the ones that are circled now. We should win the rest, Miami and FSU just dont seem disciplined enough on offense and their defense isnt going to give us fits. Syracuse & Louisville both have a chance because of their D.

Troublemaker
01-31-2018, 10:15 PM
We actually had a tough time with Lville tonight, their height bothered us and they got a lot of easy shots and scored more than anyone expected. They also hit a ton of 3s. If that happens again at their place we will likely lose, the reason we won today was we shot 56% from 3, Guy & Jerome just balled out.

My guess is the game in Louisville will be more of our standard, a 58-52 type game with UVA winning at our pace, but they could easily pull that one out.

In terms of our remaining games the game @Cuse and @Louisville are the ones that are circled now. We should win the rest, Miami and FSU just dont seem disciplined enough on offense and their defense isnt going to give us fits. Syracuse & Louisville both have a chance because of their D.

Is that the general consensus among UVA fans? That defensive teams would give you more trouble? Because I would think it'd be the opposite. Nobody's going to beat UVA at its own game. That's why, as CameronDuke mentioned, UVA has a fantastic record against Louisville. And a not-so-fantastic record against Duke. I think offensive teams are a slightly better matchup than defensive teams going against you guys.

akg4y
01-31-2018, 11:12 PM
Is that the general consensus among UVA fans? That defensive teams would give you more trouble? Because I would think it'd be the opposite. Nobody's going to beat UVA at its own game. That's why, as CameronDuke mentioned, UVA has a fantastic record against Louisville. And a not-so-fantastic record against Duke. I think offensive teams are a slightly better matchup than defensive teams going against you guys.

This year's team is a little different from prior teams in that we have more offensive firepower. So far it seems like teams with 2 big guys or scrappy defense that can switch it up with the press, zone, and man to man effectively is what throws us off, but we've handled it all so far. I think basically it'll just come down to whether or not some team plays lights out and we have an off shooting night. We dont quite have the major matchup issues we've had in the past that has done us in. Lets just hope the end of year injury bug doesnt bite us in the arse again.

JasonEvans
02-01-2018, 10:35 AM
A bunch of posts in this thread that dealt almost exclusively with NCAA seeding and had nothing to do with Virginia have been moved to the Bracketology thread (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?40965-Bracketology).

Troublemaker
02-01-2018, 10:54 AM
This year's team is a little different from prior teams in that we have more offensive firepower. So far it seems like teams with 2 big guys or scrappy defense that can switch it up with the press, zone, and man to man effectively is what throws us off, but we've handled it all so far. I think basically it'll just come down to whether or not some team plays lights out and we have an off shooting night. We dont quite have the major matchup issues we've had in the past that has done us in. Lets just hope the end of year injury bug doesnt bite us in the arse again.

I still think your 2015 was better, and there were a couple of prior UVA teams that had better offensive balance, at least in the form of post scoring.

The one thing that IS different for you guys this year is that you play an NBA SF at the 4 in Deandre Hunter. That's something that Duke has enjoyed in the past and does often give you some nice matchup advantages.

Kfanarmy
02-01-2018, 11:54 AM
Based my own observations, I believe there are four fouls that I would work the officials on and teach my players to highlight if I were coaching against UVA...Four fouls they seem to commit over and over and over.

1) On offense they commit a lot moving screens (blocking) with their bigs on the interior to free up closely guarded guards/wings as they cut through the paint. I believe it really helps their efficiency by opening space for their guards near the three point line. It is probably more difficult for the officials to see, because it isn’t happening out near the three point line. I’ve noticed it before so I focused on Salt on several offensive possessions in the first half last night. On one play alone, I believe he could have easily been called for four or five moving screens, as he literally stepped into the defender covering (running behind) UVA guards as they cut through the paint.

2) Bodying (pushing) opposing offensive players from behind to create steals on the Interior and to push them out from the three point line on the exterior. On several occasions I’ve seen their double team turn into a bump and grab…like watching a pair of pick pockets. One guy slams into the back of the ball handler, the other reaches in to poke away the ball. Officials are watching the ball and not seeing the ball handler being fouled to create the opportunity.

3) Grabbing the other team’s bigs and holding them on defense (holding). Salt does this a lot. He grabs the arm of the opposing player down between the elbow and wrist and doesn’t let go in order to prevent the opposing center from being able to reposition for or receive an entry pass. You see arms constantly flailing as the opposing player tries to get free. It was pretty effective in the game against Louisville at times.

If you can force your eyes away from the ball, you can see what is happening on the interior to make their defense and offense work. It isn’t all just good positioning, though most of it is.

4) Reaching in. They get away with reach-ins (blocking) on nearly every defensive possession. This is one of those fouls I believe they are doing so much of that the sheer volume keeps the officials from calling it. They are impeding the ball handlers and making contact. It isn’t being called, largely because of volume. Opposing players need to force the foul. A sure-handed PG should draw a lot of fouls, but it isn't happening. (I think John Sheyer would have eaten them alive.)

I think the way to draw a few more of these fouls, and free the offense up is to exaggerate the contact a bit, making it obvious to the officials, and for the coach to work the officials as much as possible.

akg4y
02-01-2018, 12:55 PM
I still think your 2015 was better, and there were a couple of prior UVA teams that had better offensive balance, at least in the form of post scoring.

The one thing that IS different for you guys this year is that you play an NBA SF at the 4 in Deandre Hunter. That's something that Duke has enjoyed in the past and does often give you some nice matchup advantages.

Yeah Gill, and to a lesser degree Tobey were more effective inside compared to Salt. We were *supposed* to have Austin Nichols in that position this year (imagine that team!). On the other hand our 3 guards are much more confident and effective in both the 3 point shot and creating their own shot than the 2015 team. Overall on defense we had the best on-ball defender in 2015 with Brogdon but as a team this group is much more active on the whole, creating far more turnovers and very active with keeping their hands up etc. The bigs (Salt, Diakite, Wilkins) are also really active running in and out at full speed and getting downcourt fast this year. Gill was good at that also but Tobey not so much.

Wahoo2000
02-01-2018, 02:35 PM
I still think your 2015 was better, and there were a couple of prior UVA teams that had better offensive balance, at least in the form of post scoring.

The one thing that IS different for you guys this year is that you play an NBA SF at the 4 in Deandre Hunter. That's something that Duke has enjoyed in the past and does often give you some nice matchup advantages.

I will say that the jumpshooters on the 2018 team are VASTLY superior as a group to the 2015 squad. Justin Anderson was otherworldly with his 3pt shot in the nonconference portion of the schedule that year, but was REALLY coming back to earth into conference play before breaking his finger and basically missing the rest of the year. Brogdon, while a solid shooter, wasn't great. Perrantes in 15 was the only player I'd put on the same level with all 3 of Hall/Jerome/Guy this year. Additionally, this year's perimeter trio has proven to be adept enough at driving and finishing in the paint to keep teams from pressing up on them like you would a pure shooting specialist.

The 2018 team can't touch 2015 in the post O category though. Tobey, Gill, and Atkins were all in the range of solid to great low post scoring threats. Still, college basketball is driven so much by guardplay, and the 3pt shot is such a huge weapon, that I think in a tight game, I'd rather have the 2018 offense.

And stats aside, I'm giving an edge to the 2015 defense, with their combo of length/size/athleticism. When we had the lineup of Perrantes/Brogdon/Anderson/Gill/Atkins on the floor, there was just NOWHERE to go.