Katz will also be releasing his Big Ten top 10 players:
1. Ayo
2. Giorgi
3. Winston
4. Trent
5. Stevens
6. Kofi
7. Feliz
8. Cowan
9. Kipper
10. Smith
Haha, you are going to confuse some people on here.
Katz will also be releasing his Big Ten top 10 players:
1. Ayo
2. Giorgi
3. Winston
4. Trent
5. Stevens
6. Kofi
7. Feliz
8. Cowan
9. Kipper
10. Smith
What’s your take on Underwood’s defense? Will adding height fix the problems?
What’s your take on Underwood’s defense? Will adding height fix the problems?
Unfortunately I tend to agree about the defense. I still hold out hope that his defense will adjust to his personal and the Big Ten.
*sigh* that defense was run last year out of necessity. We had to try to create turnovers because if we let a shot go up, it was probably less than 50% chance that we’d secure the rebound. Things are different now. You just said yourself Underwood is able to adapt and I doubt we’ll see the defense be as chaotic as it was last year. Also, speed doesn’t matter if you don’t know what you’re doing. This group now has experience in the system and will be better, period. Go to bedI've said it before and I'll say it again. If BU gets fired it will be because of his crazy defense. IMO it isn't possible to for this system to be consistently good for a whole season. I could see why it works at lower levels, but at this level players are too good and will beat it.
I am hoping the height helps, but I don't think we can ignore what we would be losing. If we play the twin towers, we gain height but lose speed. So maybe we are better defending the rim and rebounding, but our turnover rate goes down because of less pressure due to lack of speed?
Let's not forget that BU had to abandon his pressure defense for a pack-line defense in the middle of the season at Oklahoma St.
I am guessing that you mean Illinois specifically but here is a general review:I’m interested to see how the new 3 pt line impacts our defense and defense in general.
As the video in the preview says, we deny to halfcourt anyway, meaning the increased distance between the 3 point line and the rim means nothing to us in terms of our extension. Our helpside closeouts become longer now, but that might be negated by passes being slightly longer to throw, and possibly worth it if the extended line causes a dip in 3P%.
On the other hand, packline teams have a choice to make. The “general rule” for a packline is to pack 2 feet inside the 3 point line. Following that rule, the new packline would be about a step inside where the old 3 pt line was, so about 2 feet further out than normal. This makes the first line of help cover more ground quicker, or you can keep your old principals, really pack in below 18 feet, and require longer closeouts on 3s.
Still think the packline is the safer play, but there will probably be an adjustment period for those teams that we shouldn’t need.
Interesting take on our defense
I don't think anyone expects more than a 2-4% impact on overall 3pt%... the more interesting question is how the line move impacts the other aspects of the offense. Is it easier to penetrate off the bounce or post up because the lanes are less crowded or there's less helpside defense?As for offensive impact on 3-pt line being moved, it hasn't impacted Oregon State thus far. After their two exhibition games (granted exhibition games against NAIA schools), they've hit 47% of their 3s (7 of 12 in first game and 8 of 20 in second game). Hopefully the Illini have the same kind of success.
Thanks for sharing that article. It had some pretty interesting stuff in it, but my only minor quibble with the author's defensive analysis is that it's factually incorrect. His two main premises -- that Giorgi provided enough rim protection for the defense to be reasonably effective, and that the team forced turnovers at an elite rate -- are contradicted by the data that he cites.I've said it before and I'll say it again. If BU gets fired it will be because of his crazy defense. IMO it isn't possible to for this system to be consistently good for a whole season. I could see why it works at lower levels, but at this level players are too good and will beat it.
I am hoping the height helps, but I don't think we can ignore what we would be losing. If we play the twin towers, we gain height but lose speed. So maybe we are better defending the rim and rebounding, but our turnover rate goes down because of less pressure due to lack of speed?
Let's not forget that BU had to abandon his pressure defense for a pack-line defense in the middle of the season at Oklahoma St.
And then there was Samba, who had the tools but looked like a drunken Boston terrier trying to hump a greased watermelon every time he got further than three feet from the basket and was not ready for B1G competition.
:congrats:But there's a difference between folks saying that they don't like watching Illinois give up back door layups from an aesthetic standpoint -- maybe your parents were gunned down in cold blood in front of the Monarch Theatre by a back door cut, who knows --
I think the two them on the floor together could be a real strength this year. Giorgi was talking about high/low in a clip I saw yesterday. He’s a solid passer and if he has the ball in the high post with kofi able to take a lob or clear space for a cutter you could see some real high percentage offense.It's been discussed a lot how GB will need to be a better shooter to play the 4 and be on the floor with Kofi. But I am really curious on how opposing teams play them in the pinch post and how they handle switches. Can get a lot of mismatches and post up on some smaller players for some easy buckets.
With respect to turnovers, Illinois was #25 in the nation in turnover rate last year. That's good, but not elite. The distance between #1 and #25 is basically the same as the distance between #25 and the NCAA average. Contrast that with 2018, where Illinois was #4 and a short distance from the very top in that category. There is absolutely room to improve and improve significantly, and as a general rule Underwood's teams have been better at forcing turnovers than last year's team was.
Illinois was also very bad at blocking shots last year, which is directly related to being bad at stopping opponents from making twos. I love Giorgi to death, but he is not a plus defender in the post. He was the best qualifying shot blocker on the team last year, but ranked #17 in the conference in block percentage. Twelve teams had a player higher on that list than Giorgi, and twelve teams had better team block percentages and twelve teams had better two-point defenses.