Our style of play is insanely stupid

[rljjr]

Honestly I'm not convinced we force the ball inside too much. In games where we look particularly inept, it seems like we are incapable of penetrating and getting off easy shots from the inside. We then throw the ball around the perimeter a lot including to Moses for some reason and end up settling for a 3 because we don't know what else to do. In these terrible games where we look really clueless I am not shouting at my screen to shoot more 3s.

I hear you, but there are very few Drive and Dish plays that would in turn open the middle. Or at least that's how it seems when I watch.

[sneakybeats]

Dribble--Pass--Dribble--Shoot--Swish--Rebound--Jump--Pivot--Pass--Turnover--Run--Steal--Dribble--Pass--Dunk--Dribble--Pass--Foul--Sausage--Free Throw--Rebound--Dribble--Shoot--Brick--Jump--Foul--Technical--Free Throw--Brick--Free Throw--Brick--Dribble--Steal--Three--Swish--Run--Dribble--Foul--Pass--Dribble--Shoot--Brick--Rebound--LayUp--Dribble--Pass--Substitute--Brick--Bacon--Brick--Dribble--Pass--Swish--Foul--Turnover--Pass--Dribble--Slap--Foul--FreeThrow--Swish--Pass--Dribble--Pass--Brick--Rebound--Layup--Pass--Steal--Dunk--Dribble--Foul--Injury--Substitute--Run--Pass--Steal--Dunk--Ham--Dribble--Crossover--Travel--Pass--Dribble--Alleyoop--Brick--Dribble--Pass--Trap--Screen--Turnover--Dribble--Pass--Swish--Foul--Turnover--RunClock--HOGS WIN

[niels_boar]

From a linear-math perspective, averages out well. In most games, the Hogs have focused on working the ball inside + neglected perimeter shooting, where Arkansas continues to lead the league in 3-pt % but lags in 3-pt attempts as a % of total shots.

Low average turnover frequency (which has been bad in some losses) and high free throw scoring (also volatile game to game) help salvage the offensive efficiency statistics. That's a separate question from actually watching what happens in games + being rightly critical of the approach in many games.

It's also true that the three-point percentage averages out well from a linear-math perspective but is highly volatile.  Our two best arc shooters combined to go 1 of 19 over two straight conference games.  In two of our home losses we went 6 of 20 and 7 of 21 from the arc, both above our average in attempts and below our average in conversions.  Alternative strategies for a bad game always have the advantage of having not been tried.

Hannahs and Macon are #5 and #9 in the SEC in 3PAs per game, and Hannahs plays fewer minutes than anybody in the top 10.  That's not exactly shy.  Barford is 3rd on the team in attempts and only shooting 22%.  I'd like to see some of his attempts go to Beard.  He's the biggest culprit in passing up treys.  He's looked solid all season from behind the arc.  It's not obvious that we would get much bang for our buck if anybody else shot significantly more. Overall the guard attempts aren't low, but we don't have a stretch forward like UF and Vandy have.  Could Kingsley maintain a good percentage as a free shooter?  I don't know.  In any case just getting to middle of the pack in defense would probably have a much bigger impact on our record than a few more trey attempts per game, not that I'm opposed to it.

[Biggus Piggus]

That is the truth - awful defense has been the part of our style of play that made the least sense of all. Pressing and trapping without creating pressure. At times, sacrificing rebounds to gain nothing. Moving shotblockers away from the lane. Abandoning shooters in pursuit of double-teams.

I watched some practice video the other day of a coach teaching halfcourt traps, the way they run them now. It's mind-boggling. This coach adjusted traps in certain ways. For example, players in his scheme had to know never to abandon a shooter in the corner, when trying to decide when to lay off and help somewhere else. Fixed rules like that, he had a bunch. He said giving up the corner 3 was forbidden in his system.

Practice time's limited vs. what they had in most of Nolan's time. I wonder how much that affects MA's system. I still believe that player mix that doesn't fit the preferred system has been and remains the problem.

[Sivad]

Do we have a style of play?

Yes. It's being played out on my carport right now.

[Sow Lancelot]

Our token press is all hat and no cattle...

Most accurate way to frame our defensive woes that has ever been stated on this board. Might as well have ended the thread here.

[niels_boar]

That is the truth - awful defense has been the part of our style of play that made the least sense of all. Pressing and trapping without creating pressure. At times, sacrificing rebounds to gain nothing. Moving shotblockers away from the lane. Abandoning shooters in pursuit of double-teams.

I watched some practice video the other day of a coach teaching halfcourt traps, the way they run them now. It's mind-boggling. This coach adjusted traps in certain ways. For example, players in his scheme had to know never to abandon a shooter in the corner, when trying to decide when to lay off and help somewhere else. Fixed rules like that, he had a bunch. He said giving up the corner 3 was forbidden in his system.

Practice time's limited vs. what they had in most of Nolan's time. I wonder how much that affects MA's system. I still believe that player mix that doesn't fit the preferred system has been and remains the problem.

Abandoning perimeter shooters, especially ones that have recently nailed treys,  to help teammates on drives is a constant source of irritation to me.  I see NBA teams do it as well.  Most of the time it's pointless.  The help defender doesn't get to the lane quick enough to bother the ballhandler or get in rebounding position if the driver shoots.  He ends up being in no-man's land guarding nobody.

[zebradynasty]

Our defense is bad for 2 reasons:

1)  We keep trying to trap in the middle of the floor with short guards with short arms. Most teams have drilled it in their head to just keep calm and look for the open man we leave wide open.

2)  JUCO and defense should not be in the same sentence together. While our JUCO's can score sometimes they still go into that JUCO mode where you just try and outscore the other team. Few people see a JUCO game. Check one out you'll see what I'm talking about. The kids mostly spend their time developing their offensive skills because that is what most likely going to get them noticed by the bigger schools.

So yes the rotation is bad, they trap in the wrong areas, and they foul too much. These are not symptoms of Mike not knowing how to coach defense (that's crazy) it has everything to do with the kids not quite possessing the physical attributes to run his style of defense and them just needing time to adjust to being expected to play defense at all times.