| | Playing zone defense isn't catching on as teams hit February's stretch drive.
Sure, Temple and Syracuse have been effective with their distinctive
styles, but that doesn't mean a widespread duplication of those zones will find its way into the game before the NCAA Tournament.
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Possession margin
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Forcing steals and controlling the boards are two keys to a good defense. Here's a look at the possession margin for the top 15 teams in the country, with stats through Wednesday, Feb. 16 (Possession margin is derived by adding rebound margin and turnover margin): |
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Team
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Margin
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Cincinnati
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8.3
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Stanford
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9.4
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Duke
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6.1
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Arizona
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6.9
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Michigan State
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13.3
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Tennessee
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7.4
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Ohio State
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6.6
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Syracuse
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7.7
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Oklahoma State
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8.5
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Indiana
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5.8
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Auburn
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9.2
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Florida
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10.7
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Tulsa
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8.7
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Texas
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3.6
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Temple
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9.7
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To put it simply, few coaches believe in the defense for more than a token appearance in
a game. Even fewer can successfully simulate it in practice in preparation
for Temple or Syracuse, so how could they pull it off full-time?
"I wasn't taught it," Tulsa coach Bill Self said. "But if I could,
I'd love to study under John Chaney (at Temple). Who can simulate that in
practice? That's why Temple will be one of the toughest teams to face
one-day preparation in the second round of the tournament."
Temple's distinctive matchup zone has caused fits for teams who
can't shoot. Cincinnati, which hosts the Owls on Sunday, tried to beat it from
the perimeter in last year's NCAA Tournament but failed, resulting in a second-round loss for the Bearcats. The Owls' suffocating defense ranks second in the nation in opponents' field-goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot a paltry 35.5 percent.
"It's so hard to find looks against it," said Gonzaga's Mark Few,
whose Bulldogs lost to Temple in the Great Eight in Chicago. "You can move
the ball around it and get shots but when you do, you've got to make them.
They anticipate every move so well. Their big guys move so well, too. We had
14 turnovers, but 12 were inside."
Temple fell one game short of the Final Four last year, losing to
Duke in the East Regional final. But check the list of national champions the past
decade and they all played a defense with man-to-man as its base. Some used full-court pressure to mix it up, but those teams rarely dropped back into a zone on a regular basis.
Teams that can put tremendous pressure on the basketball and force
turnovers at the top of the key have had the most success in winning titles.
Syracuse's zone is a straight 2-3 setup, focusing on opponents to stand around
too much. It worked in getting the Orangemen to the title game in '96.
"Jim (Boeheim) is the master at it," former Syracuse assistant and current
Long Beach State coach Wayne Morgan said. "They usually have big kids on the
wings like Jason Hart at 6-foot-4 and he makes it harder to get passes by. Most
coaches won't look at zone because they're all man-to-man. I'd like to learn
the Temple zone more and that's why I spent two days with John Chaney last
fall."
But Long Beach State, like most of the rest of the country, is
playing man-to-man. And because of that, they don't have the type of experience in practice to know how to beat a top-flight zone.
"Lots of teams don't know how to attack the zone," UCLA assistant
Jim Saia said after the Bruins lost at Syracuse on Sunday. "Zones force you to
take perimeter shots but then they're in position for a rebound. There are
gaps but if you're not quick, you can't attack them."
Cincinnati has the quickness to get into the seams and get to the
basket against Temple. The Bearcats also have the size to battle on the boards. They even
have better shooters (in freshmen DerMarr Johnson and Kenny Satterfield) than
they had last year. But they still have to be concerned about playing
Temple's zone because it's something they have so little experience against.
But until more coaches become more patient in trying to learn the zone,
few will imitate what has become a staple at Temple and Syracuse. And that will keep the competitive advantage in the hands of the Owls and Orangemen.
Morgan deserves a new deal
Wayne Morgan said that he's hoping to get a new contract at Long Beach State, taking the place of his current five-year deal (he's in the fourth year).
"We haven't talked yet," Morgan said of a potential conversation with Long
Beach State athletics director Bill Shumard. "Hopefully, we will after the
season is over."
Morgan deserves the deal. He had been in trouble after struggling to get Long
Beach State into postseason contention in his first three years after taking
over for Seth Greenberg. He had his best season a year ago with a second-place finish in the Big West's Western Division at 9-7. But the 49ers were
only 13-15 overall.
"The margin for error was smaller the first three years," Morgan
said. "Anything that could go wrong, went wrong. We finally have
experience."
Long Beach State had won 15 straight games before losing to Utah State
last Saturday. The 49ers' best win was over USC, but they do deserve
consideration for an at-large berth with a 17-4 record (9-1 in the
conference). Utah State (19-5, 10-0) has a stronger case. But for the Big
West to receive two bids, Morgan said Long Beach State and Utah State better
meet in the conference final.
"Both teams are good enough to play in the NCAA Tournament," Morgan said.
"But the best-case scenario would be for us to be in the finals."
New Mexico State and Boise State are also legitimate contenders to make it to the conference tournament final.
Coaching chatter
Sources close to Memphis and Philadelphia 76ers assistant
coach John Calipari told ESPN.com that Calipari and Memphis athletics
director R.C. Johnson have had discussions about the head coaching job in
the past few weeks, including breaking down a potential contract.
Sources said Calipari is the No. 1 choice and he is interested, but Calipari would
have to see the campus before he accepts the position. He won't do that
while the season is going on or while interim coach Johnny Jones is still considered a candidate.
If Calipari declines an offer, sources confirmed that Johnson's second tier choices are Tulsa's Bill Self, Xavier's Skip Prosser and N.C. State's Herb Sendek. Calipari could get a first
glimpse of the Tigers when the 76ers play at Milwaukee on Feb. 26, a few hours
after Marquette hosts Memphis. Jones has likely taken himself out of the
running for the job by leading Memphis to an uninspiring 9-15 record (2-9 in Conference USA).
Nebraska coach Danny Nee made sure the public knew
where he stood on whether or not he wants to continue coaching the Huskers.
At a recent booster luncheon in Omaha, the Omaha World Herald quoted Nee as telling the group, "I'm not quitting. I'm not even thinking about giving up. So all
you sons of bitches who want me out of here, I'm not leaving."
Nebraska (10-14, 3-8 in the Big 12) has been hurt by the
season-ending injury to star guard Cookie Belcher. But after averaging 20 wins a year over the last nine seasons (including a postseason berth each season), the Huskers are
headed toward Nee's first losing season in 10 years. Nee's career record at Nebraska is 253-185, but he's just 87-112 in league play.
Nee endured declining attendance and a player walk out in '96, but the fiery New Yorker has always battled to get Nebraska noticed at a football-dominated school.
Sources close to both Loyola Marymount and Division II Metro
State (Denver, Colo.) coach Mike Dunlap confirmed that he was contacted
about the head coaching position within the last two weeks. Loyola is
expected to make a change at the end of the season, releasing present coach
Charles Bradley.
Dunlap told Loyola (his alma mater) that he will not talk to them about the position until his season concludes. Coincidentally, Bradley came from Metro State three years ago. But Bradley hasn't been able
to revive the program, suffering through a brutal 2-22 season, 0-11 in the West Coast Conference. The Lions are No. 315 in the latest RPI, and both their wins came against non-Division I competition. Bradley went 18-36 in his first two years at LMU.
The Lions want someone with head coaching experience, and if Dunlap turns them down,
they will search for a possible recycled head coach like Tom Asbury (under fire at
Kansas State) or Eastern Washington's Steve Aggers. If neither of those bite, Loyola will look at assistant coaches (like Fresno State's Jack Fertig or UCLA assistants Michael
Holton or Jim Saia). Finally, there's always a chance Loyola Marymount could bring back former coach Paul Westhead.
Metro State is 21-4 overall and a contender for the
Division II national title. Dunlap's team lost to Kentucky Wesleyan in the
final last year.
Stephen F. Austin became the first official opening (not counting interim situations at Memphis, Buffalo and Howard) when it announced that fourth-year coach Derek Allister will not be back next season.
Weekly chatter
Providence coach Tim Welsh said point guard John Linehan is done
for the season. His groin injury is improving but his broken wrist hasn't
healed. "With only four games left, it makes no sense to bring him back,"
said Welsh, whose Friars scored a major upset by winning at Johnny
Hemsley-less Miami on Wednesday. Hemsley did not play due to a contusion on his left foot.
The Mountain West Conference is looking at going to a
Saturday-Monday conference schedule next season to give ESPN more options
for Big Monday. But it will likely be met with opposition from Brigham
Young, which can't practice on Sundays or play games during the prime-time
hours on Mondays in Provo because of family night at BYU.
"I don't feel strongly either way," MWC commissioner Craig Thompson said.
"It would give us more pop on Mondays and get us to have better officials
but the coaches want Sunday off."
BYU coach Steve Cleveland has taken issue with Utah always playing teams
after they have played BYU on Thursday. Utah has been on a Saturday-Monday
schedule for most of the conference season and will have had five Big Monday
appearances by the time the season ends.
A decision isn't due until April.
Thompson will likely face criticism after the NCAA Tournament selections are made from the WAC and the MWC. Thompson, the selection committee chair, is in a no-win situation. If the MWC (made up of former WAC members) gets two bids and the WAC gets one, the WAC will cry
foul. If the reverse happens, the MWC may question his motives, too.
If neither gets a second bid, then he could be criticized for not being strong
enough and if both get two bids, even without an automatic berth, he could
face more national wrath.
Tulsa and Utah seem to be locks out of the WAC and MWC, but Fresno
State and SMU out of the WAC and UNLV and BYU out of the MWC are all trying
to assert themselves as viable NCAA candidates. Thompson said he can't vote
on MWC schools, but can weigh in on WAC selections.
"I won't be a deciding factor either way," Thompson said. "I'm only one of
10 voters. It's all out of my control."
Seton Hall cut suspended guard Gary Saunders loose from the team
Thursday after he was indefinitely suspended on Feb. 5 for breaking team
rules. Saunders has missed five games and hasn't practiced with the team. He
will remain on scholarship and continue to go to school. The 6-foot-4 Saunders
averaged 9.4 points and 3.2 rebounds for the 18-5 Pirates.
San Jose State actually added a player this week when Mike Garrett
joined the Spartans. The former Fresno City (Calif.) College and BYU
redshirt guard snuck in under the admission deadline of Feb. 10 for the
second semester. He is eligible to play this weekend against Rice and
Tulsa. The Spartans have been thin at the point and could use Garrett's
quickness. His eligibility will expire at the end of next season.
Rhode Island athletics director Ron Petro said first-year coach
Jerry DeGregorio needs time with his intended recruits, such as Brian Woodward
(ineligible) and Tony
Cole (ineligible and now playing at Community College of Rhode Island). The Rams have also gone without injured forward Leroy
Womack. "He'll have time to put it back," Petro said.
Utah coach Rick Majerus said Hanno Möttölä proved to him he was a
tough guy by playing with pain in his elbow and wrist, but he still doesn't
hold out hope for a return before the MWC or, maybe, NCAA Tournament. "He's
been X-rayed more times than a piece of luggage," Majerus said.
Penn State (13-9 overall, 5-6 Big Ten) could get injured guard Jon Crispin back for Saturday's critical game at Michigan. The Nittany Lions beat Northwestern on Wednesday but need another scorer to continue their campaign for a NCAA berth.
The famed ineligible Nigerians -- Uche Okafor (Miami, Fla., signee)
and Ben Eze (Louisville) -- have resurfaced at the College of Southern Idaho.
The two must graduate from the junior college before they can be eligible at
a Division I school in 2001-02.
Stanford freshman center Curtis Borchardt is out indefinitely due to a hot spot in his foot. The initial feeling was that Borchardt was done for the season but the coaching staff has been encouraged lately that he could return by early March.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. His Weekly Word on college
basketball runs Thursdays throughout the season. | |
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