North Carolina, Frank Martin, Vanderbilt, Shan Foster
1. That was a different Maryland team on Saturday than we've seen at any other time this year. In their 82-80 upset of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, the Terps had everything going: James Gist hitting turnaround jumpers; Bambale Osby finishing around the goal with both hands; Landon Milbourne and Cliff Tucker nearly doubling their season scoring averages; everyone with the exception of Greivis Vasquez limiting their turnovers, etc.
As hard as I've come down on North Carolina because of their defense, it'd be easy for me to credit Maryland's offensive performance Saturday on poor Tar Heel D. However, with the notable exception of some lapses in the transition game, I though UNC atually defended well on Saturday; Maryland just made plays. Rather, it was on the offensive end where they came up short. They just couldn't get a big hoop when they needed one. I thought Wayne Ellington may have forced the action a little bit.
2. Haven't been too impressed with Kansas State coach Frank Martin this year, but kudos to him for the way he used Michael Beasley in the first half of Saturday's 75-54 win over Texas A&M. The freshman picked up a couple of quick fouls, and after letting him sit for a bit, Martin began shuttling Beasley in and out -- the kind of offense/defense substitution most coaches reserve for late in games. I'd never seen it done that early, but it worked very well. On K-State's first two possessions after Beasley returned, they got four points: two on a bucket by Beasley himself, and another two when the A&M defense reacted to Beasley and left another Wildcat open.
3. Finally saw one of Vanderbilt's good performances Saturday, a 92-76 thumping of LSU. Impressive outside shooting from the Commodores; they were 8-for-15 from deep at one point, before some garbage-time threes put their final mark at 9-for-20. What I didn't like, however, was how often Vanderbilt's players -- in particular point guard Jermaine Beal -- eschewed open lanes to the basket in favor of kicking it out for a three.
There's nothing wrong with penetrate-and-pitch, but it should only be employed when the defense collapses on the guy driving the ball. If the penetrator passes it out before the defense reacts, then a)he's likely giving up a very high percentage shot of his own; and b)the man he's kicking the ball out to won't be open, resulting in a difficult look. The 'dores knocked those tough shots down on Saturday, but the three-ball is a dangerous weapon to rely on.
And1 I'm not sure Vandy's Shan Foster is quick enough to play in the NBA. One thing he does have going for him is the high release on his jumper; he lets it go from up above his head. At 6-6, he should be able to get that shot off against most two-guards in the Association, but the defensive end is a completely different story.
As hard as I've come down on North Carolina because of their defense, it'd be easy for me to credit Maryland's offensive performance Saturday on poor Tar Heel D. However, with the notable exception of some lapses in the transition game, I though UNC atually defended well on Saturday; Maryland just made plays. Rather, it was on the offensive end where they came up short. They just couldn't get a big hoop when they needed one. I thought Wayne Ellington may have forced the action a little bit.
2. Haven't been too impressed with Kansas State coach Frank Martin this year, but kudos to him for the way he used Michael Beasley in the first half of Saturday's 75-54 win over Texas A&M. The freshman picked up a couple of quick fouls, and after letting him sit for a bit, Martin began shuttling Beasley in and out -- the kind of offense/defense substitution most coaches reserve for late in games. I'd never seen it done that early, but it worked very well. On K-State's first two possessions after Beasley returned, they got four points: two on a bucket by Beasley himself, and another two when the A&M defense reacted to Beasley and left another Wildcat open.
3. Finally saw one of Vanderbilt's good performances Saturday, a 92-76 thumping of LSU. Impressive outside shooting from the Commodores; they were 8-for-15 from deep at one point, before some garbage-time threes put their final mark at 9-for-20. What I didn't like, however, was how often Vanderbilt's players -- in particular point guard Jermaine Beal -- eschewed open lanes to the basket in favor of kicking it out for a three.
There's nothing wrong with penetrate-and-pitch, but it should only be employed when the defense collapses on the guy driving the ball. If the penetrator passes it out before the defense reacts, then a)he's likely giving up a very high percentage shot of his own; and b)the man he's kicking the ball out to won't be open, resulting in a difficult look. The 'dores knocked those tough shots down on Saturday, but the three-ball is a dangerous weapon to rely on.
And1 I'm not sure Vandy's Shan Foster is quick enough to play in the NBA. One thing he does have going for him is the high release on his jumper; he lets it go from up above his head. At 6-6, he should be able to get that shot off against most two-guards in the Association, but the defensive end is a completely different story.
posted by H.S. Slam, Ph.D at 9:54 PM
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