Coaching move of the game

The coaching move of the game was not the decision to do a 1-3-1 zone, as some people on this board have been screaming for for weeks.

The real move was going to what I will call "medium ball". We went to the zone, but were getting killed on the weak side boards with Rowsey and Howard. Nova was all over us and we couldn't stop them on that. The move was when Howard fouled out, Wojo did not replace him with Rowsey. We went to a lineup of mainly 4 medium sized players + Luke, or went to 5 medium sized players with Sam in there for Luke. We started to rebound the ball better, which didn't give them 2nd chance points. When Nova's outside shots started to not fall, that enabled our comeback.

We have gotten a lot of production from Howard and Rowsey this season, and Rowsey had some good production in the 1st half. But, moving to the medium size ball was a big move that we really haven't done this season so far. I give Wojo big props for making that switch.

Great win!

Yes... only possible because Katin can play point guard.

What a game.....I am drained.

Well...Hmmm, I was one of the loudest advocates for this team playing zone, but as usual was told I was an idiot and it would NEVER work with this team...well lo and behold...Maybe I'm not so stupid after all. Great game, great win..what an atmosphere.

I thought our 1-3-1 had kind of a strange set up. At times we had three guys defending the player with the ball.

I was surprised that Wright did not put a player at the high post and try to get the ball to him at the free throw line.

Finally, no question it was a great win, but I doubt we will ever see Nova end up with Jenkins, Brunson, and DiVincenzo a combined 0 of 17 from behind the arc.

Then again, I think the odds of our shooting under 60% from the line again are pretty slim, too.

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Originally Posted by MU_Iceman

Well...Hmmm, I was one of the loudest advocates for this team playing zone, but as usual was told I was an idiot and it would NEVER work with this team...well lo and behold...Maybe I'm not so stupid after all. Great game, great win..what an atmosphere.

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MU_Iceman, I was thinking of you when MU went to the zone(something I have also believed they should do more of). I guess Wojo was saving it for Nova. Its great to see new wrinkles; especially in second half's when other teams do not have the luxury to discuss at halftime.

The 1-3-1 is hard to play against if a team is not used to it. Last year, Holy Cross installed it for the Patriot League playoffs and won 4 straight road games (and an NCAA play-in game) because other teams were not prepared for it. Xavier also uses it, at times.

I have to give MU_Iceman his props (and MU Crisco, as well). Oh, and also to Wojo and his staff!

The point of my thread, though, was that it wasn't just going to the zone. More importantly, it was the mix of personnel he had running the zone. Early on, Nova was trashing our zone. Easy baskets down low, and lots of offensive rebounds and fouls, especially when Howard and Rowsey were on the weak side. When we went without a true point guard and had more wings of size in the game, and even going without a true big man for the last 5-6 minutes of the game, that is when the zone worked and we finally could get some defensive stops and make our run.

Certainly agree that going to the zone was a nice change of pace. But, even Wojo said that when it came to the last possession, they went back to man-to-man to seal it. Early on, though, the zone was not effective. We needed the right personnel to run it to really make it effective. That is where we also went away from what we have done earlier this year in terms of personnel combinations.

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Originally Posted by MUWhistler

The point of my thread, though, was that it wasn't just going to the zone. More importantly, it was the mix of personnel he had running the zone. Early on, Nova was trashing our zone. Easy baskets down low, and lots of offensive rebounds and fouls, especially when Howard and Rowsey were on the weak side. When we went without a true point guard and had more wings of size in the game, and even going without a true big man for the last 5-6 minutes of the game, that is when the zone worked and we finally could get some defensive stops and make our run.

Certainly agree that going to the zone was a nice change of pace. But, even Wojo said that when it came to the last possession, they went back to man-to-man to seal it. Early on, though, the zone was not effective. We needed the right personnel to run it to really make it effective. That is where we also went away from what we have done earlier this year in terms of personnel combinations.

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Going small helped a lot offensively as well. MU was able to keep driving at Reynolds who had 4 fouls. The zone looked better also as you point out.

With the 1-3-1 they were also trapping very high and out. Traps weren't coming at the 3 pt line, they were coming about 8-10 beyond. Made it difficult for their ball handlers as the open targets were in the corners.

I'm glad that Wilson was given key minutes last night. He was a key to our win, and I am really happy for him. That should really help him and the team going forward, as he is a leader on the team.

Coaching move of the game, I'd say Wojo not listening to Hamostradamus and keeping Reinhardt in the game going into the second half.

Coaching move of the game (or lack thereof) was Jay Wright letting his players continue to hoist up threes without bringing them in line. Seems like he wanted to prove a point to his team, namely, if you get away from the game plan, bad things can happen. A game like this should help Wright get his players attention over the next few weeks. I think Wright would have coached more aggressively if this game mattered.

BTW, MU's defense was just awful last night. We didn't win because we played zone. We won because Nova quit following their game plan and decide to shoot 15 threes in the last 8 or 9 minutes. They tore apart our 1-3-1 all night. Even in the final 10 minutes, most of their shots were wide open and uncontested. VU simply missed. I believe VU was 6-34 from three. At the ten minute mark, I think they were 4-19. To punctuate our defensive failings, we even gave up a fairly uncontested layup on VU's final possession.

Wojo's best adjustment was on the offensive end when he started to exploit VU's foul trouble. They ran the weave until they got right player, Hart, guarding the ball. As Mac pointed out in the post game, VU tried to give Hart help and it resulted in a either an open three (e.g., Hauser) or a foul. Exploiting a person with 4 fouls is not something MU has done very well during Wojo's tenure. So, it was nice to see.

Before the game, our group gave MU about a 5% chance of winning last night. After, we all agreed that we would have no more than a 5% chance of winning if the teams met again, maybe less since that game would not be at the BC. It was a nice win. But, we still have a very long way to go to consistently compete with the best teams in the country.

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Originally Posted by MU88

Coaching move of the game (or lack thereof) was Jay Wright letting his players continue to hoist up threes without bringing them in line. Seems like he wanted to prove a point to his team, namely, if you get away from the game plan, bad things can happen. A game like this should help Wright get his players attention over the next few weeks. I think Wright would have coached more aggressively if this game mattered.

BTW, MU's defense was just awful last night. We didn't win because we played zone. We won because Nova quit following their game plan and decide to shoot 15 threes in the last 8 or 9 minutes. They tore apart our 1-3-1 all night. Even in the final 10 minutes, most of their shots were wide open and uncontested. VU simply missed. I believe VU was 6-34 from three. At the ten minute mark, I think they were 4-19. To punctuate our defensive failings, we even gave up a fairly uncontested layup on VU's final possession.

Wojo's best adjustment was on the offensive end when he started to exploit VU's foul trouble. They ran the weave until they got right player, Hart, guarding the ball. As Mac pointed out in the post game, VU tried to give Hart help and it resulted in a either an open three (e.g., Hauser) or a foul. Exploiting a person with 4 fouls is not something MU has done very well during Wojo's tenure. So, it was nice to see.

Before the game, our group gave MU about a 5% chance of winning last night. After, we all agreed that we would have no more than a 5% chance of winning if the teams met again, maybe less since that game would not be at the BC. It was a nice win. But, we still have a very long way to go to consistently compete with the best teams in the country.

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As I noted in another thread or here, MU went small taking Luke out for the last 6 minutes which helped in attacking the foul-troubled Reynolds and Hart as you note and also made the 1-3-1 more effective. Prior to that, Nova was shredding the zone. After that, Nova was settling for 3s because they were not getting the inside looks.

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Originally Posted by MU88

Coaching move of the game (or lack thereof) was Jay Wright letting his players continue to hoist up threes without bringing them in line. Seems like he wanted to prove a point to his team, namely, if you get away from the game plan, bad things can happen. A game like this should help Wright get his players attention over the next few weeks. I think Wright would have coached more aggressively if this game mattered.

BTW, MU's defense was just awful last night. We didn't win because we played zone. We won because Nova quit following their game plan and decide to shoot 15 threes in the last 8 or 9 minutes. They tore apart our 1-3-1 all night. Even in the final 10 minutes, most of their shots were wide open and uncontested. VU simply missed. I believe VU was 6-34 from three. At the ten minute mark, I think they were 4-19. To punctuate our defensive failings, we even gave up a fairly uncontested layup on VU's final possession.

Wojo's best adjustment was on the offensive end when he started to exploit VU's foul trouble. They ran the weave until they got right player, Hart, guarding the ball. As Mac pointed out in the post game, VU tried to give Hart help and it resulted in a either an open three (e.g., Hauser) or a foul. Exploiting a person with 4 fouls is not something MU has done very well during Wojo's tenure. So, it was nice to see.

Before the game, our group gave MU about a 5% chance of winning last night. After, we all agreed that we would have no more than a 5% chance of winning if the teams met again, maybe less since that game would not be at the BC. It was a nice win. But, we still have a very long way to go to consistently compete with the best teams in the country.

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GTFO, Buzz Killington.

The 1-3-1 the way we played it was designed to hem Brunson in......it totally stopped his penetration. Nova mostly shot 3s because they couldn't get to the rim....they still moved the ball well and got lots of open looks....but we got lucky...they missed them all down the stretch. I was surprised that Brunson and Hart took those 3s late early in the shot clock.

I also thought it was smart for Wojo to go man in the last possession.......he said he was afraid to give up a 3........they were so due to make 1.

The next time they see a 1-3-1 I'm sure they will attack it better but in this game....on this night......it gave us a chance to get lucky.

I never thought we were going to win until the last rebound was secured........How about scoring 50 points in the second half against that team? Even with all the missed free throws?

Duane with the 2 biggest free throws of his life........and Reinhardt is at least the current answer to who gets the ball in a tie game with 30 seconds left.

Did he actually get fouled on the drive? I looked and couldn't see it for sure.

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Originally Posted by Nukem2

As I noted in another thread or here, MU went small taking Luke out for the last 6 minutes which helped in attacking the foul-troubled Reynolds and Hart as you note and also made the 1-3-1 more effective. Prior to that, Nova was shredding the zone. After that, Nova was settling for 3s because they were not getting the inside looks.

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In the last 6 minutes, excluding free throws, here are Nova's possessions and their duration:

32 sec, missed 3 (maybe shot clock was reset?)
14 sec, missed 3
14 sec, turnover
20 sec, made 17 footer
26 sec, missed 3
23 sec, missed 3
4 sec, layup
29 sec, missed 3
15 sec, missed 3
9 sec, missed 3
3 sec, layup
11 sec, missed layup

With a couple exceptions, not sure VU settled for threes, but they sure kept shooting them. Seems like they hoisted a bunch of shots with plenty of time on the shot clock. Still had 3 layups attempts in the final 2 minutes and 15 seconds. It seemed like they stopped looking inside, even though it was still available.

Some of those layups were on offensive rebounds...

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Originally Posted by Markedman

Some of those layups were on offensive rebounds...

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Yup.

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Originally Posted by MU88

Coaching move of the game (or lack thereof) was Jay Wright letting his players continue to hoist up threes without bringing them in line. Seems like he wanted to prove a point to his team, namely, if you get away from the game plan, bad things can happen. A game like this should help Wright get his players attention over the next few weeks. I think Wright would have coached more aggressively if this game mattered.

BTW, MU's defense was just awful last night. We didn't win because we played zone. We won because Nova quit following their game plan and decide to shoot 15 threes in the last 8 or 9 minutes. They tore apart our 1-3-1 all night. Even in the final 10 minutes, most of their shots were wide open and uncontested. VU simply missed. I believe VU was 6-34 from three. At the ten minute mark, I think they were 4-19. To punctuate our defensive failings, we even gave up a fairly uncontested layup on VU's final possession.

Wojo's best adjustment was on the offensive end when he started to exploit VU's foul trouble. They ran the weave until they got right player, Hart, guarding the ball. As Mac pointed out in the post game, VU tried to give Hart help and it resulted in a either an open three (e.g., Hauser) or a foul. Exploiting a person with 4 fouls is not something MU has done very well during Wojo's tenure. So, it was nice to see.

Before the game, our group gave MU about a 5% chance of winning last night. After, we all agreed that we would have no more than a 5% chance of winning if the teams met again, maybe less since that game would not be at the BC. It was a nice win. But, we still have a very long way to go to consistently compete with the best teams in the country.

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JHC....just enjoy the win. That's why they play the games.

Wojo said that in that final huddle, he asked the guys if they wanted to go man or play zone. Players said they wanted to play man so that is what they went with.

Yes, we went small when we took Luke out, but we went big when we took Rowsey out. Had a 6'6" PG and a 6'8" center.

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Originally Posted by MU_Iceman

Well...Hmmm, I was one of the loudest advocates for this team playing zone, but as usual was told I was an idiot and it would NEVER work with this team...well lo and behold...Maybe I'm not so stupid after all. Great game, great win..what an atmosphere.

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You keep repeating this, but it is not completely correct. The disagreements with you were with the Wisconsin game. As I recall, Wojo was an idiot for not going zone to beat the Badgers. Any point made against that train of thought was met with some histrionics (which is ironic that you feel people called you an idiot, reread some of the attacks you made on people in that thread).

I, as many others, disagreed that that was a smart play against UW. Doubling down on Happ might have been better. Employing a zone as a change of pace, maybe. You cited, as your sole proof, Creighton. Well, they doubled down on Happ. That was the difference. After that game, UW changed completely how they played zone. When they played Cuse, they crushed their zone. Handled it so much differently than against Creighton. Hayes was a completely different player and killed the zone with his passing (killed UW at Creighton with his shooting).

Getting to yesterday, even with a successful finish, MU's zone was absolutely destroyed when they played it for most of the game. Their passing and ball movement had wine open look after wide open look. When they missed, they had easy put backs, because of the zone. It worked out in the last 5 minutes, but that is in large part on Nova, with some to MU. If MU played zone against UW, it would not have mattered. UW was prepared for the zone and had the players on the inside to crush the zone.

So, no matter what happened yesterday, I still firmly believe you were wrong about UW.

Reinhardt was definitely fouled by Jenkins. And the problem with zone is that it won't work as our base defense. I don't think anyone has argued that it shouldn't be there as a wrinkle, but not for 40 minutes. Last night Villanova continued to get boards against the zone and got tons of open looks that didn't fall. It confused them, but if teams scouted us and had time to analyze it, they'd make us pay with threes and pass penetration. Nova missed their threes and didn't adjust well enough. I don't think it will work nearly as well if we see them again at MSG.

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Originally Posted by Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"

Reinhardt was definitely fouled by Jenkins. And the problem with zone is that it won't work as our base defense. I don't think anyone has argued that it shouldn't be there as a wrinkle, but not for 40 minutes. Last night Villanova continued to get boards against the zone and got tons of open looks that didn't fall. It confused them, but if teams scouted us and had time to analyze it, they'd make us pay with threes and pass penetration. Nova missed their threes and didn't adjust well enough. I don't think it will work nearly as well if we see them again at MSG.

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I agree. Zones are more situational as a change of pace. Went longer last night once MU took Luke out as Nova kept shooting and missing 3s. Not going to work as a whole game thing.

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Originally Posted by IrwinFletcher

Wojo said that in that final huddle, he asked the guys if they wanted to go man or play zone. Players said they wanted to play man so that is what they went with.

r.

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I heard him say that for the first time at 4:35pm on Sirius XM 84. Pretty sweet interview.

Mind games by Wojo.....asking players for input. :D

Wojo said in postgame that they went man because they didn't want to let them shoot a three.

the 1-3-1 served its purpose, which was to keep brunson from driving for layups, drives and dishes, or missed layups with easy follow-up tip-ins off of our help rotation with our backs to VU guys crashing the boards. The sole purpose of that zone was to make it harder to get into the lane and all the easy shots that resulted from penetration. You can't expect a team to shoot 20% from three but it's better than 70% they made the first game without the 1-3-1

It was a combination of confusing Villanova and luck. We were fortunate that guys like Bridges and Jenkins missed threes, but we also were letting their weaker three point shooters like DiVincenzo and Paschall to put up shots. I was glad to see those guys taking those shots because I don't expect them to knock them down.