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2014-15 Ohio State Men's Basketball (Official Thread)

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I know that the use of the zone defense by Coach Matta has been discussed in some game threads but I thought I would put it here because I think that there is going to be quite a bit more discussion about the use of the zone as the season progresses.

First, let me say that Coach Matta knows more about basketball then I will ever know and knows more than anyone on this board so this is just my opinion.

Personally, I hate it! I think that it allows lesser teams to dictate tempo and keep themselves in games that they should not be in. I also did not think that we are playing it like it is supposed to be played. I watched very closely when Louisville played Kentucky and their zone defense does not have the gaping holes that ours does. I do not know maybe they employ some man-to-man principles in their zone and if that is the case maybe we should take notice. They do seem to be a lot more aggressive and talkative when they are playing defense that when we do.

Matta says that they are playing the zone so that it is easier for them to get out and run and get some easy baskets. I think the same can be done with a solid man-to-man defense and if you are going to play zone you might as well sit Shannon Scott on his butt and play Kam Williams because he brings more offense to the table than does Scott. Scott's biggest asset is playing on the ball defense. Also, I think you might as well sit Amir and the other two "big" men because they certainly are not getting any rebounds on the defensive end of the court.

Matta also said that they are playing the zone to prevent three point shooting but I have no idea what he is talking about when he says that because it is so much simpler for teams to pass the ball and get a really open shot. Sure it was great when we were playing really Sisters of the Poor who cannot shoot worth crap but now we are playing teams that have guys who can shoot from the outside and they are just getting wide-open looks. I do not know maybe things will change but I doubt it if we continue to play this zone defense.

Again, I defer to Coach Matta but I just disagree with him this season. Sure hope I am wrong.
 
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When they press off the inbounds with the zone trap, then falling back into the zone makes sense. Some teams are more aggressive with the zone in terms of utilizing a matchup concept. I believe this is what you are seeing with Louisville.

I have never felt we have rebounded well under Matta and with the zone are guys aren't putting a butt in the opponents gut and getting position. Think MSU, they always pound the boards. The bigs are slow and very passive, which accentuates the rebounding woes in the zone. As you say there are huge gaps in the zone because it is greatly extended and our guys are not closing those gaps as the offense moves. They are leaving huge driving and passing lanes that lead to uncontested drives and or dishes for threes.

I believe and have seen that we have talent on this team and I trust Matta and his staff will get the ship righted. Me personally, I would press the shit out of teams when possible and go to a 1-3-1 out of it with Scott at the top. In transition defense, I would go man. I would also keep going deep in the bench with this team, which is not something Matta has done in the past.
 
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It's hard to be too critical b/c they have won a lot of games as a class, but man, I'd love to read a book about the 2011 recruiting class and see what was and is going on there. Pretty remarkable lack of development.
 
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Tanner said:
It's hard to be too critical b/c they have won a lot of games as a class, but man, I'd love to read a book about the 2011 recruiting class and see what was and is going on there. Pretty remarkable lack of development.
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Offensively, there has not been a lot of progress from those guys who are left, although comparing where Scott and Thompson are now to their freshman seasons when they wouldn't even look at the basket and both shot under 10% from 3 is what you would have to do to truly be fair in judging their development or lack thereof. But of course, not every player is going to become a star. That being said, Ross from that class did develop into a pretty good scorer last season (and had a good performance in the tourney in 2013) although he was not used quite as heavily as he probably should have been considering the lack of shooting ability among other players on last year's team. Ross turning pro to go to Europe left this team without a go-to scorer. Russell likes to shoot a lot but he is not good enough to be a true go-to scorer on a very good college basketball team at this point, plus he is very careless with the ball at times.
 
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The man defense is what got the team active and ignited the run. Put me down as one fan in favor of it. I also like Bates-Diop in the game as backup for Loving. Solid rebounder and length and you still have a good three point threat.
 
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I have thought this since the 1st exhibition game of the season when they came out in zone: "scratch it now". They are too athletic of a team on the perimeter to bale inferior talented teams out with late, uncontested 3's. By staying in a zone the entire game, it gives teams a confidence that they can step into an open 3 whenever they want and knock it down with confidence. Plus, that's all teams have to prepare for. It allows a bad team to stick around longer than they should and Amir can't find anyone to put a body on when in man let alone in a zone. We aren't a great rebounding team, out of a zone just makes it more difficult.

More players have a difficult time putting the ball on the ground and creating their own shot. With our athleticism we should be creating more offense with our defense. Good teams shred our zone. Plus, we can dictate pace and play up tempo. Thad has shown he plans to play a deeper bench this season so why not play more man?

I would love for him to sprinkle in the zone a few possessions during the game. Changing defenses makes teams think on the fly. You see how Illinois adjusted to man when they switched? THEY DIDN'T. They took a lot of contested jumpers late in the shot clock b/c they couldn't get into anything. Our opponents look way too comfortable when we run zone.

I agree, give Lee some more minutes and watch him flourish. I think he has a hard time getting involved in games b/c of Matta's substitution pattern. Him and McDonald give you more than Amir. Someone needs to send that Sr. A message. Way too inactive in the zone to make it effective, especially against good competition.
 
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mendensa said:
I have thought this since the 1st exhibition game of the season when they came out in zone: "scratch it now". They are too athletic of a team on the perimeter to bale inferior talented teams out with late, uncontested 3's. By staying in a zone the entire game, it gives teams a confidence that they can step into an open 3 whenever they want and knock it down with confidence. Plus, that's all teams have to prepare for. It allows a bad team to stick around longer than they should and Amir can't find anyone to put a body on when in man let alone in a zone. We aren't a great rebounding team, out of a zone just makes it more difficult.

More players have a difficult time putting the ball on the ground and creating their own shot. With our athleticism we should be creating more offense with our defense. Good teams shred our zone. Plus, we can dictate pace and play up tempo. Thad has shown he plans to play a deeper bench this season so why not play more man?

I would love for him to sprinkle in the zone a few possessions during the game. Changing defenses makes teams think on the fly. You see how Illinois adjusted to man when they switched? THEY DIDN'T. They took a lot of contested jumpers late in the shot clock b/c they couldn't get into anything. Our opponents look way too comfortable when we run zone.

I agree, give Lee some more minutes and watch him flourish. I think he has a hard time getting involved in games b/c of Matta's substitution pattern. Him and McDonald give you more than Amir. Someone needs to send that Sr. A message. Way too inactive in the zone to make it effective, especially against good competition.
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Yeah. I think switching to primarily man D would play to the strengths of this team. They have good talent and enough depth to pull off a good m-t-m for sure. Lee you're right is a key player if they are going to play more man, with his quickness. Amir still has his place, they will need him to guard the bigger Cs out there. Trey can still provide depth when there's foul trouble. The one worry is does Matta trust his players with the man D, as he didn't bother to use his bench much the second half after making the switch which is a concern.
 
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How much of this are we going to put on the coaching staff for the lack of player development?

This senior class came in with much acclaim; a top 10 class. 3 Top 50 guys. We've seen no improvement out of the bigs and while Scott and Thompson have had good careers they haven't improved as expected either.
 
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