Raggedy ND

[Its DJOver]

Agree with 1
Agree with the big gap
Agree with 2
Do not agree with 3.  Joey and his 2 blocks on the season are not protecting the rim.  Despite Theo and Ed having good, but not great, block numbers, their foul numbers are WAY to high.  Theo has had at least 3 fouls in every single game this year, including an impressive 3 in 9 minutes Tuesday, 4 in 12 minutes against K-St, and 3 in 11 minutes against BC.  Ed hasn't fared much better, albeit in more limited minutes.  Tuesday was the second game in which Ed played more than 15 minutes without picking up at least 3.  This includes 4 in 16 min vs Char Sou, and K-St, and 4 in 17 min against UW.  It doesn't matter how far into the stands you shot gets blocked, if you get fouled.
I would put addition of Joe 3,  scheme 4, length 5, and Theo/Ed 6.

[MUMountin]

I'm not sure if it fits into scheme, but the big thing I've noticed this year on defense across the board is our footwork seems much better--most noticeable with Markus, but really seems improved across the board.  You can tell when we are really amped on the defensive end because everyone does a great job of moving their feet and staying in front of their man.  In years past we just looked so lazy on defense--we occasionally fall back into that for a few possessions, but not for long. 

[MU82]

I'm not sure if it fits into scheme, but the big thing I've noticed this year on defense across the board is our footwork seems much better--most noticeable with Markus, but really seems improved across the board.  You can tell when we are really amped on the defensive end because everyone does a great job of moving their feet and staying in front of their man.  In years past we just looked so lazy on defense--we occasionally fall back into that for a few possessions, but not for long.

Agreed.

I don't want to heap too much blame on Rowsey, because he was a net positive because of his offense, but he really was a very poor defender -- as in not the least bit interested in playing D. Many times, he literally would just step aside.

Defense is a team activity. When one link breaks with such little resistance, it is tough on the entire defense. Couple that with us not having a true shot-blocker, with many young players learning on the fly, and with a young-ish coach who also was still learning how to get to his players, and you had a defensive catastrophe.

We added better defenders, and many of the returnees have gotten better on defense. And Wojo probably figured out better ways to impart the importance of defensive commitment on his players, too. It's a confluence of things.

Again, I hope I don't sound like I'm pinning it all on Rowsey. I liked watching the guy play, and he was an offensive force who helped us win a lot of games.