Our team defense

[GoldenDieners32]

What can we do (realistically) to make the team defense better

[murara1994]

What can we do (realistically) to make the team defense better

Bring weapons.

[Galway Eagle]

[wadesworld]

Yukon/Heise has a 15 year old son?

[brewcity77]

This year, I think they are what they are. Going forward, get longer players, hope the young kids develop into sound defenders. I think we're on the right track. Having more mobile bigs that can block shots and protect the rim will make everyone look better on defense. But it'll take time, and next year will probably be average at best.

[tower912]

This year?  Nada.  The die is cast.  You can't change philosophies in mid-February.  Very few of our players are stellar man defenders.  We don't have great size.  Other coaches keep pulling Luke from the basket and making him defend in space.   It isn't like our guys are going to get taller or quicker.  Just hope MU is shooting well.

[mileskishnish72]

Play 6 guys on D.

[tower912]

Reasons MU's team defense is poor.
1.   Lack of a decent sized 4.    When our bigs get pulled away from the basket on the high screen and roll, shorter, skinny guys are left to contest at the rim.   If Jamil Wilson was the 4, this defense would be much improved. 
2.   Our one quality big lacks lateral quickness.    When forced to guard out high, he struggles.   He is a decent help defender near the basket. 
3.  Our guards struggle to contain the dribble.  If one of our PG's defended 90% as well DJames.....
4.  Lack of commitment.    So often, there will be one or two good defensive possessions.    And then there will be a breakdown for 3 minutes.    Or, one guys doesn't fight through a screen and then doesn't sag to the paint with the screener.   Or one guy will turn his head at the wrong time and lose his man leading to a back door.    There simply isn't a will to do it right every time.    JJ/KR/HC simply aren't Blue/JFB/Jae.
5.  Scheme.   I know that many teams are successful with this defensive system.   But this team lacks the ingredients (size, quickness, will) to do it correctly.   
6.  Team leadership.    No accountability.   Instead of getting in each other's grills after another blown assignment, they throw up their hands helplessly.   

Thoughts going forward........
1.  Size is on the way.
2.  Hopefully, Froling/TJ/Heldt/Ike/Cain can provide an adequate 4-5 combo in size and lateral quickness.
3.  KR and JJ are gone.    Hopefully, HC gets stronger, Duane gets healthy, and Sacar has used his red-shirt year effectively.   
4.  Next pre-season, Wojo needs to have a Buzz-style boot camp to get these guys to totally buy in on defense.   
5.  Scheme?    See how the pieces fit next year, but be better prepared to adapt.   
6.  Quit being so nice.    We need a dirtbag leader.   Somebody to start jawing at his teammates.   

[Galway Eagle]

Would it help to just have Luke stay down low and not pop out for screens and such? I'd be fine forcing a team to shoot three rather than seeing them blow by us all game

[wadesworld]

Would it help to just have Luke stay down low and not pop out for screens and such? I'd be fine forcing a team to shoot three rather than seeing them blow by us all game

We did that in the first half on Tuesday and were down 8 at the half to a bad perimeter shooting team.

[tower912]

Would it help to just have Luke stay down low and not pop out for screens and such? I'd be fine forcing a team to shoot three rather than seeing them blow by us all game

How to do that?    Every coach in the league has their offense set that whoever Luke is guarding becomes the screener.   

[Galway Eagle]

How to do that?    Every coach in the league has their offense set that whoever Luke is guarding becomes the screener.   

But if Luke doesn't come out with his man at least he has position down low for a block or to take a charge, better than getting blown by time after time after time.

We did that in the first half on Tuesday and were down 8 at the half to a bad perimeter shooting team.

I must have missed that.

[GGGG]

The one thing I would do is not have our guards pick up the ball handlers too early.  Sit back a little more.  But I pretty much agree that it is what it is. 

[FartyEightHours]

Wojo buys this DVD ( thinking about retrieving it from my fartosphere and email him the link):

[dw3dw3dw3]

Interesting clip from practice... I'd say Sam doesn't need to be that high, make them make 2 passes to get it to the corner.  The size issue with Duane covering Heldt will always be there till next year.  Duane looks like he's moving at about 60%. Weakside (can't tell who that is franklin?) guy seems way too high as well, can't help with anything by the hoop.

https://twitter.com/MarquetteMBB/status/830113468544118784

[GoldenDieners32]

Totally agree with tower on how Wojo should do a boot camp to buy into defense

[wadesworld]

For those who think it's simply Wojo and staff can't coach D and it isn't an issue of personnel, MU's adjusted defensive efficiency according to KenPom last year was in the low 80s and the year before was in the high 60s.  While those aren't great, it clearly isn't as bad as it is this year.  The coaches didn't change, so what did?  The personnel.

[CTWarrior]

For those who think it's simply Wojo and staff can't coach D and it isn't an issue of personnel, MU's adjusted defensive efficiency according to KenPom last year was in the low 80s and the year before was in the high 60s.  While those aren't great, it clearly isn't as bad as it is this year.  The coaches didn't change, so what did?  The personnel.

You could argue from this that as Buzz's guys leave (along with the lessons they learned from his staff) the defense is getting worse.  Wojo also played a lot of zone his first, IIRC, which he does a great deal less of now, though he is using that 1-3-1 more and more.

But I think you are generally correct, we have been transitioning from being more athletic to being less athletic/more skilled, and the difference in personnel type is showing up on the defensive half of the court (just like it is showing up on the offensive half of the court in the positive direction).

[g0lden3agle]

Interesting clip from practice... I'd say Sam doesn't need to be that high, make them make 2 passes to get it to the corner.  The size issue with Duane covering Heldt will always be there till next year.  Duane looks like he's moving at about 60%. Weakside (can't tell who that is franklin?) guy seems way too high as well, can't help with anything by the hoop.

https://twitter.com/MarquetteMBB/status/830113468544118784

To me this clip shows exactly what's wrong with Luke hedging ball screens so often.   Hedging the ball screen leaves Luke's man wide open in the paint.  Our solution to that has been to have someone pick up Luke's man in the paint, leaving their original man wide open from 3.  Isn't this the kind of shot Wojo's defensive scheme is supposedly trying to stop?

Is the problem that Luke's hedge is not aggressive enough to force the guard into a bad pass (especially after the guard picked up the dribble), and yet still leaves him wildly out of position from getting back to his man?  What would it look like if Luke were to stick to his man and cover the roll?  We'd basically be giving up pull up 3's?  How many guys in the big east are deadly enough with the pull up 3 that we need to prevent them from beating us with it?

[dw3dw3dw3]

The other option would be to go-over like Andrew is in this clip and play from behind to not give up the 3. You would need the other defenders to be sagging already though to help on the big as Luke inevitably has to challenge the guard coming at him.

I'm not sure either way is great given personnel and I don't think you can just change it up. I'm sure they've been practicing this way the entire year. The only quick fix would be for Luke all of a sudden to become a great hedger. Chrabascz was killing our guys with his hedge and threw everything out of wack.