The premise of this year's team is pretty obvious. If a team defends the perimeter and limits 3-point shots, Luka will score 30+, on 70% or better shooting. And, if you clog the middle and limit Luka to a mere 20, 3-point shooters will hit at a 40+% rate. The plan worked perfectly last night against a team I suspected would be very good defensively.
Roy Williams stated in the post game interview that he was not trying to double-team Luka, but his guys kept getting sucked into the middle anyway, trying to help defend him. More times than not, he got the ball out of the middle to the perimeter, and about half the time, JBo, Joe W, and CJF made the Tarheels pay.
Is this premise a recipe for a BIG Title and deep run? That is the question. That is when the issue of Defense will come in. Can this team defend well enough, and for long enough if the 3-point percentage falls to 25% or less for the course of a game, or if Luka is in foul trouble for an extended period, or dinged with an injury?
And, maybe that is where Joe T, Patrick, and Keegan come in, to supply better defense, and score in other ways.
It is going to be a fun ride!
Roy Williams stated in the post game interview that he was not trying to double-team Luka, but his guys kept getting sucked into the middle anyway, trying to help defend him. More times than not, he got the ball out of the middle to the perimeter, and about half the time, JBo, Joe W, and CJF made the Tarheels pay.
Is this premise a recipe for a BIG Title and deep run? That is the question. That is when the issue of Defense will come in. Can this team defend well enough, and for long enough if the 3-point percentage falls to 25% or less for the course of a game, or if Luka is in foul trouble for an extended period, or dinged with an injury?
And, maybe that is where Joe T, Patrick, and Keegan come in, to supply better defense, and score in other ways.
It is going to be a fun ride!
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