Transition defense

[Eternal Return]

There are many reasons Iowa has gone on a four-game winning streak, but probably the biggest reason that has not yet been discussed is Iowa's transition D. Part of that is the shift to man2man which allows guys to more easily identify who they're guarding after a missed shot or a turnover (they're in a better position to respond defensively). Another part, though, is that Rutgers, MSU, UW, and PSU are not really transition scoring teams; they're just not built that way. That certainly has helped.

Now that's about to change dramatically. Michigan will run and run and run. Even when they don't score in transition they are able to get really good quick looks in their half court sets. Everyone they put on the floor is dangerous offensively.

It will be really interesting to see how Iowa handles this. One way Iowa has limited transition buckets for opponents has been JB slowing things down and running more time-consuming sets (and they did this against IU second game, too, less successfully) if they don't have a transition opportunity. Combine the slower pace, greater offensive efficiency, and low TO numbers, and Iowa's reducing the number of possessions per game and teams are under a shitload of pressure to play exceptionally efficient half court offense (which teams haven't done lately; Iowa's an underrated 2-point defensive team and the last four opponents have been atrocious shooting 3s). These are the best argument Bohannon's supporters have for his minutes.

Consideringng the emphasis Fran has been putting on stopping easy transition scores (yay Fran!), this is probably why Joe T gets yanked so quickly after a TO. We can get pissed about it, but looking at the issue through Fran's eyes, I think he sees those TOs as both an offensive AND defensive lapse that could put the other team on a run.

But why not Ulis then? I don't know. He sees him in practice all the time so maybe he has issues we haven't seen because he's been on the court so little. Either way, Fran's strategy lately has worked against the level of competition Iowa was facing. Now we will see if that strategy works against Michigan or if Fran has some other wrinkles to throw at them-- including personnel strategies.

One last thing: It's quite possible none of the options work against Michigan. They are a complete team and maybe the only way to beat them is for every Iowa player to play their best games of the season Thursday. I'm afraid that's the level of excellence necessary to have a chance on Thursday and throughout the NCAAs.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

Or Nunge could have a game like Kriener did against them last year and we roll them.......

 

[Rifler]

We have traditionally matched up fairly well with Michigan,.. I expect to see more of the same.

 

[24 so far]

There are many reasons Iowa has gone on a four-game winning streak, but probably the biggest reason that has not yet been discussed is Iowa's transition D. Part of that is the shift to man2man which allows guys to more easily identify who they're guarding after a missed shot or a turnover (they're in a better position to respond defensively). Another part, though, is that Rutgers, MSU, UW, and PSU are not really transition scoring teams; they're just not built that way. That certainly has helped.

Now that's about to change dramatically. Michigan will run and run and run. Even when they don't score in transition they are able to get really good quick looks in their half court sets. Everyone they put on the floor is dangerous offensively.

It will be really interesting to see how Iowa handles this. One way Iowa has limited transition buckets for opponents has been JB slowing things down and running more time-consuming sets (and they did this against IU second game, too, less successfully) if they don't have a transition opportunity. Combine the slower pace, greater offensive efficiency, and low TO numbers, and Iowa's reducing the number of possessions per game and teams are under a shitload of pressure to play exceptionally efficient half court offense (which teams haven't done lately; Iowa's an underrated 2-point defensive team and the last four opponents have been atrocious shooting 3s). These are the best argument Bohannon's supporters have for his minutes.

Consideringng the emphasis Fran has been putting on stopping easy transition scores (yay Fran!), this is probably why Joe T gets yanked so quickly after a TO. We can get pissed about it, but looking at the issue through Fran's eyes, I think he sees those TOs as both an offensive AND defensive lapse that could put the other team on a run.

But why not Ulis then? I don't know. He sees him in practice all the time so maybe he has issues we haven't seen because he's been on the court so little. Either way, Fran's strategy lately has worked against the level of competition Iowa was facing. Now we will see if that strategy works against Michigan or if Fran has some other wrinkles to throw at them-- including personnel strategies.

One last thing: It's quite possible none of the options work against Michigan. They are a complete team and maybe the only way to beat them is for every Iowa player to play their best games of the season Thursday. I'm afraid that's the level of excellence necessary to have a chance on Thursday and throughout the NCAAs.

I think for Iowa to make any kind of a run, you have to get more out of JBo every single game, but if CJ is healthy that becomes less of a concern (and if Nunge and Keegan are on their game that certainly helps).

Luka and Joe W can carry you to 1 or 2 wins MAYBE, but if everybody is on point I do think we can beat anybody. I don't expect that to happen unfortunately, but we do possess the firepower to make it happen, which can't be said for many Teams.

 

[Eternal Return]

I think for Iowa to make any kind of a run, you have to get more out of JBo every single game, but if CJ is healthy that becomes less of a concern (and if Nunge and Keegan are on their game that certainly helps).

Luka and Joe W can carry you to 1 or 2 wins MAYBE, but if everybody is on point I do think we can beat anybody. I don't expect that to happen unfortunately, but we do possess the firepower to make it happen, which can't be said for many Teams.

Yeah, I agree that if Iowa is on its game, they can beat anyone. Unfortunately, there are about 7 other teams that can say the same thing. Michigan and OSU are two of those teams, Iowa's next two opponents. Michigan and OSU are about as tough to defend as Iowa is so it's going to take either an off-shooting night (not likely) or some special defense (possible in any one game, but very difficult).

I'm hopeful, though. Iowa's playing well and Michigan is still only a couple games back from their break. I really want this one out of the next three. I want all three, but I really want to win against Michigan. It's doable and I'm pumped for this one.

 

[twindman]

If every Hawk plays their best game, we have this: Luka 30, JW 25, CJ 20, Jbo 20, connor 15 = 110. Add in Murry 15, JT 15. Gee that would be 140 points. That should pretty much beat anyone in college BB!!!
I would take 3 guys average and 2 outstanding and we would still win.
Of cource the numbers I listed were just sort of almost best games by a few players, but still.....

 

[Ronman]

If Luka scores 44 again, I like our chances. But CJ and JoeW have to score more than the 13 combined points they did last time up there.

 

[HawkLogic]

If Luka scores 44 again, I like our chances. But CJ and JoeW have to score more than the 13 combined points they did last time up there.

Iowa didn't get any stops last year at Crisler. Yes, Iowa scored a bunch but the way I remember it is they gave up over 90pts and never challenged for the lead.

Fran has more knobs for defense than he did last year. Nunge can protect rim. Keegan can guard about anyone. JoeT/Perkins/Ulis are defenders off the bench. Fran needs to dial in the right knobs and not let Michigan go off on a big run and put the game away. Turning the ball over a bunch and missing a bunch of threes with long rebounds is another way to lose the game.

 

[goodbyebobby]

There are many reasons Iowa has gone on a four-game winning streak, but probably the biggest reason that has not yet been discussed is Iowa's transition D. Part of that is the shift to man2man which allows guys to more easily identify who they're guarding after a missed shot or a turnover (they're in a better position to respond defensively). Another part, though, is that Rutgers, MSU, UW, and PSU are not really transition scoring teams; they're just not built that way. That certainly has helped.

Now that's about to change dramatically. Michigan will run and run and run. Even when they don't score in transition they are able to get really good quick looks in their half court sets. Everyone they put on the floor is dangerous offensively.

It will be really interesting to see how Iowa handles this. One way Iowa has limited transition buckets for opponents has been JB slowing things down and running more time-consuming sets (and they did this against IU second game, too, less successfully) if they don't have a transition opportunity. Combine the slower pace, greater offensive efficiency, and low TO numbers, and Iowa's reducing the number of possessions per game and teams are under a shitload of pressure to play exceptionally efficient half court offense (which teams haven't done lately; Iowa's an underrated 2-point defensive team and the last four opponents have been atrocious shooting 3s). These are the best argument Bohannon's supporters have for his minutes.

Consideringng the emphasis Fran has been putting on stopping easy transition scores (yay Fran!), this is probably why Joe T gets yanked so quickly after a TO. We can get pissed about it, but looking at the issue through Fran's eyes, I think he sees those TOs as both an offensive AND defensive lapse that could put the other team on a run.

But why not Ulis then? I don't know. He sees him in practice all the time so maybe he has issues we haven't seen because he's been on the court so little. Either way, Fran's strategy lately has worked against the level of competition Iowa was facing. Now we will see if that strategy works against Michigan or if Fran has some other wrinkles to throw at them-- including personnel strategies.

One last thing: It's quite possible none of the options work against Michigan. They are a complete team and maybe the only way to beat them is for every Iowa player to play their best games of the season Thursday. I'm afraid that's the level of excellence necessary to have a chance on Thursday and throughout the NCAAs.

UM and Iowa matchup very well and it's not like they're 1992 Duke.

We may not win but they won't pimp slap us.

 

[2432Hawk]

Another part, though, is that Rutgers, MSU, UW, and PSU are not really transition scoring teams; they're just not built that way. That certainly has helped.

I will give you Wisconsin, but Rutgers, MSU, and PSU all thrive on forcing turnovers and getting easy transition buckets. PSU leads the league in steals.... they put pressure on your transition Defense. Heck the most impressive play the other night was Bohannon's stopping transition damn near by himself till help arrived.

 

[DodgerHawki]

There are many reasons Iowa has gone on a four-game winning streak, but probably the biggest reason that has not yet been discussed is Iowa's transition D. Part of that is the shift to man2man which allows guys to more easily identify who they're guarding after a missed shot or a turnover (they're in a better position to respond defensively). Another part, though, is that Rutgers, MSU, UW, and PSU are not really transition scoring teams; they're just not built that way. That certainly has helped.

Now that's about to change dramatically. Michigan will run and run and run. Even when they don't score in transition they are able to get really good quick looks in their half court sets. Everyone they put on the floor is dangerous offensively.

It will be really interesting to see how Iowa handles this. One way Iowa has limited transition buckets for opponents has been JB slowing things down and running more time-consuming sets (and they did this against IU second game, too, less successfully) if they don't have a transition opportunity. Combine the slower pace, greater offensive efficiency, and low TO numbers, and Iowa's reducing the number of possessions per game and teams are under a shitload of pressure to play exceptionally efficient half court offense (which teams haven't done lately; Iowa's an underrated 2-point defensive team and the last four opponents have been atrocious shooting 3s). These are the best argument Bohannon's supporters have for his minutes.

Consideringng the emphasis Fran has been putting on stopping easy transition scores (yay Fran!), this is probably why Joe T gets yanked so quickly after a TO. We can get pissed about it, but looking at the issue through Fran's eyes, I think he sees those TOs as both an offensive AND defensive lapse that could put the other team on a run.

But why not Ulis then? I don't know. He sees him in practice all the time so maybe he has issues we haven't seen because he's been on the court so little. Either way, Fran's strategy lately has worked against the level of competition Iowa was facing. Now we will see if that strategy works against Michigan or if Fran has some other wrinkles to throw at them-- including personnel strategies.

One last thing: It's quite possible none of the options work against Michigan. They are a complete team and maybe the only way to beat them is for every Iowa player to play their best games of the season Thursday. I'm afraid that's the level of excellence necessary to have a chance on Thursday and throughout the NCAAs.

Agree on limiting transition offense by Iowa. The effort has just been better, period. The Big 10 as a whole just doesn't play a lot of high possession games. Illinois is the "fastest" Big 10 team and they are just 93rd in adjusted tempo (Iowa is 103rd). It's likely Michigan will not beat Iowa just by running Iowa out of the gym. Michigan plays a slow temp (67 possessions per game compared to 69 for Iowa). Now, if Iowa has live-ball turnovers where Michigan is getting layups and dunks, then that is a different story.

But really agree on your overall point. Iowa's defense has made incremental improvement just by not allowing an outrageous amount of dunks and open layups. If you take those automatic points off the board and force teams to actually make guarded shots, your defense improves.

 

[BBHawk]

I will give you Wisconsin, but Rutgers, MSU, and PSU all thrive on forcing turnovers and getting easy transition buckets. PSU leads the league in steals.... they put pressure on your transition Defense. Heck the most impressive play the other night was Bohannon's stopping transition damn near by himself till help arrived.

This. The OP was totally wrong about these 3 teams. They all thrive on turnovers leading to fast break scores, and struggle to some degree in the half court offense. Penn State gave Iowa trouble in the first half because they executed in their half court offense, but they struggled in the 2nd half.

 

[Eternal Return]

I will give you Wisconsin, but Rutgers, MSU, and PSU all thrive on forcing turnovers and getting easy transition buckets. PSU leads the league in steals.... they put pressure on your transition Defense. Heck the most impressive play the other night was Bohannon's stopping transition damn near by himself till help arrived.

Yeah, but they thrive against the mid-to-lower level B10 opponents. They aren't doing it against the top 4 for the most part, clearly their records show that. It was still impressive by Iowa, but the EFFECTIVENESS of Michigan's transition offense is vastly superior to any if the team's I mentioned. That's a big reason why they've lost only one game.

But I never thought Iowa doesn't belong. They are one of three teams in the B10 who could beat Michigan on any given night. I can't wait until the game.

 

[Eternal Return]

This. The OP was totally wrong about these 3 teams. They all thrive on turnovers leading to fast break scores, and struggle to some degree in the half court offense. Penn State gave Iowa trouble in the first half because they executed in their half court offense, but they struggled in the 2nd half.

See my response above to that post you quoted.

 

[BBHawk]

Another part, though, is that Rutgers, MSU, UW, and PSU are not really transition scoring teams; they're just not built that way. That certainly has helped.

I will give you Wisconsin, but Rutgers, MSU, and PSU all thrive on forcing turnovers and getting easy transition buckets. PSU leads the league in steals.... they put pressure on your transition Defense. Heck the most impressive play the other night was Bohannon's stopping transition damn near by himself till help arrived.

Yeah, but they thrive against the mid-to-lower level B10 opponents. They aren't doing it against the top 4 for the most part, clearly their records show that.

So they are but they aren't? Penn State practically beat OH State. MI State just beat IL. Rutgers gave MI a run for it @MI, and beat PU, IL, IN and MI State. These teams have the talent and skills to beat anyone on the B10, too, if a team doesn't prepare for and play well against them.

 

[kceasthawk]

There are many reasons Iowa has gone on a four-game winning streak, but probably the biggest reason that has not yet been discussed is Iowa's transition D. Part of that is the shift to man2man which allows guys to more easily identify who they're guarding after a missed shot or a turnover (they're in a better position to respond defensively). Another part, though, is that Rutgers, MSU, UW, and PSU are not really transition scoring teams; they're just not built that way. That certainly has helped.

Now that's about to change dramatically. Michigan will run and run and run. Even when they don't score in transition they are able to get really good quick looks in their half court sets. Everyone they put on the floor is dangerous offensively.

It will be really interesting to see how Iowa handles this. One way Iowa has limited transition buckets for opponents has been JB slowing things down and running more time-consuming sets (and they did this against IU second game, too, less successfully) if they don't have a transition opportunity. Combine the slower pace, greater offensive efficiency, and low TO numbers, and Iowa's reducing the number of possessions per game and teams are under a shitload of pressure to play exceptionally efficient half court offense (which teams haven't done lately; Iowa's an underrated 2-point defensive team and the last four opponents have been atrocious shooting 3s). These are the best argument Bohannon's supporters have for his minutes.

Consideringng the emphasis Fran has been putting on stopping easy transition scores (yay Fran!), this is probably why Joe T gets yanked so quickly after a TO. We can get pissed about it, but looking at the issue through Fran's eyes, I think he sees those TOs as both an offensive AND defensive lapse that could put the other team on a run.

But why not Ulis then? I don't know. He sees him in practice all the time so maybe he has issues we haven't seen because he's been on the court so little. Either way, Fran's strategy lately has worked against the level of competition Iowa was facing. Now we will see if that strategy works against Michigan or if Fran has some other wrinkles to throw at them-- including personnel strategies.

One last thing: It's quite possible none of the options work against Michigan. They are a complete team and maybe the only way to beat them is for every Iowa player to play their best games of the season Thursday. I'm afraid that's the level of excellence necessary to have a chance on Thursday and throughout the NCAAs.

While I agree with your concerns about Michigan, I don't think that will be the same"throughout the NCAA's". If Iowa gets a high seed most certainly they'll play teams not on the level of the best BIG teams, which is why a strong finish and a high seed are so important. Now if they can get to the second weekend, then Iowa will need their AA game as well as their new found defensive identity to advance.....

 

[Eternal Return]

So they are but they aren't? Penn State practically beat OH State. MI State just beat IL. Rutgers gave MI a run for it @MI, and beat PU, IL, IN and MI State. These teams have the talent and skills to beat anyone on the B10, too, if a team doesn't prepare for and play well against them.

Yeah, I revised.

 

[Eternal Return]

While I agree with your concerns about Michigan, I don't think that will be the same"throughout the NCAA's". If Iowa gets a high seed most certainly they'll play teams not on the level of the best BIG teams, which is why a strong finish and a high seed are so important. Now if they can get to the second weekend, then Iowa will need their AA game as well as their new found defensive identity to advance.....

Yeah, good clarification. I should have said second weekend and beyond. Good catch.

 

[HawkBall23]

Heck the most impressive play the other night was Bohannon's stopping transition damn near by himself till help arrived.

I'm still amazed at that sequence. On both sides.

The hustle JBo put in to cover 3 guys by himself, without fouling, but on the other hand that PSU somehow got nothing out of that trip. I don't care who the defender is, no 3-on-1 break should ever result in 0 points (or at least a foul drawn). Would have been beside myself if was a PSU fan that night.

 

[chuck285]

We have a great chance to win but hopefully none of our big two get into foul trouble and have to sit. We lose if that happens

 

[Rifler]

We have a great chance to win but hopefully none of our big two get into foul trouble and have to sit. We lose if that happens

Michigan has the same concern,.. not a lot of bench talent behind Dickinson.

 

[DanHawkPella]

Michigan is 11th or so in Adjusted Defense and OSU is around 80th, so that is the main difference between them.

Good points on transition defense. A lot of transition defense is just running good offense as you mention. Turnovers, bad shots in transition, or long rebounds off of missed 3's are the best chances for the other team to run. Garza shooting inside of 6 feet, even if he misses, is harder to run off of, so I hope to see him very active underneath and perhaps even get Dickenson in foul trouble.

Should be one of the more entertaining games of the year both due to pace and scoring but also all the different strategy components.

 

[Rifler]

...and perhaps even get Dickenson in foul trouble.

this one of the keys to winning this game...

 

[HawkBall23]

... and perhaps even get Dickenson in foul trouble.

Depends on who the refs are....

Luka might be on the bench with 2 "fouls" for a significant portion of the 1st half, as has happened a few times this year.