Perimeter defense

[bobbything]

Is anyone else concerned about this team's ability to guard the perimeter this year? The more Self talks about how fast we are, the more I'm reminded of the Roy Williams-led teams that tended to give up a lot of open looks from beyond the arc. It just seems inherent to "faster" playing teams.

Is this concern justified in any way?

[ono]

Re: Perimeter defense

I think it's less a concern of perimeter defense than transition defense. Playing so quickly can lend to transition shots for opponents; as long as we aren't overly aggressive in pushing the ball leading to stupid turnovers, we will be fine. We are more athletic than 99% of the teams we face.

If we are quick to double team in the post though, I will be a bit concerned. If T-Rob and Withey can provide some defensive presence to avoid double-teaming altogether, the defense should be solid.

[KVN638]

Re: Perimeter defense

We seemed lazy at times. When everyone is going hard on D we looked great. However there were times when people would drive right by their guys.

[RandytheHelpfulPineapple]

Re: Perimeter defense

We'll have to see when we face a team that is a bit more balanced. It seems to me that most of the inferior teams live and die by the three when they gameplan against us. I think that we'll get a feel for this team's defense once we play a tourney team or a Big-6 conference team.