NCAA Tournament Manifesto: X-Factor (Confusion)

Your friend drags you to a party full of strangers. Everyone is new. The faces are so unfamiliar they don’t even resemble anyone you know. And they’re all staring at you.

You don’t notice the smooth nacho dip on the coffee table or the fridge full of your favorite beer. You barely even notice the perky blonde blinking in your direction.

It could be a painful night. And it could be far worse. Whenever we are tossed into a pit of uncertainty, there is potential for disaster.

Just ask members of the Big XII conference. Syracuse won a National Championship at the 2003 NCAA Tournament by utilizing the great unknown, or – as anyone who follows the Big East calls it – their 2-3 zone. Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas were all befuddled by the Orange’s special defensive set. They couldn’t decipher the soft spots in the zone, just as you might miss snacks, drinks, or perky blondes when your common party environment is suddenly distorted.

Grit and resolve are synonymous with the Midwestern conference. Zones aren’t. The entire league played man-to-man almost exclusively for the duration of the 2003 season and, consequently, each of the Cuse victims were ill-equipped to handle the 2-3. By the time they hit Syracuse in the bracket, the Big XII teams toppled like Greg Ostertag on a balance beam.

The 2-3 zone is humdrum for anyone who knows basketball. Syracuse plays a unique version of it, however, featuring defenders with condor wingspans. They trap quickly, they recover quickly, and they move fluidly as a unit. This ain’t your fifth-grade 2-3 zone.

Still, teams within the Big East understand how to pounce on the weaknesses in the zone. They move the ball around the perimeter, fasten a post player at the foul line to jumpstart the high-low game, and they play with patience. The Big XII teams weren’t outclassed by Syracuse, they were simply confused. And, in the big dance, confusion is a terminal disease.

An unfamiliar defense is not the only source of confusion for tourney coaches. They must also deal with preparing to play rare offensive sets, such as Princeton’s Motion Offense. The Tigers’ offense is based upon read-and-react principles, resulting in an endless string of back door cuts. The purpose of the offense is to generate flawless shot selection and limit the amount of possessions in a given game.

Any unusual style of play can baffle an opponent. The mystique alone can often shatter confidence. In fact, almost as famous as the Princeton Offense is, the fear of the offense burrows deeply into the mindset of favored tournament teams. In 1996, Princeton knocked off #3 seeded UCLA, the year after the Bruins won the title. The game-winning shot was a lay-up off of a back door cut.

A handful of teams possess playing styles that should unglue the competition this year. Villanova’s assembly line of guards will tear the eyes of a few opposing coaches. Washington pushes the ball at a frenetic pace not equaled by any team in the country. Rick Pitino’s passion for the three point shot is the reason Louisville and Florida run nightmare-worthy offenses. Don’t cringe when you see West Virginia’s center launch a three. The Mountaineers’ motion offense is characterized by the propensity of their post players to pick-and-pop. Even Cincinnati’s reckless assault on the offensive boards is distinctive enough to deeply affect the way their opposition plays.

Regardless of how they attempt to perplex the elite, none of the #16 seeds should present a problem for the best seeds. In fact, a #16 seed has never beaten a #1. Top-seeded Georgetown nearly lost to one in the first round of the 1989 tournament, but they narrowly skimmed out a 50-49 victory. Their opponent that game? The Princeton Tigers and their confusing motion offense.

If Georgetown earns a bid to the tournament, they will be coached by the son of the coach who lost that infamous game in ’89, John Thompson, III. And, remarkably, the Hoyas will be running their own unique offense… an adapted version of “The Princeton Offense.”

Secrets For NCAA Tournament Success:

Each day leading up to the Big Dance, CHN will be unveiling a different Secret for NCAA Tournament Success. Check the NCAA Tournament Manifesto homepage for more info.