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By Adam Stanco
BasketballWriter@cs.com
7 Secrets to Tournament
Success: Confusion is the
X-Factor
The mere thought of it
makes you squirm…
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 about Syracuse’s 2003 National Championship run. To the teams
in the Big XII, the Orange provided 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 played a unique version of it,
however, featuring defenders with condor wingspans. They trapped quickly,
recovered quickly, and moved fluidly as a unit. This wasn’t your fifth-grade
2-3 zone.
Still, teams within the Big
East understood how to pounce on the weaknesses in the zone. They moved the
ball around the perimeter, fastened a post player at the foul line to
jumpstart the high-low game, and they played 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.
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.
But confusion sometimes
leads to knowledge. Georgetown is now coached by the son of the coach who
lost that infamous game in ’89, John Thompson, III. And, coincidentally, the
Hoyas will be running their own unique offense… an adapted version of “The
Princeton Offense.”
Examples:
Georgetown
Louisville
Southern
Illinois
Texas Tech
Secrets For NCAA Tournament
Success:
-
Talent
- NBA potential is no joke.
-
Post Defense
- The bigger, the better.
-
Sharp Shooting
- Simple math: three is better than two.
-
Experience
- Who has nerves of steel?
-
Star Power
- Winning is the All-American way.
-
Guard Play
- Little guys point the way.
-
X-Factor
- Fear of the unknown.
The March Manifesto is the secret
to filling out your NCAA Tournament bracket.
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