It’s almost time for the beginning of the 2010-11 Wildcat basketball season, and with that in mind, North by Northwestern breaks down the Wildcats’ offense and defense to highlight how Coach Carmody’s system works.
Now it’s no secret that Northwestern isn’t the most athletic or most skilled team in the Big Ten. What sets them apart from other teams in conference is their relatively high basketball IQ as a team. A particular offensive or defensive set could highlight a key mismatch between two teams, and in turn, determine the outcome of a game. Northwestern plays with meticulous, yet potent offensive sets based in the Princeton offense. On the other side of the ball, the Wildcats have a penchant for zone defense, the prize of which is the 1-3-1. So let’s delve a bit deeper.
Princeton offense
On offense, as mentioned before, the Wildcats base their set plays out of the Princeton offense (PO) — disciplined, constant motion. Only some teams are able to implement it because it requires that all five players on the court be able to handle the ball in at least some capacity. The distinctive feature of the offense is the backdoor cut, which ideally results in a layup. Another big part of the PO is the ability to shoot from the three-point line. When a team sets up their offense, four players are positioned around the perimeter with one post player. Many teams who run the PO find themselves in scenarios where the opposing team will pack, or condense, its players close to the basket to discourage the aforementioned backdoor cuts.
Getting a bit deeper, the PO has been said to be used to slow games down. The offense moves very slowly because of the number of cuts that could take place in one possession. Herein lies arguably the most important part of the PO: testing the discipline of the defense. Making a team play defense for all 35 seconds of a shot clock can be quite draining. Additionally, backdoor cuts take advantage of a defense that is cheating up to try to get easy steals.
Positives
Northwestern isn’t going to win an up-and-down match with a team like Michigan State, but what the ‘Cats can do is limit how many attempts their opponent takes. By running their sets and working for a good shot, Northwestern will get not only the shots they’re looking for, but also tire out the other team. Offense is the side of the ball where you can dictate the action, and what Northwestern does well is pass and execute their cuts. Last year Northwestern ranked in the top 25 in assists per game (16.7) and were one of the best teams with respect to turnovers per game (11).
Negatives
Some critics of the PO might say that the dependence on the three-point shot takes a team out of its offense. Additionally, if the defense has chosen to pack the paint and the offensive team is not hitting shots from the outside, the post is not really a viable second option. To some extent Northwestern has relied heavily on the three-point shot, but in a PO, it is not incredibly surprising that this is the case.
What it means
Northwestern will rely heavily on the three, but that does not mean that they can’t create shots outside of their sets. Drew Crawford and Michael “Juice” Thompson will share the ball handling duties and in turn the distributive responsibilities in the offense. The PO puts Northwestern in a position to compete with some of the more athletic teams in the Big Ten by forcing their opponents to play defense for much longer possessions.
1-3-1 zone defense
Zone defenses have become increasingly popular in college basketball in recent years. Unlike a man-to-man defense, where players are responsible for a unique opposing player at all times, a zone defense divides the responsibilities by sections on the court. In the NBA, one rarely sees a zone because the shooters are so good that it is enough of a deterrent to keep teams from playing zone defense. Nevertheless, many college teams find themselves having difficulties when it comes to boxing out for rebounds and defending the perimeter. What is different about the 1-3-1 zone is that it seems to provide much more coverage than other zone defenses, if executed properly.
The basic setup of the 1-3-1 is one man at the top of the key, three men in a line around the free-throw line extended area and a player underneath the basket. The key to playing zone is shifting efficiently so that one is not left out of position on a rotation. With men in the wings and at the top of the key, the 1-3-1 enables a team to cover the perimeter while deterring dribble penetration. Perhaps the most difficult part of the zone to deal with is the potential trap areas, or undefended weak spots, which occur when the ball is rotated about the perimeter.
When the ball works its way into the corner, the man underneath the basket has the responsibility or moving sideline to sideline in order to trap in conjunction with the rotating wingman. While the ball is trapped in the corner, the rest of the zone shifts to compensate for cutters or the possibility of a skip pass. The key to executing the 1-3-1 zone defense effectively is knowing when to pursue the ball aggressively and when to turn down the proverbial heat.
Positives
Many college teams find that a zone defense is much more suitable to the personnel that they have. Zone defenses allow teams to better box out would-be offensive rebounders, deter dribble penetration because of the quick help that comes from a zone. The 1-3-1 zone specifically is much more equipped to defend the three-point shot. Though Northwestern will need to find a replacement for Jeremy Nash — who occupied the top of the 1-3-1 for much of last season — the defensive scheme has been largely successful when implemented. One need look no further than to John Beilein’s Michigan Wolverines who have used the defense in varying fashions to disrupt their opponent’s offensive flow.
Negatives
An overzealous zone is an ineffective zone. Coach Carmody must make sure that whoever he has occupying the top spot of the zone does not cheat too much. Otherwise, he will essentially leave the rest of the zone in a 5-on-4 situation. This particular zone is prey to the skip pass where the ball is thrown diagonally across court, and this bodes poorly if Northwestern finds themselves against a team that passes well. The key to beating any zone is passing, but Northwestern must be sure to vary their degree of energy when they are in the 1-3-1. Switching up the tempo in the zone will not only give the offense a bevy of ideas to worry about, but also will allow Coach Carmody to implement the 1-3-1 with different personnel.
What it means
Northwestern will look for their zone to help them be strong on the boards and force turnovers in trap situations. Seeing as Northwestern has a somewhat undersized frontcourt, it is understandable that the zone is their most effective defensive scheme over more aggressive man-to-man. Coach Carmody still needs to find which personnel best fit his zone defense and, perhaps more importantly, who will replace Nash at the top. There are rarely any easy buckets against a zone defense, and consequently, the 1-3-1 zone will allow Northwestern to make their opponents work that much harder for baskets.