Being trounced by a combined 52 points in two games can make a believer out of anybody.
Via Fox Sports’ Jeff “I’m Not The Only One!” Goodman(no link):
With the loss of Suton, it’s likely that the Spartans will play small this season – and that brought out a smile to Lucas.
“We’re going to try and switch our system and try and be like North Carolina,” Lucas said. “We’re going to run and gun.”
Actually the change in offense has more to do with MSU being a smaller team. It should be noted, UNC was able to “run and gun” as Kalin Lucas says while being a balanced team in terms of interior and perimeter players. That is what made the Heels so formidable and one of the main reasons no one, except for LSU for part of the game, could check the Heels all tournament long. When you have can execute at that pace with few turnovers and have one of the best frontcourts in the country, there are tremendous limitations to what an opposing team can do to stop you.
Of course Lucas is paying the ultimate compliment here. He said something about wanting to run with UNC in the title game which brought copious laughs of derision from UNC fans who then said, “bring it on!” In this case he is acknowledging the awesome nature of the Tar Heel offense as deployed by Roy Williams. At any rate, it should be fun to watch the Spartans play up tempo in the Big Ten whose reputation for painfully slow games and high school girls’ basketball boxscores is well established.
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Something tells me that if Lucas were to be a recruit again, Ol’ Roy wouldn’t have a hard time selling UNC.
I think the up-tempo offense is the new trend in college b-ball anyway. It’s essentially what Lowe is putting in at State, although he has a lot of pro-style tweaks. But it’s still up-tempo, pressing the ball. Full-court press teams are going away, because it’s easy to shred them for easy buckets while they’re standing around in the backcourt trying to trap you. You can’t win as many games as Ol’ Roy has without people copying your style. Now, Ol’ Roy has to come up with something new and re-invent himself.
We will see how long Bennett lasts at UVa. There are certain styles that might work in Wisconsin and Washington State that will never work in real basketball among top players. Either Bennett’s plan is to recruit down, knowing he cannot recruit against UNC, Duke, Maryland and Wake and GIT, or he will fail miserably.
Talented kids do not want to sign up to play 43-40 games. Dean Smith got away with the 4 Corners for a couple of reasons. One, he often employed it against teams that were physically superior, such as UVa, who played plodding styles, to actually bring the tempo back up, and two, Smith was trying to make a point to bring in the shot clock and three pointer. The ACC is not Indiana or Wisconsin or whatever and this is not Hoosiers.
If Bennett tries to play the ridiculous, anti-basketball style that he is known for, he is destined for failure worse than the last two UVa coaches, both of who currently occupy the basement of ACC coaching, along with Bob Staak and the guy who took Lefty’s place.
MSU went uptempo against UConn and it worked pretty well.
Welcome to the new era of college basketball. It seems as if the NBA is getting more defensive oriented. Go figure huh?
Saying you want to run and being able to pull it off is two totally different tings. How many teams have we heard from before we play them say “we can’t wait to run with Carolina”, only to be tired at the end of the first half??
Duke tried it in Durham this season…that did not end well for them.
There is also this theory that if you run with UNC then both teams will be tired at the end of the game and it is a level playing field. I have always maintained that there is a difference in being tired in an up-tempo game and being used to it because you do it more. In other words UNC being tired is different from the other team being tired in a game play at the Heels’ preferred pace.
Off topic, but the Indianapolis Star is reporting that Hansbrough and the Pacers have signed a four year contract:
Tyler Hansbrough and the Pacers have agreed to terms on a rookie contract.
It’s a four-year deal with a team option on the third and fourth years. He’ll make $1.5 million next season and $1.7 million during his second season, according to the Indy Star. Hansbrough and center Roy Hibbert have looked great for the Pacers in summer league play thus far.
I heard that Hansbrough dropped 22 points, including 2 made 3’s in that last game. If this is true, that would silence any criticism that may have been thrown my way that he couldn’t step out and hit peremiter shots when open. 2 NBA range 3 pointers. That is nice from someone who was said not have the ability to make that shot!