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College Basketball:
Kansas vs. Arizona
One of the first marquee match-up of the NCAA season pitted #4 Arizona
against #3 Kansas in the Great Eight. The Jayhawks pride themselves on
pressure defense, often throwing very good teams off their rhythm.
Arizona, however, was able to adapt to the pressure last March when they beat #1 KU on their way to the National Championship. This year, the outcome was reversed as the Jayhawks held on to win 90-87. |
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One of Kansas' favorite tactics is to funnel the ball to the baseline. The
Jayhawks then
cut off the drive from the weak side, and rotate to cover the passing lanes.
By making it appear as if the baseline is open, the Jayhawks lure their opponents into a trap, drawing a charge or forcing a turnover. |
Last year during the tournament, Arizona adapted to the Kansas pressure by
bringing their offense up high (above the free throw line extended). The
Jayhawks tight man defense brought their help-side defense away from the
basket. The athletic Arizona Wildcats successfully exploited this by
working the back door cut.
This year's Jayhawk squad, without the quickness and aggressiveness of Jacque Vaughan and Jerod Haase, played off Arizona somewhat. As a result, the backdoor was not open. The Wildcats mostly ran their motion offense, but couldn't hit their shots in the first half. However, the Jayhawks did hit, pounding it inside to LaFrentz and Pierce. KU held on against great second half pressure to win this year's nailbiter. |
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