Was Anyone At the Tulsa Game Last Night?

[The Falcon]

If you were at the game - I would like to know what defenses we used and if we played good defense. I must confess - listening to the radio it was very difficult to tell what they were doing.

I ask because Calvin Watkins of the News must have been watching some other team play UTEP last Saturday night, because he said in his Saturday article that SMU played man to man defense the whole game. I'm sorry but I never saw us in a straight man to man defense at any point. During the last 5 minutes we might have played a zone press a time or two and we certainly tried the 1-3-1 Zone trap at mid-court; however, we played almost a straight, very predictable 1-3-1 zone the whole game. Granted they played it with more enthusiasm and gusto than we usually play the
2-3 zone; however, it is one of the worst zone defenses to play because as you saw it gave up a lot of layups and wide open shots underneath.
I couldn't believe we stayed in that zone throughout the end of the game,
especially when we were making a run and came within 6 point of UTEP with about 3 minutes left. In fact if Simpson's wide open 3 pt attempt had gone in instead of clanging of the rim, we would have been within 3.

My opinion is that in the last quarter and your down by double digits, you have to bite, kick, claw, and harrass the other team with a tight man to man that overplays the passing lanes and occasionally jumps into a double team to trap the ball. I doubt that Lineburg had time to practice the man defense before that game and Dement had not used it all season,
so I'm not faulting our interim coach. He did a good job. I'm just questioning his use of the 1-3-1 zone which gives up lots of open looks.

Even so, I left the colliseum with the feeling that we had played a very good if not excellent UTEP team and given them a run for their money.
This team has not quit. It isn't likely that we will win the tourney, but if things should fall our way, we might have a shot.

Please if any of you were at the Tulsa game - give us all a recap of the game and especially what you saw in our defense. Thanks[/img]

[PG]

I'm not sure what you were watching because we played more man D against UTEP than he had all year. Finally.

[The Falcon]

That wasn't the question I asked. Were you at the Tulsa Game?
What was the main defense we used in the game?

I agree that we played the zone more intensely in the UTEP game
however, you don't stay in a zone when you are down in the score
during the last 3-4 minutes and let the other team dictate what they
want to do. You go after them with full court pressure and you
harrass them into mistakes if you can.

We tend to stay in zones too long and don't vary the defense
enough. The other team knows where we will be because we are
too predictable.

Lineburg's defense is certainly way better than Dement's. They are
playing with more energy and more enthusiasm and that gives us a
chance to win. He is subbing more frequently to keep players as
fresh as possible.