Oklahoma State Post-Mortem/Down the Stretch Temperature Check

by Barking Carnival Staff on Feb 17, 2011 1:23 PM CST in Texas Longhorns and Other Basketball

I’m not going to get into a microanalysis of this game because I think we all get it at this point. Texas’ formula for winning games against outmatched opponents is smothering defense, manufacturing offense by finding mismatches, and not giving away possessions on the glass. They don’t necessarily dominate the glass, but Texas at least gets a stalemate to make points one and two matter.

The game against OSU was no exception. Granted, the Longhorns continued to play at an historic level of team defense, but I thought that, offensively, Texas played uneven and sometimes even disinterested on that end. Then, all of a sudden you look up and they’re up twenty. Is that good or bad? I won’t be able to tell you definitively until we’re flying home from Lincoln but more on that in the Nebraska Preview tomorrow. For now let me give you some scattershot thoughts on why we looked the way we did on both ends of the floor last night.

Offense

First, let’s give credit where credit is due. The Cowboys are a very well coached defensive basketball team and when you combine that with some good athletes you’re going to make teams look bad for stretches—even top 5 teams. Coach Ford does a great job putting together a defensive game plan based on the individual scouting reports of the opponen, unlike some coaches. Most indicative of his coaching genius is his refusal to guard Dogus Balbay which took away our flex cuts along the baseline for Jordan and clean post catches for Thompson on the boxes.

As for athletes, I thought Markel Brown shocked Jordan Hamilton with his athleticism when he got the defensive assignment in the second half. Hamilton’s second half stats bear that out. Additionally, Paige’s one man zone allowed Moses to use his strength advantage to keep Thompson out of his comfort zone for the most of the night, because the big Cowboy post didn’t have to worry about half fronts or ¾ fronts with Paige sitting in the lane. Otherwise, Thompson would have gone bananas. In other words, Ford picked his poison and took away Hamilton on the perimeter by putting a smaller, but quicker athlete on Texas' best player and then tried to take away Texas' interior advantage by junking up his defense when Doge was in game. It’s the main reason Gary Johnson had a career night and Cory Joseph could of have gone off had he been on his game.

The elephant in the room is J’Covan Brown and his lack of production. He has to play significant minutes to make teams play Texas’ sets and motion honestly, which frees up Hamilton to exploit mismatches and Tristan to catch the ball unencumbered. Had Brown brought his Kansas game last night, Jordan would have got paint catches and pounded the smaller Markel Brown with impunity, and Tristan Thompson would have had at least 3 more dunks. I get that Balbay is a glove and a glue guy on this squad, but Texas can’t expect to cut down the nets unless Brown is a bigger part of this offense, because we’re going to run into teams with much better athletes than OSU who are just as well coached. Except that tournament team will be able to score with us.

Defense

Speaking of scoring, as uneven as our sets and motion looked at times last night, our defense was every bit the level it’s been at the last two months. We had more quickness and length than OSU at every position and smothered them thusly, so there’s no reason to get into the details of this performance. Bigger, quicker, and stronger = dominating defensive performance. But I’m not going to leave you high and dry on this end of the floor. I’m a defensive guy at heart so I love talking about it, and I love talking about how and why the Horns are having this type of record setting season on the "want-to" end of the floor.

First, it all starts at the tip of the spear—on the ball defense. You can have the greatest help defenders in hoops history, but if you can’t stay in front or just control the dribbler, you can’t stop anybody. And the Horns have two of the game’s best on ball defenders in Joseph and Balbay. In fact, not only are they adept at staying in front, they’re size, strength, and athleticism allows them to be so much more. They’re tough to knock off the dribble because they’re strong, so they can’t be backed down by big guards that are clever with the ball, or knocked off the ball even when they stay in front. Just ask Demetri McCamey and Brad Wannamaker. This will come in handy on Saturday against Nebraska's Lance Jeter or in the tournament against Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor.

Joseph and Balbay’s size also give them a fighting chance to contest most jumpers, even a Kemba Walker step-back. Then there’s the harassment factor. As an opposing point guard, bigger, more athletic guards make it a chore to even get your team in an offense. You spend some of the finite amount of game energy you have to make that first pass, that by the end of the ballgame you’re worn down. This is why Coach Calhoun of UConn did all he could to keep Walker off the ball for parts of the first half against Texas. It was a good strategy and surprising most team's don't employ it against the Longhorns.

The next defensive component is something we’ve talked about ad naseum on this site and that’s the freedom perimeter players have to pressure the basketball knowing that Texas has a legitimate shot blocker on the back end to erase drives. It allows teams to play passing lanes a bit more, and pressure guards farther away from the bucket than they normally would. It’s a reason why Texas defense beyond the arc is so good which further shows itself in overall field goal percentage because teams are then relegated to taking the most uncomfortable, unpracticed shot in hoops—the midrange jumper.

The final component to Texas’ stifling defense isn’t talked about but it needs to be. That component is Jordan Hamilton’s emergence as a true three not only defensively, but on the backboards as well. Jordan has improved his body and conditioning to where he’s now considered a capable defender on the ball and that’s huge, especially when you consider he’s guarding a lot of third guards who are quicker and smaller than him. Notice how teams don’t try to isolate Hamilton as much? Let’s call that the Khris Middleton experiment.

But what’s most interesting to me is Hamilton’s dominance on the glass and the domino effect that has with bigs like Gary Johnson and Tristan Thompson. Knowing there’s a dominant force on the weakside glass, Johnson and Thompson can focus more on denial minded post defense and shot blocking respectively which is a big advantage over most teams who are counting on a nothing more than a 6-5 third guard to slide in to block out a power forward once their big helps. It’s a classic tug-of-war between denying the post/helping the post vs. maintaining rebounding position. Jordan’s emergence changes that dynamic.

As for the post-mortem. We f’ed them up on defense. I hope we pack a more dynamic offense to Lincoln by sneaking J'Covan Brown in the suitcase. We’ll need it.

Hook ‘Em

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Comments

Obviously our half court D makes the opposition question why they decided to take up hoops in the first place, but wither the transition D? OSU got a couple of those last night that for some reason enraged me. Is this a non-material chink in the armor, were we just disinterested, or is the bar just so damn high from our half court sets that these seemingly easy buckets bother me more than they outta?

by CVictoryJoyously on Feb 17, 2011 1:40 PM CST reply actions

Nice analysis Trips.

As for athletes, I thought Markel Brown shocked Jordan Hamilton with his athleticism when he got the defensive assignment in the second half. Hamilton’s second half stats bear that out.

Yep, Hamilton was shocked, and he showed signs of slight panic by rushing into his offense, took a couple of unadvisable shots — and earned a warm seat on the bench.

From my seat last night, that elephant shat all over himself. He got knocked down early on an offensive move, lay there like he had been shot, and when Texas transitioned over to defense, he got up slowly, looked to the bench for sympathy, (got none) and generally became J’disinterested for a long while. His act tires out quickly.

I would like to add one other benefit this team is getting from Dogus when he is out of the game. Several times recently I have noticed that when Hamilton or Brown get pulled for one of their classic non-sequiturs, before they can sink into their pown personal pouting room, Doge engages them in conversation and seems to be doing a good job of keeping them involved in what is going on.

That is senior leadership.

by srr50 on Feb 17, 2011 1:55 PM CST reply actions

J’Covan got smacked hard in the face by a shoulder, head or elbow early in the game and it seemed to bug him for the rest of the game. Looked like he was constantly fidgeting with this mouth. Did he lose a J’tooth?

by Texoz on Feb 17, 2011 1:59 PM CST reply actions

Minutes played by UT guards vs OSU
Cory 30, Lucas 25, Balbay 20, Brown 19; 94 minutes total

Barnes played Lucas so much because Lucas was defending Page well. Page only hit 2 of 8 shots. Defensive assignments are very important to Barnes when he is determining playing time, especially WRT defending the opponent’s offensive stars. The UT guards played 94 minutes last night, 14 minutes beyond the 80 minutes required to fill the 2 guard position minutes. Those 14 surplus minutes enabled Barnes to only play Jordan for 26 minutes. So if Jordan doesn’t sit 14 minutes on the bench, Brown would have played much less.

I will say this for Lucas, he loves and respects the game. He is thrilled to be playing. He wasn’t blessed with a lot of talent or size or athleticism but he is doing the most with what he has. Maybe Barnes would like for J’Covan to watch Lucas and learn something about attitude.

by Kafka on Feb 17, 2011 2:00 PM CST reply actions

Once again, I was able to watch live only in the second half and was quickly bored to the point of Nebraska-Oklahoma. (And, dare I say it, the end of Michigan-Illinois. Yes, yes, it’s true.)

It’s a good thing, and a bad thing, because if the actual offensive sets were humming, I’d be transfixed. Rebound buckets and one-passes to Gary Johnson for a turnaround jumper just don’t do it for me. I know, after last year, call me an offense snob. But I can’t help it.

I am looking forward to that Nebraska preview. Almeida appears to be the Brazilian version of Dexter Pittman. I know Thompson has dealt with Thomas Robinson, but I think Almeida will be different… harder to move.

by Bob in Houston on Feb 17, 2011 2:04 PM CST reply actions

Barnes used that game as a bye week. Getting the starters rest for the home stretch. Thus, the minutes for Jai and benchtime for DB and JH. Pretty amazing when your best player can play like crap and you purposely rest your starters against a halfway decent team and still win by 20.

We really need to be tested. I’m afraid that only happens if we play like garbage. Hopefully, someone will play great against us, throw in some prayers and keep it close for 40 mins. before we start the tourney. We might need it, but at this point I think the only team that can keep it close with us is KU in the Big 12 finals and even then I’m not so sure.

When Jordan struggles with his shot (rare), we stop passing or Jai gets minutes, we have trouble on O. Hopefully, we get back to better ball movement and unselfish play soon. I’ve seen a little too much one on one from everyone on the team the last 3-4 games for my taste. Otherwise, we are just a grind you up and spit you out machine.

by Bartoncreek on Feb 17, 2011 2:14 PM CST reply actions

Kafka,
Right on about Lucas. He brings a lot of energy to the floor and flat out busts his rear the whole time. I think of him of a mini Gary Johnson in the backcourt in that regard. If we could put his head on J’Covan’s body we’d be J’Unstoppable.

I was concerned about dead legs up until last night. Barnes also looks like his confidence in the bench is growing. Espcecially in a tightly (realitvely speaking) contested game. Hill and Lucas responded big time. Lexi dropped the ball figuratively and literally.

by hg03 on Feb 17, 2011 2:29 PM CST reply actions

I dont understand how someone small like Lucas is also somehow slower than everyone else on the court.

by huge on Feb 17, 2011 2:40 PM CST reply actions

Jordan got a shot blocked, after that he rushed his shots a bit and he couldn’t hit anything.

He has 3 deficiencies on offense that he needs to correct. He has become way too dependent on his right hand for dribbling so he is going right way more than left, he is turning the ball over because he tries to go too fast sometimes, and he does not have a jump hook for finishing inside.

Jordan has to work on his left hand, at least for dribbling and finishing around the bucket. Otherwise defenders can just overplay him to his right.

Jordan gets in a hurry trying to beat defenders and it leads to turnovers. He has to play within his limits. He is not going to burst by most defenders so he needs to slow down slightly, maintain his balance, use his big body to shield the defender from his dribble and shot. This requires that he be able to finish inside 10 feet from the basket (at least sometimes) with a jump hook motion. This will put Jordan’s wide body between the defender and Jordan’s shooting hand and will also keep the defender from gathering himself to leap to block Jordan’s shot (because Jordan can shoot the jump hook motion shot without squaring and gathering himself prior to jumping). It will also increase Jordan’s confidence that his shot is not going to get blocked, making him a more relaxed shooter.

Complementing the jump hook is a little fall away shot (that Jordan can already shoot well). This would work well because the defender would have to honor Jordan’s driving jump hook shot, so he would have a very difficult time getting to Jordan’s fall away.

The third complementary shot in the same series is to fake the fall away and then lean in with the jump hook to draw the foul. This discourages the defender from trying to block the fall away shot.

Going to his left, Jordan needs to work on finishing with a jump hook with his left hand. He can complement this with his right handed fall away jumper or spinning back to the middle off of drop step footwork to finish with a right handed jump hook or jump shot.

by Kafka on Feb 17, 2011 2:43 PM CST reply actions

“I hope we pack a more dynamic offense to Lincoln by sneaking J’Covan Brown in the suitcase.”

Jai gets the quart-size, zip-top, clear plastic bag???

by Art Vandelay on Feb 17, 2011 2:50 PM CST reply actions

The post-mortem and these comments really hit the nail on the head. It’s fun to watch a team dominate while still having so many areas that it can improve in. My thoughts:

Gary Johnson is just outstanding. He does so many things well. We’re going to miss him next year.
The number of foul shots Thompson took was misleading since it didn’t seem like he got the ball in the post very much. When we had our droughts, it was because we were settling for jumpshots before we needed to.
The Doge has to start taking some of those available shots, say 3 per game. I don’t care if he’s only hitting 25% of them, when he’s that open it kills our other offensive options. I’d love to see a statistical analysis of how well our offense scores when his defender sags so far away. I wonder if Doge will be the last of the “defensive-minded but can’t shoot” guards that Barnes takes, a la Justin Mason and Royal Ivey.
I don’t know why Wangmene struggles so much. It’s like he never expects the ball to come his way and doesn’t have his hands up ready to catch the pass. Feels like he’s regressed.
It was really cool seeing Matt Hill energize the crowd. You have to love a guy that plays within his abilities and organically seizes his opportunities when they arise.

by czarcw on Feb 17, 2011 3:12 PM CST reply actions

Jump hook? Maybe Tebow can teach him that.

by justhookit on Feb 17, 2011 3:19 PM CST reply actions

Can you imagine this team with a healthy Varez Ward? Wow.

by Trips Right on Feb 17, 2011 4:22 PM CST reply actions

A screen cap from last night:

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b395/drtysthpimp/Yougonnagetraped.jpg

by Mad Clapper on Feb 17, 2011 4:50 PM CST reply actions

For those wanting Doge to shoot the jumpers, there’s a reason he won’t take them; he can’t hit them. Therefore, the opposing team is still not going to guard him no matter how many of them he takes. Besides, if Barnes wanted him to take them, he’d tell him to and Doge would.

I’d much rather see Matt Hill take one of those wide open elbow J’s he gets on every possession he’s in there. He isn’t a terrible shooter and he’s hit some of them this year—mostly pre-con. It woudn’t surprise me to see Matty get a lot of playing time in Lincoln and have a big game versus the home state crowd.

by Frank the Plank on Feb 17, 2011 5:53 PM CST reply actions

Random or a J’message?

Loyalty is key…..

http://twitter.com/Garyjohnson44

by aabb on Feb 17, 2011 9:20 PM CST reply actions

Smart basketball requires smart players…..

http://college-basketball-blog.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/26283066/27556942

by Tuco Ramirez on Feb 17, 2011 11:09 PM CST reply actions

Mad Clapper…I salute you.

by The Hairline of Wade Boggs on Feb 18, 2011 2:23 AM CST reply actions

Trips, I’ve wondered about adding Varez to this team. He certainly seemed to have a workmanlike way about him that might have fit in to this team. But after last year’s mess and watching this year’s cohesion, I would be afraid to add anyone I think.

On the surface, Varez would have helped, Williams would have helped, Bradley would have helped. They were here last year, though, and we are much better this year without them. Why? I have no idea. But, maybe they were part of the problem. Who knows? What I do know is that this team loves each other and you never know when adding one more to the family can throw the whole thing into turmoil. Anyway, I’ll take my chances with the guys we have and not sweat over the 5 good players we lost.

by Bartoncreek on Feb 18, 2011 8:35 AM CST reply actions

To which school did Varez transfer, or has he officially done so yet?

Stupid question: If he wanted to, could he technically return to UT w/ b-ball schollie? Do we believe RB would welcome him back?

by Abe Lemons on Feb 18, 2011 11:35 AM CST reply actions

Two points:

1. The best part of the game was clearly the extended midget-on-midget violence between Page and Lucas. Jai is definitely valuable in the rotation…against any team that regularly plays not one, but two 5’9" guards.