“We’ve got to identify it a little better”: Illini Having Trouble Guarding Ball Screens
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- In the world according to its head coach, non-conference games are designed to find the flaws and the wins or losses are almost irrelevant results.
In their last two games against elite guards, a two-point win vs. Ohio and a 13-point loss to No. 2 Baylor, Illinois has been exposed and Brad Underwood knows this. The No. 5 Illini (3-1) are clearly having trouble guarding a ball screen properly.
“It’s scout-based. We’ve got to get better at it and it’s two ways. It’s not just the bigs but it’s also the guards having to handle that and not get screened,” Underwood said following the 82-69 loss to No. 2 Baylor Wednesday night.
Underwood said Friday after evaluating the film and then showing it to his players in a review session Thursday that he marked down “13 or 14 blown mistakes on ball screen coverages” in the loss to Baylor in Indianapolis. Underwood’s figure would account for why Gametracker statistics posted Baylor was able to attempt 28 layups and get 38 points in the paint in its nationally-televised victory.
“This allowed them to do things that they wanted to do and us not dictating to them,” Underwood said Friday. “I say it all the time that the defensive side of the floor is where the energy and synergy needs to happen.”
Just three days before facing Baylor’s elite guard depth, Illinois gave up 36 points in the paint and 31 individual points to Ohio guard Jason Preston mostly off ball screen action or an inability to stop Preston from getting dribble action toward the rim.
Underwood seemed to put the defensive mistakes Friday on his youthful perimeter players of Andre Curbelo and Adam Miller by saying he believes veteran guards Ayo Dosunmu, Trent Frazier and Da’Monte Williams “missed one call combined” in the loss to Baylor.
“Not to get too detailed but our bigs make certain calls and they have to make those calls and guards have to make those adjustments,” Underwood said. “That’s again, where we’ve got to grow.”
To be fair to Curbelo, Miller and the rest of Illinois’ guards, it’s unclear if Underwood meant to say the defensive call by the bigs were correct every time but what is clear is future opponents have to be excited to pull Illinois’ forwards like Kofi Cockburn and Giorgi Bezhanishvili away from the basket for ball screen offense to get their guards downhill off the dribble.
Baylor Bears guard Jared Butler (12) dribbles the ball against Illinois Fighting Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) in the second half at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Trevor Ruszkowski/USA TODAY Sports
Traditionally, Duke likes to use a more European approach to its ball screen action than the traditional big coming to the top of the key to set a screen for the point guard and simply reading the screen on whether to roll the basket or flare out for a three-point shot. Over the last few years, in learning from his FIBA experience of being the U.S. national team coach, Mike Krzyzewski’s teams have set ball screens with a big at the free throw extended area after making a pass to a wing guard.
In Duke’s motion offense shown in the video below, the screen usually goes for a cutting point guard and then another screen is set for the wing.
Against Baylor, which scored on 58.5 percent of its possessions Wednesday night and shot 54.5 percent from the field in the second half, Illinois struggled on both screens set at the top of the key and on the wings.
In its two home games against Coppin State (a 81-71 win on Nov. 28) and Michigan State (a 75-69 loss on Dec. 1), Duke is currently only getting 28 percent of its points from beyond the three-point line, which is currently 161st in Division I basketball.