Kansas Box and 1 Shuts Down Curry

The game of the day went to Kansas vs Davidson. It wasn't a particularly great offensive game for both but they managed to do some good things defensively. Davidson did a good job by playing a sort of packline M2M while Kansas went to the box and 1 junk defense in the second half.

I'm actually surprised Bill Self did not switch up to the box and 1 defense earlier in the game. Once Stephen Curry hit that 3-pointer, then that amazing slice-and-dice layup, I thought it was time for a change. Well the Jayhawks eventually made a change in the second half and Curry would only score 10 points the rest of the way. Here are a few clips of Kansas in their box and 1 guarding Curry,



I'm not usually a fan of the junk defenses, but when it comes to the playoffs, you have to get a little creative. The box and 1 actually broke down later in the game when Bryant Barr started going crazy hitting all those shots. For the life of me, I can't figure out why they took him out of the game. I know he's not a regular starter, but when a guy is hot like that, you ride him until he comes up empty.

Kansas Box and 1 Junk Defense:

Anyways, here is a quick rundown of the box and 1. Basically, it's like a 2-3 zone except you take one of the defenders and make him play M2M 1v1 on the other team's best player,


When the ball moves to the wing, the whole box shifts to the ball-side. X2 stays on the line on O2,


Finally, if O2 does get the ball, the nearest zone defender must step up and help on O2. The idea is that the star always sees 2 defenders when in possession of the ball. Force the pass and make the other players try to beat you,


Summary:

Kansas didn't play very well at all. What saved them was that Davidson got worn down. Kansas had the much easier draw to get to the elite eight while Davidson had 3 very tough games in a row. Despite all that, Curry made a big 3-pointer at the end and Davidson was 1 lucky bounce away from going to the final four, but alas, it wasn't to be. So now we have 4 x number 1 seeds, it is going to be great.

If you like Kansas, you probably want to check out Bill Self's DVD on the High/Low Offense. Kansas didn't run much of the high/low all year, but Coach Self is the guru of the offense and worth taking a look if you are so inclined. Don't forget to check out the X's and O's Basketball Forum to talk hoops with other coaches.