Arizona Wildcats basketball: 5 ways UA can combat a zone defense
- Updated
Here's a look at five basic concepts the Arizona Wildcats might be able to use when facing a zone defense.
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Maybe the only surprise about the zone defense that Arizona faced Monday for the first time this season was that … it was the first zone defense Arizona has faced this season.
Stacked with formidable size and unproven 3-point shooters, the Wildcats were inviting an opponent to throw out a zone over their first three games.
Northern Colorado bit Monday, going with a fulltime 2-3 zone — and managed to stay within two baskets until the final four minutes of UA’s 71-55 win.
Now there’s a game video for other opponents to see, and guess what they might be thinking?
“We expect teams to play zone,” UA guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright said. “We have to make adjustments.”
UA coach Sean Miller said that generally man-to-man teams will continue to play man against the Wildcats, and zone teams will play zone but that “maybe some teams will try it out” against them.
Especially teams such as Northern Colorado, which is rebuilding in the wake of a coaching change and NCAA sanctions. Why not try it out?
The undermanned and undersized Bears of the Big Sky Conference held UA to just 36.7 percent shooting in the first half Monday, while the Wildcats hit just 3 of 10 3-pointers and only 4 of 16 for the game. Northern Colorado led 31-30 at halftime.
“That first time (against a zone), you really rely on your older guys, and unfortunately for us we had a ton of new faces,” Miller said. “So we had a deer-in-the-headlight look. In the first half we were a little bit more unsettled … We were just hoping we’d make a 3.”
Even though UA was 1 for 6 from long range in the second half, Miller said he liked the way the Wildcats’ attacked the zone better, and that the shots they took were generally good ones to take.
While there are a number of subtle passing and screening strategies that the Wildcats can use to solve the inevitable zones they will face in the future, here’s five basic concepts they found Monday that might work going forward:
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Especially for a young, athletic team that loves to drive the ball, this may be tougher than it sounds. But Jackson-Cartwright said the Wildcats were better against Northern Colorado’s zone in the second half because they swung the ball side-to-side more while also driving into the middle then kicking the ball back out.
“I just think we’re a team that likes to get out and run,” Jackson-Cartwright said. “So whenever we stop that flow in a zone, it’s going to feel funny for some time. But when we make adjustments, we can get out and get some easy buckets.”
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Jackson-Cartwright was the most accurate long-range shooter last season in Pac-12 conference games at 48.7 percent, after hitting the bare minimum to qualify, and Miller is all for that kind of careful 3-point shooting.
Miller has also been in favor of Rawle Alkins taking 3s when his feet are set, has complimented Kobi Simmons' shooting ability and has freshman 7-footer Lauri Markkanen having become his most accurate 3-point shooter so far at 37.5 percent, even though he was 1 for 5 against Northern Colorado.
The key is restraint, not panic over a packed-in zone.
“You don’t have have to audition your 3-point skills just because you’re playing against a zone,” Miller said. It’s also about “dribble penetration and being able to get the ball inside like we did in the second half. A lot of our baskets in the second half were drives and post-ups. Learning when to go, when not to go, being able to get the ball in the middle — all that is very important.”
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Actually, this “strategy” has worked against pretty much any defense so far, but the fact that Miller played his 7-foot freshman for 38 minutes on Monday tells you something.
“He was exhausted but against the zone and the way their team plays offense, he was the perfect guy for us to keep in, no question,” Miller said. “With your best players, sometimes you have to allow them to play through fatigue. We don't want to play anybody on our team 38 minutes a game but there are those games when they’re going to be called on to play more.
“We had a couple guys not play as well and Lauri, with his ability to make shots … and what’s really good about his game tonight is he didn’t get off to a great start. But he was able to leave that behind and play through that. He was better in the second half than he was in the first.”
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
Markkanen and Jackson-Cartwright both had double-doubles Monday, and there’s little doubt both can be used for as many minutes as they can stand against a zone. But the complementary pieces around them might need to change.
For example, in the second half, Miller played starting center Dusan Ristic only eight minutes and backup post Chance Comanche only four while giving two of his best athletes, Simmons (14 minutes) and forward Keanu Pinder (10) more minutes after halftime than before halftime.
“We’ll learn a lot as coaches moving forward," Miller said. "With different lineups, you want to do different things. When Dusan’s out there, there’s some things we might want to stay away from but there are also some things we might want to go to more. Lauri, obviously, we want to put him in the right places against a zone. Those are all things we’ll talk about here over the next couple of days.”
- Bruce Pascoe Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
En route to collecting 15 points, 11 assists and only one turnover Monday, Jackson-Cartwright put UA ahead for good in the second half by driving inside for what became a 3-point play.
That didn’t appear to surprise Miller, who noted that Jackson-Cartwright has 15 assists to one turnover in his past two games and that UA had just six overall on Monday.
“You know, Parker, he’s learned how to play the game, he knows our system, he’s been in college now for three years, he’s always been someone you trust with the ball in his hands,” Miller said. “Fifteen assists and one turnover? I don’t know what coach wouldn’t take that.
“It has a way of being contagious. Playing with single-digit turnovers in any game in November, especially playing as many new players as we are, is a good sign for us. So that’s something we have to keep with us, to have an opportunity to be that same responsible team.”
No doubt Jackson-Cartwright’s small frame, deft passing and quickness can help the Wildcats penetrate a zone, but it also helps that he’s played more UA games than any of his teammates.
“He’s just more experienced,” Miller said. “Everyone holds the freshmen to this high standard (as if) they’re the reason you win or lose. But if you look at our freshmen tonight, it was the first time they ever defended a (fast-paced and spaced out) style like we defended. It was the first time we ever played against a college zone and we were down at half.
“It didn’t look good so we had to dig deep. But because they had to go out there and perform, they had to learn. They’ll learn a lot more this way.”
Maybe the only surprise about the zone defense that Arizona faced Monday for the first time this season was that … it was the first zone defense Arizona has faced this season.
Stacked with formidable size and unproven 3-point shooters, the Wildcats were inviting an opponent to throw out a zone over their first three games.
Northern Colorado bit Monday, going with a fulltime 2-3 zone — and managed to stay within two baskets until the final four minutes of UA’s 71-55 win.
Now there’s a game video for other opponents to see, and guess what they might be thinking?
“We expect teams to play zone,” UA guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright said. “We have to make adjustments.”
UA coach Sean Miller said that generally man-to-man teams will continue to play man against the Wildcats, and zone teams will play zone but that “maybe some teams will try it out” against them.
Especially teams such as Northern Colorado, which is rebuilding in the wake of a coaching change and NCAA sanctions. Why not try it out?
The undermanned and undersized Bears of the Big Sky Conference held UA to just 36.7 percent shooting in the first half Monday, while the Wildcats hit just 3 of 10 3-pointers and only 4 of 16 for the game. Northern Colorado led 31-30 at halftime.
“That first time (against a zone), you really rely on your older guys, and unfortunately for us we had a ton of new faces,” Miller said. “So we had a deer-in-the-headlight look. In the first half we were a little bit more unsettled … We were just hoping we’d make a 3.”
Even though UA was 1 for 6 from long range in the second half, Miller said he liked the way the Wildcats’ attacked the zone better, and that the shots they took were generally good ones to take.
While there are a number of subtle passing and screening strategies that the Wildcats can use to solve the inevitable zones they will face in the future, here’s five basic concepts they found Monday that might work going forward:
Especially for a young, athletic team that loves to drive the ball, this may be tougher than it sounds. But Jackson-Cartwright said the Wildcats were better against Northern Colorado’s zone in the second half because they swung the ball side-to-side more while also driving into the middle then kicking the ball back out.
“I just think we’re a team that likes to get out and run,” Jackson-Cartwright said. “So whenever we stop that flow in a zone, it’s going to feel funny for some time. But when we make adjustments, we can get out and get some easy buckets.”
Jackson-Cartwright was the most accurate long-range shooter last season in Pac-12 conference games at 48.7 percent, after hitting the bare minimum to qualify, and Miller is all for that kind of careful 3-point shooting.
Miller has also been in favor of Rawle Alkins taking 3s when his feet are set, has complimented Kobi Simmons' shooting ability and has freshman 7-footer Lauri Markkanen having become his most accurate 3-point shooter so far at 37.5 percent, even though he was 1 for 5 against Northern Colorado.
The key is restraint, not panic over a packed-in zone.
“You don’t have have to audition your 3-point skills just because you’re playing against a zone,” Miller said. It’s also about “dribble penetration and being able to get the ball inside like we did in the second half. A lot of our baskets in the second half were drives and post-ups. Learning when to go, when not to go, being able to get the ball in the middle — all that is very important.”
Actually, this “strategy” has worked against pretty much any defense so far, but the fact that Miller played his 7-foot freshman for 38 minutes on Monday tells you something.
“He was exhausted but against the zone and the way their team plays offense, he was the perfect guy for us to keep in, no question,” Miller said. “With your best players, sometimes you have to allow them to play through fatigue. We don't want to play anybody on our team 38 minutes a game but there are those games when they’re going to be called on to play more.
“We had a couple guys not play as well and Lauri, with his ability to make shots … and what’s really good about his game tonight is he didn’t get off to a great start. But he was able to leave that behind and play through that. He was better in the second half than he was in the first.”
Markkanen and Jackson-Cartwright both had double-doubles Monday, and there’s little doubt both can be used for as many minutes as they can stand against a zone. But the complementary pieces around them might need to change.
For example, in the second half, Miller played starting center Dusan Ristic only eight minutes and backup post Chance Comanche only four while giving two of his best athletes, Simmons (14 minutes) and forward Keanu Pinder (10) more minutes after halftime than before halftime.
“We’ll learn a lot as coaches moving forward," Miller said. "With different lineups, you want to do different things. When Dusan’s out there, there’s some things we might want to stay away from but there are also some things we might want to go to more. Lauri, obviously, we want to put him in the right places against a zone. Those are all things we’ll talk about here over the next couple of days.”
En route to collecting 15 points, 11 assists and only one turnover Monday, Jackson-Cartwright put UA ahead for good in the second half by driving inside for what became a 3-point play.
That didn’t appear to surprise Miller, who noted that Jackson-Cartwright has 15 assists to one turnover in his past two games and that UA had just six overall on Monday.
“You know, Parker, he’s learned how to play the game, he knows our system, he’s been in college now for three years, he’s always been someone you trust with the ball in his hands,” Miller said. “Fifteen assists and one turnover? I don’t know what coach wouldn’t take that.
“It has a way of being contagious. Playing with single-digit turnovers in any game in November, especially playing as many new players as we are, is a good sign for us. So that’s something we have to keep with us, to have an opportunity to be that same responsible team.”
No doubt Jackson-Cartwright’s small frame, deft passing and quickness can help the Wildcats penetrate a zone, but it also helps that he’s played more UA games than any of his teammates.
“He’s just more experienced,” Miller said. “Everyone holds the freshmen to this high standard (as if) they’re the reason you win or lose. But if you look at our freshmen tonight, it was the first time they ever defended a (fast-paced and spaced out) style like we defended. It was the first time we ever played against a college zone and we were down at half.
“It didn’t look good so we had to dig deep. But because they had to go out there and perform, they had to learn. They’ll learn a lot more this way.”
Tags
As featured on
Die-hard Wildcats fans without two television screens handy might need to fire up the WatchE…
View this profile on Instagram#ThisIsTucson 🌵 (@this_is_tucson) • Instagram photos and videos
Most viewed stories
-
This new restaurant is coming soon, bringing Southern favorites to Tucson
-
60 fun events happening in Tucson this weekend Sept. 19-22 🥨
-
This nameless taco stand makes delicious al pastor tacos straight from the trompo
-
The iconic Barbie truck is returning to Tucson with exclusive merch 🎀
-
60 fun events happening in Tucson this weekend Sept. 12-15 🛼🎬
-
100 fun events happening in Tucson this September 2024 👻🎶
-
At 6 months old, Tucson's baby elephant has made her way into the big girl pool
-
35 FREE events happening in Tucson this September 2024 💸
-
Where should I eat in Tucson? A GIANT list of bucket list spots for every craving
-
We're hosting a bookish happy hour with author meet-and-greets and a scavenger hunt 📚