Rules like the defensive three seconds rule prohibit a zone from working.
#DEFENSE ZONE BASKETBALL TV#
That does’t make for the offensive-driven 40 minutes most casual fans turn the TV on to watch. They typically slow the game down and entice teams to hoist shots from deep. On a more general scale, zone defenses are also less aesthetically pleasing to watch. The notion that they need a zone to win despite five-star recruits crowding their rotation is embarrassing to some. The Blue Devils have one of, if not the most star-studded lineups in the nation. You don’t see zone defense played in pickup games around the country, and that’s probably where the connotation stems from.įor Duke, there’s another layer, and not only just because they are America’s most polarizing basketball school. There’s a stigma that implies zone defense is for the lazy, or the incompetent. Baylor uses it, as did all of the Rick Pitino-coached Louisville teams. There’s a reason Michigan State shot 26 percent from the field and 22 percent from three-point range against them. He may not have Bagley or Carter, but in 7’2 Paschal Chukwu and 6’9 Marek Dolezaj he has something close on the defensive end. Head coach Jim Boeheim has made a Hall of Fame career out of running the most effective zone in college hoops. The zone has helped hide a lot of the defensive deficiencies of Duke’s bigs. When defense becomes a game of guarding a space - not specifically a person - by spreading your abnormally long frame, things become a lot simpler. It’s more about precision and skill (and long arms!)Ĭarter stands 6’10 with a 7’3 wingspan, Bagley is 6’11 with a 7’ wingspan, and 6’10 Javin DeLaurier and 6’11 Marquese Bolden replace them on the bench. There’s less thought or verbal communication necessary for a zone to thrive. Will it win a national title? Why has the zone worked for Duke?ĭuke’s inexperience showed earlier in the season - it starts four freshmen - and when they can ride on the heels of their gifted intangibles, their lives become a heck of a lot easier. 8 defense on KenPom.ĭuke’s zone defense is weird and kind of embarrassing. Duke went from a sub-50 defense to the No. Neither could handle defending against the pick-and-roll in man-to-man sets though, forcing Coach K to rethink his entire scheme to salvage a season set to spiral because of an inability to prevent opposing teams from strutting to the bucket. and Marvin Bagley III are expected to be lottery picks in the upcoming NBA Draft. The Blue Devils have two of the most talented bigs in the game, as both Wendell Carter Jr. John’s team that was then 0-11 in the Big East. Why does Duke use this zone?ĭuke hit a wall mid-season, losing three games out of four to Virginia, UNC and a very bad St. This type of defense is meant to coerce teams to shoot semi-contested threes or dare them to attack the lane with beasts awaiting their arrival at the bottom of the zone. Just like the guards, the bigs cheat either way depending on where the offense reverses the ball. The tallest of the three is usually placed in the middle to protect the basket from layups and dunks, and the smaller two are placed on either side of him. The “3” in 2-3 zone represents the three wings and big men who create the backline of the defense. As the offense moves the ball to either side, each defender cheats a little more to the opposite side, anticipating where the next pass will land. They are to defend anyone that comes into their region from the foul line out past the three-point arc.
#DEFENSE ZONE BASKETBALL FREE#
In Duke and Cuse’s case, they play a 2-3 zone.Ī 2-3 zone typically places two guards on either side of the free throw line.
Instead of playing a typical man-to-man offense, like you see in the NBA, teams dictate different zones of the court for each of their five players to defend. So what is a zone defense?Ī zone defense is exactly how it sounds. Here’s what a zone defense is, and why its so hated. Twitter is likely to find Friday night’s clash insufferable. Zone defense comes with a stigma, and that’s only amplified when attached to nationally-despised programs like Duke or Syracuse basketball. It’s not always a fan favorite among college basketball watchers for aesthetic reasons, but it’s been an effective defensive strategy for decades. Zones are the alternative to man-to-man defense. Duke and Syracuse will play a Sweet 16 game filled with zone defense.