Couple of nagging questions?

L

longtimer

Well-Known Member
How did we have what appeared to be a much less effective defense last year after losing only Jok who wasn't known for his defensive abilities?

How can this team move from near the bottom of the Big Ten to even a first division finish in the conference next year? We not only lost a lot of games but quite a few were real ugly. Weiskamp is a good recruit but probably not the difference. Are the players we had this past year going to make the kind of jump necessary?

Just thought some of you might have some insightful answers
 
PPG allowed was the same last season as this past season; 78 pts
3 seasons ago it was 69 points allowed.

no one complained that Fran couldn't coach defense 3 years ago that ranked Iowa around 97th.
9 points is a big difference in just one season.


and the big difference is due to a team dominated with juniors/seniors and the other dominated by freshman/sophomores.
 
DDThompson said:
PPG allowed was the same last season as this past season; 78 pts
3 seasons ago it was 69 points allowed.

no one complained that Fran couldn't coach defense 3 years ago that ranked Iowa around 97th.
9 points is a big difference in just one season.


and the big difference is due to a team dominated with juniors/seniors and the other dominated by freshman/sophomores.
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Our defense was much worse last year than it was the prior year. People who understand the game know that PPG is a flawed measure because it doesn’t adjust for possessions per game (pace).

KenPom had our adjusted D at 242 last year and 123 Jok’s senior year. That’s because we didn’t play as fast last year.

In response to the OP our defense was much worse this year because we played more guys out of position and had a general lack of foot speed. Jok’s senior year we started Wagner at the 4 and Cook at the 5. This year Fran tried to play Wagner/Nunge at the 3 in order to get minutes for Kriener and Pemsl at the 4 who just don’t have the footspeed to keep up. Our guards were also really bad on D and at times it appeared there was a lack of effort.
 
NikeHawk21 said:
Our defense was much worse last year than it was the prior year. People who understand the game know that PPG is a flawed measure because it doesn’t adjust for possessions per game (pace).

KenPom had our adjusted D at 242 last year and 123 Jok’s senior year. That’s because we didn’t play as fast last year.

In response to the OP our defense was much worse this year because we played more guys out of position and had a general lack of foot speed. Jok’s senior year we started Wagner at the 4 and Cook at the 5. This year Fran tried to play Wagner/Nunge at the 3 in order to get minutes for Kriener and Pemsl at the 4 who just don’t have the footspeed to keep up. Our guards were also really bad on D and at times it appeared there was a lack of effort.
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I think that is where Conner comes in. The points per possession numbers go up with him running the offense. Obviously, Iowa has to get better on the defensive end, but that is why I keep harping on the outscoring approach. I think Iowa is limited defensively so you counter that with being more efficient on the offensive end. Increase the points per possession numbers.
 
DDThompson said:
PPG allowed was the same last season as this past season; 78 pts
3 seasons ago it was 69 points allowed.

no one complained that Fran couldn't coach defense 3 years ago that ranked Iowa around 97th.
9 points is a big difference in just one season.


and the big difference is due to a team dominated with juniors/seniors and the other dominated by freshman/sophomores.
Click to expand...

Three years ago we had a skilled group of defenders in Woodbury, Gesell and Clemmons. Woodbury did a stellar job holding down the middle but it went beyond him. What would this team look like with an Anthony Clemmons on the perimeter? Fran doesn't seem in any hurry to bring in a guard like that who can defend on the perimeter and it really makes a difference as we see now.
 
Fryowa said:
McCaffery doesn’t even have to be a big scorer. He just has to be somewhat of a jumper threat and take heat off of Bohannon, a la Mike G.
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That is all I am getting at. I realize Iowa has to get better on the defensive end, but I think NikeHawk21 hit the nail on the head.....it is all about increasing the offensive points per possession numbers. That is how you “outscore “ people.
 
trj said:
That is all I am getting at. I realize Iowa has to get better on the defensive end, but I think NikeHawk21 hit the nail on the head.....it is all about increasing the offensive points per possession numbers. That is how you “outscore “ people.
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I wasn't talking about offensive points per possession, I was saying that Iowa’s defense was way worse this year than Jok’s senior year regardless of the fact that DD was saying their points allowed per game was the same.
 
Iowa's defensive efficiency was absolutely awful last year (points given up per possession). One of the worst defenses in Iowa basketball history. Defense is about effort, and Iowa didn't put in any effort on the defensive end.

Fran needs to play the kids who will commit on the defensive end, and sit the ones who won't.
 
NikeHawk21 said:
I wasn't talking about offensive points per possession, I was saying that Iowa’s defense was way worse this year than Jok’s senior year regardless of the fact that DD was saying their points allowed per game was the same.
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I will still stick by what I am saying.... However, the defensive efficiency numbers will point out that Iowa was better on the defensive end 2 years ago than they were this year. I don’t even pay attention to the points allowed stat that means nothing to me.
 
DDThompson said:
PPG allowed was the same last season as this past season; 78 pts
3 seasons ago it was 69 points allowed.

no one complained that Fran couldn't coach defense 3 years ago that ranked Iowa around 97th.
9 points is a big difference in just one season.


and the big difference is due to a team dominated with juniors/seniors and the other dominated by freshman/sophomores.
Click to expand...
69 PPG allowed is not good defense. I most certainly complained about Fran's lack of defensive coaching. Since he got here.
 
I'd like to see a stat for "allowed shots attempted per possession". That might be the purest defensive metric there is because it takes forced turnovers, shot clock violations into account. Points allowed , points per possession, defensive fg %, turnover margin, those can all be transitive and relative to a number of variables. I can't think of a better way of keeping the other team from scoring than minimizing the # of shots they attempt. I've seen a local girls high school team win multiple state championships this way. Defense. Pressure on the ball. Pressure in every passing lanes. Weak side help, cutting off baselines, communication. Playing like you have six defenders out there.
 
hawkeyemark said:
Three years ago we had a skilled group of defenders in Woodbury, Gesell and Clemmons. Woodbury did a stellar job holding down the middle but it went beyond him. What would this team look like with an Anthony Clemmons on the perimeter? Fran doesn't seem in any hurry to bring in a guard like that who can defend on the perimeter and it really makes a difference as we see now.
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Uthoff was the best defender on the team, over all, with a +5.1 in DPM (10.1 in BPM). Clemmons was the best on ball defender on the perimeter.
 
lightning1 said:
Uthoff was the best defender on the team, over all, with a +5.1 in DPM (10.1 in BPM). Clemmons was the best on ball defender on the perimeter.
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I somehow always forget to include Uthoff in that group since he didn't start out with us. Not a stat guy and appreciate that info. Uthoff had a very fine all around skill set.
 
lightning1 said:
69 PPG allowed is not good defense. I most certainly complained about Fran's lack of defensive coaching. Since he got here.
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Isn't that exactly what Nevada scored the night you raved about Loyola's defense?:p
I'll take it a step further. 69 ppg at 35% fg shooting is better than 69 ppg at 45% fg shooting. Of course 59ppg and 35% fg shooting is better yet which is the point you were trying to make.
 
Northside Hawk said:
I'd like to see a stat for "allowed shots attempted per possession". That might be the purest defensive metric there is because it takes forced turnovers, shot clock violations into account. Points allowed , points per possession, defensive fg %, turnover margin, those can all be transitive and relative to a number of variables. I can't think of a better way of keeping the other team from scoring than minimizing the # of shots they attempt. I've seen a local girls high school team win multiple state championships this way. Defense. Pressure on the ball. Pressure in every passing lanes. Weak side help, cutting off baselines, communication. Playing like you have six defenders out there.
Click to expand...
There really is no stat that encompasses team defense, as far as I'm concerned. Points per possession allowed, is probably a good place to start. I get a much better feel for team defense by watching the games.
 
lightning1 said:
There really is no stat that encompasses team defense, as far as I'm concerned. Points per possession allowed, is probably a good place to start. I get a much better feel for team defense by watching the games.
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Understood. It would be hard for me to explain to you our high school girls teams no matter how good they were. I saw them first hand and you haven't.
 
Northside Hawk said:
Isn't that exactly what Nevada scored the night you raved about Loyola's defense?:p
I'll take it a step further. 69 ppg at 35% fg shooting is better than 69 ppg at 45% fg shooting. Of course 59ppg and 35% fg shooting is better yet which is the point you were trying to make.
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69 PPG in a SEASON is not the same thing as giving up 69 points in a single game. I obviously liked what I saw them doing, from a team defense stand point but I don't recall that particular game. And they may have clamped down at the end of the game, with good defense. That's a big deal as far as I'm concerned. I want great defense from horn to horn but figuring out the other team and constricting their offense when it counts is huge.
 
lightning1 said:
69 PPG in a SEASON is not the same thing as giving up 69 points in a single game. I obviously liked what I saw them doing, from a team defense stand point but I don't recall that particular game. And they may have clamped down at the end of the game, with good defense. That's a big deal as far as I'm concerned. I want great defense from horn to horn but figuring out the other team and constricting their offense when it counts is huge.
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I don't remember all the metrics you threw at me in that thread but the gist of them is that Loyola forced Nevada to come up short of their offensive norms in several categories. It did take a team effort. And they did adjust well. They clamped down big time in the last 12 minutes of the first half and that allowed Loyola to generate just enough offense to climb out of that early 12 point hole and go into the halftime locker room with the lead.
 
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