Couple of Quick McCaffery quotes at B1G Media Day

[JonDMiller]

"I think this is one of the most unique teams I’ve had in all my years of coaching. We have 4 starters back, you can almost count Clemmons as a 5th starter, and after that everybody’s young. With the exception of Dom Uhl, he’s the only one who played. It’ll be a real challenge to get those young guys ready because I think, ya know, in this league, five guys isn’t enough. You need at least 10."

Media Question - “Is there a clearly defined leader on your team?’
Fran - "I think when you have 4 seniors, all of whom have played as much as these 4 guys have, it’s kind of a collective effort. Last year it was Aaron White’s team. There was no question about that, even with Gabe and Josh. This year it’s a little bit different because Mike’s the point guard, Woody’s a little more verbal, And Jarrod has really taken his game to the next level but he’s not a big verbal guy. Clemons is, and he’s rock solid and has tremendous respect of everybody in that locker room. So I think all of them will contribute in that area.â€￾

 

[mopkins]

It will be interesting to see how he handles Woody. He wants him to get 32-36 minutes a game, but that seems like a lot of foul trouble. Woody has shown flashes and I'm really rooting for him this year.

 

[Linesetter]

Translation on leadership question: "as of now we don't have a true leader."

Also saying you need 10 guys is a bit of a stretch. OSU year in year out traditionally plays 6-7. Wisconsin nearly won the title last year basically playing 6 after the Jackson injury.

It'd be nice to have 10 guys but certainly not a need.

 

[meaning]

Wisconsin nearly won the title last year basically playing 6 after the Jackson injury.

It'd be nice to have 10 guys but certainly not a need.

Are we playing at a Wisconsin pace, though?

Not saying we need 10, but we can't play Fran's pace with 6 guys.

 

[1hawkeye1]

If Fran wants Woody in the game 30+ minutes he's going to have to change his philosophy on the posts hedging ball screens waaaay out beyond the 3point line. Woody gets a least 1 foul per game doing that.

 

[BryceC]

I posted it on another thread but Woody's fouls/40 min really aren't that bad. He could play 30 MPG IMO. I wonder about his conditioning though just tough to be a 7 footer playing those minutes at the pace Fran plays at.

 

[HawgEyeState]

If Fran wants Woody in the game 30+ minutes he's going to have to change his philosophy on the posts hedging ball screens waaaay out beyond the 3point line. Woody gets a least 1 foul per game doing that.

Agree with 1Hawkeye, here. And why would be my question? Does it ever work defensively? Ahhhh, no.

So, yeah, I think Woody should just work on running from basket to basket. Stay as close as possible to the rack

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Are we playing at a Wisconsin pace, though?

Not saying we need 10, but we can't play Fran's pace with 6 guys.

I was thinking the EXACT same thing.

 

[lightning1]

Translation on leadership question: "as of now we don't have a true leader."

Also saying you need 10 guys is a bit of a stretch. OSU year in year out traditionally plays 6-7. Wisconsin nearly won the title last year basically playing 6 after the Jackson injury.

It'd be nice to have 10 guys but certainly not a need.

How'd you like it when we went into Crap Randall and beat your Beckys? Couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch. Can't wait til Fran rolls into the Kohl Center and wins this year. Woody has been working on toughening up the tips of his fingers for another round of the Three Stooges on your players.

 

[Hawk5656]

Are we playing at a Wisconsin pace, though?

Not saying we need 10, but we can't play Fran's pace with 6 guys.

Wisconsin averaged more ppg than us last year. They don't milk the shot clock like they used to

 

[deanvogs]

Wisconsin averaged more ppg than us last year. They don't milk the shot clock like they used to

Wisconsin had one of the best player in college BB last year. They don't this year. They will go back to their mugging way as they return basically 2 established players.

 

[SnapBack2]

For Fran to run his system the way he wants, you need at minimum 8 guys. If there are only 6 or 7 capable players Iowa will not press or push the ball as much as Fran would like.

 

[ibahawkeye]

Agree with 1Hawkeye, here. And why would be my question? Does it ever work defensively? Ahhhh, no.

So, yeah, I think Woody should just work on running from basket to basket. Stay as close as possible to the rack

What's the other option???

I get that we don't want to pick up fouls 30 feet away from the basket but as a defensive guard, it can be difficult to get through a screen of an opposing big man.

I guess I'm willing to sacrifice a foul here and there for a good aggressive hedge. It beats letting the opposing player have a driving lane to the basket. Woody just needs to understand the situation on when he can and can't be aggressive and adjust so that we don't send guys to the foul line on a bonus situation or if he is in foul trouble.

 

[OlRustyBoy]

Wisconsin averaged more ppg than us last year. They don't milk the shot clock like they used to

Rank	Team	Conf	W-L	Pyth	AdjO	AdjD	AdjT	Luck	Pyth	OppO	OppD	Pyth
3	Wisconsin 1	B10	36-4	.9629	127.9	1	96.3	54	59.0	346	+.015	145	.7451	4	107.3	8	97.8	4	.6206	38
9	Notre Dame 3	ACC	32-6	.9231	123.2	2	99.3	102	63.9	223	+.062	47	.6507	54	105.1	61	99.5	44	.2371	347
4	Duke 1	ACC	35-4	.9594	121.6	3	92.3	12	66.0	114	+.068	37	.7454	3	108.3	2	98.6	17	.5495	105
6	Villanova 1	BE	33-3	.9504	120.0	4	92.8	13	64.5	187	+.031	103	.6652	42	105.4	51	99.3	37	.5042	158
1	Kentucky 1	SEC	38-1	.9757	119.3	5	86.5	2	63.5	251	+.048	69	.6829	31	106.0	31	99.2	29	.5560	100
7	Gonzaga 2	WCC	35-3	.9319	118.7	6	94.5	30	65.2	150	+.019	138	.5931	78	104.8	69	101.4	108	.5918	56
2	Arizona 2	P12	34-4	.9649	117.8	7	88.3	3	66.5	92	-.032	258	.6693	39	105.9	34	99.6	46	.4876	180
43	Davidson 10	A10	24-8	.7927	116.7	8	103.8	197	66.9	76	+.056	53	.5711	90	103.1	113	100.6	83	.4459	232
53	Indiana 10	B10	20-14	.7742	116.7	9	104.8	214	66.9	72	-.043	282	.6361	65	105.2	59	100.2	69	.3625	322
11	North Carolina 4	ACC	26-12	.9029	116.5	10	96.0	51	69.7	15	-.026	244	.7809	1	108.7	1	97.3	2	.6849	15

They were 346 out of 351 in pace. 59 poss per 40 mins in 2015 127.9 pts per 100 poss in 2015

63.9

poss per 40 mins in 2014 120.8 pts per 100 poss in 2014

So they didn't play faster, they were just way more efficient. Actually the most efficient team in college basketball.

Iowa avg 64.3 poss per 40 mins in 2015 111.4 pts per 100 poss in 2015
Iowa avg 70.4 poss per 40 mins in 2015 119.8 pts per 100 poss in 2014

So Iowa may not have averaged as many points but still played much faster than Wisconsin.

 

[PCHawk]

What's the other option???

I get that we don't want to pick up fouls 30 feet away from the basket but as a defensive guard, it can be difficult to get through a screen of an opposing big man.

I guess I'm willing to sacrifice a foul here and there for a good aggressive hedge. It beats letting the opposing player have a driving lane to the basket. Woody just needs to understand the situation on when he can and can't be aggressive and adjust so that we don't send guys to the foul line on a bonus situation or if he is in foul trouble.

People who think it doesn't work don't know what they're talking about. It probably works 19 out of 20 times. The reason it gets a bad rap is because when it works, nothing happens. That's what it's designed to do is to make nothing to happen. It's not done to get steals or force turnovers. Also the 1 out of 20 times it doesn't work are really noticeable because it results in a layup or a foul 30' from the basket. Those very rare times are what stick out in someones mind.

 

[ibahawkeye]

People who think it doesn't work don't know what they're talking about. It probably works 19 out of 20 times. The reason it gets a bad rap is because when it works, nothing happens. That's what it's designed to do is to make nothing to happen. It's not done to get steals or force turnovers. Also the 1 out of 20 times it doesn't work are really noticeable because it results in a layup or a foul 30' from the basket. Those very rare times are what stick out in someones mind.

Exactly why this topic drives me crazy. It's the non educated basketball fan who just doesn't understand the concept of hedge and recover. Yet they can't wait to pipe up on how unbelievable it is the big man picked up a foul 30 feet away.

 

[DFaceHawkeye]

Agree with 1Hawkeye, here. And why would be my question? Does it ever work defensively? Ahhhh, no.

So, yeah, I think Woody should just work on running from basket to basket. Stay as close as possible to the rack

If you understand what the hedge is actually doing, then the answer is definitely yes. With his wing span, he pushes ball handlers 5-6 ft off of their target coming off a screen. That's exactly what Fran wants. This makes all the pass off the screen more difficult and gives more time for the other defender to fight over/under the screen. Ask Coach K, it's really hard to do, but it's the best way to defend a ball screen. Also, if Woody gets one foul a game defending 12-15 high ballscreens, that's a pretty good average. It works 90% of the time.

 

[DFaceHawkeye]

People who think it doesn't work don't know what they're talking about. It probably works 19 out of 20 times. The reason it gets a bad rap is because when it works, nothing happens. That's what it's designed to do is to make nothing to happen. It's not done to get steals or force turnovers. Also the 1 out of 20 times it doesn't work are really noticeable because it results in a layup or a foul 30' from the basket. Those very rare times are what stick out in someones mind.

This is 100% correct. You could relate it to OLINE play in FB. If it's doing well, you don't notice them. If they aren't, well, you really notice them.

 

[DFaceHawkeye]

If Fran wants Woody in the game 30+ minutes he's going to have to change his philosophy on the posts hedging ball screens waaaay out beyond the 3point line. Woody gets a least 1 foul per game doing that.

I'd be way more worried if he was picking up fouls 70 ft from the hoop.

 

[HawkeyeMike23]

I'd be way more worried if he was picking up fouls 70 ft from the hoop.

Fran's been waiting three years to unleash the one man full court press. He's about to finally let Woody loose.