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Post by beaverology on Jan 29, 2023 14:21:01 GMT -8
If you watched the game last night, there's little doubt that the turning point came midway thru the first half when the Beavers switched from man-to-man D to a 2-3 zone. It instantly locked up the CU offense as they struggled to solve it. CU turned the ball over 2x, and on the third possession, KC Ibekwe erased a shot leading to a an easy bucket for the Beavs. KC Ibekwe had 5 blocks, which also changed the game in favor of the Beavs and set the tone. My question is, did the OSU team find a new defense that can prove a game winner? It worked best when KC was in the game, but Andela played well too. Colorado is a slower, more methodical team, so we'll see what happens when the Beavs head south v ASU on Thurs. I hope to see the 2-3 zone get the same results against the Devils (and the rest of the year!). I haven't seen the Beavs that energized on defense since March of 2021. WT may have found an important piece to the puzzle.
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Post by wilkyisdashiznit on Jan 29, 2023 14:42:00 GMT -8
If you watched the game last night, there's little doubt that the turning point came midway thru the first half when the Beavers switched from man-to-man D to a 2-3 zone. It instantly locked up the CU offense as they struggled to solve it. CU turned the ball over 2x, and on the third possession, KC Ibekwe erased a shot leading to a an easy bucket for the Beavs. KC Ibekwe had 5 blocks, which also changed the game in favor of the Beavs and set the tone. My question is, did the OSU team find a new defense that can prove a game winner? It worked best when KC was in the game, but Andela played well too. Colorado is a slower, more methodical team, so we'll see what happens when the Beavs head south v ASU on Thurs. I hope to see the 2-3 zone get the same results against the Devils (and the rest of the year!). I haven't seen the Beavs that energized on defense since March of 2021. WT may have found an important piece to the puzzle. It is not a new defense for sure. Colorado is the worst offensive team in the Pac-12. California and Washington are the next two. The fourth-worst team in the Pac-12 is Arizona State. Maybe? I don't think that a 2-3 zone is a terrible idea against the Devils in parts. Defense generally seems to suffer on the road, and Tempe can get pretty rowdy. But hopefully, Tinkle will put together something that works. |
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Post by drunkandstoopidbeav on Jan 29, 2023 14:59:27 GMT -8
With the exception of a year or two on there, Tinkle's defenses have been a strong point.
A couple days ago I came across an article during the plaoff run (I think after the game 1 or 2 win) where several former OSU players and coaches were interviewed about their thoughts. Jimmy Anderson focused on the defense- I believe he said Tinkle's D is actually fairly sophisticated compared to what most schools use and now (mid-season is the impression I got) the kids seem to have it down its really helping.
It could be that with all of the new faces it's not a "new" defense, it's the defense which has been intended all along and is just now starting to kick in. It needs to kick in consistently and the offense needs to improve and it'll probably generate wins more frequently.
I just thought it interesting that Anderson really targeted the defense as the thing that got them to the Tournament.
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Post by beaverology on Jan 29, 2023 15:06:11 GMT -8
I think KC Ibekwe is the wild card. I know he's young and raw, but he's very good at shot blocking. We haven't seen rim protection like that since Chol went down. KC might even be better!
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Post by wilkyisdashiznit on Jan 29, 2023 19:05:08 GMT -8
With the exception of a year or two on there, Tinkle's defenses have been a strong point. A couple days ago I came across an article during the plaoff run (I think after the game 1 or 2 win) where several former OSU players and coaches were interviewed about their thoughts. Jimmy Anderson focused on the defense- I believe he said Tinkle's D is actually fairly sophisticated compared to what most schools use and now (mid-season is the impression I got) the kids seem to have it down its really helping. It could be that with all of the new faces it's not a "new" defense, it's the defense which has been intended all along and is just now starting to kick in. It needs to kick in consistently and the offense needs to improve and it'll probably generate wins more frequently. I just thought it interesting that Anderson really targeted the defense as the thing that got them to the Tournament. Oregon State's defense was very strong in 2021, both inside and outside. Having a true five and four that could play it really helped. A healthy Alatishe and Silva gave the Beavers a ton of looks that Oregon State could pull off on defense. If Chol got healthy again, Oregon State could conceivably have a lot more looks that they can run on defense. Part of Oregon State's issue under Tinkle has been that the defenses tend to be fairly complicated, and it is hard for players who have not been on the team that long to really get it. Someone pointed out that part of that is that Montana mindset, where you want to be playing your best at the end of the season, because you are not making the Tourney otherwise. No one really talks up the offense, because it tends to be fairly soft, even when Oregon State made the run. But the defense can be great, if the pieces are there. |
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Post by beaverology on Jan 29, 2023 19:09:01 GMT -8
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