See what defense does?

[j2d2]

Every coach that I've admired from Wilkinson to Sampson has said that defense wins games. So true. Our defense is good three or four games a season and that wont get us to the next level. As discombobulated as this team is, I believe that is we played really good defense, our team would come together and win.

 

[Sweetest OU Girl]

I certainly agree with you about defense, but if we are honest with ourselves, our shooting woes would be a huge problem no matter what defensive play we produced.

When you are 0 for 17 on threes, it becomes almost impossible to win. That is like 17 turnovers. I'm not sure I have ever seen anything like it. The other side of that would be if we hit 17 out of 17 - oh say ......... against Baylor. I can assure that will not happen. 0 for 17 should not have happened either. Some of those were truly wild shots, not set up correctly, not shot facing the basket, etc.

I think a lack of discipline plagues this team for some reason. You can see it when we just hope for lucky shots instead of setting the shots up by careful passing and blocking out. You can see it by how long it took to put some control on the drives into the trees so our shots could be blocked. You see it by the foul shooting woes we are having - even at this point in the season. The list could go on and on.

I'm sure it frustrates the coaches nearly out of their minds.

I personally believe we have quite a bit of talent on this team - and when we play well we can beat nearly anyone. But we are obviously massively inconsistent which means we can also lose to about anyone.

Had we beaten WV last night I think we would have moved a bit closer to the possibility of a very strong finish to have at least a slim chance at a home court as a top 16 team. Obviously that is awfully remote now.

 

[got mulk??]

Defense wins championships. It's worked for us.....twice! Kim has always focused on playing defense first and scoring second. Love how Prince completely shut down Martin in first half!! Sic'em

 

[SOONERGRAD]

The saying "offense sells tickets, defense wins games" goes a long way. It's great to rely on 3's and shooters but what happens when you put pressure on the outside or your 3's aren't falling? Can that "shooter" guard an athlete?
9 times out of 10 it fails. Which is why 2017 and 2018 class will be very crucial in terms of getting not just shooters, but Athletes and playmakers who can play some defense as well. Llanusa will help a lot with that. I just hope we bring in a supporting cast to go along with that.

 

[SoonerNorm]

The saying "offense sells tickets, defense wins games" goes a long way. It's great to rely on 3's and shooters but what happens when you put pressure on the outside or your 3's aren't falling? Can that "shooter" guard an athlete?
9 times out of 10 it fails. Which is why 2017 and 2018 class will be very crucial in terms of getting not just shooters, but Athletes and playmakers who can play some defense as well. Llanusa will help a lot with that. I just hope we bring in a supporting cast to go along with that.

Great post!

 

[soonermike22]

I agree. If you play tough defense, rebound aggressively, and play with energy, you can keep yourself in games when your offense is ....weak.
But not when you shoot 17 3's, and miss them all. If you are shooting that poorly, other offensive options should be taken, especially those offensive plays that put you in position to go for offensive rebounds.
We seem to miss on both the defensive toughness and the offensive smartness in too many games.

 

[sybarite]

I have always been amused by sport's platitudes. Defense wins championships is about as relevant as saying that the winner usually has more points. It is old and passe.

Fact: I don't know of any coaches who recruit players because of defense. I don't see their defensive averages in the newspaper. Coaches look for people who can score.

If you have a shooter that has some length and athletic ability, he/she can be taught defense. The difficulty is in getting the point across that defense can be entertaining. But, a lot of good athletes can be taught to play defense. Shooting is somewhat like hitting a golf ball or baseball. A lot of good athletes simply can't do it.

When we choose the All-Big Twelve team and All-American team at the end of the year, it will include their scoring averages. Nobody will be on the team that isn't a scorer. There will be an All-Conference Defensive Team, which will be remembered for five or ten minutes.

Wilkinson's teams played defense. But, they are far better known for the offensive records that they set. It was the 391 yards per game rushing that set the 1956 team apart. They could score. Championship teams score. It is essential that you play defense. But, it is more essential that you be able to put the ball through the hoop.

 

[Sweetest OU Girl]

I agree wholeheartedly with your view, Syb.

The games we lost were because we went through serious scoring droughts. The WV game is a perfect example. If we had scored in the first 3 quarters even remotely like we did in the 4th, we win easily.

My greatest frustration is that some teams are being rewarded for the rough, physical play that was to be removed from the game. It is much of the reason for the scoring lapses. Is part of it our fault? Of course. But you cannot score when the offensive player is inhibited from moving. Even in some cases being tackled and held by a defensive player. That is not what folks follow WBB to see.

And it is not defense. It is fouling. And should be treated as such.

 

[SoonerNorm]

I agree wholeheartedly with your view, Syb.

The games we lost were because we went through serious scoring droughts. The WV game is a perfect example. If we had scored in the first 3 quarters even remotely like we did in the 4th, we win easily.

My greatest frustration is that some teams are being rewarded for the rough, physical play that was to be removed from the game. It is much of the reason for the scoring lapses. Is part of it our fault? Of course. But you cannot score when the offensive player is inhibited from moving. Even in some cases being tackled and held by a defensive player. That is not what folks follow WBB to see.

And it is not defense. It is fouling. And should be treated as such.

If the refs would have called more fouls, it would have helped us get to the line more but it would have given WVU more free throws as well. We didn't need any more of our players in foul trouble.

 

[j2d2]

It's great that journalists only cover offense. Everybody likes those who put up numbers. They impress. They get the ink. And who has the most points wins, but I remember beating texass 26 - 0 and Nebraska 27 - 0 . They played each other in the Cotton Bowl. Switzer said OU 53 - Cotton Bowl 0. You cant win if you can score and the amount of ink wont and cant change that. Champions play good defense - better defense than their opponents. Defense does win championships - ask the coaches.

 

[soonermike22]

I have always been amused by sport's platitudes. Defense wins championships is about as relevant as saying that the winner usually has more points. It is old and passe.

Fact: I don't know of any coaches who recruit players because of defense. I don't see their defensive averages in the newspaper. Coaches look for people who can score.

If you have a shooter that has some length and athletic ability, he/she can be taught defense. The difficulty is in getting the point across that defense can be entertaining. But, a lot of good athletes can be taught to play defense. Shooting is somewhat like hitting a golf ball or baseball. A lot of good athletes simply can't do it.

When we choose the All-Big Twelve team and All-American team at the end of the year, it will include their scoring averages. Nobody will be on the team that isn't a scorer. There will be an All-Conference Defensive Team, which will be remembered for five or ten minutes.

Wilkinson's teams played defense. But, they are far better known for the offensive records that they set. It was the 391 yards per game rushing that set the 1956 team apart. They could score. Championship teams score. It is essential that you play defense. But, it is more essential that you be able to put the ball through the hoop.

Defense wins championships is more than a platitude.
Look at how many shutouts the 55-56 sooners had under Wilkinson.
Billy Tubbs was a great offensive coach, but pretty darn good on defense, but not the stall, slow style. He wanted chances for turnovers, or force the opposition into quick shots.
ALL good coaches emphasize defense as well as offense. Just because fans enjoy offense and scoring, You WILL NOT win consistently if you play bad defense, and you can often win with great defense, and so-so offense.
And old does not mean passe. At least I hope not as I sure fit the old part.
Submitted as my opinion only, I am not in total disagreement with what you say. You can't be one dimensional and win, with either offense of defense. You may be better at one than the other, but you have to be adequate or better at both.

 

[SoonerNorm]

Defense wins championships is more than a platitude.
Look at how many shutouts the 55-56 sooners had under Wilkinson.
Billy Tubbs was a great offensive coach, but pretty darn good on defense, but not the stall, slow style. He wanted chances for turnovers, or force the opposition into quick shots.
ALL good coaches emphasize defense as well as offense. Just because fans enjoy offense and scoring, You WILL NOT win consistently if you play bad defense, and you can often win with great defense, and so-so offense.
And old does not mean passe. At least I hope not as I sure fit the old part.
Submitted as my opinion only, I am not in total disagreement with what you say. You can't be one dimensional and win, with either offense of defense. You may be better at one than the other, but you have to be adequate or better at both.

I agree. Kelvin was one of the best defensive coaches I've seen and he won a lot of games when points were hard to come by playing tough in your face defense. This team is fair on the defensive end. N. Texas shot 46% BTA. We would have had a great chance of winning that game by keeping a hand in their face

We would have had a chance of beating Washington and A&M by stopping a few drives by good help defense. OSU beat us by 2 points in Norman. They shot 49% from the field and 50% from BTA. You should get beat giving up those percentages. Better defense or a couple of offensive boards could have allowed us to win.

I agree we have to score. No question about that. But, sometimes the team cannot shoot well and getting to 55 points is tough. That is when you can still win if you play defense like your hair is on fire and you go after every rebound. Grab a couple of offensive boards and score on put backs can be the difference of winning and losing. You can't always shoot well but you can always play tough defense and rebound.

I believe our team is doing the very best they can to score every time they shoot the basketball. I do not believe this team is doing the best they can on defense or rebounding.