[IUFR Quick Hit] Film on UConn

Clips on UConn Offense that are pertinent to how Indiana defends

As Indiana is just a couple of hours away from tipping off (as I type this), I wanted to share a few clips that I think are pertinent to how IU defends the Huskies.

UConn comes into the contest with the 6th best offensive efficiency in the country. Over 46% of their field goal attempts are coming from beyond the arc, which has been an Achilles heel for Indiana in the early going.

The below video highlights some areas of concern with what UConn does on offense.

Empty Pick and Roll

The empty pick and roll is when a ball screen is set on one side of the floor and there are no other offensive players besides the ballhandler and the screener on that side of the floor.

Empty pick and rolls are difficult to guard because there isn’t a help defender on that side of the floor. As you can see in the video below, it puts the defense at a disadvantage and UConn has been extremely effective with it.

The final clip is a Spain ball screen (the screener receives a backscreen), but it’s a similar concept to empty, so I included it here.

Slips and Ghost Screens

On Thursday night, Indiana struggled with Wright State’s ‘ghost’ screens and slips. A ghost screen is essentially when a guy goes to set a screen and then immediately slips it into open space.

UConn utilizes a lot of ghost screens and slips within their offense and IU must communicate on these or UConn players will be running free.

Post Doubles & Extra Passes

UConn lives by the mantra of ‘pass up a good shot to get a great shot.’ As you’ll see in the video below, they made teams pay for post-doubles.

You’ll also notice that when teams collapsed on the dribble drive, they kick it out and swing it around the horn to find the open man. This is the thing that scares me most about Indiana.

The Hoosiers have been culprits of overhelping in their first three contests and UConn will surely make them pay if they do it today.

This will be a tremendous test for Indiana’s defense, but it’s also an opportunity to take a step forward this season.