Georgia = Not Just A Football School?

The 2023-2024 Georgia basketball team is very impressive and it’s cool to see the Bulldogs matter in a sport other than football. The Bulldogs went into Columbia and won a very exciting game against South Carolina.

This Georgia team is Dalton Knecht away from being undefeated in conference play. What I love most about this Georgia team is their versatility on the offensive end. I talked last week about the splits action that they run and it was very effective again against the Gamecocks.

The Georgia guards have led the way. Their ability to get into the paint and make the right play is very impressive.

Last week I mentioned how impressed I was with Silas Demery and he was again fantastic in this game. Demery is a rising star in this league. The inability to shoot the ball well and still win on the road is rare in the SEC.  Georgia was only 3-13 from the three point line and still won the game.

The question is how did Georgia manage to pull this off?

The simple answer is free throws. As mentioned earlier the ability of Georgia’s guards to get into the paint and make plays is huge. As a defense, if you can’t keep the ball in front of you, it will cause your defense to break down and result in scramble mode. Scrambling on defense translates to open shots and fouls. South Carolina could not stop fouling and thus Georgia went to the line.

South Carolina really played well and if you look at the stat sheet, they won just about every category. I thought the Gamecocks' size inside was very impressive.

One observation to look at in the future for Gamecock fans is the ability for the bigs of South Carolina to catch the ball with great post position. As a perimeter player when you throw an entry pass to a big with great position the four perimeter guys should just space and let the big make a play. A lot of times in the second half the bigs of South Carolina were catching the ball very high on the wing. When the big is farther out on the wing you need backside action from your guards. Back side flairs screens or maybe a back side cut to the basket.

For South Carolina, I would like to see a guard feed the post then a hard basket cut with a guard rotating to fill the cutters space. As the space is filled the big immediately runs into a step up ball screen. Too many times the bigs would not have great position and there wasn’t any movement from the Gamecocks.

With all of that said, if South Carolina could just make a free throw they would have won this game. These two teams will be bubble teams and this could be a big game looking back in March. Bulldog fans can be excited for basketball because you have a very nice club who plays super hard and has a lot of nice pieces.

Auburn Is A Good Team

I made a lot of Auburn fans very angry this past week with my thoughts about how we need to pump the breaks on them being the best team in the SEC.

Most fans were up in arms about my comments on their offense and shot selection. I have been very complimentary of the Tigers all season and have said when they run their stuff they are really good and have done a great job of improving in that area. But, they still have to prove that they can do it against good competition.

I believe Auburn is one of the best teams in the SEC and can win the league, but they still haven’t beaten a ranked team and only played one ranked team all year.

The reason I bring up the offense is because in the past couple of years, these concerns have been the reason for early exits in March. I  want to see them execute against better teams in the league. I will be the first to say they have been impressive and the offensive efficiency and assist to turnovers numbers are very good.

I just need to see it against better teams to crown them the best team in the SEC.

One action that I love that Auburn runs is the flex screen pop action. Auburn will set up in a 1-4 set and the big man will set a cross screen then pop to the three point line. Auburn uses Jaylin Williams in this action very well. If the three is not there the big will use a dribble hand off with the rotating guard, which is usually Aden Holloway.

This is great action from Bruce Pearl and gets the Tigers in great spacing and movement off the ball and on the ball. Not much to talk about regarding the Tigers as they took care of business in Nashville.

Dalton Knecht Is The Missing Piece For The VOLS

Is this Dalton Knecht guy any good? I didn’t think Knecht could perform any better than he did in Athens. I was wrong.

Knecht goes for 39 as the Vols blowout Florida in Knoxville. What I love about Knecht’s game is that he can score at all three levels. He also doesn’t have to have the ball in his hands as well. He is a great cutter, which he got a dunk off of against the Gators.

He also can read screens as well. If you watch the Vols they use Knecht a lot early in their floppy action. Floppy action is just down screens on both sides of the floor and Knecht will use either side. If you chase him he will curl right to the basket for a mid range jumper or finish at the basket, If you go under he will pop the three.

Knecht is also great in post up situations. Most teams put small quick guards on Knecht to try and get up under him. Rick Barnes will also post Knecht and his post fade jumper is deadly and he can play off that move with and up and under.

The play that is most deadly for opposing teams is the top of the key pick and roll with Knecht. If you trap him he is a great passer. If the guard goes under he will pop for a three and if the big sits in the paint he will use his pull up jumper in the paint. Lastly, if they switch the pick and roll Knecht will drive by the switching big and he can finish with both hands. At this point opposing teams should just hope he has an off shooting night because he is a complete player and simply is a pro scorer playing college basketball.

I think this is the best chance Tennessee has to make a Final Four under Rick Barnes. Tennessee is always going to guard and be physical, but they haven’t had a scorer like Knecht. I detailed how the Vols use him, but they have used one action since conference play started that is a very nice action and they have added on to it every game.

It’s called zipper action and it was used religiously in the Ole Miss game. The Vols will start with a double pin down for Knecht and he will sprint to the top and the key and ghost screen to the wing. A fellow big man will follow behind Knecht and set a pick and roll for Zakai Ziegler. Ziegler will come off and either look for the big rolling or Knecht in the corner. As a defense you can’t help off Knecht in the corner which allows for the Tennessee bigs to be wide open on the roll to the basket.

Best Of The Rest In The SEC

What a big win for Arkansas as they saved their season in a win against Texas A&M. Tramon Mark had a great game to go along with hitting the game winning shot. Mark is so good in the mid range area and he uses his length very well. Every young basketball player should watch how Mark uses his pivots in the paint to get his mid range jumper or floater. Arkansas did a great job of getting Mark to the elbow area where he is very good.

For A&M, you have to be disappointed to lose that way especially without Henry Coleman. Wade Taylor scored 40 and hit a ridiculous three to go up one. I’m still wondering why Buzz Williams let Mark get a running start with no pressure to set up his game winner. As a defense in that situation you have make Mark change directions in the back court. A&M let Mark  bring the ball up and get a running start to get to his spot and eventually knock down the shot.

LSU picked up a great win over Ole MIss as the Tigers are another much improved team. Jordan Wright has brought toughness and experience to this team and he made a lot of big plays to beat the Rebels. Ole Miss’s style of play just makes it very hard to win on the road. They really struggle to generate open shots and rely on isolation ball from Flanningan and Murrell.

Kentucky defeated Mississippi State in Rupp Arena in a blowout. The Wildcats continue to be deadly in transition. I will keep saying that the most impressive part about the Wildcats is how quickly they pass the ball up the court. Young players if you want to become better in transition watch Kentucky. Most people relate transition to dribbling the ball fast, but great transition teams pass the ball up the court fast.

Alabama continues to roll as they defeat Missouri at home in what was a chippy game. Nate Oats decided to push a player, which could have gotten out of hand quickly. The main concern for the Tide is the health of Marc Sears. He rolled his ankle and was not the same after. Nate Oat’s squad is coming together and that should scare the rest of the league. Alabama rolls into Knoxville Saturday in what will be a heavyweight showdown.

A Look Ahead To This Weekend's Slate

The game of the day is pretty easy as it resides in Knoxville. Alabama will travel to Tennessee in what will be a heavyweight match up.

The main matchup I will be looking for is how Alabama defends Knecht. Also, on the Tennessee side, can they Vols guard the three point line? Nate Oaks is going to shoot threes and this team shoots a lot of them at a good percentage. The Vols are great on defense, but if there's been one thing that has beaten the Vols in the past is good shooting teams. The Vols are a heavy gap team which can lead to open threes.

I will also be keeping an eye on Auburn at home against Ole Miss. Ole Miss is a different team on the road and that’s not a great recipe when playing in the jungle. Auburn is dominant at home and the energy that place generates is pretty cool to see.

South Carolina travels to Bud Walton in what is a game Arkansas has to win. This is also a great opportunity to get a signature win for South Carolina. For the Gamecocks to win they need to continue to play through their big man.

Texas A&M travels to Baton Rouge to play LSU and the big question in this game is will Henry Coleman play. Wade Taylor is coming off a 40 point game and there’s a reason I didn’t talk about his performance earlier. I know he scored 40 points but he took over 30 shots to get there. That is highly inefficient and if the Aggies want to make some noise they need better balance. This is another big game for LSU to continue their strong start to conference play.

Lastly, MIssissippi State will play Vanderbilt at home and Florida tries to bounce back against Missouri.

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