Tracking The Four: Scouting Reports
Posted by EJacoby on January 27th, 2012
Evan Jacoby is an RTC contributor & correspondent. You can find him @evanjacoby on Twitter. TT4 will cover four selected teams of interest – Syracuse, Indiana, Murray State, and UNLV – by tracking their ups, downs, and exciting developments throughout the course of the season.
You know each of our four team’s records, you can see where they’re ranked relative to other teams, and their advanced statistical breakdowns are easily accessible on sites like StatSheet and KenPom. But what about how they actually look in person? If you haven’t watched these teams play multiple times this season, we have the quick-hitting analysis of their strengths and weaknesses. This week’s TT4 Wildcard gives a scouting report for each team, which is a useful way to compare and contrast teams and also look at how they perform in future games relative to their expected tendencies. Feel free to chime in if you think we missed on something!
A Dynamic Offensive Attack has Led to Indiana's Success (AP Photo)
Indiana Hoosiers
Strengths:
- They space the floor very well offensively, capable of attacking from a variety of angles… Capable of running offense inside-out through Cody Zeller, or outside-in by swinging the ball around the perimeter amongst a number of dangerous scorers.
- Great perimeter shooting… They take good shots, which leads to a high three-point percentage… Jordan Hulls and Matt Roth have unlimited range on their shots… Christian Watford excels in the mid-range.
- Cohesive unit that has started the same five players in every game… Starters and reserves both know their roles.
Weaknesses:
- Poor perimeter defense, often leaving opposing guards without much ball pressure… Allow opponents to run offense comfortably.
- Lack depth in the frontcourt, putting themselves in a bad position if Zeller is fatigued or in foul trouble.
- No true point guard on the roster has led to struggles penetrating offensively… Poor assist percentage for such a high-scoring offense.
Overview: A dynamic offensive team that thrives during up-tempo games, enabling them to consistently space the floor and hit open shots… Struggle defensively in the half court with physical teams, and can get in trouble when Zeller or Watford get in foul trouble… Very streaky performance has led to extended runs and deficits during games… Improving defensive team but continue to have trouble getting stops in conference play.
