Fine-tuning defense a must for late push
AUSTIN — There are midgame moments when it seems Shaka Smart is pining to shed his tailored suit and sprint out onto the court, unfurl into a squat defensive pose and demonstrate to all the teens and early twentysomethings how it’s done.
At other intervals, the Texas coach might drop to one knee and smack palms to hardwood — thwack,
thwack, thwack — hoping that intensity will spread onto the floor and compel his Longhorns to defend with the proper amount of discipline, fervor and wit.
By no means have the Longhorns been a disastrous defensive group.
They allow 95 points per 100 possessions, 33rd nationally and ahead of NCAA Tournament-bound teams like Iowa State, Tennessee and LSU. It’s a feat made more impressive considering the Longhorns own the 17th-most difficult strength of schedule as measured by opponent offensive rating (109.1).
Still, Smart wants more, believes this group is capable of being even stingier.
Kansas State exploited some notable cracks in its 71-64 win over Texas last week. The Wildcats shot 55 percent overall and 47 percent from 3-point range. The last three teams to beat Texas — Kansas State, Iowa State and Georgia — shot a combined 28-of-55 (50.9 percent) from deep.
If Texas (15-11, 7-6 Big 12) can traverse those steps between “very good” and “great” on defense, there’s a chance the Longhorns can secure the first NCAA Tournament win of the Smart era.
“You’d love to be undefeated,” Smart said. “But you certainly want to be in a position where the most important games you have are ahead of you and you have the chance to go create the season that you want to create.”
UT has five regular-season games remaining to extract itself from the bubble and secure an at-large bid.
With the team enjoying an extended hiatus due to a midweek open date, Smart and his staff have outlined several areas of improvement to target before Saturday’s game at Oklahoma. The coursework starts, naturally, with defense.
Deflections count
“My favorite stat is deflections, by far,” Smart said. “But I can’t say that we’re doing as well as I want us to do in that.”
The magic number is 32. Only once in Smart’s 10 years as a head coach has his team lost when recording at least 32 defensive deflections — earlier this season against Georgia.
He said the Longhorns’ average resides in the high 20s. It’s a number he wants to see pumped up.
“To me, and I’m always on Matt (Coleman) about this and he’s not where I want him to be on it yet, as a player it’s a pretty obvious one,” Smart said. “Let’s just get our hands on the basketball as many times as we can. The Baylor game here was the last time we got 32. We’ve been close.”
Deflections don’t always result in a turnover. But it at least creates a disruption. It interrupts the offense’s flow and drains seconds from the shot clock.
Every deflection is an opportunity. It can leave the offense in disarray and create a fast-break opportunity for a Texas team that often has an athletic advantage over its opponent.
At the least, it gets opposing players second-guessing certain passes or shots, especially with 6-11 shotswatting menace Jaxson Hayes patrolling the paint.
“If every guy on our team has a deflection every five minutes, then we’ll get 40 deflections,” Smart said. “That’s just kind of how it bears out numbers-wise. Those guys right now get one about every eight or nine minutes, and they have to be better at it.”
Defend the arc
If UT is susceptible anywhere, it’s around the arc.
It ranks 214th in 3-point defense, allowing a 35.1 percent conversion rate. Big 12 teams have had even more success, converting at a 35.9 percent clip.
“On defense, our biggest emphasis that we have to get better at is having more active hands and taking away the 3-point shot better,” Smart said. “I think it starts with transition defense and communication.”
Texas can shift from disciplined and focused to lax and lethargic in a blink. It’s an issue, particularly against teams flush with long-range snipers like Kansas State, Iowa State and Baylor.
“It’s a double-edged sword because the more aggressive you are out beyond the 3-point line, conceivably, the easier it is for people to drive,” Smart said. “But that’s where help defense comes into play.”
Offensive organization
The offense has, at times, been a mess.
Too much dribbling. Jumbled spacing. Bouts of bad shots that leave Smart drooping his head in anguish.
There’s a clear and visible difference in the way Texas flows in wins and losses. It has posted a 128to-137 assist-to-turnover ratio in the latter and a 209to-159 ratio in the former.
“The No. 1 most important priority for us is continuing to improve our organization on the floor with five guys out there on any given possession so that we are exactly where we want to be; we’re executing the play exactly how we want to execute the play,” Smart said. “Our spacing is perfect. Then that gives our guys the best chance to make a successful play.”