LOS ANGELES – How impressive has Florida State’s defense been in the NCAA Tournament?
Reporters are talking about the Seminoles’ “Junkyard Defense” once again.
During the FSU and Michigan press conferences leading up to Saturday’s Elite Eight showdown, reporters repeatedly asked the Seminoles and Wolverines about Leonard Hamilton’s trademark tenacious defense.
With good reason.
In pulling off consecutive victories against higher-seeded opponents Missouri, Xavier and Gonzaga, the Seminoles have been relentless at that end of the floor.
Missouri averaged 72.7 points per game this season but could muster just 54 against the ‘Noles. Xavier scored 70 vs. FSU, but that was more than 14.4 points off its season average. And Gonzaga was held to a season-low 60 after averaging 83.5. It was the Zags’ lowest-scoring output of the year.
“Their defense is terrific,” Michigan coach John Beilein said. “There’s a couple things – they prioritize it, and they have great length to do it.”
It has been several years since Hamilton’s “Junkyard Defense” has been the focal point of the program. In recent seasons, the Seminoles have received more attention for their offensive prowess, with players like Malik Beasley, Dwayne Bacon and Jonathan Isaac lighting up scoreboards, and Hamilton going to a more free-flowing offensive attack.
FSU’s offense is still humming – particularly in transition – but it’s the Seminoles’ defense that has made the difference.
The ‘Noles have been particularly effective at limiting good looks for 3-point shooters, they’ve been extremely disruptive in passing lanes, and they also have protected the basket. Missouri, Xavier and Gonzaga combined to hit just 18 of 57 shots from 3-point range (31.6 percent), and they also committed 47 turnovers to go with just 26 assists.
FSU is averaging 6.3 blocked shots and 9.0 steals per game in the tournament.
“I think everybody is locked in to contesting every shot,” senior forward Phil Cofer said.
“I think before, we were not sold out all the way to contesting shots,” freshman guard M.J. Walker said. “Sometimes we were, sometimes we weren’t.”
While FSU’s defensive effort and execution hasn’t always been consistent in recent years, the Seminoles say they had a moment of reckoning after their disappointing first-round loss in the ACC Tournament. And if any players didn’t get the message from that defeat, Hamilton hammered the point home once the NCAA Tournament field was announced.
Hamilton explained that the Seminoles’ high-powered offense was what got them into the “Big Dance.” But they would need to step up defensively to stay there.
“We had to regroup after losing to Louisville in the ACC Tournament,” junior guard Terance Mann said. “And we’re just buying in. Definitely defending really hard.”
Judging by the way Michigan played in its Sweet 16 game Thursday against Texas A&M, this could be the Seminoles’ toughest test yet. The Wolverines (31-7) blistered the Aggies from the perimeter and also carved them up with dribble-penetration.
Five different players scored in double-figures and three had at least 18 – senior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman scored 24, junior forward Moritz Wagner had 21, and junior guard Charles Matthews added 18.
One of the things that makes Michigan unique, Hamilton said, is the number of players who can shoot from the perimeter. Nine Wolverines attempted 3-pointers in the Texas A&M game, and eight of them connected on at least one.
Wagner, who is listed at 6-foot-11 and 245 pounds, was 3-of-3 from long range.
“Almost everybody on the roster can shoot,” FSU center Christ Koumadje said. “They’ve got a 6-11 guy that can stretch the floor.”
Said Hamilton: “We have adjustments we’re going to have to make. The 7-footer creates a lot of problems, and they’re tremendously effective on the outside perimeter. When you have a 7-footer that spreads the floor, that opens up the lane and gives them the opportunity to penetrate and pitch. So, we have our hands full.”
When asked on Friday about the Seminoles’ defense – particularly their length and athleticism -- Michigan’s players said repeatedly that it was not much different from what they have faced in the Big Ten.
The Seminoles are hoping to prove that’s not the case.
“It’s pretty tough to kind of get a feel for how we play and the length and athleticism we have,” sophomore guard Trent Forrest said. “I feel like we can still play even better than we have these last two games.”
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