So You Want To Go Up-Tempo (Part XV)
by Akula Wolf on Jan 24, 2012 6:00 PM EST
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PrintWhen Mark Gottfried took the NC State job, he said what a lot of new coaches say at the beginning.
"We do like to run," he said Tuesday at his introductory news conference. "We would like to play up-tempo. I'm not a guy who likes to play in the 40s and 50s. I'm a guy who likes to push the ball and create opportunities."
Sidney Lowe didn't just say this sort of thing at the beginning, he made a habit of discussing this sort of stylistic change prior to every season. Of course, that change never materialized because Lowe had no idea how to accomplish that particular goal. He never properly diagnosed or attempted to fix the issues plaguing the team's ability to win, much less run.
Gottfried's history at Alabama didn't suggest a coach who liked to get up and down, and in that post back in April (the one linked at the top) I worried as usual about State's ability to get enough stops at the defensive end to push pace at the other.
But so far Gottfried has delivered what he said he would. In conference play, NC State is averaging 71.3 possessions per 40 minutes, which ranks second behind only UNC. That's up from 67.2 poss/40 last season. Overall, State ranks 46th in the nation in adjusted temp, up from 143rd in 2011 and 248th in 2010.
So... we're a running team now I guess? I don't know this is weird, man. The UNC-State game could potentially become a track meet. (Herb Sendek, sitting at his desk in Tempe, just felt a cold shiver come on for reasons he cannot explain.)
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i can see that the current State team runs a much faster tempo than
State has run in the last 10-20 years. while i do not like to write anything good about UNC, i always noticed their “run out” offense under Williams in which after their opponent made a basket they ran down court and scored quickly. i have seen a similar attack in State’s offense. one could add to that the so called “secondary fast break” in which Wood follows and stops and pops from the three point line-something which Duke used to do when they had Reddick and Dunleavy.
Its amusing
to hear the ASU folks complaining about this very up tempo prmise that they have been promised out there in the desert for 5 years.
by riddickfield on Jan 25, 2012 2:21 PM EST up reply actions
I'm convinced
herbie is a cancer that all the doctors (media) are convinced is benign when its really malignant.
I love the Steelers.
by tannofsteel84 on Jan 25, 2012 3:16 PM EST up reply actions
I love it when we run
Easy point is the best way to win. The best way to get easy points is to push the ball and transition points. Its so much tougher to score when the defense is set and in front of you.
Its simple strategy, I don’t know why anyone would want to keep a slow methodical pace, it will lose to the fast – uptempo pace nine out of ten times. Why? Because of easy baskets and the time it takes to score them. In a set offense you have create a open look by manipulating the defense or hoping for a breakdown in defense. This either requires poor defense or excellent execution. That’s not something you want to depend on since its hard for anyone to do something excellent consistently. If it were then it wouldn’t be excellent it would be average. Also hoping well coached teams somehow forget their coaching and consistently break down.
I smile when we get fast break points because it makes the game so much easier. This game will be a track meet I believe, state will need 85 points at least to win.
I love the Steelers.
Luckily for us, we have a bevy of good athletes.
There are plenty of programs that don’t, and without them if you run, odds are you’ll get blown out by anyone who runs and is better athleticially. That’s why a lot of teams don’t play really fast.
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https://twitter.com/#!/RoflConnor
by Panthers FTW on Jan 25, 2012 10:25 AM EST up reply actions
yeah, generally you want to shorten the game if you have inferior talent
And the impact of points in transition is often overstated. Tempo is a choice that only makes a difference to the extent that it is compatible with the talent on hand. If running were such an obviously superior style, we’d see fast teams scoring far more efficiently than methodical teams, but that is not the case.
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