Sippin' On Purple · Jan 26, 2019
Film study: Talking defensive strategy with Billy Donlon
The feel-good story from Tuesday night’s 73-66 win over Indiana was Aaron Falzon’s remarkable 21-point performance. But in dispatching the Hoosiers, the Wildcats also put forth an excellent defensive performance, especially in the game’s middle 20 minutes. The Wildcats went on a 15-4 run to close the half, turning a seven-point deficit into a four-point lead. Falzon made three triples, but Northwestern also held Indiana without a basket on 11 of 13 possessions to close the half.
I re-watched the game this week to pick up on some schematic trends I noticed, then ran them by Billy Donlon, NU’s equivalent of a defensive coordinator, on Friday. Here’s what I learned:
No threes for you