DobbsRover2
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During last night's game, UCF got the first three blocks and UConn's first one did not come until almost 15 minutes into the game when UConn was already up 49-11. Of course most of Kiah's minutes and all of her blocks came in the last 16 minutes of the game. If you watched the action last night, you might have noticed that UConn's blocks didn't add up to much, as UCF got the rebound most of the time and in a couple cases answered with a basket. For the 10 blocks, UCF got 7 offensive rebounds that were followed by 7 points, while UConn got 3 defensive rebounds and scored 2 points on the following possessions.
So do blocks have any real worth? Are they mainly a dramatic showpiece that we love to see but that lead to very little value for a team? A few thoughts on the Husky block party:
What's normal? The results for last night's game though not entirely abnormal may not be the usual state of affairs either. In the previous game against USF, the 15 blocks started early on and UConn won the battle of the rebounds on them by 8-7 and were +2 on the following possessions. Still, unlike steals where a MoJeff pilfer leads to a quick 2 points much of the time, as a defensive play, blocks don't seem to be a big boost to the offense.
Offensive rebounds. There has been a lot of talk about UConn giving up too many offensive rebounds, and part of that has to do with the high amount of blocks. At least half the time the ball winds up back with the shooter, her close-by teammate, or is swatted out of bounds (an offensive rebound). One third of UCF's 21 offensive rebounds came off of blocks, leaving them with 14 ORebs off of 48 missed FGs (0 chances on FTs). It's usually not easy to time a block to go to a defender off a jump shot, and keeping the ball in play on a lay-up can be tough too.
Fear Factor. To me, great blockers are like light-hitting but golden-gloved shortstops who keep the runs off the board even if they don't produce many runs on offense. Many of the blocks are on shots that would have a high percentage of going in if not for the rude interception of the ball. After a few blocks, an opponents' tendency to go inside for customary higher percentage shots changes more to outside jumpers that go in more like 30.7% of the time when you play UConn. But an even bigger effect may be on all the altered shots still taken inside that are rushed, have the arc changed, or are off-balance. Finally, having the big swatter in the paint allows the other defenders to take more chances knowing that even if the ball handler blows by them, she may well get squashed in the paint.
Morale Killer. After the fear comes the deflating sense of futility that can happen for UConn opponents. The guards are pushing the ball handlers out on the perimeter and eating up the shot clock, and the opponents are left with a last few seconds to try to make something happen inside, with a Kiah or Stewie knowing that the ball-handler\shooter has few options left, allowing them to line up a swat. This is truly where the real 40 minutes of dread comes in.
So, yes blocks like dunks are a bit of a showcase play that don't change the scoreboard dramatically in the way a rain of 3s does, but they are an important piece of that 30.7% shooting for the opponents.
So do blocks have any real worth? Are they mainly a dramatic showpiece that we love to see but that lead to very little value for a team? A few thoughts on the Husky block party:
What's normal? The results for last night's game though not entirely abnormal may not be the usual state of affairs either. In the previous game against USF, the 15 blocks started early on and UConn won the battle of the rebounds on them by 8-7 and were +2 on the following possessions. Still, unlike steals where a MoJeff pilfer leads to a quick 2 points much of the time, as a defensive play, blocks don't seem to be a big boost to the offense.
Offensive rebounds. There has been a lot of talk about UConn giving up too many offensive rebounds, and part of that has to do with the high amount of blocks. At least half the time the ball winds up back with the shooter, her close-by teammate, or is swatted out of bounds (an offensive rebound). One third of UCF's 21 offensive rebounds came off of blocks, leaving them with 14 ORebs off of 48 missed FGs (0 chances on FTs). It's usually not easy to time a block to go to a defender off a jump shot, and keeping the ball in play on a lay-up can be tough too.
Fear Factor. To me, great blockers are like light-hitting but golden-gloved shortstops who keep the runs off the board even if they don't produce many runs on offense. Many of the blocks are on shots that would have a high percentage of going in if not for the rude interception of the ball. After a few blocks, an opponents' tendency to go inside for customary higher percentage shots changes more to outside jumpers that go in more like 30.7% of the time when you play UConn. But an even bigger effect may be on all the altered shots still taken inside that are rushed, have the arc changed, or are off-balance. Finally, having the big swatter in the paint allows the other defenders to take more chances knowing that even if the ball handler blows by them, she may well get squashed in the paint.
Morale Killer. After the fear comes the deflating sense of futility that can happen for UConn opponents. The guards are pushing the ball handlers out on the perimeter and eating up the shot clock, and the opponents are left with a last few seconds to try to make something happen inside, with a Kiah or Stewie knowing that the ball-handler\shooter has few options left, allowing them to line up a swat. This is truly where the real 40 minutes of dread comes in.
So, yes blocks like dunks are a bit of a showcase play that don't change the scoreboard dramatically in the way a rain of 3s does, but they are an important piece of that 30.7% shooting for the opponents.