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From evaluating the tape a little (I start this thread only to point out that our guys weren't just running around like chickens who haven't been coached).
Bazz was two steps away from his man on the weak side, just outside the paint, where he could see both the ball and his man. No way that skip pass gets to his man (or if it does, he'll be right on him on the catch), and he can cover his guy if he flashes to the top of the key or fades to the corner. He was where he needed to be.
Omar was overplaying the pass into the near corner to take away the three, with his eye on the ball. By the book.
Giffey wasn't really defending a man, but was taking away the pass to the top of the key where two guys were. He wasn't worried about anyone cutting inside him into two-point territory. He had it right.
Now that leaves Boat and Wolf (wasn't there a brain teaser about a boat, a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage? - never mind, I digress). With the advantage of hindsight and video, Boat should have met the ball two steps further out, and Wolf should have been in behind him on the three-point line offering help (Wolf would have instructions not to leave his feet - lest he fall for an upfake and foul). Instead, Boat stood in a defensive posture one step outside the three-point line, forcing Cadougan to shoot from very deep, and he leapt out to challenge the shot well -- he was just a half-step too far away to really bother it. And frankly where Boat was standing, there wasn't much Wolf could have done other than get in the way, even if he did come out to help. If Boat comes out, then Cadougan is forced into doing something on the move instead of lining up the shot - and then Boat has to stay on his hip and Wolf has to be there to challenge (both without fouling).
This was if we wanted to play straight up -- if we wanted to foul there, I would have had Giffey run at him with a hard trap near midcourt, and then force him to break that trap before fouling. It's possible that you can just force him into a turnover or a 40-foot prayer while falling out of bounds and you never even have to use that foul. But as soon as he starts to escape the trap (to the outside or splitting it), you have to foul, or else someone will be open. And if the trap never comes due to hesitation from Giffey, then Boat has to foul. Of course, there is also a risk that he throws a 50-foot skip pass to a guy for an open three, in which case you'd regret not fouling instead of trapping, but if you can stop them from even getting a legitimate shot off, that's better than fouling.
The one other thing from watching the tape with the Marquette feed is that the MU announcers thought Boat hit a 3 at first. Obviously Boat knew it was a 2, otherwise he would have just let them shoot the 3, but it is possible that - if indeed Ollie wanted us to foul - that there was enough doubt in those first few seconds after the shot that guys (primarily Giffey) weren't sure if we were up 3 or 4. Which means calling the timeout there would have been the best thing, with hindsight.
Bazz was two steps away from his man on the weak side, just outside the paint, where he could see both the ball and his man. No way that skip pass gets to his man (or if it does, he'll be right on him on the catch), and he can cover his guy if he flashes to the top of the key or fades to the corner. He was where he needed to be.
Omar was overplaying the pass into the near corner to take away the three, with his eye on the ball. By the book.
Giffey wasn't really defending a man, but was taking away the pass to the top of the key where two guys were. He wasn't worried about anyone cutting inside him into two-point territory. He had it right.
Now that leaves Boat and Wolf (wasn't there a brain teaser about a boat, a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage? - never mind, I digress). With the advantage of hindsight and video, Boat should have met the ball two steps further out, and Wolf should have been in behind him on the three-point line offering help (Wolf would have instructions not to leave his feet - lest he fall for an upfake and foul). Instead, Boat stood in a defensive posture one step outside the three-point line, forcing Cadougan to shoot from very deep, and he leapt out to challenge the shot well -- he was just a half-step too far away to really bother it. And frankly where Boat was standing, there wasn't much Wolf could have done other than get in the way, even if he did come out to help. If Boat comes out, then Cadougan is forced into doing something on the move instead of lining up the shot - and then Boat has to stay on his hip and Wolf has to be there to challenge (both without fouling).
This was if we wanted to play straight up -- if we wanted to foul there, I would have had Giffey run at him with a hard trap near midcourt, and then force him to break that trap before fouling. It's possible that you can just force him into a turnover or a 40-foot prayer while falling out of bounds and you never even have to use that foul. But as soon as he starts to escape the trap (to the outside or splitting it), you have to foul, or else someone will be open. And if the trap never comes due to hesitation from Giffey, then Boat has to foul. Of course, there is also a risk that he throws a 50-foot skip pass to a guy for an open three, in which case you'd regret not fouling instead of trapping, but if you can stop them from even getting a legitimate shot off, that's better than fouling.
The one other thing from watching the tape with the Marquette feed is that the MU announcers thought Boat hit a 3 at first. Obviously Boat knew it was a 2, otherwise he would have just let them shoot the 3, but it is possible that - if indeed Ollie wanted us to foul - that there was enough doubt in those first few seconds after the shot that guys (primarily Giffey) weren't sure if we were up 3 or 4. Which means calling the timeout there would have been the best thing, with hindsight.
