How to beat the #1's (from ESPN Insider)

[JoeyO]

from ESPN Insider

These four 1s are strong, but not unbeatable

By Fran Fraschilla

Special to ESPN.com

Here's a first look at the 1-seeds and how I would attack them if I drew them in the NCAAs.

Duke

Leadership is the biggest reason the Blue Devils landed another overall No. 1 seed. With J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams, coach Mike Krzyzewski has two All-America leaders as well as All-America talents. The two seniors know how to win and they have passed that winning work ethic on to their young teammates. Redick and Williams also form a devastating inside-out game, with a proven, dominant low-post center and one of the country's two best college players on the perimeter. Coach K keeps the game plan simple. Rather than out-X-and-out-O you, the Blue Devils outexecute you with terrific talent and tenacity. Their sets are simple, but they get the ball to the two go-to scorers. Like Villanova and Memphis, Duke loves dribble penetration. And freshman point guard Greg Paulus has come in and the offense has not missed a beat. When Josh McRoberts, who NBA scouts believe could be a top-five pick, is a glorified role player on your team, your talent level is high.

Weaknesses: Duke has been beaten off the dribble a number of times this season by quick, athletic teams. Also, inside depth could be an Achilles' heel if Williams gets in foul trouble or gets hurt. Also, while the talent level is high, the roles have been defined such that a third consistent scoring option hasn't emerged.

How to attack them: If you have the athletes to beat them off the dribble, you can do it. While Williams is a presence inside, the only way to take him out of a game is to go right at him. Yes, he does commit fouls. Also, if you have a physical post man, you must attack Williams inside because he is better coming over to help than he is man-up. In stopping Duke's offense, I would not double team Williams and instead would concentrate on guarding Redick. While Williams can put up big numbers, with the way Coach K's roles have been defined Redick needs a lot of touches. Keep Paulus on the perimeter and make him shoot jump shots. Your chances against Duke aren't great anyway, so force him and guys like Lee Melchionni to beat you.

Memphis

The Tigers are arguably the deepest and most athletic team in college basketball. Coach John Calipari has no problem going with four reserves in crucial spots because of the confidence he has in his young players. Memphis likes to play fast, but they can play at a medium pace too. The Tigers are not as good in the halfcourt as some of Calipari's grind-you-out UMass teams, so their ability to get out in transition off their D and create offense is key. A lot of Memphis' points in the paint come from a relentless ability to attack the basket off the dribble rather than strong post play. Darius Washington and Rodney Carney have enough experience to pull Calipari's club out of a tight spot in close games.

Weaknesses: Like Texas, Memphis' best offense inside sometimes is a missed shot and putback. While the nonconference schedule was off the charts, the question remains: Will Memphis have lost an edge by going 16-1 versus C-USA (although they did get four solid tests from UAB, Houston and UTEP in the last couple of weeks). As explosive as they are, the Tigers can play too quickly in the halfcourt and can be baited into taking quick shots.

How to attack them: You must take care of the ball and value every offensive possession, keeping the Tigers playing defense for a minimum of 20 seconds or until you can get a great shot. Memphis has a tendency to lose its concentration at times. You also must keep the Tigers out of transition and keep them out of the paint off the dribble. If you can force them to the perimeter, you have a chance -- Texas' 2-3 zone forced a high number of deep jumpers in the Longhorns' win in January.

Villanova

Two big strengths of the Wildcats is their toughness and tenacity, and all four of their guards are the embodiment of this. When coaches talk about the difficulty of containing elite teams off dribble penetration, they are probably talking about Villanova. The Wildcats' ability to drive the lane and attack the rim or kick the ball out for open 3s is the best in the country. While a low-post presence would be helpful, like Memphis, Villanova gets its points in the paint the hard way -- with its guards. Also, Villanova's ability to create offense off its defense should not be underestimated. Nova's quick feet is matched only by its quick hands, which disrupts opponents' offense and creates opportunities to score easily in transition. While their lack of size can be a problem, the Wildcats' tenacity and quickness manifest themselves on the defensive boards as well, as they get seemingly every free rebound.

Weaknesses: An inside presence on both ends is lacking, despite the emergence of Will Sheridan and the availability of Jason Fraser. While those two have been solid in tandem down the stretch, there is little depth on the front line and that could hurt them if they were to meet a team like Texas or UConn again. You can score on them inside.

How to attack them: In order to beat 'Nova, you must take care of the ball and make every offensive possession count. You must attack the Wildcats inside and try to get Fraser and Sheridan in foul trouble. Most importantly, you must keep them out of transition and contain dribble penetration. Make them beat you with jump shots. Villanova might not have as poor a shooting night as it did in Austin against the Longhorns, as that was caused in part by the huge frontline of Texas, but that general recipe is the best plan.

Connecticut

What continues to make UConn the most dangerous team in the tourney is that the Huskies can score in the most complete array of ways of any of the No. 1 seeds. In transition, they treat the fast break like they are in the Bristol 500. They can score inside. They can score off the offensive glass. When Denham Brown and Rashad Anderson are on, they also can hurt you from the perimeter. Marcus Williams, at his best, has the ability to keep this vast array of talent happy. Defensively, their size and quickness can strangle you inside and make it very difficult to score from behind the arc, as well.

Weaknesses: UConn doesn't contain the dribble well. As athletic as the Huskies are, they can beat opponents off the bounce. Also, this squad has a surprising lack of focus for a Jim Calhoun team. Possession by possession, you don't know what you will get some nights.

How to attack them: You must keep UConn out of transition and off the offensive glass, so take care of the ball and make them score in its half-court offense. With any "bully," you must punch them in the nose first, so they know you won't be intimidated. Given UConn's overall talent, most teams will have to get a bit lucky, execute their halfcourt offense and try to take advantage of the defensive lapses UConn will have during the course of the game.

Fran Fraschilla is an analyst for ESPN.

[alanfairbanks]

great post MabeeJ, i agree that the Tigers could be a good team to sit back in a tight zone against and make them shoot from outside or drive into a congested lane. I bet you'll see a less than tenacious defense from the eagles as far as one-on-one pressure goes. Keeping them off of the offensive glass, while forcing outside shots will be big.

[JoeyO]

Thanks AFW. The Memphis boards seemed to think that the article was a perfect summation of how to beat them. Maybe it will work for us.

[OKC Eagle]

Kind of makes you wish we had practiced zone a little more.