Two ends of the spectrum. Jordan Brand is shouting, “There Are No Cinderellas” while Chris Paul is dramatically running sprints as the clock strikes midnight in their latest commercials. Yet everywhere I look, I hear the word Cinderella. In lieu of Stephen Curry’s Conan O’Brien appearance and Sports Center appearances, I feel it necessary to shout something out. Davidson was not a Cinderella. In fact, nearly every bracket “expert” had Davidson blowing by Gonzaga in the first round. All the shows shouted, “Remember how Davidson stuck with UNC earlier this year?” (I was actually able to see the second half of that game, and was duly impressed.) So I ask was it any surprise that Davidson beat slower-footed teams Georgetown and Wisconsin? I went to the Davidson vs. Wisconsin game in Detroit, and it seemed to me that “Cinderella” had all the ingredients in their game plan to play extraordinarily well against the Badgers.

A few keys to the game in my mind:

1. Davidson’s “Triple Pick” Play/Curry’s Quick Release: Davidson’s deceptive PG Jason Richards would start up at beyond the three point line, slightly left or right of the top of the key. Stephen Curry would line up around the elbow-extended area opposite of Richards. Davidson would plug their three scrappers in different variations across the middle of the key. (See Diagram) Curry would continuously run off them. Eventually, Wisconsin’s defensive dynamo Michael Flowers would get lost among the pick, creating a situation where Brian Butch or Greg Stiemsma (both 6’11) would have to hedge and attempt to stop Curry. As much as I love the two aforementioned players, they simply did not have the foot speed and quickness to stop a 6’3 guy. Without all that, Curry has one of the quickest releases I’ve ever seen…give him an open look, and its bottoms. If all else fails, Richards can stroke it, too.

Figure: My MS Paint “attempt” at Davidson’s play. Of course, they’d run different variations of this throughout the game…
2. Davidson Doubles up the Five: Bo Ryan’s Swing offense is predicated on the premise that four players remain around the key. A series of screens, back cuts, and offensive mismatches (Peep how the point guard eventually plays in the post—a nightmare for most defending guards) typically create a bevy of scoring opportunities. As soon as the Badgers would swing the ball into the “5” Thomas Sander and Andrew Lovedale of the ‘Cats would instantly double team. Because of how the offense is set-up, the post man can’t turn in face because he’d be placing himself right into the middle of the two defenders. He can’t go right because he’d be risking going out of bounds. With that in mind, it’s pretty tough to score or make a cross court pass when double teamed, all while having your back to the basket.

Figure: Notice four players on the permimeter and where the 5 situates himself. The screen for the 1 can typically create match-up problems, but Davidson’s double teaming negated that.

3. Davidson’s Full-Length Pressure/Pressure At the “1”: Occasionally, the ‘Cats would put on a full-court trapping press. With our lack of ball handlers, (due to the injury of our starting point guard Trevon Hughes) we struggled getting it up the court against the press. But the most stifling part of Davidson’s defense was their ability to double team at the top of the key. The double nearly ensured that nearly any pass made would be a risky one (it’s tough to make the crosscourt against the double team). In the end, Michael Flowers had to do too much dribbling to escape the trap. The Swing offense only works if there’s plenty of ball movement because of the crowded perimeter. Over-dribbling is not ball movement. Thus, our offense was essentially ineffective.

Figure: Notice how the offense is set off by the ball movement. The convergence of the double-team up top made a pass to anyone much more difficult than usual.