Georgia basketball in search of solutions to end struggles vs. zone defenses

It’s like flipping a switch.

The Georgia basketball offense will be rolling right along in the first half. The opponent then switches to a zone defense, knocking the Bulldogs out of their rhythm.

The latest occurrence came Wednesday on the road against Florida. Georgia led by as many as 22 in the second half, but the Gators switched to zone and the Bulldogs had no answers, eventually falling 81-75.

“They ran a real good zone against us that gave us problems,” senior guard Jordan Harris said. “I thought we were prepared for it. We just didn’t execute that well in the second half.”

The zone struggles are nothing new. Even dating back to the Dec. 30 home win against Austin Peay, Bulldog head coach Tom Crean addressed why his squad struggled at times against a zone defense.

“We stand,” Crean said after that game. “When you stand and don’t cut and move and play through the middle, good things don’t happen. We don’t practice that way. We practice with movement.”

Over a month later, the same problems are still present.

The Bulldogs didn’t cut as much against the Gators when they swapped to zone, Crean said. They didn’t do the things that allowed them to have so much success against the man defense in the first half, namely cutting and setting screens. Many of the calls were the same, with the exception of point guard Sahvir Wheeler operating from the middle of the floor, but the production drastically declined.

“It’s the same guys that were just guarding you man-to-man. They’re just standing in one spot, which should free up even more of an opportunity for those cuts,” Crean said. “But our best passer was in the middle of the floor because we thought he could operate from that area better, and in turn we didn’t get the cuts that needed to have.”

In other words, it’s not a matter of calling zone plays as opposed to man plays. It comes down to the players continuing to execute no matter which look they’re going against.

That lack of movement can send ripples throughout the team. Freshman guard Anthony Edwards didn’t cut as much, Crean said, and looked to pass rather than score against the zone, contributing to a quieter second period after 18 first-half points.

But as Crean noted, lanes open up for him when the other players on the floor are moving and cutting. That didn’t happen as much against the zone, making things more difficult for Edwards and the rest of the Bulldogs.

So, how can these struggles be addressed going forward? After all, Georgia will likely see more zone in the coming games as opponents see on tape how the team has struggled against it.

For one, better defense from Georgia can be beneficial. Forcing missed shots prevents an opponent from running back and getting set in the zone. But against Florida, the Bulldogs defense surrendered 55 points and 60 percent shooting in the second half.

Graduate transfer guard Donnell Gresham echoed the need for improved defense. He also said the Bulldogs sometimes “get caught up in the flow of the game” and don’t think as much about how to attack the defense.

For Harris, it’s about the team keeping its energy high and composure in check. The older players could do a better job of being leaders, he said, communicating and focusing the younger players when adversity strikes.

The Bulldogs will face zone again, perhaps as early as Saturday’s game against Alabama. When that time comes, it will take a team effort to maintain an effective offense.

“I think we’ve just got to continue to make winning plays,” Harris said. “It ain’t about going to take over a game because it’s a team sport. We need to do a team takeover.”

This story was originally published February 8, 2020 at 1:40 PM.