For a VERY significant portion of the game, yesterday, Virginia Tech ran a half-court trap. At initial thought, I said “ahh, we’re trying to capitalize on our advantage in athleticism.” Nope, I don’t believe that was the purpose. As I continued to watch, I realized what Buzz was doing.

Princeton is one of the better half court offensive teams in the country. They avg 79 pts/game, and rank 29th in the country in offensive efficiency. Princeton runs a unique system and does so nearly flawlessly. It’s a system that generates open layups and three point shots and does so through the use of time and patience and efficient movement. It doesn't key in on the mid-range game and minimal isolation.

I quickly realized that we ran the half court trap to delay Princeton from getting into their set. Instead of starting their offense with 25 seconds on the shot clock, they were starting with 15. They would get the ball up court get trapped, scramble around to get out of it, and would start their offense late. Against a team that thrives on running a diligent offensive set like Princeton, this was an absolutely brilliant move that I believe was the difference on a night where our guards couldn't hit the broad side of a barn...

The result was a 68 point regulation from Princeton (vs their 79 ppg avg).