Be Prepared for Other Teams to Double Pardon From the Beginning

[Turk_rivals223269]

Last night they doubled Pardon exclusively in the second half after he was simply too much to handle. Pardon has now established on tape that he can consistently score if not doubled. I wouldn't be surprised to see Depaul double Pardon from the beginning.

The good news is that this opened up things for Taylor and Law. But all too often, Pardon passed back out to Gaines or Turner who were wide open but stood down on shooting.

The doubling down low also opened up some weakside lanes, and we had a lot of guys cutting to the hoop. So, we appeared to do pretty well when they doubled Pardon, but does another team have any choice since Pardon has proven he will score points quickly if there is no double?

 

[Jonny2TheP]

Yep, I can see that and I welcome it. Will absolutely open up the perimeter, where I think we are seeing some improved shooting. Make no mistake, that Michigan team is the best defense we will play all year. Straight up relentless man to man pressure with no switching- very few teams are able to pull that off for 40 minutes like they can. I am glad we got to play them early so that we can learn/grow from the experience. Facing the best will make you better in the long run.

 

[SimpsonElmwood]

With weaker defensive teams the doubling of Pardon will play into the Cats' hands, assuming they can shoot the 3 effectively. It's analogous to a running game setting up the passing game or vice versa in FB. Sure wish we won one of those games but I'm very optimistic about this year now.

 

[NJCat]

Wait a minute, I thought someone said that all B1G teams would press NU. Now they are going to full court press and also double Pardon? Dang. A very demanding game plan!

 

[ubercat]

Shooting the 3 effectively if Pardon gets doubled also requires crisp passing and reversal to beat the defense before it has a chance to shift back.