The No-Screens, No-Brakes Offense

CJ Moore, writing for The Athletic, has an incredible story about Illinois Basketball and how the team will play this upcoming season.

Illinois could be difficult to prepare for because the ball screen has become such a staple of almost every college offense. The early returns are promising, considering the Illini have averaged 98 points and had five runs of at least 8-0 in two games. (Their defense and rebounding are another matter, but those are areas where Mirkovic will help.)

There isn’t a ball screen anywhere happening on the court this year. This team is going to be going a thousand miles an hour every possession. If the other team misses and Illinois rebounds, anyone can bring the ball up the court, even 7-foot-1 center Tomislav Ivisic. They are going to kill opponents with their pace on both ends of the floor.

Against Baylor, Illinois employed an “up the line/on the line” defense that caused a lot of havoc. That’s something I want to see more of as players get healthy and conditioning peaks.

Tons of players aren’t going to play against UIC in the last exhibition, and I’m good with that. We need everyone as healthy and ready for when the games start to count. Texas Tech will be the first real test, and Duke will be difficult, but I like this team’s chances.