Hokies-Illini preview
Posted Mar15, 2007 at 08:33 PM
Mark Berman here from Columbus, Ohio, where I have been interviewing Virginia Tech and Illinois players and coaches about tomorrow's big NCAA tournament game.
Tech's big defensive challenge will be stopping 6-9 forward Warren Carter and 6-10 center Shaun Pruitt.
"Carter, this guy is a tough matchup because he can post you and shoot that little jump hook," Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. "He's tough to keep off the glass.They do a great job of having him pick and pop, whether it's off a screen or off a ball screen. So you've got to guard him on the interior, you have to find him in transition because he could be the trail spot, he could get to the block, he could be at that left wing where he likes to catch it. Pitch-aheads, you've got to keep him off the glass."
And then there's Pruitt.
"That guy is a mountain masquerading as a man," Greenberg said. "You've got to check him off. For a big guy, he does a great job of second-effort rebounding and getting either fouled or putting the ball in the basket.
"They've got a great scheme in trying to get the ball in places where they can score. They did a great job of stretching the court with [guard Rich] McBride, who you have to chase because his range is unlimited.
"I would suspect that we're going to have great defensive discipline because if they don't have any transition I would suspect they're going to try to make us guard for long periods of time."
Illinois allows an average of just 57.7 points.
"They put good pressure on the basketball. They can extend if they want," Greenberg said. "They're big people. They do a great job helping the helper. They do a very good job of defensive transition and limiting you to one shot. They're tough fighting through screens.
"It's real easy to sell your team on their ability to defend because when you're watching filom and it's a television game and they've got the score on the bottom and it's the second half and it's like 24-22, they're checking some people. They're hard to score on."
Pruitt is the backstop of the defense, said Illini coach Bruce Weber.
"We needed a backstop to our defense, somebody back there maybe not to block shots but to take charges and jam up things and fight people in the post," Weber said. "We take pride in being a good defensive team, but I guess we've made an overemphasis, just trying to give them something to do [so] that we had a chance to win."
Illinois is concerned about Tech's transition game.
"We have to take care of the ball," Weber said. "If you don't care of the basketball, they're good in passing lanes, they've got quick hands, they seem to swarm to the ball.
"It's going to be hard enough stopping them in the half court with so many different weapons ... so I think that's the big thing, taking care of the basketball, playing smart, not taking quick shots. I don't want them to be tentative and tight and not shoot open shots, but if we shoot quick 3s in transition, they're going to get it and go the other way and we're going to be in trouble.
"We've got to make sure we have touches for Pruitt inside. There's no doubt about that. When we have been successful, we've been able to get it into them. But ... if they swarm him, he's got to be patient and kick it out."
Weber likes the defensive talents of guards Rich McBride and Chester Frazier and small forward Brian Randle, so he hopes to contain Zabian Dowdell and Jamon Gordon.
"We have people I can say can guard their guys, and I'm not saying we're going to stop hem, but I think they'll at least be in their way for a little bit, so it gives you a little bit of a glimmer of hope," Weber said.
Frazier hurt his knee in the Big Ten tournament last Friday but will play today.
"He's played with worse injuries, so I would think he'll be raring to go," Weber said.
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