This time of the year is a basketball fan’s fantasy.
After enduring hours of college basketball the past couple of weeks, it is now time to gear up for the NBA playoffs. However, in the midst of watching each of the 64 games of the NCAA Tournament zip by, one question popped into my mind.
What ingredients must a basketball team have to be successful?
Obviously, having a great coach is one, but that can only take a team so far without a talented lineup to grace the hardwood.
No, the answer to that question lay down low in this year’s NCAA men’s basketball championship game between Connecticut and Georgia Tech. The two centerpieces in the middle — the Huskies’ Emeka Okafor and the Yellow Jackets’ Luke Schenscher — were the keys for each of their respective squads down the stretch.
In fact, having dominant big men in the post on the offensive and defensive ends is the recipe for success on the college and pro level. On offense, the ability to score inside opens up the whole perimeter game. On defense, the big men are the anchor. They can change the flow of a game by disrupting their opposition’s inside attack and forcing outside shots.
Okafor, the consensus college player of the year, is one of those rare athletes who has the combination of size, agility, strength and even intelligence — not just intelligence on the floor, but in the classroom as well. The Houston native will graduate after his third year in school and will likely be selected with the first pick of this year’s NBA Draft.
He carried Connecticut to its second title in six years behind a 24-point, 15-rebound performance Monday. Okafor also is the leading shot-blocker in the country at a little more than four per game.
“He’s an incredibly bright young man, obviously,” Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun told the Associated Press after the win against Duke. “He’s awfully special. He’s the best player in America. He’s the best role model I think in college basketball. I’ve said that before so many times.”
And don’t forget the 7-foot-1 Australia native, Schenscher, who averaged 14 points and 11.5 rebounds in the Final Four.
“He really gave himself confidence and his teammates confidence,” basketball analyst Digger Phelps told ESPN.com. “They’re not afraid of giving him the ball in the paint. He’s been the improvement of Georgia Tech’s success.”
Now, what does this mean for the future of the Oregon men’s basketball team, which ended its season with a
disappointing loss to Michigan in the NIT semifinals?
Two stats illustrate the value of the Ducks’ big men, who are forwards Mitch Platt and Adam Zahn and centers Jay Anderson and Ian Crosswhite.
When those four combined to score more than 20 points, the Ducks had a winning record of 12-7. When the quartet failed to score at least 20 points, Oregon was simply average with a 6-6 record.
In two of the three wins during the NIT Tournament, the bigs joined to throw in 21 points. In the Michigan loss, they combined for only 16 points.
Also, in games where the defense had at least two blocks, the Ducks went 12-6. When Oregon failed to record at least two blocks, they went 6-7.
With Platt, Zahn and Crosswhite returning next season, one of those three will need to step up and be a leader on the both ends of the floor. Much like Okafor and Schenscher.
My pick to have the breakout year: The 6-foot-8 Zahn.
Zahn has all the potential of becoming a quality low-post scorer and shot-blocker, but potential can be a scary word if expectations are not fulfilled.
Time will only tell if Oregon can return to the national stage behind their big men.