Film Session: Bethune-Cookman

  • 11/12/2022 7:57 am in

While Xavier Johnson is still finding his footing on offense early in the season, his defense, especially in Indiana’s win against Bethune-Cookman on Thursday night, has been strong. Johnson picked up the Wildcats’ ball handlers full court and stuck to them like glue. He fought over screens to stay with his man, executed switches with his teammates and helped when necessary.

We’ll take a look at some of Indiana’s defense led by Johnson, as well as two baseline-out-of-bounds plays from the Hoosiers in the latest edition of Film Session:

Here Johnson picks up Marcus Garrett full court, then fights over the top of a ball screen to stay with him. Later, he calls for a switch between himself and Miller Kopp. Race Thompson helps with a stunt on Garrett as he drives, preventing any shot attempt. Johnson then helps on a Kevin Davis drive, cutting off the lane, before recovering back to Damani McEntire — with some help from Jalen Hood-Schifino — on a closeout of a 3-point attempt that comes late in the shot clock. it doesn’t fall.

Really excellent work from Johnson here with some help from his teammates along the way.

Johnson again picks up full court, this time against Zion Harmon. He fights over the first ball screen and then eventually under a second before switching with Tamar Bates on a dribble hand-off to pick up Joe French. Johnson harasses French into a turnover via tough ball pressure.

High-level stuff from Indiana’s point guard here.

Here’s the first of our BLOB plays. Trayce Jackson-Davis sets a screen for Johnson near the top of the key and Johnson cuts down the right side of the lane. While that’s happening, Thompson is also setting a pick for Hood-Schifino on the left side, which the freshmen curls around and uses to find space in the mid-range near the corner. He rises, fires and hits, getting fouled in the process. (The replay would later reveal he kicked his leg out to draw the foul.)

Nice work from Indiana here to get its best mid-range shooter a look in his sweet spot.

Here’s where things get interesting, though. Just a couple minutes later in the second half, Indiana has another BLOB set ready to go. Jackson-Davis sets a pick in a near identical spot as the play before at the top of the key, this time for Hood-Schifino who uses it to go left. Down low, Thompson sets a cross screen for Johnson, who also heads left. Thompson then clears to the right corner.

This leaves the middle open. So this time around, Jackson-Davis cuts straight down the lane and jams it home on the alley-opp from Kopp.

Nice subtle variation here from the previous BLOB to unleash Jackson-Davis.

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