Final Four: Thoughts and Analysis with Coach Randy Sherman
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Me: There was a lot of pregame conversation about how the two teams would match up with the other. The game started with Stein on Dekker and Towns guarding Kaminsky. Did Coach Cal make the right decision there, and what was up with all the switching on screens? There’s a question I’m trying to ask without asking. Did Kentucky get out-coached tonight?
Coach: I wouldn’t say Calipari was out-coached. Wisconsin simply has a better offense in terms of efficiency and shot selection. They better spacing and ball movement. Wisconsin did do a great job exploiting some bad switches. Sam Dekker was able to drive by Willie Cauley-Stein a few times. Kentucky has switched a lot on screens all year, they have actually switched less in recent games, though. Wisconsin is good because they are essentially position-less. Ryan posts guards and inverts a lot, and they do it through screening.
Me: During a few stretches, I felt sorry for Devin Booker. It seemed as if they were running the motion set until they had a mismatch on Booker and then they would attack.
Coach: Yes, Kaminsky got him in the post a couple of times. Also, get ready to see plenty of this against Duke.
NOTE: Coach Sherm breaks down the Wisconsin offense in more detail here. The link pretty much explains why Wisconsin is so good, and how they’ll stay good until forever. I’d say it’s valuable information.
Me: I think UK fell in love with switching while playing inferior competition in the SEC. That conference doesn’t have inside/outside guys like Pat Connaughton, Dekker, and Kaminsky that can make you pay for switching on everything.
Coach: With Florida being down this year, no, they do not.
Me: From an execution standpoint, where does this game rank as far as the best college games you’ve seen. Are we over-hyping this, or was this really a classic. It’s the best game I’ve watched since Kentucky/Wichita State last year.
Coach: It was a dramatic game for sure, but the execution was iffy, especially by Kentucky. I thought the Michigan State/Wisconsin game in the Big Ten Tournament was better from an execution standpoint.
Me: A Big Ten game? You’re aiming to get both of us fired for lack of journalistic integrity. As I immediately look back on it, that game was indeed incredibly well played. It’s funny how everyone has forgotten about it so quickly.
Coach: Well, there was way more on the line in this game, obviously.
Me: Did the lack of competition in the SEC cost Kentucky the opportunity to grow and develop the way championship teams often do? Wisconsin, Duke, and Michigan State were all light years better than they were in December in order to reach the Final Four. Did the Wildcats plateau during conference play? The last really good team UK played was Louisville in late December. That had to hurt them, right?
Coach: Kentucky went through a period late in the regular season when their offense was much better (than what we saw in the tournament). At that point I was ready to give them the trophy. Teams that have that kind of depth often stay in tinker mode when it comes to their lineups. A lack of tough road games means that you don’t really find out your best combinations in crunch time. Cal knows his team and knows who he can trust better than any of us, but it would have helped to be hardened to a certain degree by a tough conference.
Me: You’ve been around much longer than I have. Is this the best team to not win the national title?
Coach: Oh, no. Vegas (1991, UNLV). I guess Vegas won one and lost one (the Rebels won the NCAA Tournament in 1990 and then lost to Duke in the Final Four the following year). The Fab Five never won. Give me those guys as the best team to never win.
Me: I know you hate giving predictions, but can you at least give me some points of emphasis for the national championship game? What does each team have to do to win?
NOTE: Coach Sherm is notorious for not predicting outcomes. He doesn’t even fill out a bracket before the tournament. He’s pretty much vehemently opposed to anything that brings casual college hoops fans happiness. He’s sort of like a cuddly curmudgeon, but it’s an even more awkward dynamic. Through previous conversations, we established that the only three things that make Coach Sherm happy are motion offense, half-court pressure man to man — and ice cream. Coach really likes ice cream.
Coach: Sure.
- The free throw line. Whoever wins that battle will have a great chance to win the game. Both teams are adept at getting to the line, but Wisconsin does not foul, so that may be their edge.
- Duke’s extended man-to-man pressure really disrupted Michigan State because the Spartans are a “tuck and signal” set play team, but Wisconsin isn’t. Their continuity and ball movement can hurt that extended pressure in a way that the Spartans couldn’t. The Badgers are well schooled in pressure releases such as backdoor cuts and tight curls. They can turn pressure against a team.
- Justise Winslow in transition will be a problem for Wisconsin.
- Okafor must do a good job playing perimeter defense against Kaminsky.
Me: Isn’t that asking a lot? Okafor guarding Kaminsky on the perimeter?
NOTE: What I really wanted to ask was, “Isn’t that pretty much impossible? Isn’t Okafor going to foul out in 10 minutes playing Kaminsky at the top of the key? Did you just nonchalantly give away the deciding factor in the national championship game?” The lesson as usual is that Coach Sherm is a mighty sorcerer.
Coach: Yes, it is. That’s asking a lot.
Me: Have you had enough beer to let a prediction slip?
Coach: Nope. It’s too close to call even if I were into predictions. Usually I go with the “who has more pros?” theory once we get to the Sweet Sixteen and beyond, but Wisconsin is an anomaly…sadly. Duke may have more pros but I think Wisconsin has tons of experience.
NOTE: For what it’s worth, Kenny Smith mentioned during the postgame that he felt the Badgers had four future pros on their team. After Kaminsky and Dekker, I’m not sure who he was referring to. Personally, I could see Duje Dukan and Bronson Koenig having cups of coffee in the league as well. It’s also obvious that Coach Sherm has a huge crush on the Wisconsin Badgers. You can tell that he wishes everyone played basketball the way they do.
Me: You’re picking Wisconsin. Either you don’t realize it, or you just don’t want to admit it.
Coach: I am HOPING Wisconsin wins. I will admit that. I am not a fan (of the school). I’ve never stepped foot in the state. I just respect the way they go about their business.
Me: Close enough to a prediction for me. I’ll take that and run with it. Good night, coach.
NOTE: Coach also talked about how much he respected Duke. I just edited out that part of the exchange because I hate Duke. Good night, folks. Monday night will be epic.