NCAA Basketball: Are zone defenses dying in the sport?
By Bryan Mauro
Disadvantages of the zone in NCAA Basketball
Some coaches will run a zone exclusively and some coaches will run it part of the time to stem the tide or get their team back in the game. Previously it was discussed the advantages to a zone defense and how it can take a great offensive team out of their game plan and swing the momentum towards the defensive team. There are some big disadvantages to running the zone however that must be addressed in order to fully understand why many coaches do not like to run this style of defense except in spurts.
An offensive team that loves to take and make threes is going to thrive when their opponents utilize a zone defense. The overall purpose of a zone is to ultimately cut off the paint and to make the offense work for every basket they get. If the opponents already have an offensive game plan predicated around the three-point line a zone defense being utilized against them may play into their strengths, especially if the offense is making shots at a high rate.
One of the other main disadvantages of running a zone defense is rebounding. When your defensive assignment is playing a zone on the floor as opposed to guarding the man with the ball in a man to man defense, the player to box out to ensure the best positioning for a rebound is not well defined. Plus, to get a rebound it would mean potentially coming out of the zone earlier to ensure the best positioning for the rebound.
One of the other underlying factors that many individuals forget about is who is on the other team playing offense? A very skilled offensive player who can pass and has elite scoring skills from all three levels can be a zone breaker. The more shots a team makes in the teeth of the zone the looser the zone gets opening the driving lanes. That then forces the defense to switch to something more manageable. Not many teams have a player who can break a zone by themselves, but they are out there.