Saint Louis Basketball: 3 takeaways from dominant win over SIUE

Perimeter defense was outstanding

Going into Wednesday night’s game, I knew that Travis Ford would emphasize getting after it on the defensive end, which is why Saint Louis’s stifling perimeter defense didn’t surprise me one bit.  Even if every single guard isn’t very comfortable pressing all the way up on their man, every time they get the ball, they all did an excellent job of making SIUE’s guards, feel as though they needed to throw up prayers time and time again.

I probably should have counted how many of these shots were taken, but I would say that SIUE put up at least 15-20 off-balance, one-legged fadeaways, after unsuccessfully trying to get the Billikens to make a defensive mistake (or play incompetent defense, and give up straight-line drives).

The Cougars didn’t shoot a ton of threes (attempted just 11 and made 2 of them), but when they did, it looked they were simply tired of failing to get something going toward the basket and were content with hoisting up a few threes, and then calling it a day.

Saint Louis’s guards also did a terrific job of making sure that they were ready to defend, as soon as their man received the ball. Instead of waiting a second or two before getting down in a defensive stance, and moving their feet without fouling, they completed their work early and stayed low/disciplined all game.

Saint Louis’s guards also seemed to be a step ahead of SIUE’s guards, as they were able to read their body language quite well and anticipate which side they wanted to try and attack.

Often times, SIUE’s guards opted to keep their heads down and proceed to drive recklessly to the rim, which allowed off-ball defenders to slide over, and either take the ball away from them (which is one of the main reasons why they forced 25 turnovers) or get them to take a lousy shot late in the shot clock.

Perhaps the most impressive part about the stellar perimeter defense from Saint Louis’s guards was their ability to defend at a high level when they didn’t have help and were essentially out on an island by themselves. They all showed that they were capable of trusting their feet and staying in front of aggressive guards, but I was particularly impressed with Gibson Jimerson and Yuri Collins.

There were plenty of instances where Jimerson and Collins found themselves in individual 1 on 1 battles with SIUE’s guards, and they continuously rose to the occasion. They demonstrated that were capable of winning those battles, by not adjusting the placement of their feet multiple times, as SIUE’s guards were attempting to set them up, and staying down at all times.

I know for a fact that it can be hard to avoid lifting up slightly, after your opponent looks like they want to elevate for a jumper or stop instantly, and then get to their next destination on the floor promptly. However, both Jimerson and Collins made sure that they only rose up, when they were certain that a jump shot was coming.

If I had to venture a guess, I would say that Ford was also pleased with his squad’s perimeter defense, as it will hopefully carry over into their Saturday afternoon matchup against LSU. If Saint Louis continues to defend the way they did out on the perimeter moving forward, they could wreak havoc all season long.