UNM’s Defense Set to Battle Savvy Pick-and-Roll Operator in Zaon Collins
Zaon Collins comes off a ball screen in Fresno State’s 68-59 loss to Grand Canyon on Jan. 24. Collins is second in the Mountain West Conference in assists with 4.6 per game. Photo: Fresno State Athletics
With five regular season conference games remaining, UNM men’s basketball seems it has its mojo back.
Or does it?
A little zone defense, and some Jake Hall heroics saved the Lobos (20-6, 11-4) at Grand Canyon.
UNM played a much inferior opponent in Air Force, and did what it was supposed to do with a 37-point win at home.
But is UNM still that same elite defensive team it was a month ago when it defeated Fresno State (12-14, 6-9) 83-74 on Jan. 21? That Lobo defense stole the ball from a Zaon Collinsless Fresno State 18 times, which lead to 29 points off turnovers.
During the first half of Mountain West play, the Lobos were known for their “disruption,” as they averaged 8.6 steals per contest for the first 10 conference games. UNM was good at turning teams over or forcing really bad shots — the Lobos ultimately won a large number of their defensive possessions to claim a top 25 spot in Ken Pom’s adjusted defensive efficiency.
However, over the last five games, the Lobos’ steals per game have dropped to 5.6, and UNM has fallen to No. 37 in defensive adjusted efficiency. The Lobos had three games against San Jose State, Utah State and Boise State where UNM gave up an average of 86 points per game and were particularly hurt by playmaking guards that knifed through UNM’s defense off of pick-and-roll actions.
Guards Colby Garland of San Jose State and Dylan Andrews of Boise State both carved up the Lobos during that three-game stretch. Garland finished with 24 points and 6 assists, while Andrews torched the Lobos for 33 points and 4 assists. Both guards often came off a high ball screen and were able to get deep dribble penetration that forced UNM’s defense to break down.
The Lobos are about to face another crafty point guard who will pose challenges with UNM’s ball-screen coverage on Saturday at 6 pm at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, CA.
Bulldog guard Zaon Collins averages 12 points and his 4.6 assists per contest is good for second in the Mountain West and 87th in the country in assist rate.
Collins is a master out of the pick-and-roll, and while he’s not the shooter that Garland and Andrews are, he did put in 27 points earlier this season against Utah Valley, and had 16 in the win over UNLV.
Part of the reason UNM has struggled with guards similar to Collins is the way they guard a ball screen.
See this clip of Garland where UNM guard Deyton Albury gets hit by a ball screen, and Tomislav Buljan, who is guarding the man that screened Albury, drops down to protect from Garlands’ drive, but this frees Garland up for a 3-pointer.
The same thing happens to JT Rock here against Boise State. Rock’s man screens Albury while Albury was guarding Andrews. Rock then drops back to protect the paint, which gives Andrews space, and Andrews drills a 3-pointer.
Both Garland and Andrews found success in the second halves of their games against UNM with the same type of ball-screen coverage. Here, Andrews is seen going pick and pop with big-man Drew Fielder, while Buljan again sinks too deep into the paint because Andrews got downhill off a ball screen. Fielder makes the Lobos pay as he did all night.
Here, Garland was again able to get downhill into the lane off a ball screen because Buljan drops down into the paint and gives Garland space to operate.
The Lobos will have to figure out a better ball-screen coverage against Collins to avoid allowing him to get deep into the paint and open up Frenso’s offense.
The Lobos will also have to play better defense against Fresno State freshman DeShawn Gory, who lit the Lobos up for 31 points and 14 rebounds.
“(I) was a little surprised by how he shot it, but credit to him,” Olen said after the Fresno game on Jan. 21. “(He’s) really good in transition, and got some easy ones there.”
Many of Gory’s points came when Fresno State was down 20 points in the second half, but still, UNM has to do a better job of locating him in transition and not letting him get to the rim.
Finally, the Lobos must win the physicality battle between Fresno’s 7-foot freshman Wilson Jacques and UNM’s Tomislav Buljan and JT Rock. Jacques is averaging 18.5 points and 11 rebounds in his last two games, and looks like he has a soft touch around the basket.
Buljan had a 12 point 10 rebound double-double compared to Jacques four points and eight rebounds, but on the road, UNM will hope that Buljan can set the tone on the boards early.
Injury Report
Fresno State is banged up, with starter David Douglas Jr. out for the year and key reserve DJ Stickman being out this game. Fresno State’s leading scorer Jake Heidbreder was sidelined the past two games with reported back spasms, but is expected to play as he’s not on the injury report.
Bottom Line
UNM built its identity on disruption — steals, deflections and suffocating ball pressure — yet recent slippage in ball-screen coverage has exposed cracks that savvy guards have exploited. Fresno State brings another poised pick-and-roll operator in Zaon Collins, a transition threat in DeShawn Gory and a physical presence inside in Wilson Jacques. If UNM can tighten its ball-screen coverage, limit dribble penetration and control the glass, the Lobos can start to restore the dominant defensive edge they had at the beginning of conference.
AIR FORCE RECAP, FRESNO STATE PREVIEW, LOBOS ON BUBBLE WATCH!
