Western vs Carleton
A breakdown of game one of the 2020 USPORTS men's national semi-final
The following is a post about the National Semi Final between the Carleton Ravens and the Western Mustangs Men’s 2020 USPORTS Final 8 Basketball Championship Tournament. Unless otherwise stated, all offensive and defensive rankings use the “Game of Runs” calculations - which is ORtg/DRtg (points scored/allowed per 100 possessions) adjusted for conference averages.
In their quarter-final game against Alberta, the Western Mustangs went on one of the great mid-game runs you will ever see. Down 13 after one quarter versus the Golden Bears, they went scoreless on their first six possessions of the second quarter, and it looked like it could be curtains on their season.
They then scored 35 points on the final 16 possessions of the half including nine – yes nine – 3s. Star fourth-year guard Omar Shiddo turned into an actual flame-thrower at one point, and the ‘Stangs went from down 13 to up 10 at the half and ended up taking the game.
Western qualified for the Final 8 after winning one of the most exciting Canadian university basketball games of all time – a 104-103 OT thriller against Laurier in the OUA semi-final that required a last second three-pointer at the end of regulation and another in overtime for them to take the game. The victory moved them into the OUA Final…
…where they got tattooed by the Carleton Ravens, who had once again put together a remarkable start-to-finish season.
First in offense and defense in the country for what felt like the 7843924093 season in a row, Carleton came into the semis peaking at the right time, as they always seem to do. I mean, look at the point differentials and ratings in that playoff chart up above. Those are good teams they dominated!
Years ago, the father of a Carleton player once said to my wife and I before a Final 8 finals game that Carleton’s mentality is that they play a one-game season every year – with the implication being that if they lose the national final then their whole season is a failure.
But they have to get there first.
Let’s breakdown the game.
1st Quarter
A great start defensively for the Ravens.
Carleton is simultaneously disciplined and aggressive on defense. Rarely will they gamble to go for a steal, but when there’s blood in the water they will attack a ball-handler with verve and intensity to make you feel uncomfortable.
That’s what happens here, as fifth-year guards Marcus Anderson and Munis Tutu hound the Mustang ball carrier with a classic run and jump, forcing him to give it up while under duress, and the possession is off to a rocky start before it has even begun.
While Western seemingly settles after the swing, they definitely feel unsettled due to the harried nature of the beginning of their offensive trip. Fifth-year swing man Eriq Jenkins tries to make a play for Western, and actually gets good penetration, but it is to his weak hand (a Carleton defensive staple) and he is quickly pounced upon by a rotating help defender.
With the proper weakside help in place, Jenkins is in trouble and ends up turning the ball over.
Carleton forcing the opposition to be uncomfortable – whether it be through their own outwardly aggressive actions or via subtle nudges guiding you to places you don’t really want to go – is the undercurrent of everything the Ravens do on the defensive side of the ball. Teams may make a play or two in this environment, but Carleton bets that in the aggregate more bad than good will come from constantly playing under these types of conditions.
Six possessions by each side and it’s 10-0 Ravens, forcing the Mustangs into an early timeout to try and regroup before the game gets out of hand when it has barely even started.
The timeout seemed to work, as the Mustangs seemed much more comfortable running their stuff, including this beautiful set that frees Jenkins for an uncontested mid-ranger.
But here’s the thing. The set included a position exchange, a dribble-handoff, a double cross-screen that lead to a fading mid-range jumper. Intricate and elaborate movements and coordination just to get an open look from 15 feet. These are the types of things you need to do versus a Carleton defense running on all cylinders if you are hoping to put up points.
But Western did settle into the game. They drew some fouls, knocked down a few shots, and held their own. Carleton was still ticking away on the offensive end as well, coming away with points on most of their trips and they held a seven-point lead going into the quarter break.
2nd Quarter
Western switched things up early in the second. They went to 2-3 zone and Carleton responded by launching threes. They made one, but missed a bunch, and Western used the long rebounds to push the ball in transition, nailing a couple of transition outside shots. A Jenkins penetration and finish led Carleton to call timeout, as it was now the Ravens turn to try and regroup in their final “pre-season” game.
In what at first seemed like would be an easy night was turning into a potential battle for the ages.
Carleton came out of the timeout in attack mode, going at the rim with a vengeance, in particular forward/guard/hybrid/positionless baller Alain Louis.
A breakdown of Marcus Anderson being an absolute menace on defense
Anderson (#3 in white at the top of the key with the headband) starts the possession by bothering the penetration generated off an opposite side pick and roll by digging into the driver from the top side help position.
His focus on this action leads him to lose his man, at least temporarily.
But this is Marcus Anderson we are talking about, so no closeout is too impossible to make.
Did you see all that? He shuffled around the Western player milling about (a screen here might have helped – emphasis on might) and managed to close out on Shiddo with his (absurdly long) left arm, deterring one of the hottest shooters going from even coming close to attempting the spot up. Anderson’s speed and momentum somehow managed to get to Shiddo’s strong hand - even though he was closing out from the opposite side mind you – forcing the Mustang guard to attempt to drive left. But Anderson, in one continusous motion, completes the closeout with a strip down with his right arm, jarring the ball loose for the turnover.
It’s an incredible display of athleticism, body control, hand-eye coordination, scouting, and sense of timing all at once.
I need you to understand something. Anderson did stuff like this ALL THE TIME throughout his career. He’s an okay offensive player – far from the most talented on the Ravens squad at any point in his career - but he’s an absolute monster perimeter defender. There’s a reason he was two-time OUA defensive player of the year and led this juggernaut of a team in minutes played during the season. An absolute joy to watch.
Anderson actually took over the game defensively at this point. After his steal above led to a layup on the other end, he stole the subsequent inbounds and drew a foul for two more free throws. Then on the inbound after that play, he drew a charge and Carleton had the ball again. It’s how you can change a game without touching the ball.
In a blink, the Ravens were up double-digits and again and cruised to a 12-point lead at the half.
3rd Quarter
The title of this site is Game of Runs, and Carleton exemplified that in the third quarter, winning the stanza by 20. The thing with the Ravens, though, is that they don’t really go on offensive runs. They simply avoid droughts. Rarely will you see them go more than two straight possessions without ending up with points.
After a turnover to start the quarter, the Ravens put up points on five straight possessions. And Western was playing well!
But Here’s why Carleton is so good.
That’s great defense by Western! They forced a tough shot, but gave up an offensive board. Carleton whipped it around the perimeter and the Mustangs closed out well multiple times, forced a contested drive into a double-team. Crowded well without fouling. But Carleton stayed patient, Louis cut to the open space, caught the ball and drew a foul.
That type of defensive effort would’ve led to a stop again most teams, but ever the slightest of lapses during the possession amongst a myriad of textbook closeouts, traps and contests, and Carleton capitalized. It has to be mentally maddening to play against.
While their aforementioned drought avoidance is impressive, it’s Carleton’s runs defensively that win them championships. They go through stretches where they put the clamps on and all of a sudden the other team can’t score. This was the story of the third for Western.
The Mustangs rely heavily on one player to score their points – Omar Shiddo - and he was having an off night by his very high standards. Carleton’s defense feasts on helio-centric offenses. You need to have a varying attack to have a shot against them and Western was leaning heavily on Shiddo in the third, and the shots simply weren’t falling at a high enough clip.
The Mustangs only scored on four of their 19 possessions (21%) in the quarter, and on the other side Carleton was rolling, scoring on 13 of their 18 possessions (72%). That math equates to a 20-point advantage. Simply a monster quarter against a very good opponent, and that was the game.
4th Quarter
It was academic from that point on. Nothing of note other than Western righting the ship to play the quarter even, and Carleton’s pre-season was officially over. Their one-game season awaited.
