clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

NCAA Tournament 2013: Will Nebraska's zone be more effective against Texas A&M?

After talk of a potential upset, the Nebraska Cornhuskers came out in their first round game against the Chattanooga Lady Mocs and found themselves down 9 points with 15:49 left to play.

Then two things happened to turn the game around, according to Jim Hu writing at Good Bull Hunting: Huskers forward Jordan Hooper got hot and coach Coni Yori switched to man defense. However, it might be the zone that helps most against the Texas A&M Aggies in their second round game.

It seems likely that the Huskers will go back to the zone against the Ags on Monday night. Nebraska starts 4 players over 6 ft tall, and two or three of these will sandwich Bone. For the season A&M shoots a higher percentage from 3 pt land than the Mocs, but Chattanooga's guards had 208 treys on 662 attempts, while the Ags have only tried 309 3FGA for the season. A&M has also been in a 3 pt shooting slump. This means the Husker zone that looked to me like it presented opportunities for the mid-range jumpers Bellock and Walker thrive on, may not be as spread out vs the Ags.

Hu also notes the importance of the guard matchup and the Aggies' ability to contain Lindsey Moore will be as important as the defensive strategy that Nebraska takes on.

For more on the matchup, visit Good Bull Hunting.