Cock Vitale’s leading 4 defenses to enjoy heading into March
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Dick VitaleMar 3, 2025, 01:30 PM ET Close Dick Vitale, college basketball’s top analyst and ambassador, joined ESPN during the 1979-80 season. His extensive knowledge of the game is produced in an enthusiastic, enthusiastic style. Vitale also contributes columns to ESPN.com.Oh, baby! If you’re
searching for prime-time, lockdown, suffocating defense, you don’t need to look any even more than these 4 fortresses: Duke Blue Devils, Houston Cougars, St. John’s Red Storm and the Tennessee Volunteers. When it pertains to crunch time, these teams don’t just safeguard, they damage your rhythm, they disrupt your strategy, and they determine the outcome with their durability, togetherness and tenacity.And let me inform
you, defense isn’t just something these teams stumble upon. It’s preached daily by some of the best coaches in America!Editor’s Picks
1 Related Jon Scheyer at Duke: The young genius in Durham has his Blue Devils purchasing into the protective gospel, much like the days of Coach K. They fly around the court, close out on shooters and turn stops into shift buckets.Kelvin Sampson at Houston:
Oh, are you joke me? The Cougars do not simply play defense– they eat you alive! They are so physical, so ruthless, they use you down ownership after ownership with their smothering ball pressure and rebounding domination.Rick Pitino at St. John’s: Among the game’s biggest minds has actually turned the Red Storm
into a protective problem. They change, they trap, they make you uncomfortable. Pitino’s crew is purchasing into his full-court pressure and locking teams up in the half court.Rick Barnes at Tennessee: Oh, Rocky Top, baby! The Vols ‘defense is like a steel wall. They assist, they turn, they object to whatever– nobody gets a simple look against these guys. If you do not take care of the basketball, Tennessee will make you pay with its relentless intensity.Now, let’s speak about what makes these defenses elite, because my viewpoint has always been simple:1. Help-and-recover is the name of the game: The very best protective groups do not just guard their
male, they secure their own players, too. Houston is a book example, with guys stepping up to stop drives and rushing back to contest shots.2. Interaction is essential: The very best defenses talk, talk, talk! See Tennessee: Barnes has those guys on a string. Every screen, every rotation, every coverage– they call it out and make certain everyone remains in the ideal
spot.3. Block out, rebound and end possessions: You can play terrific defense, however if you don’t complete the play with a rebound, it does not suggest a thing. Which’s why St. John’s and Duke own the glass.
Both groups send out bodies to the boards, clear out space and protect the ball to start the break.Men’s Competition Challenge Sign up now to play the # 1 Men’s bracket game for FREE!$135,000 in rewards.