Wisconsin's pressure, pinch, and protect defensive system explained
An elementary breakdown of Greg Gard's 'pressure, pinch, and protect' defensive system.
Madison, Wisc. – Over the past two decades, the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball program has built a winning culture around its trademark pressure, pinch, and protect defensive principles (man-to-man).
The UW coaching staff laid the foundation for this culture by giving the players a specific set of defensive rules (we’ll cover this later) and made it the solitary path to earning playing time.
Wisconsin prides itself on always being in the right place at the right time, making things difficult for its opponents and hopefully frustrating them enough to force low-percentage shots because easier ones never seem to open up.
If a Wisconsin defender makes a mistake on a given play, they're held accountable by being subbed out of the game - we've seen this countless times throughout the years.
In theory, defensive ideologies are the perfect foundation to build a program. It's the one area you have complete control over, and it travels better than offense. It only requires effort, communication, and cohesion - all of which Wisconsin demands of its players.
Wisconsin's defensive-minded brand of basketball might not be flashy, but it gets the job done.
Today, BadgerNotes will break down the basic principles of Greg Gard's 'pressure, pinch, and protect' defensive system on an elementary level.
Ball Screen Defense
I'd argue the Wisconsin coaching staff teaches ball-screen defense as well as anyone in the country. There is almost no room for error with its teachings, and if you're unable to execute consistently, you don't play, simple as that.
One player not doing their job can break down an otherwise perfect defensive set, leading to an easy bucket, so the coaching staff needs complete trust in their players to execute.
Wisconsin's big men are expected to play in drop coverage during ball screen situations.
In drop coverage, the screener's defender (usually a big man) will sit back in a predetermined 'drop zone' while the ball screen takes place. Then, the ball handlers' defender will trail over the top of the screen until they're able to recover.
In his drop, he's responsible for contesting shots at the rim and keeping himself between the ball and the basket – while not letting the roller get behind him.
In addition, he'll shade wherever the guard is penetrating to - but never play up to where the guard is - because it puts them at risk of getting blown by/allowing the screener to slip behind. Both of which lead to easy, unacceptable buckets.
A big man must be proficient in drop coverage for the defense to succeed.
In many cases, a player's ability in drop coverage has been the difference between big men seeing the floor at Wisconsin or riding the pine.
The goal: Ideally, this concept helps you force the ball handler into taking contested shots in the lane or mid-range jumpers, which, statistically, is a low-percentage shot. It also mitigates the efficiency of the roll action and limits/prevents dribble penetration by the ball handler.
The Downside: Playing drop coverage does put you at an offensive rebounding disadvantage because it can draw your big man away from the paint, forcing UW to "gang rebound" to make up for it.
On Ball Defense
It's the on-ball defenders' job to go over the top of the screen. And guide the ball handler towards the drop defender - while attempting to recover square to your man, deny access to the screen altogether if possible, and never allow for a ball-screen reject.
If the defender cannot recover, they must either trail and contest the shot of the ball handler or veer and switch onto the drop defender's man entirely (not exactly ideal).
The rules of Wisconsin's defensive system
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